This feedback is for the audiobook.

Psycho by the Sea is the first book by Lynne Truss that I've experienced and it didn't disappoint me. I found it to be well written, full of humour and rather endearing. The main character is very likeable if somewhat typical of a 'cosy crime' novel and the other characters are just as much fun especially the 'baddies'.

I'm giving this a solid four stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lynne Truss for an ARC of the audiobook in return for an honest review.

I hadn't heard of Lynne prior to receiving a copy of this audiobook, and this was the first in the series that I had listened to, but that didn't really matter. There was a catch up at the beginning which helped.

I really enjoyed the narrator of this and I think that really helped my enjoyment of the audiobook. I'll definitely be looking for more titles by Lynne Truss.

I liked the other book that I read out of context in the series but was not fascinated by it. When I saw this as an audiobook, I had to give it another shot.
I loved the narrative style and listened to it another time, almost completely once I finished it. In this audio mode, the author's subtle humour really shines through and makes the whole thing hilarious. It is almost as if the characters were written to be listened to, some of the jokes being too subtle for me until I heard the tone in which it was delivered.
The story plays out in the backdrop of the seaside town of Brighton, which is milling with shady people who are out to make easy money the illegal way. The best part about this instalment was that it talks of all the things that have gone on in the previous works and the intricate and delicate balance of the main people we follow around. Their idiosyncrasies and eccentricities made all of them (even the villains) endearing.
There are multiple plots ongoing when the story begins. We are first walked through the people we are meeting (like in a play), and then the disturbing influences that will overturn the normal order of things make their way onto the main stage. Some truly dangerous times befall the people, but the tone is light and engaging for the most part. It was easy to imagine the people and their faces as they deliver their dialogues based on the words they used.
I would love to listen to the next in the series if given a chance. Now that I know how the conversations sound, I am not averse to reading the next instead either. I would highly recommend this to others who like subtle humour in historical fiction.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

This book is bonkers; in an Ealing Comedy way! I didn’t realise it was one of a series, but it works well as a standalone, although clearly, there’s been a lot going on with the characters in their previous outings. This is a period pastiche and there are moments when it reminded me of Brighton Rock on speed, because it’s an off the wall caper, light hearted and with a number of genuinely funny laugh out loud moments. The plot is preposterous, but very carefully crafted, and having accepted that the story was not going to be as I expected, I just relaxed and went with it.

I really enjoyed it; it’s inventive, occasionally daft but it’s entertaining and I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I thought it captured the era, attitudes, location and language well and I’m going to read other books in the series.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

This was a fun cozy mystery read set in 1950s Brighton. The book is easy to read, but contains British slang and lingo, which some readers may find difficult to understand. The characters have distinct characteristics which make the story interesting and funny to follow. The story is shown through male characters so there are some scenes which I felt objectified the female characters, and this made me uncomfortable. This is the 4th book in a series but it is not necessary to read the books in order, though it is advisable (as the author states in the beginning of the book).The book has only 12 long chapters, which hindered the reading experience for me. Shorter chapters would have been better considering that this is a mystery book. The mystery was well-crafted and unpredictable, though I must admit that I could not enjoy this book much as I listened to it as an audiobook. For the next book in the series, perhaps I'll pick up an e-book instead.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Lynne Truss for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I haven’t read any of this series before but that didn’t overly matter as it started with a little update at the beginning. This is a well written, light hearted and slightly funny book.

I loved the narrator who I felt really bought it all to life. I can’t wait to read more by this author.

Inspector Steine is being treated as a hero, having shot the villain Terry Chambers a month before. But Twitten and Brunswick are trying to stay out of his way; as the newfound fame has gone to his head.

But when a professor's body is found in a department store, a serial killing cop has escaped from Broadmoor and there is an attack within the photography shop, what does it all mean?

Twitten and Brunswick must solve all three, but are they linked? And if so, how and why?

This is a series of books; and, this is the 4th within that series.

Although I haven't read the series it's easy to follow as Truss recaps on what has previously happened. However, A LOT has happened, and the reader would have better context if they had read the previous books.

There are double agents upon double agents. Extremely cleverly written and I hadn't guessed who the final villain was either.

This is a light read and funny in places;
the scene with the governor and the psychologist I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

I can see this being a really enjoyable series to read.

Madcap, Gloriously Entertaining….
Constable Twitten is back in another madcap, gloriously entertaining tale. Much criminality abounds in Brighton - with one particular individual, following an escape from Broadmoor, rather partial to the boiling of policeman’s heads! Our trio of crime fighters have much to occupy their minds. Narration is well chosen and well paced. Just joyous. A pure escapist listen.

It's September in Brighton and the city is playing host to weeks of endless rain and lashings of villainy.

A trusted member of a local gang has disappeared part way through planning a huge heist; a violent criminal obsessed with boiling the heads of policemen has escaped Broadmoor and is rumoured to be headed towards the city, while at Gosling's department store an American researcher has been found dead in the music section.

Inspector Steine has other things on his mind - since the triumphant conclusion to his last case, Steine has so many awards and invitations coming his way that he has had to take on a secretary - but Sergeant Brunswick and Constable 'Clever Clogs' Twitten are both on the case.
Audiobook received with thanks from NetGalley and the publisher. Worth a listen

Firstly let me say this is the first book in the series that I have encountered. Secondly I listened to the audio book rather than read the novel. I mention this as it may have a bearing on my opinion.

There are some things that I really liked about the book, I loved the idea of some of the characters, like the tea lady who is head of a crime gang, and the barrow boy with his clockwork rabbits. I felt that these characters could have yielded a great deal more than they did, I feel that we only got the tip of the iceberg with them, there was so much more that could have been developed. I think that is true of all the characters.

The story was simple and amusing, but it certainly wasn't a gripping page turner. I do think that the choice of narrator didn't help. I found him incredibly bland, and I think that a different narrator could have brought the story to life.

I also thought that the book was trying to be a little too "P G Woodhouse", and felt that this also didn't help the overall experience.

I think this story would work much better as a book rather than an audio book, and I might well try to read the first in the series to see if my own imagination is better than the forced narration.

Narrator 5 stars
The narrators did a great job

Story 2.5 stars
I really struggled to get into this. It was ok but didn't make me want to buy the first 3. I appreciate the research that had to go into this book though.