Murder Comes Calling

Rex Graves Mystery #8

by C.S. Challinor

When four murders take place in a secluded English community, Scottish barrister Rex Graves is called on to lend his investigatory expertise. The only link between the victims is that their homes were up for sale. But when the local authorities arrest a shady house agent, letters written in blood on the bodies tip Rex off to a different kind of killer.

Digging into the past, Rex discovers that the victims were not who they appeared to be. For the first time, he's not up against a lone operator. With his fiancee away on a cruise, Rex must race to solve the murder before she catches him indulging his forbidden crime-solving hobby . . . or before he becomes the latest victim.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery

206 pages, Paperback

First published August 8, 2015

About the author

C.S. Challinor was raised and educated in Scotland (St. George's School for Girls, Edinburgh) and England (Lewes Priory, Sussex; University of Kent, Canterbury: Joint Hons Latin & French). She also holds a diploma in Russian from the Pushkin Institute in Moscow. She now lives in Southwest Florida. Challinor is a member of the Authors Guild, New York, and writes the critically acclaimed Rex Graves cozy mystery series featuring Rex Graves, Scottish barrister-sleuth.

CHRISTMAS IS MURDER, the first in the series, reached #1 on the Kindle Bestseller List. This title is also available in large print hardcover through Thorndike Reviewer's Choice. The fifth in the series, MURDER OF THE BRIDE, was a Mystery Guild Book Club pick (hardcover) and a Top Five Books of 2011 Selection by Crime Fiction Lover. JUDGMENT OF MURDER, #8, the newest Rex Graves title from Midnight Ink, was released on November 8, 2016, to highly favorable reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Kirkus Reviews.

Please note, the covers shown on Goodreads for MURDER IN THE RAW and PHI BETA MURDER are the old covers. These two titles have since been recovered for subsequent editions, print and digital.

Reviews

[Ira Therebel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rex Graves investigating again, this time the 4 murders that happened in the living community of his friend.

As other books from the series it is very entertaining. I like the fun characters, including Rex's friend Malcolm who does some silly things during the investigation. A lot is happening, a lot of clues that can lead you to different directions. I figured out who it was a bit ahead of time but at the same time I had some extra theories going on so the book didn't lose it's entertainment value because of it.

My favorite mystery series at the moment. Really hope more is coming because I have only two books left!

[Dian Beatty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one seemed to lack the chemistry of the previous installments, and without Helen, I felt like something was missing. I had qualms with Rex’s friend Malcom and the resolution, but that perhaps is nitpicky of me.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series. The story is intriguing and doesn't leave you skimming pages.

[Judi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun cozy mystery. Now want to read the others in the series.

[Janet Farnham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favorite subject matter (Russian mafia, et al) but well written and engaging...

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short engaging British mystery, but I couldn't abide the bumbling friend.

[Skeetor · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars I won this book through Goodreads Giveaways. This is the eighth book in the “Rex Graves Mystery” series but the first that I have read.

Scottish barrister Rex Graves is called on by one of his university buddies, Malcolm, to investigate the brutal murders of four neighbors. Malcolm, who initially discovered the bodies, tampered with some key evidence and needs Rex’s help.

Not a high action thriller but a nice mystery. I enjoyed the characters enough to look for the other books in the series.

[JoAnne McMaster (Any Good Book) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rex Graves is a Scottish advocate (barrister) who has traveled from his home in Edinburgh to the small community of Notting Hamlet in England to help his friend from college, Malcolm Patterson, a retired pathologist.

It seems Malcolm was called on by a neighbor when she went calling on another, Ernest Blackwell, 81, and saw his feet sticking out from his piano through the window of his home and feared something had happened to him. Something had happened indeed. Ernest had been murdered, nearly decapitated by a piano wire. Shortly thereafter, three more bodies were found - Barry Burns, 79; Vic Chandler, 55; and Valerie Trotter, 47 - all murdered, and all in different fashion. Odder still was the fact that all four had their homes up for sale and were planning to move from Notting Hamlet. The chief suspect in the murders is their real estate agent, Clint Walker, his footprint having been on the mat of Mr. Blackwell, although no prints were found inside.

But the reason Malcolm called Rex to help - Rex being very good at solving murders in the past - was because of what Malcolm had found on the victims' foreheads: The letters MNP, his initials, written in the victims' blood. Fearing someone was out to frame him, he erased the letters and told no one of their existence. He was afraid that the police may have the wrong man, and he needs Rex's help to find the true murderer.

So when Malcolm tells Rex of this development, he is naturally upset and insists that Malcolm go to the police with this information, telling him it is a serious crime to tamper with evidence and that he has now brought him into it. After agreeing to do so, Malcolm tells Rex one more thing that didn't make sense; the letter N was backwards, and he wondered if Mr. Walker, if he indeed committed the crime, was dyslexic.

So Rex now has the beginnings of a mystery to solve, and indeed it is quite a mystery: Four victims, all murdered, and in different fashion. There is no one M.O. to indicate it was the same person, they had nothing in common except the fact that they were going to sell their homes. Or did they? For as Rex digs deeper and finds ways to talk to the residents of Notting Hill, he soon finds that there may be more to the murders than just wanting to sell their homes, and he begins to doubt that the agent may have committed the murders.

And before he discovers the killer or killers, he may inadvertently - with the unwitting help of his old friend Malcolm - put himself and Malcolm in danger from being the next victims in Notting Hill.

This mystery was all I could have asked for, and more. Rex Graves, Scottish lawyer with a penchant for solving murders, has a wonderful ability to take bits of information and figure out how they piece together, adding snippets of conversations and things he, with his wonderful mind, finds out on his own by doing heavy research. He never forgets the details; and it is the details that make all the difference in finding out the truth.

I must admit that Ms. Challinor threw in a couple of red herrings, which I followed, unfortunately, and would have brought me to the wrong conclusion in the end. But isn't this the way a mystery should be? If you find out the murderer too soon, you've spoiled the book for yourself. I love a good mystery that makes me think right along with the protagonist, and this was such a book. Highly recommended.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review but this in no way influenced my decision.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Murder Comes Calling (#7) by C.S. Challinor
Publisher: Midnight Ink, 216 p
Genre: Cozy, english mystery, mystery, golden age classic,
4 stars
Author:
Challinor was born in the US but educated in Scotland and England (joint Hons in Latin and French). She currently lives in SW Florida. The cozy mystery series featuring Scottish barrister Rex Graves begins with: Christmas is Murder (September 2008, Midnight Ink Books, a Kindle best seller), Murder in the Raw (2009), Phi Beta Murder (2010), Murder on the Moor (2011), Murder of the Bride (2012, a Mystery Guild book club pick), Murder at the Dolphin Inn (2013, PPLM, Inc.) I particularly enjoy the understated humour and banter between Rex and Helen.
Story Line:
Four unexpected and seemingly unconnected murders occur in the quiet English village of Notting Hamlet, each body discovered by a neighbor Malcolm Patterson (retired pathologist). He calls on his old school friend barrister and amateur sleuth Rex Graves to investigate the crimes as he fears he is being framed. As Rex's disapproving fiancée is away on a cruise, Rex decides to help. With his photographic memory and penchant for the smallest detail, Rex has developed a reputation as a credible sleuth/detective.
These are classic English cozies in the style of the Golden Age of mysteries. They can be read alone, although there is logical progression of personal development. They are all fun quick reads, perfect for a summer day, train travel, bedtime or beach read. I look forward to more entertaining cases with delicious red herrings.
Read On:
Anne Cleeland, Deborah Crombie, Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen, MC Beaton
Quotes:
I love Rex Graves' Curriculum Vitae from her website:
Reginald "Rex" Graves QC
Year of Call: 1985
Year of Silk: 2003
Rex Graves graduated with a first in law from Edinburgh University in 1981, trained as a solicitor with the international firm of Browne, Quiggley and Squire from 1982 to 1984, devilled for the Hon. Lord Ferguson and W. Iain Reid QC from 1984-1985, and became an advocate in 1985 and Queen's Counsel in 2003. He specializes in criminal litigation and prosecutes at the High Court of Justiciary in Edinburgh.
Personal Biography:
1959, born in Edinburgh to Mr. Colin Graves (deceased) and Mrs. Moira Ann Graves, née Thorpe, currently residing in Morningside, Edinburgh. Rex attended Fettes College, where he was president of the Debating Society and proved an absolute flop at polo.
1987, married his beloved Fiona May Gillespie, whom he ultimately loses to breast cancer.
1988, son Campbell born, presently attending Hilliard University in Florida where he is studying marine science and pursuing an independent study in birds of the non-feather variety.
2006, meets Helen d'Arcy, a student counselor in Derby, England and solves his first private case, the Swanmere Manor Murders.
Hobbies include Sudoku and crossword puzzles; reading Latin—the dustier the volume, the better; hiking; whisky tastings; and American food. He has a morbid fear of horses and going nude on public beaches, and is allergic to cats and snobs.
Physical Description:
6' 4", stocky build, red hair, ginger beard, green eyes. He is often found with pipe in hand (though trying to quit) and a skeptical look on his face. When not wearing court wig and gown, he prefers a tweed jacket, corduroys, and Hush Puppies.


Read as an ARC from Netgalley. Thank you!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

a fast read mystery thanks to goodreads for the free book

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the best of the series.

[Susan Pola Staples · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rex Graves is visiting his old university chum, Dr Malcolm Patterson. While there discovers that the subdivision has been placed with a serial killer, who targets OAPs, Ernest Blackwell, Valerie Trotter, Barry Burns and Vic Chandler. Furthermore, his old school chum, a pathologist, has tampered with the crime scene by removing the initials MNP or more accurately ,МИР, which were written in blood from the heads' of the four victims. You bl**dy idjit, Malcolm. After Rex makes him go to the police with this information, and still Malcolm isn't completely level with the police.

In the course of his discoveries, Rex finds more suspects, including the Russian Mafia. He knows that these gentlemen are mega scary. The other suspects range from the estate agent, Chris Walker, whom the police has invited 'to help with their enquiries.'. He's the favourite suspect among the subdivision as well. A farfetched one is Scots John Calpin. His story was that he was tracking his birth mother and that Valerie might be her. In truth, he's a reporter who tends to report on Russian Mafia activities.

Rex seems to feel, and his research seems to bear it out, that Ernest, Valerie and Barry were ex-members of the London Underworld on the run from the Russian Mafia. Especially since Ernest slipped up and referred to Barry as Frankie.

Mystery solved.

Reasons I liked the book.

1. I enjoy the other Rex Graves books. He's intelligent, observant and kind of a younger and male Miss Marple. This is the first, however, I believe that he was in danger at the end.

2. Rex playing the matchmaker between his university chum, Malcolm and neighbor, Charlotte Spelling.

3. Didn't even twig that the victims' nephew, Darrell Cruikshank, was the perpetrator. Or that he was working with the Russians. Or that the neighbor Lottie was the mob's local informant.

4. Malcolm may be an idjit but only in the nicest way. Most of his behaviour stems from his hermit like existence since his wife died approximately three years ago. He just needed Rex's arrival and Rex's pushing him to become more active.

5. The various neighbors were fun. Especially the ex-stock broker now biker and possibly weed grower and his nephew. The OAPs were observant and intelligent, not stupid, just felt safe and comfortable. Favourite of them were Geraldine Prather and Charlotte Spelling.

I would definitely recommend the book to all cozy mystery readers.

[DelAnne Frazee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Murder Comes Calling - Rex Graves Mystery
Author: C. S. Challinor
Published: 8-8-2015
Publisher: Midnight Ink
Pages: 216
Genre: Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense
Sub Genre: British & Irish; Detective Mystery
ISBN: 978-738745480
ASIN: B011J5Y5TQ
Reviewer: DelAnne
Reviewed For: NetGalley
Rating: 4 1/2 Stars

.
.
The Rex Graves mysteries is a bit more intense than a cozy, but not as heavy the newer terrorist thrillers out there today. Rex answers a request for help from his old college friend Malcolm Patterson who is a retired pathologist. Patterson was asked to accompany by a neighbor to join him in visiting another neighbor who Patterson saw laying on the floor through the window; when he enters the home to check on Ernest Black well and discover him murdered with a piano wire. Then another victim followed by a third then a fourth. Each killed in a different manner. The only common thread was that each had their homes up for sale with plans to move to Notting Hamlet, just as Rex's friend Patterson is in the process of doing. An unusual serial killer is at work and rex is in the very middle of it. Can this Scottish lawyer find a clever killer before he strikes closer to home?




Quick moving with plenty of clues dropped though out the story. Although not all will lead in the right direction. Challinor leads readers on a merry chase as the story unfolds each character is well done and multi dimensional. As always her plots flow well and keep the reader involved with the story from the beginning to the surprising conclusion. My rating is 4 1/2 out of 5 Stars.



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[Elite Group · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gang murders Erupt in a Sleepy Hamlet,

When violent murders come to the small riverfront community of Notting Hamlet in Bedfordshire, Malcolm Patterson, a resident and retired pathologist, calls on the special abilities of his friend Rex Graves to help solve the case. Rex is a Scottish QC who also turns his hand to sleuthing in his spare time.

As Rex manoeuvres his way around the case and the residents, he gradually uncovers a tangled web of intrigue and mystery. Far from it being confined to the small community, Rex discovers connections involving gang warfare of many years’ standing.

In pursuit of the perpetrators of the shocking local murders, Rex and his friend Malcolm put themselves in danger in their dogged search for the truth.

This is a thriller which will be enjoyed by many readers. It progresses at a reasonable pace and the main characters are all well-defined. The plot is not too difficult to follow and there are several nice twists.

I did find that the author’s frequent use of the Scottish ‘oot’ and ‘aboot’ slightly irked me. We knew from the beginning that Rex was Scottish and could have taken for granted that he had a Scots accent. Nevertheless, despite this minor criticism, I enjoyed reading this novel. – Sméagol

Rating: Three Stars.

Best Selling Crime Thrillers was given an advanced copy of the book to review.

[Grey853 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well I must say I was very disappointed in this outing of the series.

Rex Graves is called to an isolated village where four murders have occurred. His friend Malcolm lives in the village and is very concerned, especially since he does something seriously stupid like tamper with evidence. Once you might let slide, but not at all four murder scenes. The guy panicks because each victim has his initials in blood on their foreheads. He doesn't want to be implicated, so he wipes it off.

Rex wants to help his friend, so he investigates. I'm sorry, but the whole thing was so outrageously unbelievable. The Russian mob is the culprit? Really?

It was like the author wasn't sure whether this was a thriller or a cozy. Turned out it was neither in my book.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

English advocate Rex Graves goes south to England, to help a friend. He went to university with Malcolm, who became a doctor, and four of whose neighbors have just been murdered. Rex learns that Malcolm concealed some evidence because of a fear that he would be a suspect. The victims don't seem to have much in common, but Rex intuits a relationship among them. Rex himself is threatened but saved at the last minute. To protect Malcolm (who seems very whiny and annoying), Rex never interacts with the police investigating the case. A minute's thought would indicate that the police would have discovered the link between the victims much earlier.

[KayDee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scottish barrister Rex Graves receives call from a friend in trouble. Malcolm Patterson now lives in a remote English village; a village that might be the killing field for a serial killer. The victims all had houses up for sale and all had marks traced in blood on their forehead; marks that look suspiciously like Malcolm's own initials. To make matters worse, Malcolm found the victims and, as he was afraid the marks would incriminate him, wiped them off. Now Rex not only has to solve the murders to exonerate his friend, he must also deal with the repercussions of having knowledge of the tampering Malcom performed!

[Addison Public Library]

Scottish barrister Rex Graves receives a call from an old friend to help solve a series of unexplained murders in a remote English village. The problem is that his old friend has tampered with evidence by wiping off initials written in blood on the victims’ foreheads; marks that look suspiciously like his friend’s initials!

KD 8/15

Check out this book today!

[Angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

As an Agatha Christie devotee, I am always on the lookout for your Midsomer Murders (the show) setting for murder mysteries. I hoped this might be of a kind, but the storytelling just plods on, with very little mystery, secretive clue-giving or nuanced hints to taunt and stump your brain. No sense of suspense or complexity.

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book much better the second time around. Rex graves has a mind that always figures out
"who dun it." However I did think that his friend, who called on him to help solve 5 murders, was, what ealry vicrorian ladies would call, "an ol' fuss pot!"

[Miki · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh.

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rex helps solve the murders of four neighbors of his old friend's while Helen is off on a cruise. Not the most exciting book in the series, but still a credible plot.