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Fethering #12
Bones Under the Beach Hut
When human remains are discovered under the floorboards of one of the beach huts in the affluent seaside resort of Smalting, Carole Seddon and her best friend Jude are drawn into the investigation.
375 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2011
42 people are currently reading
369 people want to read
About the author
Simon Brett
330 books536 followersSimon Brett is a prolific British writer of whodunnits.
He is the son of a Chartered Surveyor and was educated at Dulwich College and Wadham College, Oxford, where he got a first class honours degree in English.
He then joined the BBC as a trainee and worked for BBC Radio and London Weekend Television, where his work included 'Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy' and 'Frank Muir Goes Into ...'.
After his spells with the media he began devoting most of his time to writing from the late 1970s and is well known for his various series of crime novels.
He is married with three children and lives in Burpham, near Arundel, West Sussex, England. He is the current president of the Detection Club.
He is the son of a Chartered Surveyor and was educated at Dulwich College and Wadham College, Oxford, where he got a first class honours degree in English.
He then joined the BBC as a trainee and worked for BBC Radio and London Weekend Television, where his work included 'Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy' and 'Frank Muir Goes Into ...'.
After his spells with the media he began devoting most of his time to writing from the late 1970s and is well known for his various series of crime novels.
He is married with three children and lives in Burpham, near Arundel, West Sussex, England. He is the current president of the Detection Club.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
April 25, 2020
Bones Under the Beach Hut is the twelfth mystery novel in the “Fethering” series by Simon Brett. This series of cosy mysteries is very English in feel, and very lightweight - rather like an updated version of Agatha Christie, but with added welcome humour.
As with all the previous novels in the series, it features the odd pairing of Carole Seddon and Jude, two middle-aged women who find themselves to be neighbours, and develop a very unlikely friendship. It is this spark, the chalk and cheese effect, which is so appealing in this series. Carole, who used to work for the Home Office, is very organised and tightlipped, rather shy and conservative. Jude, on the other hand, has had a chequered past and is quite Bohemian. She is much more of a spontaneous free spirit, with her New Age lifestyle and work as a healer and therapist. A more unlikely partnership for solving crimes would be difficult to find, and of course their contrasting attitudes, and bafflement with each other, is a running joke, provide many amusing moments.
Although the two live in “Fethering”, a small fictitious town on the South Coast, this mystery is set just along the coast, in the more upmarket neighbouring seaside resort of “Smalting”. The novel begins as Carole is planning to host a visit from her daughter-in-law Gaby, and granddaughter Lily, and wondering how to amuse the toddler at the beach. Over the previous few years (and novels) Carole has surprised herself by discovering a latent maternal urge, which she had formerly found lacking. She has never been any good at relationships, and is keen to capitalise on this new-found confidence, and true to her nature, wants a failsafe plan for the upcoming visit. She decides that renting a beach hut might be a good idea, and circumstances conspire to provide her with the very thing, in the more desirable area of Smalting.
However, Carole Seddon’s plans go awry when there seems to be a problem with the beach hut’s floorboards. Kelvin Southwest, a very seedy jobsworth of a character, is the caretaker of Smalting’s beach huts, and he organises an unofficial substitute, much to Carole's apprehension. A further spoke is put in the works when human remains are found beneath the floorboards of the original beach hut.
By now we have become acquainted with some of the residents of Smalting, via the small community of the beach huts. Simon Brett delights in showing us English “types” and poking fun at each one. We recognise the authenicity of each, and enjoy his depictions, whilst hoping we do not conform to any of these monsters. There are enough characters in a Simon Brett novel, just as in a novel by Agatha Christie, to distract us, so that we find it difficult to ascertain the likely perpetrator of the crime. However, it has to be said, that with this author, the novel’s very readability is its entertainment value, rather than any complicated deviousness of the crime. A dedicated crime reader would probably tease the mystery out fairly quickly. I never do; I'm enjoying being diverted too much!
The many characters in this novel include Philly Rose, a young Londoner newly arrived in the area, whose boyfriend, Mark Dennis, has recently vanished in mysterious circumstances. There is pseudy artist Gray Czesky and his officiously competent German wife Helga. One of the stars is Reginald Flowers, the pompous President of the Smalting Beach Hut Association who is obsessed with naval memorabilia, aided by his loyal secretary Dora Pinchbeck. There are a host of others: comfortable Joyce Oliver and her lugubrious husband Lionel, Kelvin Southwest, seedy self-appointed “ladies’ man" and caretaker of Smalting’s beach huts, and his security guard friend, Curt Holderness, earnest young writer Katie Brunswick, addicted to creative writing workshops, young couple Miranda and Rory Browning, plus the grandmother from hell Deborah Wrigley, and her downtrodden offspring. Several of these seem to be hiding secrets, some of which begin to surface as the story unfolds. And of course we mustn't forget two regular favourite characters in the series: grumpy pub landlord, Ted Crisp, and Carole's dog, Gulliver.
The “Fethering” series had seemed to be runnng out of steam with a couple of previous novels, but Bones Under the Beach Hut represents a welcome return to the highly entertaining first few novels. Simon Brett has written other detective novels and series with a light touch, such as the Mrs Pargeter novels and the Charles Paris series, featuring a down at heel actor and reluctant amateur detective, as well as many radio and television comedy scripts. He formerly worked as a producer in radio and television. The author now lives in what he describes as “an Agatha Christie-style village on the South Downs”.
With Bones Under the Beach Hut, Simon Brett seems to have gone back to his roots, setting it firmly on the beach, and keeping a tight hold on the Smalting location. The characters are quinessentially British, and a delight to poke fun of by proxy. There are enough twists in the plot, plus a few subplots, to keep the reader interested, and not over-challenged. It is an ideal read if you are under the weather and need a pick me up. Or perhaps join the two amateur sleuths in a glass of their favourite tipple, Chilean Chardonnay, and see if you can solve the puzzle before they do.
As with all the previous novels in the series, it features the odd pairing of Carole Seddon and Jude, two middle-aged women who find themselves to be neighbours, and develop a very unlikely friendship. It is this spark, the chalk and cheese effect, which is so appealing in this series. Carole, who used to work for the Home Office, is very organised and tightlipped, rather shy and conservative. Jude, on the other hand, has had a chequered past and is quite Bohemian. She is much more of a spontaneous free spirit, with her New Age lifestyle and work as a healer and therapist. A more unlikely partnership for solving crimes would be difficult to find, and of course their contrasting attitudes, and bafflement with each other, is a running joke, provide many amusing moments.
Although the two live in “Fethering”, a small fictitious town on the South Coast, this mystery is set just along the coast, in the more upmarket neighbouring seaside resort of “Smalting”. The novel begins as Carole is planning to host a visit from her daughter-in-law Gaby, and granddaughter Lily, and wondering how to amuse the toddler at the beach. Over the previous few years (and novels) Carole has surprised herself by discovering a latent maternal urge, which she had formerly found lacking. She has never been any good at relationships, and is keen to capitalise on this new-found confidence, and true to her nature, wants a failsafe plan for the upcoming visit. She decides that renting a beach hut might be a good idea, and circumstances conspire to provide her with the very thing, in the more desirable area of Smalting.
However, Carole Seddon’s plans go awry when there seems to be a problem with the beach hut’s floorboards. Kelvin Southwest, a very seedy jobsworth of a character, is the caretaker of Smalting’s beach huts, and he organises an unofficial substitute, much to Carole's apprehension. A further spoke is put in the works when human remains are found beneath the floorboards of the original beach hut.
By now we have become acquainted with some of the residents of Smalting, via the small community of the beach huts. Simon Brett delights in showing us English “types” and poking fun at each one. We recognise the authenicity of each, and enjoy his depictions, whilst hoping we do not conform to any of these monsters. There are enough characters in a Simon Brett novel, just as in a novel by Agatha Christie, to distract us, so that we find it difficult to ascertain the likely perpetrator of the crime. However, it has to be said, that with this author, the novel’s very readability is its entertainment value, rather than any complicated deviousness of the crime. A dedicated crime reader would probably tease the mystery out fairly quickly. I never do; I'm enjoying being diverted too much!
The many characters in this novel include Philly Rose, a young Londoner newly arrived in the area, whose boyfriend, Mark Dennis, has recently vanished in mysterious circumstances. There is pseudy artist Gray Czesky and his officiously competent German wife Helga. One of the stars is Reginald Flowers, the pompous President of the Smalting Beach Hut Association who is obsessed with naval memorabilia, aided by his loyal secretary Dora Pinchbeck. There are a host of others: comfortable Joyce Oliver and her lugubrious husband Lionel, Kelvin Southwest, seedy self-appointed “ladies’ man" and caretaker of Smalting’s beach huts, and his security guard friend, Curt Holderness, earnest young writer Katie Brunswick, addicted to creative writing workshops, young couple Miranda and Rory Browning, plus the grandmother from hell Deborah Wrigley, and her downtrodden offspring. Several of these seem to be hiding secrets, some of which begin to surface as the story unfolds. And of course we mustn't forget two regular favourite characters in the series: grumpy pub landlord, Ted Crisp, and Carole's dog, Gulliver.
The “Fethering” series had seemed to be runnng out of steam with a couple of previous novels, but Bones Under the Beach Hut represents a welcome return to the highly entertaining first few novels. Simon Brett has written other detective novels and series with a light touch, such as the Mrs Pargeter novels and the Charles Paris series, featuring a down at heel actor and reluctant amateur detective, as well as many radio and television comedy scripts. He formerly worked as a producer in radio and television. The author now lives in what he describes as “an Agatha Christie-style village on the South Downs”.
With Bones Under the Beach Hut, Simon Brett seems to have gone back to his roots, setting it firmly on the beach, and keeping a tight hold on the Smalting location. The characters are quinessentially British, and a delight to poke fun of by proxy. There are enough twists in the plot, plus a few subplots, to keep the reader interested, and not over-challenged. It is an ideal read if you are under the weather and need a pick me up. Or perhaps join the two amateur sleuths in a glass of their favourite tipple, Chilean Chardonnay, and see if you can solve the puzzle before they do.
September 11, 2018
A cosy crime novel in style, with some droll moments, although the subject matter ended up being rather out of that genre: paedophilia, for a start. The book is a bit turgid to begin with as it commences with a massive info dump about Carole, telling us things that were better shown and were in any case shortly afterwards.
Carole and her neighbour Jude are middle aged women and neighbours. Their friendship is an attraction of opposites as Carole is supposedly a retiring ex-Home Office employee and a stickler for formality whereas Jude is a bohemian alternative healer. I say supposedly because Carole often cross examines people to the point almost of browbeating them. When the story begins, Carole has sublet a beach hut from a friend of Jude's in anticipation of the visit of her daughter and small granddaughter, but her plans go awry when she discovers vandalism to the hut and has to report it to the creepy council employee in charge of beach huts, Kelvin. Then, in the course of repair, a workman finds human remains buried beneath it in the sand. Jude and Carole promptly launch into an investigation, in the course of which they veer very near the edge of getting into trouble themselves, when people infer that they are undercover cops and they do not deny it, something that strained my suspense of disbelief.
I thought this must be an early book in the series, as I had heard this was part of one, given the infodump about Carole's shyness as surely she would have overcome that to some extent after doing some investigations -but after I finished it, I discovered this was book 12. So she definitely should have overcome her problems by now!
The cast of characters included some that there were to be poked fun at, such as the wannabee writer who is endlessly redrafting her manuscript to conform to what she has been told at the latest writers' course she has attended, and some who are suspects such as the creeply Kelvin, and his friend the ex-copper and somewhat lax security officer.
The book would have benefitted from a good editor to check continuity. Twice I was pulled up short - in one sequence, during a telephone call a character refers to her ex-husband having left the girl he was living with by the seaside, which made me wonder how she knew about that when she was claiming not to have seen him for weeks - but when the two women meet her in the following scene, she professes to know nothing about it and they don't point out that she had admitted she did on the phone. As she doesn't appear again or figure in the denoument, that was obviously a continuity error. In another scene, Jude is treating someone and twice asks them to turn onto their front - as I'd pictured them lying on their front and her massaging their back during the preceding conversation, I was jolted out of the story when she asked them to do it the second time. That was just careless editing and not what I expected from a professionally published book.
I found the story a bit perfunctory and none of the characters likeable. It eventually transpired that a pathetic tragedy lay at the bottom of the crime, and I didn't particularly believe the actions of the two 'culprits' especially the man in question. So I can only rate this as a 2-star and won't be seeking out further volumes in this series.
Carole and her neighbour Jude are middle aged women and neighbours. Their friendship is an attraction of opposites as Carole is supposedly a retiring ex-Home Office employee and a stickler for formality whereas Jude is a bohemian alternative healer. I say supposedly because Carole often cross examines people to the point almost of browbeating them. When the story begins, Carole has sublet a beach hut from a friend of Jude's in anticipation of the visit of her daughter and small granddaughter, but her plans go awry when she discovers vandalism to the hut and has to report it to the creepy council employee in charge of beach huts, Kelvin. Then, in the course of repair, a workman finds human remains buried beneath it in the sand. Jude and Carole promptly launch into an investigation, in the course of which they veer very near the edge of getting into trouble themselves, when people infer that they are undercover cops and they do not deny it, something that strained my suspense of disbelief.
I thought this must be an early book in the series, as I had heard this was part of one, given the infodump about Carole's shyness as surely she would have overcome that to some extent after doing some investigations -but after I finished it, I discovered this was book 12. So she definitely should have overcome her problems by now!
The cast of characters included some that there were to be poked fun at, such as the wannabee writer who is endlessly redrafting her manuscript to conform to what she has been told at the latest writers' course she has attended, and some who are suspects such as the creeply Kelvin, and his friend the ex-copper and somewhat lax security officer.
The book would have benefitted from a good editor to check continuity. Twice I was pulled up short - in one sequence, during a telephone call a character refers to her ex-husband having left the girl he was living with by the seaside, which made me wonder how she knew about that when she was claiming not to have seen him for weeks - but when the two women meet her in the following scene, she professes to know nothing about it and they don't point out that she had admitted she did on the phone. As she doesn't appear again or figure in the denoument, that was obviously a continuity error. In another scene, Jude is treating someone and twice asks them to turn onto their front - as I'd pictured them lying on their front and her massaging their back during the preceding conversation, I was jolted out of the story when she asked them to do it the second time. That was just careless editing and not what I expected from a professionally published book.
I found the story a bit perfunctory and none of the characters likeable. It eventually transpired that a pathetic tragedy lay at the bottom of the crime, and I didn't particularly believe the actions of the two 'culprits' especially the man in question. So I can only rate this as a 2-star and won't be seeking out further volumes in this series.
May 12, 2011
It was like finding a favourite old pullover, finding this latest in the Feathering Series. You just fit back into it so easily. The fleeting references to the old charactors make you feel at home straightaway and I suppose the sales of Chilean Chardonnay will show another surge.
If you enjoyed the others, this will be another for your to read shelf.
If you enjoyed the others, this will be another for your to read shelf.
July 14, 2015
Too dark and emotionally unsatisfying for me. The pedophile plot gave me the creeps & I didn't like that Jude, one of the lead character, was feeling compassion for pedophiles. What the heck was that about?
June 19, 2014
"Bones Under the Beach Hut" by Simon Brett.
Carole is planning on spending a lovely week with her grand-daughter, Lily, and daughter-in-law, Gaby, in Fathering. This must be a special week of fun and relaxation for all of them especially Lily.
Carole finds that a young lady, Philly rose, had rented a beach hut with her boyfriend. apparently Philly's boyfriend, Mark, has up and walked out and Philly is left with bills to pay and little income.
Soon it's decided that if Carole could rent the beach hut from Philly rose it would take care of 2 birds with one stone. Carole would have the perfect place for her grand-daughter to enjoy days at the beach and Philly rose would have some income to help pay her bills.
Carole decides to take a look at the inside of her newly acquired beach hut aptly named Quiet Harbour. There appears to be some burnt boards on the flooring. Carole reports this to Kelvin Southwest, the caretaker of Smaltings beach Huts. Kelvin lets Carole temporarily stay in another beach hut while a repair man comes to restore the floor boards. That's when a horrible discovery is made that brings Carole and Jude into a mystery that has its' beginnings from years past.
The reason I have enjoyed this book and so many others in this series is due to the realistic relationship between Carole & Jude and their workings together to solve mysteries. The end result is never what it appears to be at the start of their investigations.
Excellently written and a joy to read.
Carole is planning on spending a lovely week with her grand-daughter, Lily, and daughter-in-law, Gaby, in Fathering. This must be a special week of fun and relaxation for all of them especially Lily.
Carole finds that a young lady, Philly rose, had rented a beach hut with her boyfriend. apparently Philly's boyfriend, Mark, has up and walked out and Philly is left with bills to pay and little income.
Soon it's decided that if Carole could rent the beach hut from Philly rose it would take care of 2 birds with one stone. Carole would have the perfect place for her grand-daughter to enjoy days at the beach and Philly rose would have some income to help pay her bills.
Carole decides to take a look at the inside of her newly acquired beach hut aptly named Quiet Harbour. There appears to be some burnt boards on the flooring. Carole reports this to Kelvin Southwest, the caretaker of Smaltings beach Huts. Kelvin lets Carole temporarily stay in another beach hut while a repair man comes to restore the floor boards. That's when a horrible discovery is made that brings Carole and Jude into a mystery that has its' beginnings from years past.
The reason I have enjoyed this book and so many others in this series is due to the realistic relationship between Carole & Jude and their workings together to solve mysteries. The end result is never what it appears to be at the start of their investigations.
Excellently written and a joy to read.
September 3, 2011
The latest, I think, in the Fethering Mysteries. And this one is as good as always. By no means a highbrow crime thriller but an enjoyable read. I would perhaps describe it as "The Famous Five for adults" without hopefully insulting Simon Brett. It is the very "Englishness" of this seaside location that summons up images of kneeling on the beach making sandcastles, crabbing and having a "99". Even with murder and arson as the background it is all very sedate.
This story sees Carole caught up in a fire and the discovery of a body and an insatiable curiosity, as always, to find out what happened. Nobly supported by Jude they work their way through a long list of suspects including retired schoolmasters, policemen and undertakers, writers and graphic designers and the great and the good of the Smalting Beach Hut Association.
Plenty of twists and turns to keep you occupied whether it's holiday reading, recuperation or something to enjoy when the stress and strains of everydy life mount up.
Hopefully there will be another one along in the not too distant future!
This story sees Carole caught up in a fire and the discovery of a body and an insatiable curiosity, as always, to find out what happened. Nobly supported by Jude they work their way through a long list of suspects including retired schoolmasters, policemen and undertakers, writers and graphic designers and the great and the good of the Smalting Beach Hut Association.
Plenty of twists and turns to keep you occupied whether it's holiday reading, recuperation or something to enjoy when the stress and strains of everydy life mount up.
Hopefully there will be another one along in the not too distant future!
April 5, 2012
This is a familiar setting but in this episode Carole gets herself a beach hut for the Summer in neighboring Smalting where the people are "a bit up themselves".
This is a cracking story centered on the beach and the amateur investigations of Jude and Carole.
It has been mentioned in a few reviews of this series that it is improbable that the detective duo could get so many people to open up to them and assist them with their enquiries. SB does address this in this account of mystery and intrigue surrounding a missing man and the discovery of "Bones under the Beach Hut".
I liked the pace of the narrative and the development of plot. The characters as usual are spot on, nicely expanded but never bland stereotypes. The familiar players are re-introduced better in this book and enrich the overall story and plot line.
This is a cracking story centered on the beach and the amateur investigations of Jude and Carole.
It has been mentioned in a few reviews of this series that it is improbable that the detective duo could get so many people to open up to them and assist them with their enquiries. SB does address this in this account of mystery and intrigue surrounding a missing man and the discovery of "Bones under the Beach Hut".
I liked the pace of the narrative and the development of plot. The characters as usual are spot on, nicely expanded but never bland stereotypes. The familiar players are re-introduced better in this book and enrich the overall story and plot line.
October 25, 2015
It’s a very light read, but I loved it. Simon Brett makes the process of writing look effortless.
Amateur sleuth Carole Seddon takes over the use of a beach hut on snooty Smalting beach, only to set in motion a grisly discovery: there are human remains buried beneath it. She and her new age friend Jude investigate, uncovering everybody’s dirty little secrets in the process.
In my favourite part of the book, Carole discovers that one of her neighbours is secretly a writer—well, not quite a writer but a would be writer. It’s a hilarious, cheeky snipe. Oh, he got it so right! If I were to tell you about it, however, it would spoil you discovering it for yourself.
I would happily read more in this series, and probably will.
Read for the Crime & Thrillers reading group that I attend at Canada Water Library, and also for my 2015 Goodreads reading challenge.
Amateur sleuth Carole Seddon takes over the use of a beach hut on snooty Smalting beach, only to set in motion a grisly discovery: there are human remains buried beneath it. She and her new age friend Jude investigate, uncovering everybody’s dirty little secrets in the process.
In my favourite part of the book, Carole discovers that one of her neighbours is secretly a writer—well, not quite a writer but a would be writer. It’s a hilarious, cheeky snipe. Oh, he got it so right! If I were to tell you about it, however, it would spoil you discovering it for yourself.
I would happily read more in this series, and probably will.
Read for the Crime & Thrillers reading group that I attend at Canada Water Library, and also for my 2015 Goodreads reading challenge.
February 10, 2015
I identified strongly with Carole at the beginning, but as the story went on she became rather wearing. I felt that Brett was just trying too hard to invoke our sympathy. In addition, I felt that there were several unsavory elements that didn't really need to be included in the book. Overall, though, the low rating is because I just didn't find the book fulfilling. It felt tedious, repetitious, and shallow. Shallow isn't, in all, a bad thing; but the feeling in this book was that every character was just a stock character traipsing through his or her paces with little charm or insight. It was also unhelpful that almost every character besides the main duo were painted in negative shades. It was a relief to surface and put this one on the shelf.
April 27, 2018
Without a spoiler alert, I'd have arrested the two main characters at the end. Enjoyed the writing style along the way and the protagonists, but they'd be in a lot of trouble for what they did in the real world.
July 11, 2018
Carole fits me to a T!
July 7, 2023
Yet another winner from old pro Simon Brett. Like any murder mystery, there is someone who’s been murdered, but Brett is a master at making the dirty deed almost innocuous and keeping our attention focussed on the living cast of characters.
Here Fethering neighbors Carole Seddon and Jude Nichols investigate one such murder after Carole sublets a beach cabana in the next town over, Smalting. Carole’s 2 year old granddaughter will be spending time with grandma this summer, and fun time at the beach seems a great way to pass a lot of it. Shortly after taking “occupancy” she finds that under the carpet a corner of the floor has been burned and needs repair. When work commences, the handyman makes a more chilling discovery: under those floorboards are human remains. They’re not new, but the police cordon off the cabana while enquiries commence. Or not. As is typical in these Fethering musteries, the police presence is so faint as almost not to exist. This gives Jude and Carole wide scope to pursue their own investigation in their typical “pretty nosy but this side of being offensive” style.
Lots of plot turns, fun characters to get to know, and as always a successful conclusion reached by our intrepid sleuths. I hope Brett keeps writing them for a good while.
Here Fethering neighbors Carole Seddon and Jude Nichols investigate one such murder after Carole sublets a beach cabana in the next town over, Smalting. Carole’s 2 year old granddaughter will be spending time with grandma this summer, and fun time at the beach seems a great way to pass a lot of it. Shortly after taking “occupancy” she finds that under the carpet a corner of the floor has been burned and needs repair. When work commences, the handyman makes a more chilling discovery: under those floorboards are human remains. They’re not new, but the police cordon off the cabana while enquiries commence. Or not. As is typical in these Fethering musteries, the police presence is so faint as almost not to exist. This gives Jude and Carole wide scope to pursue their own investigation in their typical “pretty nosy but this side of being offensive” style.
Lots of plot turns, fun characters to get to know, and as always a successful conclusion reached by our intrepid sleuths. I hope Brett keeps writing them for a good while.
August 10, 2022
This book made me feel dumb
May 4, 2016
Carole Seddon and her neighbour and friend, Jude, live in Fethering, a poor relation to the neighbouring seaside town of Smalting, where there is a prom, beach huts and SBHA - Smalting Beach Hut Association. To help out a friend of Jude's who has fallen in financial difficulties following a relationship break up Carole agrees to sublet Philly Rose's beach hut "Quiet Harbour" for the season, and discovers fire damage to the floor of the hut. Once the contractor arrives to repair the floor the "bones under the beach hut" are quickly discovered and Carole and Jude begin to investigate.
The story is written in a very lighthearted style that makes it a pleasure to read but doesn't prepare the reader for the enormity of the blackness in the secrets of some of the corrupt characters or the depth of the tragedy in the lives of others that is revealed at the end with the uncovering of the real story behind the death of the small boy, Robin Cutter, who ends up under the beach hut.
One of the things that makes this book so enjoyable is the richness of the characters. All of them have their idiosyncrasies as people do, especially in little cliquey circles like the SBHA. Perhaps to some extent the characters are clichéd, but I think every reader will be able to identify them.
There are also several threads to the story that keep the reader guessing as more clues are unearthed and leads are solved and put aside. Keeping the identity of the bones a secret is a good technique for giving Carole and Jude some time to clear up the first lead/red herring surrounding the original renter of the beach hut, Philly, and her partner, Mark Dennis, and this sustains both the interest in the mystery of the bones but also in the personal tragedies and lives of the characters involved.
The only thing I felt let this down was the handling of the criminal activities of the corrupt officials, Kelvin Southwest and Curt Holderness, who seem to only have lost their positions by the end of he book whereas by right they should/would have been arrested by he police and investigated and I wonder if this send out the wrong message to the general reader regarding reporting of this information, hence the 4 stars.
Having said that I did really enjoy the story giving me two days of easy reading during my holiday spending some of the time with my feet up on the beach outside and English coastal resort beach hut.
The story is written in a very lighthearted style that makes it a pleasure to read but doesn't prepare the reader for the enormity of the blackness in the secrets of some of the corrupt characters or the depth of the tragedy in the lives of others that is revealed at the end with the uncovering of the real story behind the death of the small boy, Robin Cutter, who ends up under the beach hut.
One of the things that makes this book so enjoyable is the richness of the characters. All of them have their idiosyncrasies as people do, especially in little cliquey circles like the SBHA. Perhaps to some extent the characters are clichéd, but I think every reader will be able to identify them.
There are also several threads to the story that keep the reader guessing as more clues are unearthed and leads are solved and put aside. Keeping the identity of the bones a secret is a good technique for giving Carole and Jude some time to clear up the first lead/red herring surrounding the original renter of the beach hut, Philly, and her partner, Mark Dennis, and this sustains both the interest in the mystery of the bones but also in the personal tragedies and lives of the characters involved.
The only thing I felt let this down was the handling of the criminal activities of the corrupt officials, Kelvin Southwest and Curt Holderness, who seem to only have lost their positions by the end of he book whereas by right they should/would have been arrested by he police and investigated and I wonder if this send out the wrong message to the general reader regarding reporting of this information, hence the 4 stars.
Having said that I did really enjoy the story giving me two days of easy reading during my holiday spending some of the time with my feet up on the beach outside and English coastal resort beach hut.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2017
I had a better sense of the scene of this mystery from watching Broadchurch - I'm fairly certain that there's a scene in Season 2 that's filmed next to beach huts like the ones described here. Given the desire to go to the beach in warm weather in New England, I understand why Brits would rent huts for the season. (I did wonder how people used the bathrooms, though - this wasn't discussed.)
Carole rents a hut off one of Jude's clients, a woman who recently split with her longterm boyfriend. Carole thinks it will be perfect for Gaby and her granddaughter, who are scheduled to visit in a week. She goes to check it out and discovers the remnants of a fire, which is odd. She also meets all the kooks who rent there- including a mean grandmother, an older couple, a leftist artist, a quiet young woman who stays in her hut typing away, and a man who thinks of himself as the captain of the beach.
Carole rents a hut off one of Jude's clients, a woman who recently split with her longterm boyfriend. Carole thinks it will be perfect for Gaby and her granddaughter, who are scheduled to visit in a week. She goes to check it out and discovers the remnants of a fire, which is odd. She also meets all the kooks who rent there- including a mean grandmother, an older couple, a leftist artist, a quiet young woman who stays in her hut typing away, and a man who thinks of himself as the captain of the beach.
January 3, 2023
Always good to catch up with Carole and Jude.
The content of this novel was slightly darker, more horrific and upsetting than the norm. However, it was written sensitively and I did not guess the conclusion! I'm hoping the next in the series is more cheery and that the ladies realise what a special friendship they actually have!
The content of this novel was slightly darker, more horrific and upsetting than the norm. However, it was written sensitively and I did not guess the conclusion! I'm hoping the next in the series is more cheery and that the ladies realise what a special friendship they actually have!
April 19, 2024
No challenges here in terms of complexity. Never read any of this series before. A bit far fetched and cliched, a bit mixed up by unfortunately introducing the serious matter of paedophilia towards the end and left it hanging.
January 14, 2019
A splendid entry in this underrated series.
May 14, 2017
Another great addition to this easy to read yet compelling series.
November 12, 2017
It's ok but not good enough for me to seek out the rest of the series.
December 8, 2018
I feel like the more of these I read, the more I like them. I can't wait to read the next one but I know I'm going to be sad when I've finished reading them all.
August 23, 2019
Have read other books in this series which I enjoyed more.
February 23, 2022
Jude and Carole are always fun to sleuth with. I agree with other reviewers that this had a slightly dark side that was just brushed under the rug.
March 28, 2022
Continue with this great English mystery series. Two unlikely friends,ladies of a certain age, solve mysteries in a seaside town
May 2, 2018
Jude and Carole get involved in the lives of people that rent beach huts in the next town. They find missing persons, find suspicious repairs made to their beach hut which lead to finding human bones buried under the hut. This leads them into finding the murderer of the body that was found under the beach hut. Also, Carole and Jude uncover suspicious goings on by the management of the beach hut while making their inquiries re the possible murder of the bones found. A good read.
July 25, 2020
I have really enjoyed most of the Fethering mysteries but this one didn't have the usual draw for me. Nearly all the characters are kind of smarmy. While this gives the reader plenty of people that might be murders, it wasn't particularly fun to read. Quirky, evil, secretive and devious are fine qualities for potential murderers. Smarmy, not so much.
March 7, 2023
These books are still a delight, but I blow hot and cold on Carole Seddon. At times I find her prickly, neurotic awkwardness funny and oddly endearing, while at others, I find it obnoxious and grating and wonder how poor Jude stands her. She was quite the prune in this one, and it diminished by enjoyment in the early going.
October 27, 2025
Another enjoyable cozy mystery for the Fethering duo. Carol has taken over the rental of a beach hut in nearby Smalting but of course nothing goes smoothly. When she discovers evidence of a fire under the hut, the floorboards are removed to reveal human remains underneath.
Carol and Jude set about investigating and we are introduced to an interesting array of characters.
Love these tales.
Carol and Jude set about investigating and we are introduced to an interesting array of characters.
Love these tales.
February 18, 2020
I could sense that this was a part of a series of books, but it read extremely well as an independent story. I appreciate that! I also appreciate when a book is the right length for its plot - this one was. And somehow, the writing was so smooth that it was enjoyable to read.
May 29, 2021
Delightfully entertaining quick read. Loved the twists and turns of the story, it kept me guessing right to the end. The characters were so lovely and quirky, I could almost see them wandering around the beach.
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