Guns in the Gallery

Fethering #13

by Simon Brett

Invited to a Private View of the work of controversial artist Denzil Willoughby, the good citizens of Fethering are not quite sure what to expect. And it turns out to be a lively affair, culminating in several embarrassing confrontations. But what no one could have anticipated was that the evening would end in sudden, violent death. The police seem happy to accept that it was suicide, but Fethering residents Carole and Jude remain unconvinced . . .

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Audiobook, British Literature, Cozy Mystery, Cozy

206 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2011

About the author

Simon 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.

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love Simon Brett's writing style and his ability to produce so many books each year. I have read all the Fethering mysteries in order and this is the 13th.
The writing remains crisp and the interactions between the main characters excellent and always in keeping as their relationship has developed. However the contridictions are beginning to appear; last book it was ok to speak to an artist on the pretext of a commission in this book Jude feels that wouldn't be fair. I think this is a symptom that SB has not not put everything into his plots and story outlines and is dare I say "cashing in".
This is a shame as the insights into small community life and gossips is spot on even down to the Fethering nod. It just reads a little tired and I was dissappointed. The book seems to end abruptly although a good twist and even the epilogue is getting tedious I am finding I don't really care about what happens to these people.
I enjoy the modern inserts into this series - glamping in yurts this time and the plot was clever. It just got lost in the telling; fundamentally I think the case would have been looked at much closer and the family would not have been "happy" with the Police's investigation. Despite this being the baker's dozen of terrible crimes in this part of the world I do not expect the Police are overrun with crime.

I hope there is a 14th and more but Simon needs to return to basics

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Simon Brett's Fethering mystery series is like watching a USA channel murder mystery series: the characters are likeable and attractive, the setting is picturesque, the plot draws you in without being terrible demanding. All in all, it's a very pleasant experience. This sounds like faint praise, but I was very happy to escape into the world of two middle-aged women/amateur sleuths in a seaside town in England for a while between reading books for book group or other should/could/would titles that aren't much fun at all.
Recommended for fans of cozy mysteries and USA TV scripted series, which I love. I'm giving this 4 stars to draw to your attention a nice escapist mystery series, if that's the genre you enjoy.

[Connie Schuchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read almost all of Simon Brett’s mystery series including the Fethering series. I feel like Carole and Jude are old friends and enjoy the interaction between the two very different personalities although they compliment each other when solving mysteries.
Carole has started to emerge from her Obsessive Compulsive life because of her relationship with freewheeling Jude. She is starting to enjoy life and her son and his family. Together in this book, Carole and Jude once again solve another mystery each contributing to the solution.
The mysteries are written in Brett’s witty style and are not deep philosophical mysteries but are fun to read. I found the ending a bit of a surprise but it ties in with the humor with which Brett writes these books.

[Nathalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've enjoyed British author Simon Brett's "Fethering Mysteries" for several years now. I like the combination of straight laced retired civil servant Carole and new-age free-spirited healer Jude as they solve various mysteries which cross their paths. I always enjoy a mystery which revolves around the art world, art galleries and this one specifically a frame maker, which is the world my husband is involved in. This, as an aside, brings the always interesting question as to what really makes a piece "ART" with a capital A. In this particular mystery, is the police's official verdict of suicide correct? It makes it so much simpler for everyone concerned...

[AngryGreyCat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simon Brett’s Fethering series has long been a favorite of mine, with rigid Carole Seddon and her more “go with the flow” neighbor Jude. In this outing, Carole is just settling in to the idea of being a Grandma. She gets invited to a gallery showing and goes along with Jude, although she is quite sure it is not her thing. After the events at the gallery a young woman is dead, but is it murder or suicide? Jude and Carole investigate uncovering secrets and dealing with a family in denial. The usual pokes at class structure and people who suffer from self-importance are here along with an interesting mystery. I am still enjoying this series, thirteen books in.

[Fiona Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not sure what number we are with these and I have missed some because they weren't available on Kindle...but I felt straight back at home here with Carole and Jude as they explored yet another death in the small village of Fethering. I also felt as if I was in a sub-story to the Archers as some of the action takes place in a yurt complex very similar to Kate Aldridge's Spiritual Homes.

Once again Simon teases under the skin of people - funny, serious, shocking, playful - yet always leaving you guessing who has done what to whom and why. This time he also has a good poke at artists and art galleries - puncturing some of the pomposity that can be found in some aspects of that world!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this 4 stars simply because I love the Fethering series and it's characters. The story was good with a simple plot. Typical of Brett, the villain is usually a side character that is rarely seen and everything gets linked together by a slim coincidence. Carol is the more realistic character and has shown growth over the course of the series whereas Brett is just beginning to offer insight into Jude's mind and backstory. Despite her empathy, Jude tends to get on my nerves. Still I love this series and will continued reading it depsite it's faults.

[Sara Eames · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic read in the excellent Fethering mysteries by Simon Brett. Good characterisation and a swift moving plot join together to make a brilliant cosy mystery. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys a good cosy mystery.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a terrific series. Great books to read as comic relief even though they are about murders etc., and to carry along to an appointment or in bed. Easy to read as relief from heavier stuff. Gives your brain a rest!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hooked on page 1. The characters were interesting and the mystery held to the very end. I have found a new must-read author!

[Phyllis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never read a Simon Brett mystery that I didn't love, and this one is no exception. In my opinion Brett is the master of the classic style mystery genre. Both the Feathering Series and the Charles Paris series rank among my favorite reads. Guns in the Gallery is a perfect example of the Brett style and and I recommended it very highly.

[Aileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I still love these ladies!

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series! Can't wait for the next one.

[Sarah Hearn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of great twists right till the end. Simon Brett is a master story teller.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light fun easy read

[Dorothy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A light and amusing read for when you do not want to be intellectually challenged.

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like these books, you will like this one.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story all wrapped up at the end

[Darinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 13th book in the Fethering series. Light cozy mystery.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good ole Carole and Jude, I've been reading these books for years and it's always nice to spend time with them. This was a better mystery (or at least more believable) than the recent couple I've read, centering around whether a girl's apparent suicide might be a murder. Fennel Whittaker (who I kept seeing as "Forest Whittaker") is a troubled woman who Jude has been seeing for healing, and one night, after yelling at her exboyfriend, crazy modern artist Denzil Wiloughby, at a gallery show, she gets drunk with Jude, who finds her dead the next morning. The parents, millionaires, seem to want to keep it all locked down, and Fennel's mother, Sheena, even seems happier now that Fennel is gone. Did Denzil do it because she accused him of killing someone else? Did Fennel's resentful younger sister Chervil do it because she's sick of Fennel being so needy? Where is Fennel's cell phone? And what does Chervil's boyfriend and Denzil's friend Giles Green have to do with it? It was hard keeping Giles and Denzil separate at times, but the ending was good and satisfactory. It made some sense that Jude and Carole wanted to learn more - at one point Jude is accused by Sheena that she might have stolen away Fennel's cell phone because she's guilty!

It turns out that Giles is is fact being called a murderer by Fennel because he apparently tried to kill his crippled father by knocking over their boat when he was 5; it was a little one's misunderstanding but Hugo did die in the accident. But Giles' mother's framer, Spider, thought Fennel was accusing HER of the murder, so he kills Fennel to protect her. I'd completely forgotten about this character, despite Carole and Jude attending his perfect Elvis impression at the pub one night.

[Eugene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best in this series, but an enjoyable read. As usual, I found Jude Nichols to be an attractive and intriguing protagonist and her counterpart Carole Seddon to be much the opposite. I am not sure quite why author Brett goes to such lengths to make Carole so repellant, but there’s no doubting that he does. That said the story still works.
Minor quibble with Brett’s current insistence of summing up the future lives of dramatis personae in the ultimate chapter; one can easily imagine one’s own interpretation of any such futures, and really it’s more satisfying that way, I do think.
My other concern is that once again the final paragraphs intimate that Jude isn’t finding life in Fethering quite satisfactory any longer and may perhaps entertain thoughts of moving on - one hopes not, she’s the life and soul of these books. There are 8 more in the series (so far), at least there’s those to look forward to.

[Judith Shadford · Rating 1 out of 5]

This volume was written about 4 years after volume 2 in the Fethering series and I really hoped he'd worked out some of the more egregious distractions. No. I'd say this was more a first draft than a finished piece by a highly published author. And the printing is equally slapdash. Type is too large, cheap paper, narrow margins. Typos.

The two principal characters, Carole and Jude hardly make it up to two-dimensional. Once again, a young female with serious mental issues is used to compel sympathy, (name of Fennel, who's sister is Chervil. Guess what books Mommy was reading). The two women successfully find the murderer after police declare a suicide and, instead of being called into court for meddling, they are thanked by the police. Just so there can be more Carole and Jude books. Which there are. But not to be read by me.

[Larissa McCall · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 - I love this series. Every book has a fresh storyline so I never feel bored. The characters are fun and relatable (especially Carol's introvertedness and reluctancy to go to parties). I love the Feathering locals who enjoyed the drama and spectical of the Private Gallery Viewing. The suspects were the right amount of slimy people and some had redeeming qualities and others you had no problem hating.

I was incorrect in my guess of the murderer, but as the investigation leaned more towards Bonita Green I should have changed my pick and realized Spider's protectiveness of Bonita was going to go too far. It wrapped up quickly in the last few chapters but it was enjoyable and closed all the storylines.

[Margaret]

This was okay. It would have been better if there had actually been a little more action and intrigue in the story. Also, for me, the team of Carole and Jude just didn't mesh, even though I guess this is the thirteenth mystery that they've solved together. And, the title does not seem right for this tale - there are no actual guns involved! I do like this author (his Mrs. Pargeter series) however maybe this Fethering series is not quite my cup of tea? I would try another one before I decide.

[Virginia Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Jude convinces Carole to a Private View of the work of controversial artist Denzil Willoughby, she is not quite sure what to expect. Is fiber glass cannon covered with cutout pictures of black youths really art? The evening becomes worse with an embarrassing scene by young Fennel Whittaker, a client of Jude's, followed by her violent death. The police rule it a suicide, but Carole and Jude begin to suspect murder.

An amusing, well plotted cozy murder solved by two unusual friends which also takes a sensible and sensitive look at depression and suicide.

[Susan Bryson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another enjoyable cosy murder mystery for neighbours Carole and Jude to investigate. Jude finds Fennel dead, apparently having committed suicide, but Jude is suspicious as Fennel had been so positive the night before. Her very wealthy family attempt a cover up and the amateur sleuths want to know why. They are led to investigate and unpick complicated relationships in the art world.
I will be sorry to finish this series of novels as I feel a real affection for the main characters.

[Val · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Fethering murder mystery. Carole and Jude go to a private viewing of an artist. The event comes with a few surprises, not least a huge argument between the artist and a local millionaire's daughter. When later the daughter is found dead of an apparent suicide, Jude and Carole feel sure it is a murder and set out to prove the same.

[Mary Grand · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normally I love the Fethering mysteries by Simon Brett but I was disappointed with this one. I felt it was churned out, plotting didn't quite make sense and the character of Jude , who I love, came over a plain annoying.

[Audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad book but for whatever reason I kept loosing interest and putting it down. I felt like I really had to force myself to finish reading it. It might of been just my mood tho because it has very colorful characters, and descent plot twists....

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carole and Jude go to an artist event at a local gallery. One of the attendees later commits suicide, but Jude believes it is murder. They go about their usual interviewing of different people to find the murderer.