I used to read and love Catherine Ard's mysteries and always loved them. I was very happy to read this one as it was a lot of fun and a solid mystery that kept me guessing.
I must read some back stories and hope to read soon another story by this author.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is the 28th book in the series. I have read three of the earlier books and enjoyed them, and I did not have any trouble jumping to the most recent book. I have obtained several others in between and look forward to read all the rest!

Mike Wakefield and Malcolm Forres have owned a printing firm for many years. Mike does the artistic and printing parts, and Malcolm does the financial part. At the beginning of the book, the firm had its annual financial report from the accounting firm Fixby and Fixby. The senior Fixby is getting pretty old and not able to do much, and his son Jason Fixby is more interested in horse racing than accounting. They have recently hired a sharp young woman, Kate Booth, who gives the report for the first time. She told them that someone has been robbing the firm blind for years. Forres was not at the meeting, and it appears that Forres and his wife left the country in a big hurry the previous night. Since Forres and Wakefield owned the company jointly and severally, it means that Wakefield is liable and will probably lose all his assets as well as his home. All the firms assets have disappeared. However, he still goes in to print the new book by the Earl of Ornum so it will be ready for a big publication party planned by the Earl and his wife.

Detective Inspector Sloan and DI Crosby are assigned to the case. At first they are looking into embezzlement, but after the Earl's big party, the case soon changes to murder, attempted murder, and harassment. Adding to the dismay of Wakefield's imminent bankruptcy, it is all over the newspaper the next morning, and then someone slices all four tires on his car.

The book is very clever, and keeps the reader guessing almost to the end, the characters are very well portrayed and interesting. I thank Allyson & Busby and Netgalley for an ARC. The opinions here are my own assessment of the book.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Allison & Busby for an advance copy of Constable Country, the twenty-eighth novel to feature DI Sloan and DC Crosby, set in the fictional English county of Calleshire.

When Mike Wakefield’s partner absconds with all the money in the business he is facing bankruptcy and financial ruin. Inspector Sloan thinks it is a simple case of embezzlement until one of the firm’s employees is murdered at a local stately home and the other employees suffer malicious vandalism.

I quite enjoyed Constable Country, which has a fine line in sarcastic humour amid a puzzling mystery, although it is too middle England for my tastes. Put it this way, I have never read this series before (or heard of it) and while I liked the read I won’t be rushing out to catch up on the rest of the series.

The plot is well constructed with all sorts of incidents but no apparent linkage until DI Sloan sees the pattern. I would never have thought of it myself so it’s quite clever at misdirection and concealment. The plot held my attention throughout as I tried to work out the who and the why.

I was far less enamoured by the characterisation. Dc Crosby is gormless, given to uttering inanities and with no critical thinking whatsoever. You would think that after 28 books he would have learned something. DI Sloan is a smart man, so why would the author belittle him by giving him a poor vocabulary and no understanding of fairly common words, like schadenfreude. It smacks of classism and I really didn’t like it.

Constable Country is a solid read. 3.5*

A very good book from the first page, it was brilliantly written and I couldn’t put it down, I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next

It really isn't what Inspector Sloan is used to. One of the partners in a specialist printing firm has disappeared with all the cash,leaving remaining partner Mike Wakefield to pick up the pieces.

But what appears to be a straightforward case of embezzlement is anything but.

Things really take a turn for the unpleasant at a stately home...

Sheer Delight…
The twenty eighth in the Sloan and Crosby series of mysteries has arrived and the incomparable duo are back and back on fine form indeed. An apparently absconded business partner, a struggling printing firm seemingly under siege and a whole array of eclectic and eccentric characters populate a plot brimming with intrigue and deftly dusted with a delicious humour and a satirical edge. Sloan and Crosby along with the superintendent continue to navigate the pitfalls of the modern world but the narrative itself maintains the dignified prose and feel of a traditional Golden Age mystery. Having read the whole of this very talented authors’ canon I was delighted to see a new addition to this wonderful series and a very worthy addition it is. Sheer delight.