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The Romney and Marsh Files #7
A White-Knuckle Christmas
A particularly nasty series of crimes is casting a pall over the members of CID and an unusually white Dover in the run up to Christmas on the south coast of England.
The festive period is further marred by the report of a pair of suspicious sudden deaths on the frozen outskirts of the town.
Detective Inspector Romney and his loyal team are dealing with evil on all fronts and against a ticking calendar.
***
The Romney and Marsh Files now number seven. They don’t have to be read in order; they do all work as stand-alone novels. However, to get the most out of each it is recommended that they are consumed in the order in which they were prepared, a bit like the courses of a good meal. (Who wants to eat ice-cream before a bowl of soup?)
Here are the books of the series in order:
#1 Rope Enough
#2 Making a Killing
#3 Joint Enterprise
#4 A Dog’s Life
#5 Particular Stupidities
#6 Unhappy Families
#7 A White-Knuckle Christmas
***
The festive period is further marred by the report of a pair of suspicious sudden deaths on the frozen outskirts of the town.
Detective Inspector Romney and his loyal team are dealing with evil on all fronts and against a ticking calendar.
***
The Romney and Marsh Files now number seven. They don’t have to be read in order; they do all work as stand-alone novels. However, to get the most out of each it is recommended that they are consumed in the order in which they were prepared, a bit like the courses of a good meal. (Who wants to eat ice-cream before a bowl of soup?)
Here are the books of the series in order:
#1 Rope Enough
#2 Making a Killing
#3 Joint Enterprise
#4 A Dog’s Life
#5 Particular Stupidities
#6 Unhappy Families
#7 A White-Knuckle Christmas
***
- GenresMysteryProcedural
265 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 26, 2016
65 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Oliver Tidy
21 books79 followersCrime and thriller fiction.
My website is the best place to find me.
http://olivertidy.com
I enjoy communicating with readers of my books, so please, if you have any comments or questions, get in touch.
My website is the best place to find me.
http://olivertidy.com
I enjoy communicating with readers of my books, so please, if you have any comments or questions, get in touch.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
July 20, 2017
Read on Minnesota lake time. Really rich...so many laughs. Romney finds himself invited to a television show that highlights crime, and pretty much everything that happened leading up to this interview was side-splitting fun. The crimes he was attempting to solve were serious, of course, but we seem to have a fully developed Romney in this one. No spoilers.
May 5, 2016
Yes, this #7 in the series "Romney & Marsh Files" IS a great improvement on the last two! A real page-turning cosy-suspense. And at one point I even laughed out loud, which is saying something! The plot is well-structured, the characters have become likeable once again, and they are developing at long last. There are two crime threads which are skilfully twisted and completely solved in the end, in a framework of personal interactions between the main characters which are developing nicely. All of which make me glad that I stuck with your books Mr Tidy!
October 16, 2016
Read most of this on the plane today!! Really enjoyed it, sorry to be finished this series, I hope there are more to come!!
December 1, 2017
A woman is viciously murdered in her bed and within moments her alleged attacker is stabbed in the hallway. A number of people have suffered from having acid thrown at them in front of their homes, destroying their faces and their lives. Romney's car is totalled while on the way to a crime scene during a snowstorm. Marsh is dealing with some relationship problems. Grime's replacement is working to fit in while Spicer is just his usual self. And it's nearly Christmas in Dover. Romney, Marsh and the Dover CID are in it up to their necks trying to put the pieces together and solve two crimes quickly before anything else happens.
I really enjoyed reading this one and hope another Romney and Marsh is soon on its way.
I really enjoyed reading this one and hope another Romney and Marsh is soon on its way.
February 20, 2018
A cracking murder mystery coupled with the goings on and relationships at Dover CID. Was convinced there were more in the series so was much deflated to read that, at the moment, this is where Oliver Tidy is up to. Hopefully it won't be too long before I can eagerly download book 8 and devour what's happened to everyone. Cannot recommend highly enough.
July 18, 2017
Romney & Marsh
I just finished book #7 of this series. Before I beg for more, I'd like to say..Thank You! I love this author, all of his books and can't Wait for more of the same. Please continue to keep Oliver Tidy on the radar as a #1 author of police procedurals. Thank you.
I just finished book #7 of this series. Before I beg for more, I'd like to say..Thank You! I love this author, all of his books and can't Wait for more of the same. Please continue to keep Oliver Tidy on the radar as a #1 author of police procedurals. Thank you.
April 26, 2018
Gutted there are no more☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️
These marsh and Romney books are amazing! I started on book one and flew through all seven in a fortnight! Every opportunity I had my head in these books!!! And Mr Oliver tidy write quicker we need number 8,9,10........
These marsh and Romney books are amazing! I started on book one and flew through all seven in a fortnight! Every opportunity I had my head in these books!!! And Mr Oliver tidy write quicker we need number 8,9,10........
October 31, 2016
A good mystery, definitely not in the thriller category. I read out of order in the series and missed something but I'll catch it later.
March 2, 2018
All good things...
Another great job. The series has been a really good read but I think it's probably come to a natural end.
Another great job. The series has been a really good read but I think it's probably come to a natural end.
March 20, 2020
3.5 stars. This book doesn't have anything to do with Christmas.
December 21, 2025
great series
Love the Romney Marsh books
Hope there is more to come in this series as I love the grumpy inspector
Love the Romney Marsh books
Hope there is more to come in this series as I love the grumpy inspector
March 27, 2016
A White Knuckle Christmas is the seventh outing for DI Romney and DS Marsh of Dover CID and is of the same high standard as its predecessors. The weather is atrocious, snow and ice, when Romney is called in from leave to attend a suspicious death scene. Lesley Daley has been brutally stabbed and her husband, Terry, accidentally stabbed her assailant while grappling with him. The team have to investigate the circumstances. In the meantime they are also investigating a series of acid attacks. Over the past 4 months one person a month has had acid thrown in their face with devasting results. The victims do not know each other and the team cannot find any links between them but each victim has received an anonymous note with 2 words on it just after the attack. Intrigued? You will be.
Mr Tidy has produced another cleverly plotted novel with a few unexpected twists and turns which kept me glued to the pages. The characters are also getting stronger and more familiar as the series progresses. Tom Romney has mellowed slightly but still has a strong case of foot in mouth, as usual, however, he manages to turn it to his advantage. As we say up here if he fell in the Clyde, not only would he come out dry he'd have a salmon in his mouth! Joy Marsh is growing stronger as a character, now able to hold her own with Romney and his forceful character. She has a few life changing decisions to make by the end of the novel so it's good to see her evolving. There is a good sense of teamwork in this novel with Peter Grimes still fondly remembered and DC Fower, the new "boy" making a few good contributions to the case. What I really like, however, is the authenticity of the dialogue - I particularly noticed the team wishing Peter was with them to lighten the atmosphere as it's something we all do when bereaved, remembering how they would react in certain situations.
There is a bit of everything in A White Knuckle Christmas. There is sadness in the loss of Peter and the acid victims' new reality. There is humour in both dialogue and situation (no more puerile toilet jokes please, Oliver) and some seriousness which I won't discuss to avoid spoilers. Overall, however, the real joy (not Marsh) is the fun you can sense Mr Tidy gets from writing this series, it shines through and makes the reading experience really pleasurable. I understand that this may be the last book in the series - Mr Tidy certainly hints at it with new opportunities on the horizon for both Romney and Marsh - but that would be a shame. Personally I think this is the best of his series and is certainly my favourite but at least it's gone out with a cracker.
Mr Tidy has produced another cleverly plotted novel with a few unexpected twists and turns which kept me glued to the pages. The characters are also getting stronger and more familiar as the series progresses. Tom Romney has mellowed slightly but still has a strong case of foot in mouth, as usual, however, he manages to turn it to his advantage. As we say up here if he fell in the Clyde, not only would he come out dry he'd have a salmon in his mouth! Joy Marsh is growing stronger as a character, now able to hold her own with Romney and his forceful character. She has a few life changing decisions to make by the end of the novel so it's good to see her evolving. There is a good sense of teamwork in this novel with Peter Grimes still fondly remembered and DC Fower, the new "boy" making a few good contributions to the case. What I really like, however, is the authenticity of the dialogue - I particularly noticed the team wishing Peter was with them to lighten the atmosphere as it's something we all do when bereaved, remembering how they would react in certain situations.
There is a bit of everything in A White Knuckle Christmas. There is sadness in the loss of Peter and the acid victims' new reality. There is humour in both dialogue and situation (no more puerile toilet jokes please, Oliver) and some seriousness which I won't discuss to avoid spoilers. Overall, however, the real joy (not Marsh) is the fun you can sense Mr Tidy gets from writing this series, it shines through and makes the reading experience really pleasurable. I understand that this may be the last book in the series - Mr Tidy certainly hints at it with new opportunities on the horizon for both Romney and Marsh - but that would be a shame. Personally I think this is the best of his series and is certainly my favourite but at least it's gone out with a cracker.
September 12, 2016
Standard maintained
Another excellent instalment with a food for thought ending. Usual clever story construction and credible characters and plots make this a book where the coffee gets cold!
Another excellent instalment with a food for thought ending. Usual clever story construction and credible characters and plots make this a book where the coffee gets cold!
Read
January 12, 2017What was most remarkable to me about this particular story was the absolutely brilliant scene at the end that revealed why we liked Romney and were rooting for him all along. (No spoilers – I’ll say only that Romney makes an appearance on television). The place where both Romney and Marsh arrive in their lives by the end made me understand why Tidy chose to make this story the last. As I say, I was sorry it didn’t go on, but I understand why.
Murder is always a grim business. Tidy strikes a good tone with respect for the dead and the righteous drive for justice on the part of the police. What makes these stories so human is the humor that lurks never far from the surface. When it makes an appearance, as it frequently does, it is always welcome.
I heartily recommend this series to lovers of British police procedurals.
Murder is always a grim business. Tidy strikes a good tone with respect for the dead and the righteous drive for justice on the part of the police. What makes these stories so human is the humor that lurks never far from the surface. When it makes an appearance, as it frequently does, it is always welcome.
I heartily recommend this series to lovers of British police procedurals.
May 17, 2016
I was a little late getting around to reading this book, and knowing it was waiting it's turn on my e-reader kept nagging at me. I'm delighted to say that the wait was worth it!
In my opinion this is the best of the Romney & Marsh series to date. I was immediately immersed in the characters and plot, thoroughly engrossed in the story-line and pleased as punch to see that the humorous edge was still there, and just as sharp (B-flat all through your Christmas Dinner....classic!). Yet again Oliver tidy has delivered the goods.
If you're wondering whether to buy/read this book, I would thoroughly recommend it. - EASILY A 5 STAR READ.
In my opinion this is the best of the Romney & Marsh series to date. I was immediately immersed in the characters and plot, thoroughly engrossed in the story-line and pleased as punch to see that the humorous edge was still there, and just as sharp (B-flat all through your Christmas Dinner....classic!). Yet again Oliver tidy has delivered the goods.
If you're wondering whether to buy/read this book, I would thoroughly recommend it. - EASILY A 5 STAR READ.
May 16, 2016
An excellent book to round off the series
I have just finished reading all seven of the Romney and Marsh files, end to end, and found them to be among the most enjoyable crime fiction I have ever read, and I've read a few believe me. Where to start: well plotted, and procedurally accurate and up to date. They have an every day feel to them, not too dark and nothing too outrageously unlikely in subject. The dialogue is very natural and believable, and the humour is nicely written. The characters are familiar and engaging. Highly recommended.
I have just finished reading all seven of the Romney and Marsh files, end to end, and found them to be among the most enjoyable crime fiction I have ever read, and I've read a few believe me. Where to start: well plotted, and procedurally accurate and up to date. They have an every day feel to them, not too dark and nothing too outrageously unlikely in subject. The dialogue is very natural and believable, and the humour is nicely written. The characters are familiar and engaging. Highly recommended.
May 5, 2016
Careful - It's Icy Out There
Love, love, love reading Oliver Tidy. He's a master storyteller and writer. In addition to the RomneyMarsh series (British police procedural), I've also read and loved his Acer Samson series (international espionage). I couldn't believe that they were written by the same author as the two genres require such different writing styles and tones. Yet Mr. Tidy totally succeeds flawlessly at both.
Love, love, love reading Oliver Tidy. He's a master storyteller and writer. In addition to the RomneyMarsh series (British police procedural), I've also read and loved his Acer Samson series (international espionage). I couldn't believe that they were written by the same author as the two genres require such different writing styles and tones. Yet Mr. Tidy totally succeeds flawlessly at both.
June 5, 2016
Acid attacks and Auto accident live Romney and Marsh out in the cold
I read all my books through Amazon on my Kindle. Reading 2 to 3 books a week I find Author Mr Tidy supreme suspense always exciting and well written. All 7 of his Romney and Marsh Detective books are best read in order for pure enjoyment of this series but can be read separately. Currently they find themselves investigating persons being attacked by someone throwing acid on their faces and murder mystery.
I read all my books through Amazon on my Kindle. Reading 2 to 3 books a week I find Author Mr Tidy supreme suspense always exciting and well written. All 7 of his Romney and Marsh Detective books are best read in order for pure enjoyment of this series but can be read separately. Currently they find themselves investigating persons being attacked by someone throwing acid on their faces and murder mystery.
March 26, 2016
The author strikes again, another 5* read from him. Romney and Marsh at their best, some humour, some laugh out loud moments, and some pathos. This book as it all. Two good stories running alongside each other, both being solved by the Dover CID team. If this was to be the last then it would be sad day for his growing numbers of fans.
April 8, 2016
A great read
As always with Oliver Tidy ive had a great read, I would defiantly reccomend this book and the others he has written, obviously you need to read them in order, hope you enjoy
As always with Oliver Tidy ive had a great read, I would defiantly reccomend this book and the others he has written, obviously you need to read them in order, hope you enjoy
April 28, 2016
My first Oliver Tidy
Totally enjoyable! Character and plot development was great and I loved the moments of suspense mixed with humor! I'll definitely be reading more Tidy mysteries!
Totally enjoyable! Character and plot development was great and I loved the moments of suspense mixed with humor! I'll definitely be reading more Tidy mysteries!
April 14, 2016
A great improvement over the last two books. Romney has his high and low moments, but seems to have matured in several ways. Both Romney and Marsh have decisions to make.
May 14, 2016
More, please.
Oliver Tidy is a promising author. This latest book is an enjoyable read. Looking forward to his next book in this series.
Oliver Tidy is a promising author. This latest book is an enjoyable read. Looking forward to his next book in this series.
August 10, 2016
Whited knuckle read
Dual crimes along with officers characterizations and dealing with Christmas as the winters backdrop makes this a thrilling and joyful read. Great series.
Dual crimes along with officers characterizations and dealing with Christmas as the winters backdrop makes this a thrilling and joyful read. Great series.
April 24, 2017
The past drives the future for those who've been damaged by it, at least here in the plot line of WKC. OTOH Romney, with the help of a psychiatrist and a new woman in his life, has gone from abrasive and unpleasant to mellow, a bit of a sea-change there, while Marsh, well it looks as if she'll be paying for past, and a tad foolish, mistakes.
June 2, 2017
Another great read
Oliver Tidy always gives us a good story and this book is up to his usual standard. Lovely to watch the characters develop. More please Mr T.
Oliver Tidy always gives us a good story and this book is up to his usual standard. Lovely to watch the characters develop. More please Mr T.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews