Murder on the Norfolk Broads

DCI Greg Geldard #1

by Heather Peck

Previously published as Secret Places

DI Greg Geldard, originally with the Met, transferred to rural Yorkshire where he never quite managed to fit in. His latest case takes him from the windswept moors to the deceptively calm waters of the Norfolk Broads. This is finally somewhere he wants to call home.

A human skeleton is unearthed in a forgotten World War II bunker on a remote Yorkshire farm. Detective Geldard welcomes the distraction. His wife is away on a solo trip to America, and he’s starting to tire of ready meals and wondering what she’s getting up to.

Then the forensics come back. This was no accident. It was murder.

The farmer insists she knows nothing about the body beneath her land. And Coombe Farm’s former occupants, Matthew and Rachel Wade, have vanished without trace.

Geldard follows the trail south to Norfolk, where Rachel was last seen.

Here, among winding rivers, empty marshland, and tight-lipped communities, people know how to disappear — and how to keep secrets buried.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, British Literature, Amazon, Audiobook, Crime, Procedural

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 3, 2021

About the author

Heather Peck is the author of the Greg Geldard series of murder mysteries, set in rural North Yorkshire and Norfolk. As she says:
‘I’ve had a life of two halves. In the first I was both farmer and agricultural policy adviser. I bred sheep and alpacas, reared calves, broke ploughs, represented the UK in international negotiations, specialised in emergency response from Chernobyl to bird flu, managed controls over pesticides and GM crops, saw legislation through parliament and got paid to eat KitKats while on secondment to Rowntree. In the second I chaired an NHS Trust, worked on animal welfare, sailed a boat on the Norfolk Broads, volunteered in Citizens Advice and the Witness Service and vaccinate humans against Covid. Two golden threads have run through everything; my love for both reading and writing, and the wise words of my Gran. ‘You can do anything if you try hard enough.

Now I write about the countryside and the animals I love, the industry (farming) I hold in deepest respect, and the various ways in which humans make things bad for each other and the world around them, always being very aware of the sad fact that cruelty to animals usually goes hand in hand with cruelty to other humans. Much of my time in the Witness Service and in Citizens Advice has indeed brought me face to face with some of the more tragic aspects of family life and work.

I write about the rural world because I want to share its wonders, peculiarities and hilarious moments with people who may not have been privileged to see it as I have seen it. But I wrote these specific books, Secret Places and Glass Arrows, because each uncovers problems that are probably hidden to most of us and about which I care passionately.

My main protagonist has grown with each story and his life has changed in ways I couldn’t have predicted at the start. When I started writing Secret Places I didn’t intend Greg Geldard to be the main protagonist. But I find that he, and other characters, take on a life of their own. How they react to circumstance affects what and how they feel, and therefore how they evolve. That too gives me immense satisfaction. Greg Geldard is now a man with a rounded personality; some strengths, some weaknesses, some insights and some blind spots. I’d like to meet him.’

Reviews

[Kirsty]

Strange title because unless I blinked and missed it there were no murders on the norfolk broads in this book. Also the main detective whom the series was named after barely appeared.

[Nadishka Aloysius]

A very interesting story crafted in an unusual way.
This is the first book I have read that switches between a third person and first person narrative. I was a little put off by that at the beginning but I am glad I continued to read it because the intention behind that became clear as the story progressed.
The narrative moves between the police and the murderer, which is not unusual. But in this book, you realise your sympathies lie with the killer since it is a tale of domestic abuse. I kept reading not to know who-did-it, but rather to find out what happened to the murderer at the end.
I have given only 4-stars for a different reason. There seemed to be a lot of repetition of facts and I skimmed through quite a few pages because of that. Also, the final page which is meant to be a "big reveal" and "twist in the tale" doesn't quite add up with the evidence given before. How could that happen if he broke his neck???
Nevertheless, it is a good read.
There are helpline numbers at the end to support victims of abuse.

[Beth Stewart]

Not sure why this is advertised as an inspector Geldard mystery, as he is a very minor character in the book

I didn’t particularly like any of the characters except for the dog

One doesn’t get any idea of the locations whether it is Yorkshire or Norfolk and I still don’t understand what kind of boat it was that had a GPS signal but not a radio. Is that normal?

Settings and characters are not well developed and there is no mystery. You know who the culprit is from the get-go so most of the story revolves about a woman falling for an abusive man x 2 and her plans to get out of the relationship.

[john moisan]

Where was DCI Geldard?

The DCI hardly featured in the book! Lots of tooing and froing but not much police work so not for me I’m afraid.

[Linden]

DI Geldard doesn't figure much in this book. It's mainly about the team finding a skeleton in an old WWII historical site. Once the victim is identified, the search is on for his wife Rachel, who has disappeared. We hear Rachel's story, how her husband was abusive, and how she disappeared and wound up with Phil, another evil man. (I would have liked to see Phil held accountable for his depravity.) Is she guilty of first degree murder, or was she just pushed to the brink by has abuse of both her and the sheep on the farm?

[Audrey Mckenzie]

I'm pleased to have found this new series by Heather Peck. I love a good British police procedural.

The book is well-written and the pace - as you would expect for a police procedural - moves slowly in parts with heart-pounding breaks in the case.

I liked all of the characters especially the even-tempered, competent DCI Geldard. I wanted to give his partner Chris a thump upside her head for most of the book but in the end she comes around.

This book concerns extreme porn, the sickos who enjoy it and the dirtbags who produce it. All in all a satisfying, if not unusual theme.

The wrap up is neat and the villains rounded up. I look forward to the next in series.

I'd like to thank the publisher for providing this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Julie]

Enjoyable book, only got it cos it was about the Norfolk Broads which only appear in the last third of the book. The story was okay but one of the male characters was a vile person and I sometimes wanted to shake Rachel cos she was so dumb at times.

[ssloves books - Sheila]

I enjoyed this book, it was quite an unique storyline. I liked the main characters and I felt that the story being told from different viewpoints in different times was very engaging. Tristan who finds herself embroiled in a hunt to find out what happened to the skeleton found in a wartime bunker on her farm is a likeable character and her determination to keep a farm running is a great role model for female characters. Brought into look into the case is DI Greg Geldard whose journey into finding out what has happened leads him to not only listen to locals in the area with a story to tell but to journey to the Norfolk Broads to dig a little deeper and solve this crime. Then we have Rachel who is living on a houseboat and for me is a character who finds herself in a situation where she risks loosing everything that she wants. Her experiences have left her seeking solace but unfortunately she in unable to find that peace she so desperately needs. As her backstory is slowly revealed it becomes apparent why she is living the life she is and I had a lot of sympathy for her, although my fear for her was that history was repeating itself.

There was some significant topics discussed in this book and I think they were dealt with in an intelligent and empathetic manner. The descriptions of one of the main characters coping mechanisms was well described and therefore some of the content comes with trigger warnings. There was vivid descriptions of farming and the author's knowledge of this was very interesting and made the setting on the farm excellent.

I enjoyed this book, I would recommend it to those who like a good murder mystery, although there are triggers for some relationship issues. Many thanks to the author, the publisher and Random Things Tours for a place on the blog tour

[Sandra Leivesley]

I originally bought this because I thought it was set in Malton, and area I know well. But although the book starts there the action soon moves to Norfolk.

Nevertheless I enjoyed this first outing for DI Greg Geldard.  The storyline follows the murder investigation but we also see things from the POV of the killer, and I couldn't help having sympathy for her.

The book is well narrated by Scott Fleming.

[Carol]

A good book which held my attention

[Susan]

2015. A skeleton is discovered in a derelict World War two observation post. The killer is obvious and an annoyingly character. very little of Geldard in the story.
Enjoyable enough for a first book in a series.

[travelsalongmybookshelf]

I read this as part of a blog tour, thank you for my [AD-GIFTED] copy

I thoroughly enjoyed this very unexpected novel. Initially I thought this was going to be a great police procedural type story with Tristan, the goat farmer, helping to solve the crime. I was drawn to her character quickly, she is solid and warm and has a friend Ben, who is ex-police and I thought, ok, I know where this is going. BUT…..BUT……

𝑾𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒔 - 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅, 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒔.

Early on it is made clear that the skeletal remains belong to one of the previous owners, who is meant to have run off and left his wife, Rachel several years before.
The story is told from multiple POV’s and events are experienced through the eyes of different characters but mainly Rachel, the previous landowner. As the story progresses it changes to a story about new life and escaping the past - it is much less formulaic and much more interesting.

𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔 𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒑 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔. 𝑰 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒕 𝒖𝒑 𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒆.

The narrative then swings away unexpectedly and concentrates on Rachel the previous owner- telling her story in flashback and slowly revealing what happened to her and led to the discovery of the body on the farm. There are tough subjects tackled here including abuse, coercive control and manipulative bullying which could be triggering for some readers.
This novel was not what I expected and did not go where I expected it to go but it was an excellent read and I look forward to the next in the series!

🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews]

DI Greg Geldard and his team is called to investigate when a human skeleton is found among other sheep remains in an abandoned WW2 bunker. Very few people knew about the bunker – though the current farm owner had been told by the previous owner that the shaft was a waste disposal site used for normal deaths of the various farm animals. Who was responsible for the remains, and can DI Geldard and his team uncover what really occurred?

This was a new to me author and while I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and plot it was a refreshingly different manner of the story being told. The author regularly moved the perspective from the current investigation back to the previous owner and slowly pieced together what occurred in some of the lags as the investigators dug deeper into the story. I often find perspective shifts – and time shifts in particular – quite jarring but I have to admit I found the author did a smooth and excellent job with this. I do admit I don’t think this will suit all readers, and in particular the reader is exposed to some of the story that the detectives aren’t privy to – which I did find unusual.

I thought the characters were well drawn and interesting. I also found the setting of rural York gave a good atmosphere and was different to a lot of the more city or London based police procedural stories. The pace of the mystery was a little slow – but that was mostly as the investigation moved along actually trying to uncover what had happened. Readers eager for a fast-moving plot might not enjoy this book as much as I did, but I thought the writing and pacing was really quite good.

Fun and fresh, I found this an interesting book and a good first read – for me – of this author. A good story and a series I hope to continue with. Recommended.

[N.N. Heaven]

Story Impressions – When a body is discovered in a World War Two bunker, DI Geldard digs up more than he bargained for. A gripping mystery that had me on the edge of my seat. The characters are engaging, and I connected with them. There are some intense moments dealing with the emotional and psychological ramifications from domestic abuse. It made me riveted while listening. This is book one in the series, and I can't wait to listen to more. If you love crime thrillers, this is a must-listen.



Narrator’s overall voice –Scott Fleming narrates the mystery without flaw. His voice is appealing yet doesn’t detract from the overall story.


Does the narrator fit the characters? Yes, the narrator uses his voice like an instrument, differing it to fit the characters.


Narrator’s reading style –There’s an easiness to Scott Fleming’s style which makes listening to him a breeze.


Narrator’s impact on reading experience –Scott Fleming makes the characters come alive. Readers can enjoy listening to him and ponder this whodunit.


Narrator’s pacing –The pacing is even and doesn’t detract the reader’s attention.


Audiobook flow –The audiobook flows well.


What makes this audiobook unique –What I found so unique about this audiobook was the way the narrator expresses emotion throughout the crime thriller.


Would I recommend this audiobook –Yes, I would recommend it to any listener. You’ll be entertained for hours.


My Rating: 5+ stars


Reviewed by:: Nancy


This audiobook review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/po...

[Mary Ryan]

This is a good start to a series. The discovery of human remains in a pit on a farm get the police involved when it is clear it's a relatively recent skeleton rather than a wartime one and also there's evidence of foul play. The dental records show it is a man who used to live on the farm and had disappeared years earlier. The team then set out to track down the wife who sold the farm to the current owner.

The story is told in different timelines, the present with both the police and the wife, and the past showing things from the wife's perspective. I found this fascinating as things are not as clear cut as they seem and the woman finds herself currently in a nasty situation. My main issue here is that we don't see much of this new DCI Geldard in this first book so I look forward to seeing more of this side of things in the next one.

[Doug Ward]

In 2015, archaeologists in Yorkshire are exploring old bunkers from the Second World War. At one of these on a farm, the structure later had been used for disposal of animal carcasses. To their surprise, the archaeologists find a human skeleton among the sheep fleeces.

Dental records soon reveal that the skeleton is that of Matthew Wade, who had disappeared several months before his wife Rachel sold the farm in 2008. The main task for the police, then, was to learn where Rachel had gone after that.

This engaging novel is not a whodunit, but it does combine several genres in an interesting way. It's part police procedural, telling the story of how the authorities find Rachel. It's part legal thriller, giving some description of Rachel's trial. And it's also a psychological study of Rachel, highlighting the problem of spousal abuse and the stresses of being a farmer.

[Leslie]

It may be at least partly me, because this book was not what I expected it to be, which I found so excessively frustrating that even when it began to improve it was really too late for me. I expected it to be about someone called Detective Geldard, and he barely seemed to make an appearance. Maybe Tristan(sp?)'s friend Ben would have made a better lead character, as he did far more detecting than anyone on the local force and I actually liked him. (I also liked the dog, and Amy, but that was about it.) I also expected it to be about the solving of a murder, when there was virtually no mystery at all. There is certainly a place for the "Rachel" side of the plot, but not in a book that raises expectations of being something completely different.

[fred jones]

A little unusual but a really good read that deals with some dark topics. When a skeleton is discovered in a wartime bunker on a Yorkshire farm the missing previous owner is an obvious suspect. Told from several perspectives and partly in flashback and mostly in Yorkshire until the final third. I really liked this one despite the slightly misleading title, no-one is murdered on the Norfolk Broads. The writing is excellent, the characters are well described and although there is no real mystery about whodunit and Detective Geldard disappears for large sections that does not really matter. Narration is excellent with a good range.

[ROBERT KINGHAM]

Prejudices. And some pride

This is an extraordinary book Which reviews a criminal case from nearly all sides . We are privileged to access the voices of most characters and to witness the roles of the police and the process of the carriage of justice. In this we the readers have a role. As the evidence mounts it does reveal our particular prejudices. The court does not get to hear all the evidence we do. Even then, we took can pick and choose as the characters do themselves. Please read this book. It is wonderful, and quite unique

[Kristina Trawick]

I love this book!

When a woman's absent husband's bones are discovered in an old WWII pit, the story of how they got there unfolds as the author toggles back and forth between the present and the past. The reader gets to know the workings of the woman's mind as she copes with the discovery and what it means in her present. Several entities of law enforcement get involved as they try to pin down her and the truth. Great story telling, and I absolutely LOVED the ending. Can't wait to dive into the next book in the series.

[Ruth Ann]

Really enjoyed this book. Perhaps a slow start, but worth it. I invested a lot in the character of Rachel, and feel the ending should have tied up more loose ends. I don’t want to have to hazard a guess, or make up my own ending. That is the author’s responsibility. (And as I have discussed with my other book reading friends, so many authors seem to loose interest or not know how to end their work. So, they write something clever, that does not really cover the bases.). But I do recommend this book.

[Amy]

It seems Peck couldn't decide what this book was really about. The plot was all over the place. And I can't understand why this book is subtitled DCI Greg Geldard, when that character only shows up maybe 15% of the time (that may be overly generous). Throw in a truly disgusting and gratuitous ending, and you've got a book that leaves you not only NOT wanting to read another book by the author, but regretting the moment you decided to read this one.

[Annette Sullivan]

gruesome, and I loved it!

This is a cleanly well plotted, very well written book. The descriptions are so evocative that I was there seeing it all as events took place.
The characters are from vastly differing backgrounds so bring their own unique personalities into the story.
So engaging I struggled to put it down, easily recommend reading it to all who want to read well written crime.

[Mrs Susan]

A good read

Having been on the Broads myself on a boating holiday,I found it a good read, reliving some of the enjoyment from that experience. There was tense moments and it showed how easy it was for a person to be abused, mentally as well as physically. I would have given 5 stars but I was disappointed in the ending. I thought a bit more information on Rachel's outcome would have been nice.

[M A]

Intriguing

This story shows the effect of abusive control and says in which the human brain deals with these things but does it through the tale of a murder investigation. You are encouraged through the writing to feel empathy with Rachel. At the same time the characters involved in DC I Geldreds team are developed in a friendly, sympathetic way. I look forward to reading more

[Shelley]

3.5 rounded up to 4

A body is found in an old WW2 underground shelter on a farm. The current owner, Tristan Smith, has lived there 7 years. The previous owner, Rachel Wade, sold the farm and disappeared after her husband's disappearance--supposedly he took off with another woman.

I hope this continues in the next book because I want to know what happens to the dog.

[Lili]

There's no murder on the Norfolk Broads, it's not really a DCI Geldard book, and it's not a mystery. There is a lot of material here, but it seems that several steps were skipped in the development process. Editing is really crucial. I did enjoy a lot of the book, but overall, it didn't work for me.

[Dawn]

I’m not too sure why this is categorised as a DCI Greg Geldard book as he makes very little contribution to the events but perhaps he will show up more in subsequent books. It is however worth reading with or without him

[Laura Poppenwimer]

A good start to this series, first time reading this author. The characters are interesting and well developed. The plot kind of linear, but captivating. This is easily read in one sitting and the end ties up the loose ends well.

[Amanda Meggs]

Great writing

The point of view unusually was not from the police inspector working on the case. I thought it was interesting that it changed and told the story from a few perspectives. I was definitely rooting for the 'bad guy'. Very well done.