I enjoy Jeremy Vine as a broadcaster and was interested to read one of his books. I have to be honest and say it had a bit of a slow start, I felt a bit bemused/confused with the characters and storyline. But I am glad I stuck with it and once I got into the story I really did enjoy it. The setting of Sidmouth felt very vibrant and the story encompassed a lot of emotion from amusing to poignant.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I found that it had too much description and the plot didn’t engage me. I thought the characters were interesting, but it wasn’t enough to keep me hooked in the book. I feel like it needed a bit more action and suspense.

Edward Tennis has been recently let go from his much-loved job after an irreversible family tragedy. The late night radio talk show host is freefalling, unable to find his way through life when the rug has been pulled out from underneath him. All feels lost until he meets someone whose grandmother died in a fire the previous year. A suspicious fire, you could say. And worryingly, it’s the first of a list of listeners who may have found their way to their maker prematurely. Edward must turn to an ex love to being investigating. Will doing so bring him back in front of the microphone? I defy you not to warm to Edward, he’s a character with real heart.

I am often wary of the growing number of celebrities who are now releasing books but I do try and judge them purely on their merits and this was a good read from Jeremy Vine.

Definitely a series I will follow

A novel by the popular broadcaster Jeremy Vine and set in Devon. Unfortunately I did not engage with the narrative style or the characters and I did not finish.

It's a great idea, and the plot is quite clever, but the first 35% of the book is rather dull and needs editing to take it down to 10% size. In that chunk of the book, the style is quite different too,with a lot more descriptive passages that we just don't need and don't make another appearance and bake the whole book feel a bit 'off'.

Edward is a radio presenter who lost his son and then got sacked. Yes trying to struggle his way through his grief and bewilderment (the case was never closed regarding who the driver was that killed his son) when a young girl approaches him and asks him to help her solve what she believes is her grandmother's murder.

The plot twist is very neat although the denouement is a bit clumsy and there's full closure by the end.

Everyone is going to go crazy, just because a famous radio presenter wrote it (much as they do over the equally dull Richard Osman books) but if this didn't have a celebrity author, it wouldn't do half as well as it's going to.

My thanks to Harper Collins Publishing and NetGalley for a copy of “Murder On Line One “ for an honest review.

I’m familiar to Jeremy Vine through his radio work and TV show so I was interested in reading his first fiction book, understandably set around the world of broadcasting. The book covered issues that I’m sure would have been covered on his shows, such as grief ,abuse , and deceit and it all made for a very interesting read. The characters were all well written and believable.I must admit I guessed the ending ,but the book was well worth reading to see how we got there.
I look forward to reading his next book

**advance review copy received from NetGalley in return for an honest review***
Since Richard Osman’s success it seems that everyone and their mother celebrity-wise is writing a murder mystery novel, and now Jeremy Vine is the latest.
The beginning of this and the style didn’t really grab me - it’s certainly not light fare, and most of the characters we encounter have some pretty heavy plot lines they’re carrying around with them.
It’s quite a slow paced book but I’m glad I preserved as when it gets into its stride - and I warn you, it takes a while - then it really gets good.
There are elements to the ending that are, I think, probably quite obvious from the off. However, there’s enough of a balance between obvious, surprise and neatly tied up plot that ensures this is a book I’ll be thinking about - and recommending - for a good while yet.

An excellent thriller which opens with an interesting scenario and sets the tone and pace for the rest of the book.
Superbly written with a solid plot and great characters.
Many thanks.

Despite my skepticism about the author, I was curious to see if I liker the book more than the presenter. While the book is marketed as a murder mystery, it’s really more about love, loss, and small-town life. The crime element felt forced and didn’t fully mesh with the more compelling character-driven aspects. That said, Edward Temmis was a great protagonist, and the portrayal of grief felt authentic. Overall, a decent read, but the mystery was predictable and lacked weight.

I listen to Jeremy from my home office at lunchtime - I had no idea he is an author.

Well exucuted story.
Set in a local radio station in Sidmouth. Edward is a broadcaster, his audience are mainly older ladies and he has a phone in also. Sadly his young son is dead and he is grieving Matty. He is not coping essentially and starts to work in a garden centre and thus the story begins. A lady called Stevie finds him and reminds him that her gradmother had died in a fire and and had written to him at the Radio show for him to help her- he had not recieved the letter.

He then learns that someone appears to be scamming older people and the source seems to be coming from Edward and his show!!

The story is interesting and complex. The reader will enjoy this and be surpirised at whom is behind all of this.

A good read to get you into 2025 and sunuggle up with a blanket.

.

Murder on Line One ⭐️⭐️

I ummed and ahhed over how to rate this book. To start with, it was a clear 2 star, but the middle brought it up to 3 stars. However, sadly the ending brought it back to 2.

The premise had potential, but it was very dragged out and longwinded. I felt as if I knew every single possible detail about every character’s life and going’s on to the extent it was unnecessary to what should be a plot driven story. What was intended to come across as high stakes, fell short.

In brief, the book was too long and would have benefited from ending 50-60 pages earlier. You think you discover “who dunnit” only for there to be another unnecessary twist, continuing on for another several chapters.

I had high hopes for the book bearing in mind it was written by Jeremy Vine, but was disappointed.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I was tempted to give up on this book during the first couple of chapters, but stayed with it when it began to appeal more after a while. Overall, I’d say that this is an average read, a cosy mystery with some very silly moments, and which also makes a few serious points. I am in two minds whether or not to look out for the next in this new series.

As a fan of cozy mysteries, I found Jeremy Vine’s Murder on Line One to be an engaging read. The story centers on Edward Temmis, a late-night radio host in Sidmouth who, after a personal tragedy and losing his job, becomes involved in investigating the suspicious death of a listener’s grandmother.

The plot is well-crafted, with Vine’s broadcasting experience adding authenticity to the radio station setting. The characters are relatable, and the exploration of themes like grief and redemption adds depth to the narrative. While the pacing is steady, it occasionally slows due to Edward’s introspective moments. Overall, Murder on Line One is a promising start to a new series, blending suspense with human connection. 

The life of a local radio DJ falls apart after a tragic hit and run incident, setting him on a long path back towards rediscovering his purpose. This was a solidly enough written novel with an interesting mystery at its heart. It topples into a couple of detective fiction's common pitfalls and I suspect that many readers will find themselves frustrated by the slowness of the murder investigation as revelations dawn upon characters far later than they really should. There's a house on a cliff edge, which made me think of Luther whenever it was mentioned.

An enjoyable way to pass the time.

This is my first book by Jeremy Vine and I definitely want to read more of his work after this. Loved the concept of the book. The radio theme was interesting and lover the premise of listeners of a show being killed off. The book starts out extremely strong and is a hook that made me keep guessing what was going on. There are also other elements such as loss, love, grief and race well integrated into the story.

Thank you HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.

I started this book wondering how many more celebrities can write a detective story? There are so many now and I thought Jeremy Vine was just jumping on the bandwagon.
It was a slow start because I wasn't expecting to be gripped. However Edward, Kim and Stevie won me over.
Edward was a radio presenter with a loyal following among the local people of Sidmouth, mainly those of a certain age.
Kim is an estate agent who sold Edward his house precariously close to the crumbling cliff edge.
Stevie contacts Edward following the death of her beloved grandmother.
All of them have had tragic experiences but they come together when a vile crime is uncovered and eventually they solve the crime.
Very much in the vein of the Thursday Murder Club, thoroughly enjoyable and I'm looking forward to the next one.

I don't normally agree with novels written by celebrities, I hate that they automatically get a deal because of their name/followers without having to prove any writing talent!
But, I do quite like Jeremy Vine as a broadcaster and believe he has a way with words so was interested in reading this.
The book, however is quite different from how it has been marketed. This is quite a gentle domestic tale about love and loss driven by an intriguing central character, rather than a gripping murder plot, in fact I believe the human study in the pages labours a bit too much under the need to include the investigative/crime narrative. The sleuthing efforts of the main trio is a little unrealistic and detracts from the more interesting details of their real lives.
I won't give too much away but I really liked Edward Temmis, I liked the authentic aspects of their lives and actions, the realistic descriptions of grief and the small town background - BUT am not too sure the fraud/murder aspect worked well enough to tie everything together, it was just a little bit too 'cosy mystery' to really hold any weight - oh and it was obvious who the real villian was from the start!

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. It should have been - being set so close to where I'm from. It was nice recognising a lot of the places he was talking about and describing, but that's probably the extent of my enjoyment of this book. The story was boring and lacked any excitement. The plot was weak and the writing was a bit all over the place. I was bored a lot of the time and it felt so slow to get going. I didn't like the main characters and it felt a bit preachy at times too.

Overall, a no from me, but it may appeal to those looking for a quick, tame read that doesn't need much thinking about.

A slightly bizarre story but entertainingly worth while. It is quite funny in places while having a serious undertone.