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Marty Singer #7
The Bitter Fields
When stable owner Ruth Colvin invites former DC homicide cop Marty Singer and his partner Julie Atwater to spend a week at her central Virginia equestrian farm, they think they’re getting a much-needed vacation in the region’s storied horse and wine country.
But when star polo player Freddie Ferrar winds up shot to death at the estate of a local billionaire, and in the midst of a rash of vandalism that threatens to bankrupt Ruth’s farm, Marty is pressed into service to get to the bottom of a series of crimes—some hundreds of years in the making—and bring justice to The Bitter Fields.
But when star polo player Freddie Ferrar winds up shot to death at the estate of a local billionaire, and in the midst of a rash of vandalism that threatens to bankrupt Ruth’s farm, Marty is pressed into service to get to the bottom of a series of crimes—some hundreds of years in the making—and bring justice to The Bitter Fields.
260 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 22, 2019
920 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Iden
34 books345 followersI write fantasy, science fiction, horror, thrillers, crime fiction, and contemporary literary fiction with a psychological twist.
I’ve held jobs with the US Postal Service, international non-profit groups, a short stint with the Forest Service in Sitka, Alaska, and time with the globe-spanning Semester at Sea program. Trips to Iceland, Patagonia, and Antarctica added to the creative pot, as well, and I started to put all those experiences to good use about eight years ago--thinking, dreaming, and writing.
Please email me at matt.iden AT matthew-iden.com, Tweet @CrimeRighter, or find me on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/matthew.iden.
The Marty Singer detective series is:
A Reason to Live (Marty Singer #1)
Blueblood (Marty Singer #2)
One Right Thing (Marty Singer #3)
The Spike (Marty Singer #4)
The Wicked Flee (Marty Singer #5)
I’ve held jobs with the US Postal Service, international non-profit groups, a short stint with the Forest Service in Sitka, Alaska, and time with the globe-spanning Semester at Sea program. Trips to Iceland, Patagonia, and Antarctica added to the creative pot, as well, and I started to put all those experiences to good use about eight years ago--thinking, dreaming, and writing.
Please email me at matt.iden AT matthew-iden.com, Tweet @CrimeRighter, or find me on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/matthew.iden.
The Marty Singer detective series is:
A Reason to Live (Marty Singer #1)
Blueblood (Marty Singer #2)
One Right Thing (Marty Singer #3)
The Spike (Marty Singer #4)
The Wicked Flee (Marty Singer #5)
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 7, 2020
It was nice to read to read another book in the series-it has been about two years or so since the last one. It was a good story that did not seem that complex but got more complex towards the end. The story flowed good and the dialogue was good. The main character and support characters were also well done no complaints there. I only hope it is less than 2 years for the next book. The ending was also good and maid good sense. it can be read as a stand alone book but my feeling with any series is to read the books in order. I say go head and give this book and series one big spin
August 18, 2020
Matthew Iden has become one of my favorite writers and has the skills of other authors who are much better known. I hope he gets the recognition that he deserves. I just feel lucky to have stumbled across him and hope he continues to keep giving us more Marty Singer stories. To me Singer has some similarities to Harry Bosch but he's not as dark a character as Bosch. I read all seven of the books in about three weeks and all I can say is I really enjoyed the time spent.
October 20, 2021
Tiny review by my own personal standards, but...this was the least enjoyable Marty Singer entry for me. It was bound to happen, of course. Every series has its bad apple, so I'm not too devastated about it. It is what it is. I'm certainly not saying it was a dreadful book. Simply saying that its plot was one that not very interesting to me, and the pacing in which it moved was a bit TOO slow than what I'm used to in a Marty Singer book. What sorta hurt my appreciation as well was the displacement of Marty from his usual domain and company, like cop buddy Chuck, adoptive daughter Amanda, and cat Pierre (none of which are present in this book).
It started out interestingly enough, though: Marty accompanies Julie when the latter is summoned by her friend Ruth to her equestrian farm, which is unfortunately being vandalized and threatened with bankruptcy. Once there in the cusp of it all, a sudden and unexpected murder takes place of a star polo player, which of course rocks the small community as well as complicates matters with Marty's investigation. Could it be tied together? Or is it a happy coincidence? Enter Marty Singer. He is of course entertaining as he always is, but once everything else continued to come into fruition, it just didn't grab and keep my interest like in the past stories. Of course I was curious how it would all pan out, but in the end, it just wasn't super exciting for me for me to truly embrace the outcome.
No matter, though. I'm still pumped for the next entry, which I believe is the last of the Marty Singer series (for now).
It started out interestingly enough, though: Marty accompanies Julie when the latter is summoned by her friend Ruth to her equestrian farm, which is unfortunately being vandalized and threatened with bankruptcy. Once there in the cusp of it all, a sudden and unexpected murder takes place of a star polo player, which of course rocks the small community as well as complicates matters with Marty's investigation. Could it be tied together? Or is it a happy coincidence? Enter Marty Singer. He is of course entertaining as he always is, but once everything else continued to come into fruition, it just didn't grab and keep my interest like in the past stories. Of course I was curious how it would all pan out, but in the end, it just wasn't super exciting for me for me to truly embrace the outcome.
No matter, though. I'm still pumped for the next entry, which I believe is the last of the Marty Singer series (for now).
November 12, 2019
Think I'll go to Virginia and buy this guy a cup of coffee
The person who could write a fun novel like this would be fun to meet in person. This book has just the right amount of everything (plot, character development, mystery, humor, and action). It was a wonderful read. Partly defined (to me) as one I stay up late to read. The author made use of some arcane vocabulary words that were easy decipher with the Kindle dictionary app. I especially liked "limned." Oh yeah, I'll buy.
The person who could write a fun novel like this would be fun to meet in person. This book has just the right amount of everything (plot, character development, mystery, humor, and action). It was a wonderful read. Partly defined (to me) as one I stay up late to read. The author made use of some arcane vocabulary words that were easy decipher with the Kindle dictionary app. I especially liked "limned." Oh yeah, I'll buy.
October 24, 2019
Another fantastic Marty Singer novel! No spoilers here, but just when Marty thinks he's earned a vacation, he finds himself in the midst of a murder mystery among Virginia's horse country elite. Iden keeps Marty's tale going with a fresh new storyline and all the high society drama the setting asks for. It's a great book that pulls you in from the start and makes you want to read straight through to the end.
October 25, 2019
It was good to have another Marty Singer book to read. I really enjoy the character and always look forward to more books that feature him. The plot had a few twists and turns that I didn't expect. I really didn't want the murderer to turn out to be who it was, but it made more sense than other possibilities. There was good news in the end for several people, and I like it when a story ends on an upnote. I enjoyed how Marty and Julie worked together. Please, sir, I want some more!!
February 20, 2023
Read in a day
I love Matthew Iden's books! They never disappoint and have unexpected twists and hard-to-put-down plots that are clever and satisfying to read. Characters and settings are portrayed so well that I have memories of the events as if I was in the barn, restaurant, car, etc. when they happened!
I love Matthew Iden's books! They never disappoint and have unexpected twists and hard-to-put-down plots that are clever and satisfying to read. Characters and settings are portrayed so well that I have memories of the events as if I was in the barn, restaurant, car, etc. when they happened!
February 24, 2020
Marty Singer
I've read all of the Marty Singer books. I absolutely enjoyed reading all of them. There is humor, sadness, excitement. Marty Singer is a great retired cop dealing with cancer who can't give up the cop life. Great read!!
I've read all of the Marty Singer books. I absolutely enjoyed reading all of them. There is humor, sadness, excitement. Marty Singer is a great retired cop dealing with cancer who can't give up the cop life. Great read!!
October 24, 2019
Marty Singer is in Virginia on a horse farm. He is working to solve a murder and settle the trouble between neighbors. Matthew Iden has created another thrilling mystery.
October 28, 2019
The Bitter Fields
Was so excited when this new Marty Singer adventure came out and it did not disappoint. Good story and love his humor. Will always be watching for another.
Was so excited when this new Marty Singer adventure came out and it did not disappoint. Good story and love his humor. Will always be watching for another.
November 22, 2019
This was a good book, but it didn't seem to move as quickly as others in the series. Nevertheless, I rate it 4.7 and look forward to reading more Matthew Iden books.
January 12, 2020
Good Read
This is the first Singer book I have read and I enjoyed it very much. Many twists and turns that held my interest. Looking forward to reading more of the series.
This is the first Singer book I have read and I enjoyed it very much. Many twists and turns that held my interest. Looking forward to reading more of the series.
March 20, 2020
Not his best
I enjoyed the previous ones a bit more...this was a bit light for me...the hard streets of DC suit Mr Iden’s protagonists better
I enjoyed the previous ones a bit more...this was a bit light for me...the hard streets of DC suit Mr Iden’s protagonists better
April 6, 2020
I'm bowled over by the body of work Mr Iden has created. Far from the banal predictability of other "series" writers, his creativity and linguistic command are second to none.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!
August 1, 2021
Not really a Marty Singer story because he doesn't stand out as a strong character, but I don't ever remember reading a novel of any flavor about polo!
September 28, 2022
Solid read with the usual humor and whodunnit. I always enjoy Iden's books.
February 20, 2023
Terrific!
Thanks for another outstanding novel. Story was very interesting, full of details and mysterious. Can't wait to read the next book.
Thanks for another outstanding novel. Story was very interesting, full of details and mysterious. Can't wait to read the next book.
November 23, 2023
another great Marty Singer story
Lots of fun and serious stuff too. Marty is one of my favs and I am looking forward to his next adventure!
Lots of fun and serious stuff too. Marty is one of my favs and I am looking forward to his next adventure!
February 10, 2020
So great to have another Marty Singer book
This is another great installment in the Marty Singer series. I enjoy them immensely as they're great reads set in my local area. There's murder and mystery and humor worked in with engaging characters.
Love that this was set in the Virginia horse country. I could really identify as I've stayed in B&Bs in the area. The beautiful area, horses and wine! And a dog! Too bad Hamilton belonged to a peripheral character, would love to see more of him!
Looking forward to the next in this very enjoyable series. Would love to see some more development of the relationship between Marty and his sweetie-pie.
Next I'm going to reread the whole series start to finish!
This is another great installment in the Marty Singer series. I enjoy them immensely as they're great reads set in my local area. There's murder and mystery and humor worked in with engaging characters.
Love that this was set in the Virginia horse country. I could really identify as I've stayed in B&Bs in the area. The beautiful area, horses and wine! And a dog! Too bad Hamilton belonged to a peripheral character, would love to see more of him!
Looking forward to the next in this very enjoyable series. Would love to see some more development of the relationship between Marty and his sweetie-pie.
Next I'm going to reread the whole series start to finish!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews