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Cherringham #5

L'ultimo treno per Londra

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Continuano le avventure di Sarah e Jack, gli indimenticabili investigatori della serie Cherringham, ambientata nell'Inghilterra del sud.  

Come ogni anno, alla Cherringham Primary, si tiene la festa d'estate: stand, musica, e giochi, l'immancabile zucchero filato e i gelati, e il tradizionale spettacolo dei burattini di Otto Brendl, capace di incantare bambini di tutte le età. Mentre Jack sta per fare il suo primo tiro alla noce di cocco, dal cortile della scuola giunge un urlo. Nel prato, l'anziano burattinaio giace privo di sensi, apparentemente colto da un infarto.  

Nonostante il tentativo di rianimazione non c'è niente da fare, ma l'ex detective nota uno strano sotto l'ascella, l'uomo ha il tatuaggio di un avvoltoio. Un simbolo che aveva già incontrato negli anni '90 quando si occupava di un caso di mafia. Se a questo si aggiunge il fatto che non ci sono documenti sul passato del signor Brendl e che qualcuno si è intrufolato in casa sua, be'… allora forse è lecito supporre che ci sia qualcosa su cui indagare. Che sia una guerra tra burattinai, un regolamento di conti o qualcosa di più, saranno i nostri due investigatori a determinarlo. In fondo, ci sono molti modi di fare giustizia… 

152 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 10, 2014

111 people are currently reading
221 people want to read

About the author

Matthew Costello

288 books359 followers

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5 stars
360 (27%)
4 stars
522 (39%)
3 stars
377 (28%)
2 stars
50 (3%)
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9 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
Profile Image for Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡  .
5,165 reviews640 followers
March 3, 2024
Band 5 dieser Cosy Crime - Reihe hat mir wieder gut gefallen.
Es geht um einen sehr beliebten Puppenspieler, der plötzlich tot zusammenbricht. Herzinfarkt. Aber es gibt Unstimmigkeiten, wie Jack und Sarah bald herausfinden.
Auch der allseits so beliebte Puppenspieler hatte ein großes Geheimnis in seiner Vergangenheit.
Ich mag diese Reihe, und dieses Suchen in der Vergangenheit bzw. Geheimnisse, die plötzlich ans Licht kommen, mag ich generell immer sehr.
Die Geschichte hat mich gut unterhalten können.
Profile Image for Kurkulis  (Lililasa).
564 reviews110 followers
September 9, 2023
Sākumā vispār negribēju likt zvaigznes, jo tīri subjektīvi man šie omulīgie detektīvstāsti diemžēl nekalpoja kā atslodze vai atslēgšanās no saspringtām darba domām, pat nedaudz kaitināja ar savu vieglumu.

Bet tas subjektīvi.

Objektīvi - labākais no trim ir pēdējais "Līķis ezerā", tāds krietni klasiskāks detektīvs, ar vairākiem aizdomās turamajiem.
Profile Image for Sina & Ilona Glimmerfee.
1,056 reviews118 followers
January 10, 2021
Ich fand bei diesem Teil das Verhalten von Jack und Sarah nicht schlüssig. Schade, weil sonst war der Fall interessant.
Profile Image for Amina (ⴰⵎⵉⵏⴰ).
1,571 reviews299 followers
May 6, 2018
"L'habit ne fait pas le moine", this is what this story is about.
A puppeteer's death is gonna reveal a lot of secrets, dark ones even, would Sarah and Jack make the right call?
Profile Image for Sarmīte.
626 reviews18 followers
July 17, 2023
Nu tatad - grmatā iekšā ir 3 stāsti, par amatieriem u noziegumiem. Mazliet naivi, bet kā vieglā lasāmviela starp citām grāmatām - lieliska! Pluss arī par Angliju no amerikāņa acīm:)
Profile Image for Wal.li.
2,557 reviews70 followers
January 7, 2019
Judy und Punch

Der Sommermarkt in Cherringham ist eine fröhliche Angelegenheit. Es werden Buden aufgebaut und viele Aktivitäten dienen einem guten Zweck. Sarah ist die Aufgabe zu gefallen, die Kokosnussbude zu betreuen. Dabei steht ihr Jack, der ehemalige Polizist aus Amerika, zur Seite, obwohl er diese britischen Traditionen noch nicht so recht versteht. Am meisten freuen sich die Kinder jedoch auf das alljährliche Kasperltheater, das Otto Brendl mit seinen Puppen aufführt. In diesem Jahr ist jedoch alles anders. Mr. Brendl wird tot in seiner Bude gefunden, augenscheinlich hatte er einen Herzinfarkt und alle Wiederbelebungsversuche können ihn nicht retten.

Eigentlich sollen Sarah und Jack nur die Puppen ins Haus von Brendl zurückbringen und ein paar Angaben zu 0ttos persönlichen Daten einholen, aber die Einbruchsspuren im Haus überzeugen die Beiden, dass man da doch etwas genauer hinschauen sollte. Wer aber sollte ein Interesse an alten Puppen haben, auch wenn sie einigen Wert besitzen.

Die Bücher dieser sympathischen Serie sind schnell gelesen, schließlich umfassen sie nur um die hundertzwanzig Seiten. Die Kriminalgeschichten um den englischen Ort Cherringham sind als Hörbuch oder ebook erhältlich. Wegen der Kürze ziemlich geradeaus und direkt ermitteln Sarah und Jack. Und immer kommen sie hinter das Geheimnis. Zum Glück sind sie als Hobby-Ermittler nicht so sehr an Regeln gebunden, auch wenn Jack als ehemaliger Polizist die Strukturen eigentlich kennt. Allerdings belasten sie ihn nicht besonderes, wenn es gilt der Gerechtigkeit zu Sieg zu verhelfen. Sarah und Jack finden auch in ihrem fünften Fall eine Lösung und eine Geschichte, die man in einem kleinen englischen Örtchen nicht erwarten würde.

Hier wird zwar leichte, aber auch sehr angenehme Unterhaltung mit einem sympathischen Ermittlerteam geboten.
Profile Image for John Lee.
875 reviews15 followers
December 10, 2020
It seems as if I am changing my attitudes, which may be particularly strange given my time of life as one where they usually harden. As readers of my notes know, I am not a fan of short stories and believe them to be a publishers way of getting money out of the reader for small portions of what they really want.

These Cherringham Books are different in that they are only published on line and are like the adventure stories that appeared in monthly installments in comics and monthly periodicals around the middle of the last century.
The lack of any depth to the characters which was one of my complaints is overcome here too as many of the cast will turn up again and again.

Cozy is a good description for the book and the village at the centre of it all.

In this episode there is a twist woven in and although there isnt much for the armchair detective to get their teeth into, it was a pleasant read and filled the gap nicely between two more sizeable books.

Purely because of its size I would score at 3.5 but it was not quite enough for me to round it up and breach my self imposed ceiling for a short story. May be next time.

Having said that , I will make sure that I have the next episode on my shelf ready should another similar moment.
36 reviews2 followers
January 8, 2023
Celé série těchto vražd mě velmi baví, v této knize bylo spousta tajemství a zvratů a závěr byl také povedený.
Profile Image for Donna.
1,626 reviews2 followers
May 26, 2018
Great audio version
Profile Image for Liene Kainaize.
155 reviews6 followers
August 31, 2023
Tik pat laba kā pirmā grāmata. Sāra un Džeks mīlīgi, skaists angļu ciemats un noziegumi, ko nevaru atklāt, viss kā vajag.
Profile Image for Daniela Anders.
673 reviews2 followers
April 30, 2025
Ich bewerte hier das HÖRBUCH

Kasperletheater und späte Rache

**Inhaltsangabe Verlag:**
Die Bewohner von Cherringham sind am Boden zerstört. Otto Brendl, der nette alte Herr, der jeden Sommer das Kasperletheater für die Kinder veranstaltete, stirbt an einem Herzinfarkt. Doch schon bald stolpert Jack über ein paar Ungereimtheiten: War Otto wirklich der nette alte Herr von nebenan? Und steckt vielleicht mehr hinter dem Herzinfarkt? Jack und Sarah befinden sich auf der Spur eines besonders unheimlichen Mörders. Zusammen erkennen sie, dass es nicht nur eine Art von Gerechtigkeit gibt.

**Meine Inhaltsangabe:**
Otto Brendl, von den Kindern geliebt und im Dorf anerkannt, stirbt während des Schul-Sommerfestes an einem Herzinfarkt. Tragisch, aber in dem fortgeschrittenen Alter des Senioren auch nicht wirklich verwunderlich. Jack und Sarah werden von der Schuldirektorin gebeten, Ottos Puppensammlung in dessen Haus zu bringen, damit alles seinen Gang gehen kann. Doch dann werden Puppen gestohlen, Jack deckt Ungereimtheiten auf und stößt auf Spuren aus der Vergangenheit, die ein ganz anderes Licht auf den angeblichen Herztod werfen. Und auf Otto Brendl, der vielleicht doch kein so netter Mensch war, wie er alle glauben lassen wollte.

Erster Satz: »Otto Brendl schrak aus dem Schlaf.«

**Mein Eindruck:**
Das war mal ein wirklich interessanter Fall, weil er eine ganz andere Richtung eingenommen hat, die ich so gar nicht vorhergesehen habe. Inzwischen bin ich mit Jack, Sarah und den anderen Bewohnern von Cherringham ja doch schon einigermaßen vertraut und es ist nett, wieder dort zu sein und die beiden bei ihren Fällen zu begleiten. Ich mag es, dass sie kein Paar sind, sondern einfach nur sehr gute Freunde, die sich immer besser verstehen und aufeinander verlassen können. Ein Wohlfühlkrimi, der diesmal aber auch dunkle Momente hat und dessen Ende ich gefeiert habe (auch wenn es natürlich nicht richtig ist, wenn man das Recht in die eigenen Hände nimmt und für sich auslegt, wie man möchte). Mir hat es sehr gut gefallen, ich wurde gut unterhalten und vom Fortgang der Handlung überrascht. Sabina Godec macht wie immer einen hervorragenden Job und hat eine sehr angenehme Stimme. 4/5 Sterne. Band 6 liegt schon bereit und wartet darauf, von mir gehört zu werden.
Profile Image for Iluta Jakubovska Solovjova.
175 reviews4 followers
November 6, 2023
Otrā grāmata par Čeringemu ir izlasīta. Secinājums, man patīk šie mierīgie angļu detektīvi, kur nekas nav sarežģīts. Ciematā jau visiem zināmas personas-vientuļā mamma Sāra un amerikānis,pensionējošais policists Džeks,atkal tiek saukti palīgā atrisināt dažādas lietas. Policija pret pašdarbojošajiem detektīviem ir iecietīga, jo abiem mierīgā britu garā sanāk atrisināt gan noziegumus, gan slepkavības. Grāmata rada mierīgu, nesteidzīgu atmosfēru un savu daļu mistērijas.
Arī te ir iekļauti trīs stāsti.
Pirmajā stāstā "Pēdējais vilciens uz Londonu" mistiski pirms uzstāšanās nomirst leļļu meistars. Lai gan liekas, ka vecais vīrs nomiris no infarkta, rodas aizdomas, ka kāds varētu būt palīdzējis. Jo vairāk Džeks un Sāra izpēta, jo vairāk atklājas, ka notikumi nav tik vienkārši,kā sākumā likās.
Man ļoti patika otrais stāsts-"Mebas fermas lāsts". Tur zemnieku saimniecību piemeklē vienas likstas pēc otrām. Saimniecības saimniekiem un pārējiem ciematniekiem rodas pārliecība, ka ēku pārņēmis lāsts. Vietējā gaišreģe apgalvo, ka saimniecībā uzdarbojas mirušas dvēseles. Un patiesi, agrāk tur dzīvojušas trīs māsas, kuras piepratušas zālīšu dziedniecību, tāpēc apsūdzētas par raganām un aizvestas prom. Vai tiešām fermā uzdarbojas gari? Sāra un Džeks tam netic.
Savukārt "Līķis ezerā" aizved uz svarīgu vakara pasākumu, kurš iziet no rāmjiem. Nākamajā rītā ezerā atrod ietekmīga franča līķi. Sākas izmeklēšana un par slepkavību apcietina bagātas sievietes mazdēlu. Vecāmāte ir pārliecināta, ka vainīgais ir cits. Tāpēc atkal tiek pieaicināti abi neoficiālie detektīvi, kuri sāk savu izmeklēšanu.
Lasot Čeringemas mistēriju, rodas sajūta, ka noziegumus atrisināt spēj ikviens. Tomēr grāmatas miers, nesteidzība un vienkāršība nomierina. Tai piemīt savs šarms, sirsnība un omulība.
Profile Image for Robin.
101 reviews32 followers
February 1, 2018
Last Train to London is the fifth novelette in Neil Richards and Matthew Costello’s Cherringham series. Set in fictional Cherringham, England, in the Cotswolds, it features Sarah Edwards, English single-mother and web designer, and Jack Brennan, American ex-NYPD detective, as they solve murders and other assorted crimes that pop-up in the small town.

Puppeteer Otto Brendl, who performs the annual Punch-and-Judy show for the town is found dead of an apparent heart attack. When his valuable puppets turn up missing, and Jack recalls a strange tattoo on Otto, he soon realizes that Otto’s death may not have been from natural causes and that Otto may not have been who he claimed to be.

I stumbled across the Cherringham Cosy Crime series on sale on Audible, and since I enjoy British mysteries, I purchased the first six novelettes, which were originally released in 2014. The mysteries are well-written and well-plotted. Being a novelette, the story does not have room for a lot of character development, but the authors manage to let us get to know Sarah and Jack as a little of their lives are touched on in each episode. Neil Dudgeon, of Midsomer Murders, does a decent job with the narration.

I will likely seek out additional installments of this series as they are fun to listen to and are only about 2.5 hours long.
Profile Image for Nancy.
1,451 reviews61 followers
February 26, 2021
I enjoy the Cherringham series by the writing team of Costello and Richards. Sometimes an afternoon calls for a simple break and a revisit with ex-NYC police officer Jack and native Cherringham resident Sarah.

When adored resident Otto Brendl is found dead before he is to perform a Punch-and-Judy show with his much-loved puppets, the locals are devastated. But it turns out that Otto wasn’t who everyone thought he was and when Jack and Sarah do a little digging it turns out that Otto was a person to be despised and maybe his death, though heinous, was a type of justice.

The Cherringham stories aren’t obvious from the start, there is usually a twist or character turn that has the reader sitting up a bit and realizing that the path they thought they were on took a serious left turn and they are right back in the muck with Jack and Sarah as the story divulges the unexpected.
Profile Image for Antonia.
Author 8 books34 followers
December 26, 2024
This is #5 in a 47-book series of short murder mysteries set in the fictional Cotswolds town of Cherringham and featuring two amateur sleuths, Sarah, a single mother of two who works in advertising and Jack, a former NYPD homicide detective. This one concerns the death of a a jeweler and puppeteer (Otto), who is found dead of what appears to be a heart attack. But of course, it can’t be that simple. There are a couple of twists here and, though I anticipated them, I thoroughly enjoyed following Sarah and Jack as they unravel the mystery. This one has an especially nice ending. As another reviewer has put it so well, there is a strong sense of real-world justice as opposed to courtroom justice.
Profile Image for Patricia Kiyono.
Author 44 books130 followers
December 22, 2025
During a school fete, a local jeweler from Germany, known as a puppeteer, dies of what is believed to be a heart attack just before he’s scheduled to put on a show. The school’s principal, realizing the man had never been through a security check, ask Sarah and Jack to look into the man’s background, just in case there’s anything in the man’s past that might cast the school in a bad light. A mysterious tattoo might hold the key to a past the mild-mannered businessman wanted to hide. Again, I was a bit surprised at the solution, and truly enjoyed the outcome. There are many stories in this series, so I’ll definitely be listening to more of them!
Profile Image for Karen Plummer.
357 reviews48 followers
February 3, 2018
A well-loved puppeteer is discovered dead in his Punch an Judy stage and Cherringham mourns. His collection of priceless puppets is found missing the next day. Are these connected? Jack and Sarah are looking into the mystery and they find that Otto isn't all he claimed to be. Why was Otto's cottage broken into but nothing taken the day before he died? What secret is Otto's close friend Jayne holding back from Jack and Sarah? What is the significance of Otto's tattoo? Why does everything feel just a bit off to Sarah? Jack and Sarah have a lot to shift through before finding the answer.
Profile Image for Ed Napiorkowski.
632 reviews4 followers
December 26, 2020
Though I enjoy this series I found this particular episode a bit of a stretch. Not how it all fit together in the end but more the initial observations which prompted our retired NYPD Detective to think something was amiss. Just a tad to vague and insubstantial. Nevertheless once the story started and the "investigation" was underway the dpection of and interaction with the main characters and overall approach to storytelling remains consistent with the earlier episodes. Its those initial concerns which has me rate this episode oml;y two stars when I have rated the earlier works three.
Profile Image for Joe Lloyd.
129 reviews3 followers
June 14, 2021
This one was my favourite so far. I like the flashbacks to Jack's career in NYC and how it links in. There is real depth occurring. These stories are a great way to kill 2 hours (If on a boat or plane). I listen to the audiobook and they are really relaxing and engaging.

The idea that someone can have secrets, regardless of how well you know a person. This is a lovely addition to the storyline and I really enjoyed listening and figuring it out.


I'll be listening to the rest over the course of the year. Available on Spotify as an album.
Profile Image for Jan.
6,531 reviews100 followers
March 26, 2022
This one is different, but riveting, nonetheless and goes a long way to proving that things are not always what they seem. The ongoing sleuthing involves a retired and widowed older NYPD homicide cop who is finding life in the English countryside a fair antidote to his mourning, and a local recently divorced woman who has returned to her hometown with her children. They make a good sleuthing pair.
Voice actor Neil Dudgeon has been an asset to my listening pleasure while I do mindless things.
Profile Image for Kathy.
555 reviews5 followers
August 24, 2023
The Case of the Puppeteer

Jack and Sarah, like all the other people at the summer festival, were surprised when the puppeteer, a kindly old man, fell dead just before his performance. Heart attack, was what the coroner's report stated. After the principal of the school asked for help in clearing some information on the old man, Jack and Sarah once again started the search. Many things did not add up and before the end of the case there are many surprises. Read and enjoy.
387 reviews2 followers
September 2, 2025
Again people who are portrayed as honest deciding to break the law really! Do I believe people have to make these choices yes but 2 people figuring out who stole it something is far cry from letting a man go for killing the person who killed their family. Iam funny that way make your characters consistent. I have stopped reading many authors for the same thing! You don't have someone working the moral high ground turn to crime. Don't want to read
Profile Image for Taava Saukkonen.
418 reviews3 followers
October 2, 2021
Nämä eivät todella ole minun juttuni. Näin lyhyeksi äänikirjaksi tarina tuntui laahaavalta eikä päähenkilöissä ei edelleenkään ole juuri mitää syvyyttä. Pitkästyin jälleen odottaessani että hahmot tajuavat sellaista (tässä tapauksessa kuolinsyyn ja -tavan) mikä kuuntelijalle on heti ilmiselvää. En kiusaa itseäni näillä enempää.
Profile Image for Christine Goodnough.
Author 4 books18 followers
January 20, 2022
A compelling, quick read.

I was hooked from the opening page. This story was well written, quite realistic, and not too frightful. The characters were all fairly sympathetic and three-dimensional.

I thought the plot played out nicely with a human interest touch in the finale. A great cozy read for a quiet evening.
Profile Image for Kati.
2,354 reviews66 followers
July 22, 2025
I'm really loving the friendship between Jack and Sarah, the way she drew him into the village life and her family, too, giving him a solid support system when he needed it. And I was honestly glad about how they solved this case. Because they are not cops or even PIs, they don't owe anything to anyone and thus can be much more flexible.
Profile Image for Kelly Chambers.
25 reviews
September 2, 2019
Entertaining Mystery

These mysteries tend to be quiet like the countryside of Englad, yet this one has intrigue and a bit of excitement. It is a good read and now ready to read the next ....
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews

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