Review of "The Liar in the Library: A Fethering Mystery" by Simon Brett

In this 18th book in the 'Fethering' series, amateur sleuths Jude and Carole investigate when a man is murdered at the library. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Jude Nicholls and Carole Seddon are friends who live next door to each other in the English seaside village of Fethering. Jude - who's a hippyish free spirit - works as a healer and Carole - who's a bit starchy - is a retired civil servant who worked for the Home Office.



Jude and Carole are local amateur sleuths who enjoy solving murders and drinking glasses of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Carole also likes to spend time with her young granddaughters, Lily and Chloe.

As the story opens, Jude is attending an 'Author's Evening' at the Fethering Public Library. The speaker is Burton St. Clair, author of a recent bestseller called 'Stray Leaves in Autumn' - a literary romance. As it happens Jude knew the writer many years ago when he was married to her friend Megan and his name was plain old Albert Sinclair. At that time, the writer penned unsuccessful crime novels.



In the question and answer session after St. Clair's talk it's clear that some of the evening's attendees have issues with the author - either resenting his success or considering him a phony. Moreover, St. Clair is one of those guys who'll grope any woman within reach. When St. Clair offers Jude a ride home, he gets handsy.....and she slaps his face and walks off. The next day, Jude gets a visit from the local police - St. Clair was found dead in his car, which is still in the library parking lot.



It turns out St. Clair had a walnut allergy and died from anaphylactic shock. Moreover, when the police detectives speak to the writer's ex-wife Megan, she tells them that Jude had an affair with St. Clair - which broke up their marriage - and that Jude knew all about his walnut allergy. Jude denies ALL of this, but she still becomes the prime suspect for St. Clair's murder.



When Jude starts to investigate St. Clair's killing in an attempt to clear her name, she's warned off by the cops. So Jude gets Carole to take over the inquiries. Jude and Carole discuss the possible suspects (over glasses of wine) and think of several people who might have wanted to get rid of St. Clair, including: his ex-wife; his current wife; a failed science fiction writer; women he harassed; and more. In fact the sleuths discover many local people who knew St. Clair in the past, and might not have wished him well. Eventually Jude gets back on the case, and the friends work together to solve the crime.

One of the most amusing characters in the story is Professor Nessa Perks, an expert in 'golden age mysteries.'



Perks believes she can solve real crimes by comparing them to her beloved vintage detective stories, and thinks the cops should solicit her help. Perks will tell anyone within earshot about her theories, which - for St. Clair's murder - include the following scenarios: WKH (wife kills husband);



Or MKL (mistress kills lover);



or WAMKH (wife and mistress kill husband). Ha ha ha.



Another interesting character is poet Nemone Coote, who - when chatting with Jude - drops the humorous names of her self-published poems and collections, such as Divergent Parallels and A Partridge in a Parent.....none of which Jude has read (or heard of).

Several characters discuss problems associated with library funding, xenophobia among Fethering's residents, and alcohol/drug abuse - which are real life problems in many communities today. So that feels very current.

The Liar in the Library is a simple cozy with no huge complications or plot twists. Actually, it feels like the author didn't expend much energy on the book, which is a shame.....because it's been a decent series. Still, the book is okay for an afternoon's light reading, with well-known characters that are fun.

Though the book is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone with no problems.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Simon Brett) and the publisher (Crème de la Crime; First World Publication) for a copy of the book. 

Rating: 2.5 stars