Jude is Caught Up in the Murder of a Famous Author

Jude isn’t excited about attending the book signing at the Fethering Library in West Sussex. The featured author Burton St. Clair is an old friend. At least his wife Megan was a best friend of Jude’s years ago. Still, Jude is not eager to see Burton who has a reputation for roving hands.

The evening presents some challenges for Burton. Several members of the audience have issues with him or his writing. At the end of the evening, Burton offers Jude a ride home. It’s cold and rainy so she accepts although she has reservations about Burton’s reputation for making a pass. In the car, he proves that he hasn’t out grown the habit, so Jude leaves him in the car and walks home.

The next morning she finds herself the primary suspect in Burton’s murder. He was found dead in his car and she was the last person to see him alive.

This is the 18^th book in the Fethering series. Usually Jude and her neighbor, Carol, solve crimes together, but this time Jude sets out alone with a new partner. Oliver Parsons, a charming man she met at the book-signing. Although the plot moves at a reasonable pace, a great deal of time is taken up with Jude trying to convince the police that she is not the murderess. I felt it slowed the action of the story since the readers know she didn’t do it.

Being the 18^th book, there is backstory that is unfamiliar if you’re a first time reader. However, the author does a reasonable job of bringing the reader up to speed so the book can be read as a standalone. If you enjoy English cozy mysteries, you may enjoy this book and get interested in the complete series.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.