What do you think?
Rate this book
Martha Gunn #5
The Devil's Chair
DI Alex Randall and coroner Martha Gunn search for a missing child, but their investigation is compromised by local superstitions and beliefs
In the peaceful setting of the National Trust near Church Stretton, south of Shrewsbury, Tracey Walsh drives herself and her four-year-old daughter, Daisy, up the remote Burway in the early hours of the morning, tragically loses control of her car and crashes into the valley below.
Tracey is rushed to hospital, but where is Daisy? She has vanished, provoking an intense police search of the area around the Devil's Chair, land that is rife with legends and strange stories of witchcraft, sorcery and unexplained disappearances. Detective Inspector Alex Randall, the senior investigating officer, soon admits to coroner Martha Gunn that he is baffled by the case.
Alex and Martha must sift through fact and fiction, folklore and reality in their search for answers.
In the peaceful setting of the National Trust near Church Stretton, south of Shrewsbury, Tracey Walsh drives herself and her four-year-old daughter, Daisy, up the remote Burway in the early hours of the morning, tragically loses control of her car and crashes into the valley below.
Tracey is rushed to hospital, but where is Daisy? She has vanished, provoking an intense police search of the area around the Devil's Chair, land that is rife with legends and strange stories of witchcraft, sorcery and unexplained disappearances. Detective Inspector Alex Randall, the senior investigating officer, soon admits to coroner Martha Gunn that he is baffled by the case.
Alex and Martha must sift through fact and fiction, folklore and reality in their search for answers.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2014
49 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
Priscilla Masters
55 books84 followersPriscilla Masters' writing career started in 1987 when she published Mr. Bateman's Garden, a children's book set in Biddulph Grange Gardens belonging to the National Trust. After that she created Inspector Joanna Piercy and has now also written a number of Medical Mysteries.
Priscilla Masters lives in Shropshire, England. She works part-time in Staffordshire as a practice nurse.
Priscilla Masters lives in Shropshire, England. She works part-time in Staffordshire as a practice nurse.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 3, 2019
Priscilla Masters is a prolific crime writer with three series to her name plus standalones. I've read several and she's become one of my go-to writers for a decent mystery. I have to say that this is one of her best plots. It combines a modern police investigation with hints of myth and folklore in the rugged, rural setting of South Shropshire. The Devil's Chair of the title is the uppermost outcrop on the Stiperstones ridge. Legend has it that the devil himself put it there.
When drunk driver Tracy Walsh crashes her car into the valley below and all trace is lost of her little girl Daisy who'd been in the car with her, locals speculate that an evil, supernatural force has spirited the child away.
Coroner Martha, Detective Inspector Alex and his team must sort fact from fantasy to find the child alive.
Unusual case, three-dimensional characters, spectacular scenery.
When drunk driver Tracy Walsh crashes her car into the valley below and all trace is lost of her little girl Daisy who'd been in the car with her, locals speculate that an evil, supernatural force has spirited the child away.
Coroner Martha, Detective Inspector Alex and his team must sort fact from fantasy to find the child alive.
Unusual case, three-dimensional characters, spectacular scenery.
April 16, 2026
This was another twisty British crime drama where Martha becomes involved in a mysterious puzzle about a missing child.
As coroner, Martha doesn't investigate but her brain can't help it. I liked the relationship between her and Alex and wonder where it may lead. Alex is a sad and complicated character trying to do the right thing.
The case is a sad reflection of family life and how human behaviour can lead to disaster. There was also an element of the supernatural, especially in the atmospheric description of the area.
Enjoyable and engaging.
As coroner, Martha doesn't investigate but her brain can't help it. I liked the relationship between her and Alex and wonder where it may lead. Alex is a sad and complicated character trying to do the right thing.
The case is a sad reflection of family life and how human behaviour can lead to disaster. There was also an element of the supernatural, especially in the atmospheric description of the area.
Enjoyable and engaging.
June 24, 2014
A young woman drives her car while under the influence of alcohol along a dangerous country road near Shrewsbury and crashes. But why did she crash and where is her young daughter Daisy who was with her in the car? Coroner Martha Gunn becomes involved when the young woman dies but she was already aware of the case because the detective in charge had spoken to her about it and asked for advice. When obscure messages keep being left apparently to lead the police to where Daisy can be found, it seems that someone is playing games with them
This is a tense and well plotted mystery. A small child is missing and she may or may not be injured. She could be dead or she could have been abducted. The police have to unravel the mystery and find out what lies behind it and find Daisy as quickly as they can. Alex Randall – in charge of the case – and Martha Gunn work together to try and find out what caused the crash and whether or not local superstitions and the supernatural are playing a part in the case.
It is the first book I’ve read in this series featuring Martha Gunn and I enjoyed it so much that I have gone back to the beginning and started with the first one – ‘River Deep’. The book is well written, intelligently plotted and has believable and interesting characters. I found it interesting to learn more about the work of a coroner as well.
If you enjoy well written police procedural crime novels with a different twist then you may enjoy this book and the Martha Gunn series as a whole. I received a free copy of this book for review purposes from NetGalley.
This is a tense and well plotted mystery. A small child is missing and she may or may not be injured. She could be dead or she could have been abducted. The police have to unravel the mystery and find out what lies behind it and find Daisy as quickly as they can. Alex Randall – in charge of the case – and Martha Gunn work together to try and find out what caused the crash and whether or not local superstitions and the supernatural are playing a part in the case.
It is the first book I’ve read in this series featuring Martha Gunn and I enjoyed it so much that I have gone back to the beginning and started with the first one – ‘River Deep’. The book is well written, intelligently plotted and has believable and interesting characters. I found it interesting to learn more about the work of a coroner as well.
If you enjoy well written police procedural crime novels with a different twist then you may enjoy this book and the Martha Gunn series as a whole. I received a free copy of this book for review purposes from NetGalley.
October 14, 2016
Perhaps the earlier books in this series are better. I realize that beginning a series with the fifth book can be a mistake because the characters and their relationships are already in place. But some series have such compelling stories that one can begin nearly anyplace and feel at home. (Tony Hillerman's books about Navajo tribal police officers Leaphorn and Chee are an example.) This book was not one of those. As a police procedural it sucked. Detectives went to interview people involved with the case and couldn't think of questions to ask. Really? The police didn't even solve the case and the perpetrator was never in the story until the end so the reader had no chance to play amateur detective. So much of the story didn't make sense. I could go on and on, but basically, if you're interested in police procedurals, there are much better series to enjoy, at least based on this one book.
March 14, 2023
Priscilla Masters is the premier mystery book writer!
At 88, I’ve read thousands of books, mostly mysteries. Her plots are always unique, baffling, interesting, and superbly written. All mystery readers should give her books a try.
At 88, I’ve read thousands of books, mostly mysteries. Her plots are always unique, baffling, interesting, and superbly written. All mystery readers should give her books a try.
June 16, 2017
Not at all what I was expecting! Very little "woo woo" and a lot of police procedures. Some of the acronyms and British terminology was hard to follow, but the search for the missing child and the investigation into the car crash was well done and, although tedious at times, still interesting.
April 16, 2026
Whist the story was good This didn’t feel as polished as the earlier books. The characters are usually well rounded, this time they were flat and almost borderline to the story.
I will read the next book and hope it’s better than this one.
I will read the next book and hope it’s better than this one.
September 22, 2019
An OK read for someone with a little patience and I'd have given it three stars but the ending just fell flat.
April 20, 2020
I enjoy this series, will continue
January 8, 2021
An enjoyable read for the most part, but let down by a "but why didn't X just..." ending.
April 24, 2014
This is the first Priscilla Masters novel I’ve read and I’m glad to say I enjoyed this police procedural in the Martha Gunn series very much. Martha Gunn is the coroner for the area around Shrewsbury so when Detective Inspector Alex Randall wants to discuss his case from Church Stretton in Shropshire she listens for relevant information that she will need if the case comes to her. A car went over the side of the road and three hundred feet down into the Carding Mill Valley. The driver was seriously injured but no trace can be found of the four year old girl who should have been with her mother in the car. This area is called the Devil’s Chair by locals and stories of strange happenings in the misty surroundings are common. When the police can’t find little Daisy Walsh they have to treat the case as an abduction.
These are really good characters, both the established and the newly introduced, because the author allows the reader to get close enough to feel a certain amount of intimacy with them. It was a little difficult for me to immediately understand how the characters fit into the series because that information wasn’t given by the author at the beginning. I know there are many novels in this series, but for a new reader such as me, it would have been helpful if the relationship between Martha Gunn and Alex Randall had been clearly defined without me having to work that aspect out through picking up comments and situations throughout the novel. I liked the way the police procedures were defined and explained with just enough personality of each police officer revealed to make it more humanizing instead of strictly official actions. Sometimes authors can move too far toward the procedure aspect and neglect the human element but that was not the case here. I am definitely interested in reading other novels by Ms Masters and will investigate more of the Martha Gunn series and the Joanna Piercy mysteries.
I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley. The opinions expressed are my own.
These are really good characters, both the established and the newly introduced, because the author allows the reader to get close enough to feel a certain amount of intimacy with them. It was a little difficult for me to immediately understand how the characters fit into the series because that information wasn’t given by the author at the beginning. I know there are many novels in this series, but for a new reader such as me, it would have been helpful if the relationship between Martha Gunn and Alex Randall had been clearly defined without me having to work that aspect out through picking up comments and situations throughout the novel. I liked the way the police procedures were defined and explained with just enough personality of each police officer revealed to make it more humanizing instead of strictly official actions. Sometimes authors can move too far toward the procedure aspect and neglect the human element but that was not the case here. I am definitely interested in reading other novels by Ms Masters and will investigate more of the Martha Gunn series and the Joanna Piercy mysteries.
I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley. The opinions expressed are my own.
August 10, 2014
A drunken mother storms out of the house at 2am, gets in the car and heads off up a lonely road taking with her 4 year old daughter Daisy. As she reaches the peak the mist closes in and tragedy strikes with the car going over the edge of a steep hill known locally for the myths and folklore that surround it. An anonymous 6am call alerts the emergency services and she is rushed to the nearest hospital suffering from life threatening injuries. But where's little Daisy? As police and locals join in the search there aren't many clues to what happened to the child on that fateful night.
A good storyline that had me hooked from the opening pages, gripping and well written. A police procedural with DI Alex Randall heading up the search. I really liked his character, although having not read any of the previous books I felt I was missing something. Coroner Martha Gunn, the DI's work associate but also a friend and confidant was another well written character who I found myself wanting to know more about. The beautiful scenery was well depicted and it was easy to imagine the isolated and beautiful countryside of Shropshire.
A good read that I found kept my attention with plenty of twists and turns, though I did feel the ending got unnecessarily complicated, leaving more questions than answers.
A good storyline that had me hooked from the opening pages, gripping and well written. A police procedural with DI Alex Randall heading up the search. I really liked his character, although having not read any of the previous books I felt I was missing something. Coroner Martha Gunn, the DI's work associate but also a friend and confidant was another well written character who I found myself wanting to know more about. The beautiful scenery was well depicted and it was easy to imagine the isolated and beautiful countryside of Shropshire.
A good read that I found kept my attention with plenty of twists and turns, though I did feel the ending got unnecessarily complicated, leaving more questions than answers.
October 21, 2014
Thoroughly enjoyed this book - first one of this series that I have read.
September 24, 2016
Am enjoying this series. Sadly only one more book available and I had to borrow that through Outer library Loan so will be reading that one next.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews