Member Reviews

Hillary Greene is an attractive character, and I particularly enjoyed the canal boat setting, which gave another side to the fairly well-worn Oxford(shire) murder story trope. The book was well written and suspenseful and I look forward to the rest of the series.

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MURDER ON THE OXFORD CANAL by Faith Martin.
MEET DI HILLARY GREENE, A POLICE WOMAN FIGHTING TO SAVE HER CAREER.Not only has she lost her husband, but his actions have put her under investigation for corruption.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Love this author. Great story and characters. 5*.

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Di Hillary Greene has as much on her personal plate as she does on her professional slate in this well crafted mystery involving a body found in the Oxford Canal. A good read.

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First in, the now long running, DI Hillary Greene series from Faith Martin. A relatively gentle, character driven murder mystery with a police procedural element. Enjoyable, although I felt lacking some depth. This is, however, the first book so very much an introduction to the main character and supporting cast. I will.look forward to reading more in the series.

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DI Hillary Greene is under investigation for corruption. Is she or isn’t she? While trying to stay out of the investigators sight she lands a big case only to have it taken from her. To make matters worse, she keeps getting assigned little tasks on her case. New series for me.
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A new author to me; the books are being re-packaged and re-released for a fresh and unsuspecting audience. This is fine but from experience faithful readers can get caught out, so buying books they have already read. Murder on the Oxford Canal was originally published in 2004 under the title "A Narrow Escape."
This is a fine police procedural with a tight plot that is well written by its author, Faith Martin. Although written, now some 13 years ago, it doesn't feel dated or out of time, however it lacks some direction and pace that more recent crime thrillers have. While it isn't a classic it has a clever plot with a range of characters and sub plots to sustain one's interest.
However, these don't always work for me especially regarding the fascination with appearance and sexual attraction for the female police officers by most of the male staff. For me this took the edge of the credibility of the main protagonist DI Hillary Greene, her back story also didn't fit in my opinion with the person she was throughout this investigation.
However, it was a crime story set around canals and narrowboats that led me to want to read this first episodein this series.
The sense of life on a boat was well conveyed and the standout pages are the discriptions of the early police raid in search of drugs.
There is nothing here to really disappoint and many will find it a refreshing read, I hope you do too.

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I enjoyed reading about DI Hillary Greene and her team and read the book in a couple of sittings. I particularly liked the background information and personal aspects along with the nitty gritty of crime scenes.Hillary doesn't have it easy with aggravation coming from all sides but she is determined and her dogeared attitude pushes her on as she realises all is not what it seems. I look forward to reading more from this author

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Thank you Netgalley for this book.

I wanted to read this book because of the title. I simply adore England and I feel at home while reading a book that is set in England. I once took a holiday on a narrowboat and fell in love with them. The author has captured the atmosphere very well. I liked most of the characters but the plot was a little complicated and not always easy to follow. However, I am looking forward to more books in this series.

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Thank you Netgalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
Hillary Greene is a forty-something police officer in Oxford who is being investigated by Internal Affairs for being involved with her late husband, also a police officer, in skimming millions of pounds during his career. Innocent, she is living in a longboat, hating every minute of the enforced confinement of her surroundings. She's glad to be called out on the case of a murdered man, whose body is found in the Oxford Canal.
He was part of a gang suspected of smuggling drugs, but finding his killer proves nearly impossible. Being sidelined by her boss, who takes the lead in the investigation, life is one big frustration. Internal Affairs still believe she knows where the money is and are determined to find her guilty, showing up constantly to question her.
This was a good police procedural with an interesting cast of characters and I'm glad I have the 2nd book in the series to read right away. Love the Oxford setting!

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I really enjoyed this book, it was set at a nice and steady pace which really suited the plot, it is a well written crime thriller. The characters were great (I loved some and not so much for others but they are exactly what the book needs) - they do work really well together and this helps to carry the plot through right to the end - there were twists and turns and it did keep me hooked. 

Whilst it isn't as fast paced as some of the other books I the genre this is still worth picking up without a doubt and I have given it a solid 4 stars - definitely one I'd recommend and looking forward to starting the second book in the series which is out very soon!!  PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A REVISED EDITION OF A BOOK FIRST PUBLISHED AS A NARROW ESCAPE

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A body is found in the Oxford Canal and DI Hillary Greene is on the case. She is also under investigation because of the illegal actions of her late, estranged husband and to make matters worse, there is a fellow officer who seems to have it in for her.

A decent, absorbing British police procedural that held my attention throughout,
I liked her character as well as most of those surrounding her, though I was a bit peeved by the fact that all of them seemed to be on the make in one way or another.

With some investigation, I learned that this book is part of a series; there are more than a dozen Hillary Greene mysteries. I look forward to reading some of the past titles and will be on the alert for future ones.

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D I Hilary Green is a force to be reckoned with. With a good supporting cast hopefully looking forward to further books from this Detective

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I chose to read the book because of the location which I am familiar with and so really appreciated. I enjoyed reading this police procedural with Hillary Greene, a forty year old police detective. Facing problems from complaints add to her woes as her deceased husband has left a shadow of suspicion hanging over her. In a story with twists, she works well with her superior officer, who recognises her skills and competence on the case. I must admit that I would have liked a bit more depth both in the storyline and in the characters. Overall though I thought it was a good absorbing read. Many thanks to Joffe books for an ARC.

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4 stars

DI Hillary Greene and DS Janine Tyler respond to a body in the water at a canal. Janine has a chip on her shoulder and while she likes Hillary okay, she doesn’t like working for a woman. (She’s a “man’s” woman you might say.)

DI Greene is under review for the misbehavior of her now-deceased husband who was also a police officer. She only has the case a little while before it is taken away from her and given to DCI Phillip “Mel” Mallow. DCI Mel is determined to keep Hillary in the case. He appreciates her mind and her support.

After they learn the name of the dead man David “The Pits” Pitman, they find that he is part of a large drugs smuggling criminal network. Two officers from vice are called in to assist.

After DI Hillary gets an inspiring idea about the narrowboats, the police are able to identify some boats owned by the leader of the criminal gang and they plan to raid one of the boats. What follows is an exciting raid. Things don’t go to plan, but DI Hillary saves the day. Hillary then decides against all common sense to go to speak with one of the major bad guys without telling DCI Mel. When that doesn’t go well, Hillary decides to speak to The Pits’ mother again. This gives her another idea.

The name of the murderer comes as no surprise, the delight was in getting there.

This book is well written and plotted. It started out a little slow, but the pace picked up quickly. DS Janine chasing after DCI Mel was off-putting, but at least it didn’t take up too much of the novel. The officers worked fairly well together, except for one DS Frank Ross, but again, he didn’t detract from the story. In fact, DS Ross added a little color. Sufficient background was given on the major characters, but not so much that it intruded in the story line.

I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this good book to read and enjoy.

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I thought the book started strong got a little slow in the middle but the second half of thhe book was excellent full of twists and turns and a really good plot. I liked the characters and their rel ationships to each other. This has the potential to be a really good serie s. A really enjoyable read!

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DI Hillary Greene is balancing several balls. She's fighting to save her career. Her ex-husband, now deceased, has been found to be corrupt and was has made millions of dollars that hasn't been found. Internal Affairs suspect that she was involved in one way or another. She has a supervisor who would love nothing more than to see her lose her job and be charged with something ... anything.

A body has been found floating in the Oxford Canal. It's a young man, suspected to be a part of a drug organization that she would like to see taken down. The local police have never been able to put away their leader, and this is her chance to shine. Being lead investigator, that means she has to be out in the field and away from Internal Affairs and their boundless questioning.

This will not be the only body to fall. Will she be able to find the culprit, put away the drug leader, save her career?

This is a well written crime thriller, riveting and engaging. DI Greene is stand-up, stubborn, and well respected by her team. The secondary characters of her team bring credibility and integrity in getting the job done and bringing those responsible for crimes to justice. Having never been to the UK, I much appreciate the writer's descriptions and pacing of the book.

Many thanks to the author / Joffee Books / Netgalley for the advance digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

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I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of Death on the Oxford Canal, a police procedural set in Kidderminster.

DI Hillary Greene is wakened by a phone call asking her to attend a mysterious. A man's body has been found face down in a canal lock. When they eventually discover his identity it opens a much wider investigation which Hillary loses control of. This is no use to her as lead on the investigation could lead to promotion and in the shorter term would keep the Complaints off her back as she is being investigated as an an accessory to her late, separated husband's corrupt activities.

I enjoyed Death on the Oxford Canal. It has a good plot with a few unexpected twists and turns and has a strong procedural element, not that Hillary always sticks to it. I feel, however, that it lacks depth. The backstory of Hillary's ex and his dealings is not explored or explained in any meaningful way so the reader just picks up hints along the way and the Complaints' investigation seems like amateur hour. The death investigation, nobody is sure if it is murder or accidental, is meatier as it is better on procedure, politics and personalities but it all slots together rather easily.

Hillary is a good protagonist, smart, feisty and honest but 3 guys lusting after her is a bit much in a crime novel! I like her determined to solve "her" case attitude and her can do mentality, even if it often lands her in hot water. I also like the interaction between the characters which seems quite natural.

Death on the Oxford Canal is a solid read.

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