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Lambert and Hook #5
The Fox in the Forest
When the town vicar Peter Barton is found shot in the woods between two peaceful villages on Christmas Eve, Superintendent Lambert and his CID team are called in to investigate.
His estranged wife herself was missing in the days before her husband’s death, busy with her lover.
Could she be the killer Lambert is looking for?
Or could it be the only man who seems to dislike the victim and owns a matching shotgun?
Or the sweet local boy who travels through the woods every day?
Then a second victim is found, again in the woods, again with a shotgun: a man they had held for thirty six hours before.
It seems that they have a serial killer on their hands, selecting victims at random, a killer who the papers are calling the ‘Fox’.
With an endless list of potential suspects and no real evidence, Lambert struggles to find his culprit.
The rural community closes in upon itself with secrets when another girl is attacked by the Fox and everyone seems to know the details of the two killings.
Can Lambert and his team find a killer amongst the various townspeople with connections to the murders?
More importantly, can they piece together the few clues they have to find the truth before another victim is found?
‘The Fox in the Forest’ is a gripping crime thriller featuring the popular detective duo, Lambert and Hook.
Praise for J M Gregson:
‘Begins with quiet observation before pouncing to murderous effect’ - Sunday Express
‘A chilling story that never flags from start to finish’ - Bolton Evening News
J M Gregson is a Lancastrian by birth and upbringing. He taught for twenty-seven years in schools, colleges and universities before taking early retirement to concentrate on full-time writing. He has written books on subjects as diverse as golf and Shakespeare.
Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.
His estranged wife herself was missing in the days before her husband’s death, busy with her lover.
Could she be the killer Lambert is looking for?
Or could it be the only man who seems to dislike the victim and owns a matching shotgun?
Or the sweet local boy who travels through the woods every day?
Then a second victim is found, again in the woods, again with a shotgun: a man they had held for thirty six hours before.
It seems that they have a serial killer on their hands, selecting victims at random, a killer who the papers are calling the ‘Fox’.
With an endless list of potential suspects and no real evidence, Lambert struggles to find his culprit.
The rural community closes in upon itself with secrets when another girl is attacked by the Fox and everyone seems to know the details of the two killings.
Can Lambert and his team find a killer amongst the various townspeople with connections to the murders?
More importantly, can they piece together the few clues they have to find the truth before another victim is found?
‘The Fox in the Forest’ is a gripping crime thriller featuring the popular detective duo, Lambert and Hook.
Praise for J M Gregson:
‘Begins with quiet observation before pouncing to murderous effect’ - Sunday Express
‘A chilling story that never flags from start to finish’ - Bolton Evening News
J M Gregson is a Lancastrian by birth and upbringing. He taught for twenty-seven years in schools, colleges and universities before taking early retirement to concentrate on full-time writing. He has written books on subjects as diverse as golf and Shakespeare.
Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.
448 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 1994
351 people are currently reading
518 people want to read
About the author
J.M. Gregson
64 books48 followersJames Michael Gregson taught for twenty-seven years in schools, colleges and universities before concentrating on full-time writing. He has written books on subjects as diverse as golf and Shakespeare.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
February 1, 2016
A popular vicar - Peter Barton - is killed as he walks through the forest near his home one winter evening. No one seems to have any motive for wishing him dead - even the atheists in the area think he is a good man. His wife was away at the time and while everything seems to be a little strained between them, Lambert and Hook cannot envisage her wielding a shot gun. A man has been seen living rough in the forest - could he be responsible? If he is then the police would have an easy case to solve but nothing is quite as it seems.
When a second murder is committed and a young girl is attacked on the edge of the forest the media have decided there is a serial killer abroad and have named him the Fox of the Forest. Lambert and Hook are less convinced that they have a serial killer on their hands. The more they interview local people the more secrets they seem to uncover.
I enjoyed this well written mystery though I did work out who was responsible for the killings - though not why they were committed. Lambert and Hook work well together and I like the little bit of tension which has been added to their relationship by the addition of DI Chris Rushton who neither of them like very much.
This book is part of a well written series featuring Lambert and Hook. If you like well written police procedurals with not too much on the page violence and bad language then you could try this series or the author's other series featuring Percy Peach. All the books can be read in any order.
When a second murder is committed and a young girl is attacked on the edge of the forest the media have decided there is a serial killer abroad and have named him the Fox of the Forest. Lambert and Hook are less convinced that they have a serial killer on their hands. The more they interview local people the more secrets they seem to uncover.
I enjoyed this well written mystery though I did work out who was responsible for the killings - though not why they were committed. Lambert and Hook work well together and I like the little bit of tension which has been added to their relationship by the addition of DI Chris Rushton who neither of them like very much.
This book is part of a well written series featuring Lambert and Hook. If you like well written police procedurals with not too much on the page violence and bad language then you could try this series or the author's other series featuring Percy Peach. All the books can be read in any order.
February 7, 2016
A good old fashioned 'cops and robbers' style. A joy to read, I loved it.
Excellent plot, believable characters and well written. Lots of twists and turns, the unexpected happens, keeps the reader guessing.
Certainly to be recommended.
Excellent plot, believable characters and well written. Lots of twists and turns, the unexpected happens, keeps the reader guessing.
Certainly to be recommended.
April 22, 2018
Worth Reading
I loved the charm of this small English town. It was like a cozy mystery. A bit slow in some parts, but all in all, a good book. The characters were believable and I did feel connected to them. It was detailed and a good who done it mystery. I look forward to reading more by this author.
I loved the charm of this small English town. It was like a cozy mystery. A bit slow in some parts, but all in all, a good book. The characters were believable and I did feel connected to them. It was detailed and a good who done it mystery. I look forward to reading more by this author.
August 21, 2018
Clever procedural that will truly keep you guessing
Gregson adroitly handles the procedural trope with a well plotted mystery. It's all the usual suspects, but Gregson has a feel for the ordinary. He gives us the baffling death if a good man and consistently delights with unsuspected twists.
Gregson adroitly handles the procedural trope with a well plotted mystery. It's all the usual suspects, but Gregson has a feel for the ordinary. He gives us the baffling death if a good man and consistently delights with unsuspected twists.
June 5, 2017
An enjoyable read and good enough to interest me in more of Gregson's work.
January 24, 2021
Somewhat flat and pretty unexciting detective novel.
September 26, 2021
Well written, solid mystery, but it just didn't grab me somehow.
January 12, 2025
A decent police procedural. Best in the series so far.
November 14, 2016
Disappointing
Odd, strangely old fashioned style of writing, even for the era in which which it was written. The author is given to almost poetic descriptions, which to not sit well. In a crime novel.
Nothing much happened, there was no feeling of suspense or menace.
All the characters were one dimensional.
I finished this book but could actually have left it at any point without caring 'who done it ' though I actually guessed after the first few chapters
I have been a keen reader of crime / mystery books for a long time and have never come across this author before all though he seems to have written a huge amount, I am unlikely to read any more but having said that the first chapter of 'stranglehold' was included at the end, seemed a better story but is unavailable on kindle.
Odd, strangely old fashioned style of writing, even for the era in which which it was written. The author is given to almost poetic descriptions, which to not sit well. In a crime novel.
Nothing much happened, there was no feeling of suspense or menace.
All the characters were one dimensional.
I finished this book but could actually have left it at any point without caring 'who done it ' though I actually guessed after the first few chapters
I have been a keen reader of crime / mystery books for a long time and have never come across this author before all though he seems to have written a huge amount, I am unlikely to read any more but having said that the first chapter of 'stranglehold' was included at the end, seemed a better story but is unavailable on kindle.
February 5, 2016
A Dry Novel
The Fox in the Forest is a dry book set in England thus making it seem a very lengthy book. There was an awfully lot of technical CID work that repeated itself many times. They reported each, and there were many, interview with the same individual suspects. It got tiresome. When they arrested the poor mentally handicapped man, something he said told me the culprits and I figured out the rest from there. If you like novels set in countries other than the U.S., you might enjoy it more than I did. Give it a try.
The Fox in the Forest is a dry book set in England thus making it seem a very lengthy book. There was an awfully lot of technical CID work that repeated itself many times. They reported each, and there were many, interview with the same individual suspects. It got tiresome. When they arrested the poor mentally handicapped man, something he said told me the culprits and I figured out the rest from there. If you like novels set in countries other than the U.S., you might enjoy it more than I did. Give it a try.
October 22, 2015
This is a fun book, with lots of twists and turns throughout. I found it very hard to put it down and read well into the night. The ending I found predictable after you grasped the main aspect, but having said it the red herrings kept in going t times thinking I thought it all wrong. I have always enjoyed JM Gregson and I certainly was not disappointed with this mystery. The character where good, as was the scene in which the story was set. All very believable and entertaining.
April 5, 2016
A nice murder mystery, the murderer's identity is held back until the very last chapter, though a few hints do point suspicion towards him. But the suspicion is also towards many other characters. The setting and style of narration are good. There are a few errors in the language. It needs another round of thorough editing. But readers interested in murder mystery may go ahead with this novel, the minor errors aren't very bothersome.
March 10, 2016
Another surprise. I thought this would be a British cozy but I was wrong. It is a British detective novel set in a rural village in England with an interesting plot and lots of twists. The author has the ability to pull the reader in and make you feel that you are a part of the setting much the same as Louise Penny in her Inspector Gamache series. Looking forward to others by this author.
February 8, 2016
Comes til life
The author has the power of description that is very rare in the literary world. locations and people come alive with a few well chosen words drawing you into the story. The plot was good and tight. Excellent read.
The author has the power of description that is very rare in the literary world. locations and people come alive with a few well chosen words drawing you into the story. The plot was good and tight. Excellent read.
May 17, 2016
Uninteresting Characters
Skimmed through most of the book as I didn't find the characters very interesting. Have read many of Gregsons books. The plot was dull and seemed to have been written in a hurry. Recommended for those who love small town British mysteries.
Skimmed through most of the book as I didn't find the characters very interesting. Have read many of Gregsons books. The plot was dull and seemed to have been written in a hurry. Recommended for those who love small town British mysteries.
February 12, 2016
Better than the other Gregson book I read, but I just can't find much to like about Lambert. Hook is okay, but this older Lambert is only a tad more sympathetic than he was early on. Since the characters in mysteries are so important (much more than the plots), this is a flaw.
February 25, 2016
On Christmas Eve the local vicar Peter Barton is found shot, in the woods between two villages. Apparently with no known enemies the police are unable to determine a motive. Then another man is found dead.
With no evidence but lots of suspects, its for Superintendent Lambert to find the killer.
With no evidence but lots of suspects, its for Superintendent Lambert to find the killer.
August 15, 2016
A superb English whodunit
A wonderful character driven English whodunit. A cast of tea drinking Brits who go about the task of solving a couple of murders in the ubiquitous English forest......delightful..
A wonderful character driven English whodunit. A cast of tea drinking Brits who go about the task of solving a couple of murders in the ubiquitous English forest......delightful..
Read
February 10, 2016Had me guessing until the end.
February 12, 2016
Good Book
Keeps you guessing the entire time and the characters were interesting. I would read books by this author again and will.
Keeps you guessing the entire time and the characters were interesting. I would read books by this author again and will.
February 11, 2016
Enjoyed the story
Well written. A little wordy at times but keeps you guessing. The England slang takes a little getting used to but I liked the story.
Well written. A little wordy at times but keeps you guessing. The England slang takes a little getting used to but I liked the story.
February 22, 2016
Well Written
Great detective story, many twists and no obvious culprit until near the end. Enjoyed it.
Look forward to the next Lambert and Hook case.
Great detective story, many twists and no obvious culprit until near the end. Enjoyed it.
Look forward to the next Lambert and Hook case.
Read
November 7, 2023I really enjoyed this book and it kept me guessing until the end.
Read
January 3, 2018Recommended
Well written prose, well developed plot. Well defined, fully realistic characters. Likeable protagonists, the two detectives ... Do not miss it!
Well written prose, well developed plot. Well defined, fully realistic characters. Likeable protagonists, the two detectives ... Do not miss it!
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews