Simon Brett is a master storyteller and a master of detective novels. This is an excellent novel even if not a fav of mine.
It's always a pleasure to catch up with Carol and Jude, travel to Feathering, follow this surprising and solid mystery.
A novel that kept me guessing and turning pages even if I found it a very small bit less entertaining.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!!


This was such a fun read, I didn’t expect some of the twists!

4/5

I've been reading Simon Brett for a very long time and I'm so happy I can still depend on him for an entertaining British cozy mystery. The series with Carole and Jude is fun because they're nothing alike, but I feel like I'm visiting old friends. This mystery has to do with the theater and there are lots of interesting side tracks, with revelations from the past. A satisfying read

This is the first book in the series I have read which didn't much matter for the mystery but not sure about the relationships. I found the sleuths a bit on the wooden side and Im not sure if this is because I dont know them and are missing something or what. So all I can say is the mystery was solid and came to a satisfying conclusion but I didnt care about the characters enough to want to go back and catch up on more about them. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Carole and Jude are an off set of friends. Really more like neighbors than friends, they both enjoy figuring out puzzles and mysteries, so when Jude finds herself in what appears to be a murder plot, Carole decides to step in to help. I have to admit I spent half the book trying to figure out why these two even spoke to each other, rather than being non speaking neighbors. They just didn't gel as a crime fighting duo to me. By the end of the book you could see each of their strengths, and how they each contributed to getting all the clues sorted out and found for the current murder. It's an ok book, and for me it was a solid three, just because I just wasn't buying the main characters, or the stereotypical actors from the sitcom.

This was my first book by this author. It was very “British”, which I quite enjoy. I had a love hate relationship with this story. I either loved what I was reading or disliked it. There was no in between. I loved the dynamics between the two neighbors, Carole and Jude. Complete opposites. I felt the story was difficult to follow at times. I didn’t guess the murderer. I was blessed with an ARC and these are my own, unbiased opinions.

The Fethering Mysteries is now Simon Brett’s longest running series, this being the twenty-second title featuring Jude and Carole. Those of you who have read the series will know what to expect. Simon doesn’t take any risks with these stories, and are, to an extent, pretty close in structure to the traditional US cosy – namely Jude and Carole keep sticking their noses in until they trip over the murderer.
Having said that, Simon does this exceptionally well. I could do with a little development with Jude and Carole – they are still pretty much the same characters as they were in book one, and I’m not sure why we need to be reminded about Carole’s brief fling with Ted the landlord when that story never seems to go anywhere. But that familiarity works well, as you don’t need desperately long introductions. And bonus points for having the dead body appear by the end of chapter one!
A huge plus here, though, that makes this one of the best Fethering books, is Simon mining his many experiences behind the scenes in TV comedy. I’d love to know how much is drawn from his own life and how much is made up. Some characters do seem rather familiar, and this background is mined to provide a highly enjoyable background to the story.
All in all, if you want an enjoyable read that doesn’t outstay its welcome, you could do an awful lot worse than to take a trip to Fethering.

When Jude discovers the body of an old actor friend she was due to catch up with, she knows that his death was not an accident.
Her and Carole's investigation takes them to the realms of sitcom from the 1980s and the possibility of a connection with a previous death in the cast.
Plenty of red herrings are thrown up until the killer is revealed.
A nice quick read.

This was a fast and fun read, peppered with lots of chuckles. Anyone who knows anything about theatre people or who has experienced a nosy neighbor will recognize and find humor in the author's character descriptions. Simon Brett is known for all the mysteries he has written. While this one didn't stray from his usual script, it was entertaining.

A provisional theatre has been staging a production of a popular sit com from the late 1980’s using many of the cast from the original TV series. The last show of the tour has just finished with the theatre staff, cast, families, and friends celebrating on stage. Jude and Carole, having seen the show, go backstage in search of Drake, one of the actors who Jude had worked with in the past, only to find him dead in his dressing room. Suspicions aroused this enterprising duo embark on their own investigations.

Jude and Carole come from different backgrounds and life experiences which provides for some delightful quick witted conversations. The ‘cast’, and list of suspects, are many and varied with the TV characters and the actors portraying them described with suitable theatrical relish.

This mystery has good pace and provides some interesting insight into the workings of a theatre and the fickle nature of ‘fame’. My only minor criticism is that the ending felt a bit rushed and abrupt. Overall, an amusing and fun cosy mystery.

What was meant to be an enjoyable night at the theater and a reunion goes terribly wrong in this latest in a long running series that can be read just as enjoyably as a standalone. Jude finds her old pal Drake dead in his dressing room! Now, along with her friend Carole, she's investigating and working her way through the other members of the cast to find the villain, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's very classic cozy with enough twists to keep you guessing.

The prolific author who recently celebrated his eightieth birthday has written several series of books, notably the Charles Paris series, the Fethering mysteries, the Declutter mysteries and the Mrs. Pargetter mysteries. This book is the eleventh in the Fethering series.
Fethering is a fictional village on the south coast of England in the Brighton area. Two friends - Carole Seddon once of the Home Office and very reserved and Jude who has been a model, an actress, a restaurnteur and is now a professional Healer. They like to get involved and investigate mysteries.
Jude goes to the theatre in nearby village of Clincham, she has retained friends in the Acting world and is looking forward to seeing and catching up with Drake Purslow. He originally had a starring role in a 1980s popular TV series called House/Home. It has been revived for the stage and Drake is appearing in the Clincham theatre. Most of the old cast are performing in the play. At the end of the performance Jude goes to Drake's dressing room and finds him dead. The Stage management see it as an accident, an ancient computer having fallen on him and killed him. Jude however is convinced it is murder!
The TV and Theatre folk are typical of the "Luvie" brigade. Jude and Carole interview several of them, trying to reveal the murderer. They decide that Drake's death is connected in some way to the suicide of a young actor from the TV programme some years ago. As they get closer to the truth danger lurks all around.
A well established, humorous series, well written. Definitely very much recommended.

Death in the Dressing Room is book 22 in Simon Brett’s A Fethering Mystery series.

While I have no doubt that the earlier books are interesting, and may give more insight into the relationship between Jude and Carole, as well as insight into their individual characters, it is easily read as a standalone.

I enjoyed this mystery, which begins with Jude attending a reunion of sorts, of the cast of an old television show as they close out a theatrical tour. At the end of the performance, Jude goes backstage to meet her friend and finds him dead.

Due to the longtime relationships between many of the cast members, there are plenty of suspects in the death for Jude and Carole to investigate. In addition, they suspect the actor’s death may be related to the mysterious death of another actor twenty years before, and they set out to prove it.

I found the relationship between Jude and Carole to be the most interesting thing in this novel. Jude must be a saint, because Carole’s attitude in many situations would have tried my patience. Still, they seemed to make a great pair when it came to investigating so obviously their relationship works for them.

Death in the Dressing Room was an interesting mystery with a great cast of characters and I think most lovers of cosy mysteries will enjoy it.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Jude plans a night at the theatre, to see her old friend Drake in a play based on an old television sitcom, after watching the performance Jude heads backstage to see Drake, but when she gets there Drake is lying on the floor surrounded by blood.
Just and her friend and neighbour Carole decide to investigate as Jude is not convinced by the accident that the theatre is pushing. This leads them to look at another death linked to the theatre.
A lovely cosy mystery, well written and with plenty of interesting characters.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

We adore this series so there was a bit of a fight over who should read it first. My daughter in law has sharp elbows and pushed her way to the front and pinched my kindle. Apparently is was just as good as all of the others. Personally I like them because ,if you read carefully ,you can identify these characters in folks you know yourself. The author is very clever at character building.

Years ago, I used to read all the books by this author and I loved the West Wittering series. I think life and small children took over and I lost track of the intrepid duo, so I was very glad to find this.
I must admit, however, that I was rather underwhelmed. I felt the plot rambled on far too long and then ended with a sudden conclusion.
Unfortunately, I dont think the ladies of West Wittering have regained my interest enough to read the missing years or to continue with their further investigations.
Thanks to Netgalley.

This is the 22nd book in the Fethering series and is a great addition. Jude goes to a play in which an old friend, Drake Purslow, is an actor. After the play she goes up to his dressing room to find him dead. She sees a bloody shoe print and a heavy portable computer nearby. When Fiona, the stage director comes up, she puts down tissues to kneel on obliterating the shoe print. When Jude gets home, she asks her neighbor, Carole to help her investigate what she believes is a murder. Carole volunteers to help the theater archivist with her research, and finds information about who was in the same plays with Drake in the past. They even find out there might be a connection to another murder in the theater several years before. At the end Jude and Carole solve the case and there is a very interesting funeral celebration with most of the cast. I love the Fethering series and the books are always fun and clever.

I thank Netgalley and Severn House for providing me an ARC so that I could read the book before publication.

Clincham Theatre in Fethering, England, is renowned for its theatre versions of old television shows. But murder has a funny way of changing the script. Carole and Jude, neighbours and amateur sleuths, participate in investigating the death of someone from Jude's past The two ladies are very different from one another yet make a great team.

Sadly, this book did not grip me as I had hoped it would. The characters sound intriguing on paper but fell short, possibly due to the brief time I spent with them. Rituals such as smudges aren't my wheelhouse but learning bits about theatre was interesting, especially as a fan of Oscar Wilde and Wilkie Collins. Though the novel didn't click with me, it will with others.

It was a pleasure to reacquaint with Carole and Jude in the latest Fethering mystery. This time around, Jude visits an old acting mate who has just finished a performance, only to find him dead in his dressing room. Appearances convince those in charge to consider the death an accident, so the police are not called. Jude senses this is the wrong decision and enlists friend/neighbour Carole to do a bit of sleuthing.
Tightly written, with good characterization, the story is a quick read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. Recommend.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon Brett for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Death in the Dressing Room coming out April 1, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I didn’t realize there were so many books in this series. This was the first book I’ve read by this author. I really love cozy mysteries! This was a really fast read, but I really enjoyed it. I loved the seaside English town. The theatre setting was fun. I really enjoyed the zany characters. I would definitely read more books by this author!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries!