Change needs to happen to all of us and Jude, one half of the Fethering crime-solving duo, has decided to get her cottage redecorated. Local decorator Pete is recruited – no one ever has a bad word to say about Pete, either personally or professionally – and as such, he tends to work on every project available in the area. But when Jude meets up with Pete at Footscrow House, a Victorian house being converted into holiday flats, they make a shocking discovery – a woman’s handbag hidden behind a wall panel.

The handbag belongs to Anita Garner, a woman who vanished without trace twenty years previously. Jude and her neighbour Carole are determined to find out what happened in the past, but you never know what you are going to discover…

This is the twenty-first book in the Fethering series, the tales of the many and varied mysterious deaths in the south coast town of Fethering investigated by Carole Seddon – a retired civil servant – and her neighbour, the healer Jude Nichols. And with this book, the Fethering mysteries becomes Simon’s longest running mystery series, going one ahead of the Charles Paris books.

You can see why the series has a strong following. Two chalk and cheese central characters investigating in a seemingly police-free environment full of more people than could possibly live in a small town (at least if you add up the twenty-one books). Interestingly, Brett seems to have noticed this, as in this book, certain characters from previous books – The Liar In The Library and Poisoning At The Pub – make appearances, although not as integral parts of the plot. The only regular recurring supporting character is the barman Ted Crisp, who once had a brief affair with Carole. I mention that because it comes up, along with an element of tension about it, in almost every book and it never goes anywhere. He’s not the only author guilty of slow subplots – Kate Ellis’ tale of DS Rachel Tracy’s unrequited love/lust for Wesley Peterson for example – but at least that one did move. For a long-term reader, this could really do with some motion.

As for this one, fans of the series will enjoy it, but it doesn’t play to its strengths. Carole and Jude are conducting separate strands of investigation for a good deal of the story, meaning that the chemistry of their antagonism is rationed somewhat. There are a lot of strands going on here, including the idea that elements of Fethering view Carole and Jude as interfering busybodies, both generally and specifically in this case. And you could make a case that, in this case, they might have a point.

So, not the strongest in the series, in part due to the crucial clue being a visual one – basically Carole and Jude are all-but-told what happened, which I rarely find satisfying – but as I said, fans of the series will enjoy it, and there are plenty of fun elements in it beside the more serious strands.

I can’ t believe that this is the 21st book in the Feathering series. I’ve read them all from the beginning and Simon Brett always delivers.
The decorator of the title, Pete, is discussing some work with Jude as he carries out renovations at a local big house. They discover a handbag which has been hidden behind boards for the past 30 years. This discovery sends Carole and Jude off on their next investigation. Why has nobody seen the owner of the handbag for 30 years? Was she a murder victim and if so, is there a murderer in Feathering?
This book contains all the usual features of the series including the scenes set in the pub where the landlord is having a very unlikely romance. The relationship between Carole and Jude remains as prickly as ever but they continue to be a brilliant investigative team. There are a whole range of characters, many of who are members of the local yacht club and therefore part of the wealthier side of town. I did like the introduction of the retired reporter Malk.
The mystery is as intriguing as ever and there is a nice mix of humour too. A great light read for a Summer’s evening.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers Severn House for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

We have so many readers who are devoted to the Fethering books, and I know they are all going to be very happy when this new one is released. It hits all the marks -- the home renovation, the decorating, the competition in that world -- along with a satisfying mystery and relatable characters. I truly look forward to recommending this title to readers of the series, and to readers who enjoy other cozy mystery series.

Death and the Decorator is Book No. 21 in the Simon Brett's Fethering Mystery Series. In this series two very dissimilar next door neighbors become unlikely friends interested in exploring the oddities of current and past residents of the small beach town where they live. Carole is a divorced retiree with conservative ideas and a rather boring lifestyle. Her next door neighbor and friend is Jude who works as a New Age healer and has a free living life style with multiple lovers and at least a couple of husbands. Surprisingly they become friends through a shared interest in investigating suspicious events happening in Fethering. (I learned lots about them reading previous books in the series but not much from this one.) In this book the renovation of a former nursing home leads to the discovery of a purse belonging to an employee that vanished years ago. The duo gets excited about learning more about why the purse was left behind and take off on pub crawls and neighborhood visits to solve the mystery. I had some difficulty in assigning a rating because the book has strong and weak points. The strong points revolve around its plot which was excellent with twists and turns that were unexpected but quite believable. The weakness was in the author's story telling which has gotten a bit stale over time. So I compromised on a 4 star rating.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a pre-publication copy of this book to review.

The discovery of a handbag linked to a missing person sparks the interest of neighbours Carole and Jude and they take it upon themselves to start asking questions of the local villagers but as usual they learn more than they bargain for and someone is not happy with their prying

In the 21st Fethering mystery Jude, who is planning to redecorate her cottage, has agreed to meet the decorator at his current job to discuss details. Peter, the decorator is working in an upstairs room at Footscrow House that is being converted into flats. Jude is there when Peter rips out a piece of plywood, uncovering an alcove. To their surprise they see woman's red handbag. It contains a passport belonging to Anita Garner, a young woman who worked at Footscrow House when it was a care home twenty years ago. Anita, a good Catholic girl who had lived with her parents disappeared twenty years ago and has never been heard from since.
Jude and Carole are determined to find out what happened to Anita. Their investigations proceed along separate lines of inquiry rather than together and there secrets and competition between the two friends. Still, between them they follow rumors, research newspapers from the time of Anita's disappearance and in the process discover lots of secrets from the past that involve current Fethering residents.
This is an enjoyable cozy of the kind we've come to expect from Brett. There's lots of local color and interesting characters.
Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for the opportunity to read this title in one of my favorite series.

This was the first in the series for me, which is surprising because this is seems to be quite a long series, but it really enjoyed it. It’s slower paced, but everything unfolds in quite a timely manner so you never get bored. I liked that they both worked together and separately to work out the mystery. No random coincidences, but some intuition and a lot of asking questions in a gentle way; kind of an update Miss Marple!

Right from the start you are engaged by the characters, location and plot. You don’t need to have read any of the other Fethering - the fictional Sussex village - books to get enjoyment out of this cosy detective tale.. Simon Brett’s fresh appealing story doesn’t cheat the reader and until the denouement you don’t guess the ending.

I have read a number of Simon Brett novels in the Charlie Parish series and always found them rich and entertaining and written in a style that is a joy to read. This is my first dive into the Fethering series so the characters were all new to me but perhaps a few familiar types from his other books. The relationship between Carole and Jude, the amateur sleuths from the series, is as complex as the differences in their characters and what gives this story an extra dimension. As with other novels by this author, the main characters fit a spectrum of the haves and have nots in English society forming a great background for a murder mystery. Following a tradition set by Agatha Christie, Simon Brett not only can craft a wonderful whodunit story but also provide a humorous exploration of life in a typical English Village.
I would highly recommend this book to lovers of English mysteries!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to review this book.

Neighbours Carole and Jude uncover more than they bargained for when Jude decides to redecorate her cottage in this lighthearted cosy mystery. Oh my GOSH!!!!!! I read this emotionally charged mystery, compelling book in one sitting.

I had trouble getting into this cozy mystery. I hadn't read any in this series before, which I think makes a difference because there is not a lot of explanation of characters. If you've read previous ones in the series, I think you would enjoy it.

Jude has decided to redecorate her house, and hires popular local decorator Pete to do the job. Pete is also working on Footscrow House, a large Victorian building with the nickname of “Fiasco House” as none of its previous incarnations have flourished. Now a developer is turning it into holiday flats, but while there Jude and her neighbour Carole witness a strange find inside a wall – a lady’s handbag. Who could it belong to, and why has it been hidden?

Fethering’s two sleuths are back on the case to discover the identity of the bag’s owner in this twenty-first entry in the series. I found the last one rather thin, and remember that the earlier books were longer and had more in them. I enjoyed this one more than the last, as there was more going on as the pair grill suspects as they try to discover what happened to the vanished Anita. As with all good mysteries a little is revealed at a time, and there are enough red herrings to make it interesting and a decent number of suspects, all with something to hide. In a long-running series like this part of the fun is seeing what the characters have been up to and how they will react to new situations. This part is always spot on, and one of the main reasons I keep reading. Enjoyable, cozy and more akin to what I expect from the prolific pen of Mr Brett.

Jude meets her decorator Pete at his current job sight called Footscrow House, a large Victorian building which is being converted into holiday flats by a local developer. During their meeting Pete finds a woman's handbag behind a wall panel. The handbag belongs to Anita Garner, a young woman who vanished twenty years ago. Of course Jude and her neighbour Carole decide to investigate but a murder complicates things. A good read. This can be read as a stand alone. Lots of plot twists. A good quick read. Thank you for thecadvance copy Netgalley!

Another fun cosy crime in the continuing Fethering series. The town and the characters of Jude and Carole never get stale. These are also able to be read out of order so new readers can pick up any of them but they are easy to get addicted to! I find they are also a great break in between reading any ‘heavier’ types of books.

Publishing on July 5, it’s hard to believe this is the 21st Feathering Mystery. You don’t have to have them all to figure out who is who, but these cosy crimes are definitely worth a look. Co-protagonist and would be amateur detective Jude has decided to redecorate Woodside Cottage, asking local handyman Pete to help out. Pete’s happy to assist in tandem with his current job, Footscrow House, a building that’s being converted into holiday flats. All well and good until a 30-year-old handbag is found, without its owner. Has ‘Fiasco House’ as it’s known been responsible for an unsolved mystery? And where’s intrigue, there’s Jude and her next-door neighbour Carole. The two make for unlikely friends and neither is so extreme like they read like caricatures. While they may live in the quiet town of Fethering, it’s clear there’s a lot more bubbling under the surface. Nice and pacy, there’s plenty to keep you entertained (these also make excellent audiobooks).

This book is ok. I didn’t like the writing style. The story is overly involved. The characters are good. #DeathandtheDecorator #NetGalley

This was such an easy read and really enjoyed it! The mysteries that surround them! Love cosy mystery stories, look forward to the next one in the series.

In this continuing series (The Fethering Mysteries), the latest installment is an enjoyable read but perhaps a tad predictable. Jude and Carole, in particular, seem to be turning into caricatures of themselves, with Jude sympathizing yet holding her tongue to keep from saying something Carole will snipe back at, and Carole being even more smug, off-putting and prudish than usual. The mystery itself starts well with Jude and her handyman finding a decades-old woman's handbag walled up in a room being renovated in an old house with a somewhat 'cursed' history in the village. Finding out what happened to the young woman who disappeared many years ago--without her handbag--becomes the focus of Jude's and Carole's separate investigations. Suspects abound, and are more or less eliminated one by one, with a surprise ending/twist that is satisfying and interesting. One example, a minor quibble, of Brett kind of 'phoning it in' is the "New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc" that seems to be the only wine that is available in Fethering! Good summer beach reading, but uninspired.

Always a pleasure to catch up with Jude and Carole and see what’s happening on the south coast. This time it’s an old missing persons case involving a dodgy builder, a popular painter and decorator , and a mysterious playboy. All portrayed in the witty acerbic manner you come to expect from a Fethering mystery. A well written good story that provides a very enjoyable read. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy. Recommend.

A new Carol and Jude is a always a joy to see. Whilst I think overall, I enjoyed the earlier books in the series rather than the more recent few the nostalgia carries me through. This was a typical book with Carol, Jude, Ted etc all up to their usual antics. It can be read as a standalone book, but the backstory from the earlier books adds to the enjoyment I believe.