Crime fiction


IT’S obviously far too late now but at least one of  Britain’s top crime solvers needs a name change. Having two of crime fiction’s best with the same surname gives readers one puzzle too many. Is it Helen or Roy who is expected to respond when someone yells “Grace”? Nor is there any easing of the confusion to have them operating within a few miles of each other. Both are on England’s south coast. Roy’s patch is Brighton and its Sussex  hinterland. Helen’s manor fans out from Southampton. Less than seventy miles between them.   About ninety minutes along the A47… Continue reading

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Why would anyone want to risk living in the outwardly charming British village of Midsommer? The number of bizarre and sudden deaths that beset its residents must be an estate agent’s nightmare. The ultimate hard sell. Charming 18th century cottage for sale, all bloodstains removed, two previous owners shot, two knifed, one poisoned and another strung from magnificent oak beam in drawing room.  No place nor activity within the bounds of this bucolic retreat from the brutish world of big city life is murder-free. And the years have shown there is no tool, implement, artistic device, machine, drink or food… Continue reading