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Murder Laid Bare
When a body is discovered on a nudist beach, the struggling seaside resort of Milhaven is thrust into the media spotlight. Fortunately, Inspector Hope has just arrived at the sleepy coastal town, much to the annoyance of brassy Detective Sergeant Elaine Carver.
Forced to work together, the temperamental Carver and rather prudish Hope delve into the dead man’s past and uncover a darker side to the goings on at the seemingly innocent nudist resort.
Both Hope and Carver are themselves harbouring dark secrets and have far more in common than they think. The investigation soon leads them on a path of self-discovery where they have to face their inner demons as they uncover the seedier side to middle class suburbia.
Forced to work together, the temperamental Carver and rather prudish Hope delve into the dead man’s past and uncover a darker side to the goings on at the seemingly innocent nudist resort.
Both Hope and Carver are themselves harbouring dark secrets and have far more in common than they think. The investigation soon leads them on a path of self-discovery where they have to face their inner demons as they uncover the seedier side to middle class suburbia.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 20, 2013
2 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Robert Forrester
27 books7 followersRobert Forrester is a writer and journalist based in Birmingham, United Kingdom. He is the author of the Inspector Anderson Mysteries, Hope and Carver Mysteries, the thriller Rogues, and various short fiction that has appeared in numerous anthologies and literary magazines.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 7, 2013
I received an advance copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Let me state first that a serious editing is needed. The spelling and tense errors are extremely distracting which resulted in a very slow read. I quit reading frequently.
Now for the good stuff. The premise of having the crime take place in a nudist park led to some funny exchanges among all the characters but especially Hope and Carver. Hope is so prim and proper while Carver is brash and somewhat childish. The sight of all the nudists is usually too much for each of them but with different outcomes. The development of the partnership between these two opposites was outlined well but I hope for further development if this becomes a series. The author is gifted in describing people, places, and actions. I could visualize their appearances; hear their voices; see what they were seeing and where they were seeing it. As for the "who dunnit", I really didn't know until the very end although I determined who performed some of the other deeds much earlier. All in all this was an enjoyable summer read.
Now for the good stuff. The premise of having the crime take place in a nudist park led to some funny exchanges among all the characters but especially Hope and Carver. Hope is so prim and proper while Carver is brash and somewhat childish. The sight of all the nudists is usually too much for each of them but with different outcomes. The development of the partnership between these two opposites was outlined well but I hope for further development if this becomes a series. The author is gifted in describing people, places, and actions. I could visualize their appearances; hear their voices; see what they were seeing and where they were seeing it. As for the "who dunnit", I really didn't know until the very end although I determined who performed some of the other deeds much earlier. All in all this was an enjoyable summer read.
June 13, 2013
Murder Laid Bare was my first introduction to Robert Forrester's work. Released in May 2013, Murder Laid Bare is an enjoyable mystery that holds some very well written comical moments that I'm sure all readers could relate too and would find as amusing as I did.
Detective Sargeant Elaine Carver, a temperamental uninhibited cop, and Detective Inspector Martin Hope, an uptight modest cop recently transferred to the Milhaven CID, are thrown together to solve a murder at a private nudist beach, Sunnystone Naturist Park, frequented by mostly older folk as a summer vacation getaway.
Hope and Carver, recognized amongst their peers as being "good" at their jobs, have some personal issues in their past which both become aware of as the story unfolds. Their individual secrets, once discovered, not only changes their opinions about each other but also serves as the thread which forges the close relationship often seen on the police force.
I have to say Hope's almost constant blushing and Carver's uncontrollable giggles while they carried out the investigation were totally hysterical and my most favorite parts of the book!
Detective Sargeant Elaine Carver, a temperamental uninhibited cop, and Detective Inspector Martin Hope, an uptight modest cop recently transferred to the Milhaven CID, are thrown together to solve a murder at a private nudist beach, Sunnystone Naturist Park, frequented by mostly older folk as a summer vacation getaway.
Hope and Carver, recognized amongst their peers as being "good" at their jobs, have some personal issues in their past which both become aware of as the story unfolds. Their individual secrets, once discovered, not only changes their opinions about each other but also serves as the thread which forges the close relationship often seen on the police force.
I have to say Hope's almost constant blushing and Carver's uncontrollable giggles while they carried out the investigation were totally hysterical and my most favorite parts of the book!
July 2, 2013
This book was okay. I just never really got into any of the characters and found that I didn't really like either of the two main ones. I didn't like Carver. She was portrayed as someone totally out of control in both her personal and professional life. Hope started out as an arrogant jerk and then became a nice guy??? That just didn't flow for me. All in all it was an okay book.
March 7, 2015
DS Carver needs anger management counseling. In some ways, she has more problems than Hope, especially with regard to her former partner, Parker. I also found their reactions to the nudists to be quite juvenile, considering their ranks. Not a bad read but there is a need for improvement in punctuation and spelling.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews