The Church Stretton Murders

Martha Gunn #7

by Priscilla Masters

306 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 25, 2026

About the author

Priscilla 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.

Reviews

[Cidney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Martha Gunn is the coroner for Shrewsbury, she has a good working relationship with the local Detective Inspector Alex Randall and he has come to speak to her about the death of Gina Marconi a local lawyer who took on the cases of bad people and kept them out of gaol, except the previous evening she got out of bed, got into her car didn't strap on her seat belt and drove it at 60mph into a brick wall. She leaves behind a husband and a young son. Her family, friends and colleagues are astonished at her doing such a thing, especially to leave her young son whom she doted on, alone.

Martha now begins the sorting out of an inquest for Gina and now a young boy of 12 has jumped off a bridge crossing the motorway where I think it was 8 cars who either ran over him or tossed his body into the air into the path of the next one. His mother was bereft she couldn't understand why on earth did he just go off to school and then decide to jump off a bridge? His life seemed normal.
Now Martha had two suspicious deaths to look into and funny how both of them did something very strange by ending their lives very suddenly with no-one believing that they would do just that? Must be something in the water.

Then she got the message that DI Randall wouldn't be coming to see her about either case as his wife had died by falling down the stairs and breaking her neck. He didn't have a good marriage and his wife had lost a baby some years before and was on medication for various things. She knew his marriage was dead in the water but he hadn't divorced her, but her death was suspicious as the neighbours next door heard loud shouting before they went to bed and then an ambulance. Randall was suspended from duty whilst they investigated his wife's death, his team knew he didn't have a good marriage and by loud shouting and then her tumbling down the stairs and dying didn't look good for their boss.

Martha discovers that Gina was driven to her death by a person unknown and the same had happened to 12yr old Patrick, and it was now her mission to find out who these mysterious persons were and to bring them to face the law.

I do quite like these books they roll along as if on wheels, smoothly, and nobody gets really antsy and you are privy to the inner workings of her mind, although not those of DI Randall who very much plays his cards very close to his chest. The only thing which puzzles me a little is that the very first book I read in this series I assumed that Martha and Randall were two old codgers who were just trundling their way through to retirement!

[Jeannie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intensely Intriguing!

Coroner Martha Gunn is faced with three suspicious deaths, all in a very short time of each other. A beautiful and brilliant female lawyer with everything to live for: a lucrative practice, a young son whom she adored, and her upcoming wedding to the man of her dreams. So why would she commit suicide in the middle of the night by driving her car into a brick wall? At the other end of the spectrum, a 12-year-old boy who is considered to be a very bright and gifted student deliberately throws himself off a bridge into very high traffic. As Coroner Gunn ponders these questions, a third shocking death occurs: the wife of a very dear friend, a police officer she sometimes works with on difficult death cases and with whom she is developing strong feelings.

As she tries to come to grips with these tragic deaths and how to handle the inquests, she removes herself from anything connected to the death of her friend's wife. Taut, fast-paced, and very intense, Martha can't help but find similarities to the first two suicides despite the age difference. She can't shake the feeling that there is something more than just accidental death.

Enjoyable reading as this novel races to an awesome finish with edge-of-your-seat tension. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. This author never disappoints!

[Julie Powell]

Coroner, Martha Gunn is faced with three sudden deaths, two seemingly suicides and a fall downstairs.

This story delves into the mind of a coroner, professionally and personally, sometimes a contradiction. I liked Martha's thought process and how she tackled the dilemmas. It was twisty and mysterious, well-written and engaging.

Good characters and plenty of questions made this a great read.

Worth reading.

[Yaykirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent enough read, I enjoyed the storyline. But for some reason, the repetition of the characters thoughts & the way they speak to each other takes me out of it a little. I also don't know if it's just me, or maybe it's a genre-wide thing, but I found the ending, or reveal, to be kind of crammed in at the end & suddenly it's over.

[Elva Cartwright · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Church Stretton Murders. (coroner Martha Gunn Book 7)

This book was really thrilling with Martha at her best. There was so much going on at all times. The most evil of people involved in the murders. It was up to Martha to get the truth and get justice. I thoroughly recommend reading this series of books. You will be glued to the pages.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why is this book called The Church Stretton Murders when most of the action is in Shrewsbury? I only bought this book because I thought Church Stretton would be a highlight. The plot was OK but very rushed at the end. The characters spent too much time thinking about things and not getting on with the investigation. A lot less introspection might have made this a more exciting read.

[lesley loveitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

gripping story

I decided to read it originally as it’s set near my home
The story line kept you on the edge of your seat
Well enjoyed reading this will look out for other books in this series

[Debra Whisson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love this series but this one felt a bit off to me. I thought it finished poorly and Martha was portrayed a little haughty.
Something just didn’t gel for me this time.

[Christianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enthralling story

The main characters held my interest. The plot was interesting as it moved around the two suicides life stories. I would read more from this writer.

[Sarah Shepherd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my fav of the books so far but kept me guessing until the end

[Denise Brennecke · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a story !!!

Another excellent storyline about Martha and Alex with multiple twists and turns that contribute to their story I can’t wait for the next one