The 6th book in Faith Martin's Ryder & Loveday series is as good or better than the 1st 5. It can be read as a stand alone. WPC Loveday and Coroner Ryder make an excellent investigative team. This book is set in the 1960's when most police work was done in person since the tech at the time was pretty scarce. It's interesting to see how much police work has changed since then.
Set in a small rural village, A FATAL AFFAIR kicks off when the village's May Day festivities are interrupted by the death of the May Queen. One week later, the young woman's boyfriend is found hanged so most everyone assumes he was responsible for her death. But we know better. Our team must work quickly to solve the murders and return this area to peace. Ms Martin's series are known for their in depth research and the characters that populate small town England. I've enjoyed this series and several of her others. Recommend to anyone who loves mysteries done right.

I found this book a little hard to get into as I’m not used to reading detective novels that are set in the past. That being said it was interesting to read about solving crimes without all the tech that you get used to in modern novels. I haven’t read the previous books and it works quite well as a stand-alone I think, certainly the main storyline doesn’t require any back knowledge. It’s a very engrossing read, the twists and turns kept me engaged and there were lots of things I didn’t see coming. I will be going back to read the other books in this series.

I have read many Faith Martin books previously and I'm pleased to say I was not disappointed this time.
Great characters and a good detective mystery that kept you guessing until the end.
Although this is part of a wider series it can be read as a standalone without losing too much of the background narrative.
Highly recommended.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another great book by a great author. The plot was very well written and draws you in froim the first page. Will be on the lookout for the next book.

I saw this on Netgalley and liked the sound of it so promptly requested, it was only when I downloaded it that I realised it was several books in to a series. I decided to give it a go anyway and was pleased to find that it acted nicely as a stand alone story as well and I was easily able to fill in the bits of backstory from the information provided. having thoroughly enjoyed this book I will definitely be working by way through the previous books in the series as well.

I really like the setting and feel of this book. Setting the series in the 60’s means that the book feels quite gentle even as the crime dealt with is the murder of a teenage girl. There is no worrying about tracking mobile phone records or internet searches instead we get to enjoy our duo driving round the local area talking to people and examining crime scenes.

WPC Loveday has to work to prove herself to her male colleagues who treat her as something of an oddity and aren’t quite sure what to do with her. Ryder however has no trouble seeing her skills and potential and works easily with her.

The professional relationship and friendship between Ryder and Loveday was delightful. It’s so nice to have a ‘detective’ pairing with absolutely no suggestion of romance.

I did arrive at some of the correct conclusion before our duo but only just and at the point where the information was all available.

An enjoyable read with a well plotted crime to solve.

With thanks to HQ Digital and Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for honest review.

A Fatal Affair is available now.

WPC Trudy Loveday and Coroner Clement Ryder are back in this sixth instalment of the series by Faith Martin. In A Fatal Affair, May Day is upon the village of Middle Fenton, a quiet and peaceful village in England. The birds are singing and there is a crowd gathering around Magdalen Tower waiting for the celebrations to start. The choristers are ready on top of the college building and the Morris Dancers are waiting nearby for the dancing to begin. Margaret Bellham, a May Day Committee member is headed for the village green. She is responsible for overseeing the May Day Procession including organising those preparing the food for the picnic and ensuring that the village maypole is ready for the maypole dancing by all the village maidens. As she steps towards the stone maypole she sees the May Queen the villagers voted for, seventeen-year-old Iris Carmody with the coloured ribbons that hung from the crown of the maypole wrapped tightly around her body, her neck a mass of dark bruises. A week later, David Finch is found hanging in a barn and many believe that David committed suicide because of the murder of his girlfriend, Iris...

A Fatal Affair kept me on my toes throughout as I devoured each chapter. I adored being in the company of Trudy Loveday again who I find to be enthusiastic, feisty, considerate and, at times stubborn. Ryder is a man who has experienced his fair share of life - someone of a certain age who has lived a little.

Set in the 1960s, Faith Martin's writing is so good and her style is a great fit for me, helping to tempt me into the story. There was plenty going on which kept my attention throughout and I never once felt bored. With a handy supply of colourful supporting characters, the mystery itself was sound and there was always something going on to keep my attention focused. The clues, twists and red herrings were cleverly placed and with nothing as it seemed and secrets aplenty, the story was super exciting. This has left me wanting to read the first two books of the series, as well as eagerly anticipating the next instalment.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from HQ Digital via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Another great read from Faith Martin, I loved the setting of 1960 where everyday life seemed to go at a slower pace than today. The two main characters worked together well despite the age difference and it will be good to see how this pans out in the next in the series.

What a terrific book by Faith Martin!

A young woman is found brutally strangled and left in a heinous and mocking way in the center of the village and a week later her devoted boyfriend is found hanging in a neighbor's barn. Young constable Trudy Lovejoy and Coroner Clement Ryder are assigned to secretly look into the death of the young man whose father is an appointed high official and doesn't believe his son took his own life even though the audio results stated suicide. The duo encounter many twists and obstacles along the way and realize the case is not as simple as they initially surmised and will discover that many more lives might be in danger.

I really enjoyed this wonderful detective mystery. I wouldn't call the story a cozy mystery but it is neither a hard-core dramatic mystery. Plenty of crime and many delightful light moments. The book takes place in the early 1960's so there is sexual discrimination in the police force and all men based jobs during that era. There are many possible suspects of the woman's murder and some really interesting, devious characters. The writing was too notch with a unexpected surprise ending. I am looking forward to reading more Faith Martin books in the future.

I want to thank the publisher "HQ" HQ Digital and Netgalley for providing the opportunity to read this terrific mystery and any thoughts and opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a delightful mystery with some violence and have given a rating of 4 Captivating🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The two main characters, young WPC Trudy Loveday, and Coroner Clement Ryder are asked to investigate an apparent suicide. They work well together, Trudy learns so much from the much older Clement’s knowledge and wisdom, and will become an excellent detective once she can overcome the police station prejudice against women officers. The story is set in 1962 so has a very pleasant, slightly old-fashioned quality.

The story begins with the gruesome murder of a young woman who was due to be crowned May Queen of the village of Middle Fenton, near Oxford. She has been strangled, and held up on the maypole by its many ribbons. A few days later her boyfriend David Finch, son of Superintendent Finch, a senior policeman, is found hanging from a rafter in an old barn in the village. Everybody assumes that he killed his girlfriend Iris, then killed himself. Superintendent Finch does not believe it and asks DI Harry Jennings, who is leading the investigation, to arrange for Loveday and Ryder to look into it. Jennings is rather annoyed about this, and makes it quite clear they are not to get anywhere near the murder case, his territory.

This is a different era in police work - no DNA evidence, no computers, or search engines, no mobile phones. All police work is done the hard way, interviewing people and finding the clues in what you are told. Trudy and Clement are aware that some people they talk to are not telling the entire truth, but they are able to pick some salient points out that point them in the right direction, and a very valuable clue which proves that David’s death was not suicide.

The village setting makes it interesting because everybody knows everything that goes on, and the villagers seem split down the middle - the women thinking that Iris was a hussy who was always going to come to a bad end, and the men saying she was a beautiful girl and the women were jealous of her. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. There are several red herrings and misdirections which are very well plotted! I did guess who the murderer was, but only a couple of chapters before we found out the truth.

I will certainly look out for other books by this author. I received a copy of this story from the publisher, via NetGalley, and am delighted to write an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Book six in this engaging series sees a dramatically macabre murder of a young woman in rural Oxford. Quickly followed by another death, Coroner Clement Ryder and WPC Trudy Loveday have a complex investigation to solve.

They are a formidable partnership and soon unravel the web of intrigue and secrets. Told from the protagonists' point of view with other character viewpoints too, this is an intriguing 1960s mystery.

I received a copy of this book from HQ via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Rural murder mystery featuring an inquisitive coroner and a rookie police constable. Pleasant enough story,comfortable read.

I enjoyed reading this mystery. It was my first Ryder and Loveday mystery, although I have read many books in Faith Martin's Hillary Greene series. I wasn't disappointed in the book at all. It was engaging from the first few sentences. The characters were well drawn, and the plot was good. I look forward to reading more Ryder and Loveday mysteries.

#AFatalAffair #NetGalley
An ok read.
Middle Fenton, a young woman is found brutally strangled, her body tied up with ribbons in the middle of the green. A week later, her boyfriend is found hanged in a local barn, and the police assume guilt over murdering his beloved has driven him to suicide – but not everyone is convinced.
WPC Trudy Loveday and coroner Clement Ryder are sent to investigate, and quickly realise that there’s a double murderer on the loose.
Who's the killer and why they killed them?
Narration of the story was ok.
Characters weren't much likeable.
Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for giving me an advance copy of this crime thriller.

This is a 1960’s rural police whodunnit. Good characters. The plot was not particularly inspiring however I did not work out the murderer!

law-enforcement, procedural, cosy-mystery, small-town, England, murder, murder-investigation, whodunit*****

With Faith Martin's mysteries I never know for sure if I should classify as procedural or cosy, all I know is that I've never read one that didn't keep my eyes to the page until finished (regardless of the hour). This series involves the talents of WPC Loveday and former surgeon, now coroner, Dr. Ryder working to find the truth of the deaths ably described in the publisher's blurb. It is set in 1964 in England near Oxford, but good police work knows no borders or year. And it is the due diligence that brings the right murderer to court. Excellent!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook from HQ Stories/Harper Collins UK via NetGalley. Thank you!

Trudy Loveday is getting to work again with Dr Clement Ryder on a case that involves the son of the Superintendent. The Super's son was found dead after his girlfriend was found dead day's before. Everyone thinks that he killed her and his father wants Loveday and Dr Ryder to prove otherwise.
Another great mystery from Faith Martin.

The dynamic duo strike again. Dr Ryder, Coroner and Trudy Loveday Police Constable, solve another murder to help out the police. Non stop action, great characters and a clever, absorbing storyline. Great read.

‘A Fatal Affair’ by Faith Martin is a wonderful mystery set in 1960s England, when women police officers were expected to make the tea and mop up the tears of the female victims of crime. But Trudy Loveday is slowly fighting her way out of that stereotype, as she pairs up with the elderly coroner Clement Ryder to solve another baffling case. This time a beautiful young woman is murdered and displayed bizarrely in a village on May Day. Soon after her boyfriend is found hanged in a barn. The unlikely investigators begin to look into the deaths and soon discover secrets some would rather stay hidden.

It was a perfectly plotted story, with likeable main characters and a fascinating look at life in 60s Britain. The author didn’t just stick to the point of view of Trudy and Clement, but we also got a glimpse of the inner thoughts and reactions of many characters- some of them under suspicion. This was an interesting and very effective choice. I found myself transported to a world long gone, but still very relevant. There was something cosy yet shocking about the story. All of the elements of an English village mystery were there, but underneath there were terrible secrets and lies. I loved it and plan to read more in this particular series.

I was given this ARC for review.

Set in the 1960's, this is a bit of a different crime novel. The premise of a coroner and detective constable being asked to investigate a murder is quite a strange one but this is the whole basis of the series. I haven't read any of the others so coming into it part way through may not be the best idea.
The plot involves a murder and an apparent suicide. A number a red herrings are thrown in to keep you guessing but the final reveal felt like a bit of an anticlimax to me.
A quick easy read but I doubt if I'll read any more.

Only after starting this book did I spot that there are several earlier books in the series. Perhaps that is why I found it slow to really get going. I enjoyed it in the endas it built to a dramatic conclusion.
What does this crime thriller have?
A very public dead body on the village green
A body in a barn
Murder?
Suicide?
Those last too are the questions to which a young WPC and an aging coroner need to find the answer.
The result is a fairly fast paced novel, which manages to encapsulate village life in a 1960s rural village near Oxford.
There are sufficient twists and turns in the plot to maintain interest.
I give my thanks to Netgalley and HQ Digital for a copy in exchange for this review.