A Deadly Confession

Cherringham #10

by Matthew Costello, Neil Dudgeon (Narrator)

Cosy crime series. Episode 10 of 12 (Listening Length: 2 hours, 29 minutes)
:

On the edge of Cherringham lies St. Francis' Convent, home of the Sisters of St. Francis, a small Catholic teaching order. Here a handful of nuns worship, contemplate, and pray. And here one Easter the beloved local priest Father Byrne meets his unexpected demise. The circumstances of the death are suspicious, and soon Jack and Sarah are on the case: what secrets did Father Byrne take to the grave? Who wanted him dead? And is religious faith ever a guarantee of innocence?

-- Cherringham is serial novel à la Charles Dickens, with a new mystery thriller released each month. Set in the sleepy English village of Cherringham, the detective series brings together an unlikely sleuthing duo: English web designer Sarah and American ex-cop Jack. Thrilling and deadly - but with a spot of tea - it's like Rosamunde Pilcher meets Inspector Barnaby. Each of the 12 self-contained episodes is a quick read for the morning commute, while waiting for the doctor, or when curling up with a hot cuppa.

-- For fans of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple series, Lilian Jackson Braun's The Cat Who series, Caroline Graham's Midsomer Murders, and the American TV series Murder She Wrote, starring Angela Lansbury.

-- Co-authors Neil Richards (based in the UK) and Matthew Costello (based in the US), are known for their script work on major computer games. The Cherringham crime series is their first fictional transatlantic collaboration.

Genres: Mystery, Audiobook, Crime, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Detective

Audible Audio

First published August 28, 2014

Reviews

[Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am Rande von Cherringham befindet sich ein Kloster mit wenigen Nonnen. Der zuständige Pfarrer bricht ausgerechnet an Ostern beim Joggen tot zusammen. Hatte er ein schwaches Herz? Jack und Sarah finden bald heraus, dass mehr dahintersteckt...
🤔 Der zehnte Band dieser Reihe hat mir wieder sehr gut gefallen!
Ich weiß gar nicht warum, aber Geschichten, die irgendeinen Zusammenhang zu einem Kloster bzw. dem Leben im Kloster haben, finde ich grundsätzlich interessant.
Und diese Cosy Crime Reihe gefällt mir sowieso. Ich habe mich wieder gut unterhalten gefühlt!

[Cindy Rollins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drive with my husband listening.

[IngeT (inge1970reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deel 10 alweer. Een heerlijke cozy crime. Dit keer in een nabijgelegen plaatsje. Een mysterie. De dood van een plaatselijke priester. Jack maakt aan het eind een beslissing die anders is dan je van hem zou verwachten. Op naar het volgende deel. 3.5⭐️

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I particularly enjoyed this installment in the series. The mystery is resolved with some fairly subtle grey areas, which I appreciated.

[Sarka B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 10th book in my favourite Murders in Cherringham serie and I enjoyed reading this book. It is short and easy read. The book is engaging and the mystery is good. I will continue to read this serie.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wieder ein sehr spannender Teil allerdings gerade zum Ende hin doch etwas vorhersehbar. Sabina Godec hat mich trotzdem wieder fesseln können und die Zeit flog nur so vorbei. Eine Reihe er ich hoffentlich noch lange treu bleiben werde - sofern die Qualität und Spannung bleibt.

[Liene Kainaize · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nu kad viņi beidzot bučosies...? :)

[John Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone who doesn't know about Cherringham, - find out.

I didn't used to think much of short stories - but these are different. They were written by a couple of talented authors and published on line only - as stand alone monthly stories.

The central characters are an odd couple. A retired NYPD detective recently widowed and now living the dream he had with his wife, to live in an idyllic English village, and a recently divorced mother returned to her birth village to start again.

This episode surrounds the death of a much loved parish priest while out on his morning run. Of course , nothing is as it first seems.

I'm not sure, that as readers, we were given enough to find the guilty party but a good cozy read, none the less.

[Emma Linley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loving these shorts

[Rebs ✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.25

great read!

[Kelly Van Damme · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5-5
My favourite Cherringham to date!

[Antonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading (audio) this series of Cherringham cozy mysteries last year and just love them. This one is the 10th in a 48--book series by Matthew Costello and Neil Richards. I especially like the narration by Neil Dudgeon!! The series is set in the fictional Cotswolds town of Cherringham, not far from Cheltenham, and featuring two amateur sleuths, Sarah, a single mother of two who works in advertising and Jack, a former NYPD homicide detective.

This is a cozy, old-school style murder mystery — no supernatural stuff and no horror. All of which I really like. In this installment, Sarah and Jack investigate the suspicious death of one Father Byrne. We gradually learn about Father Byrne’s secrets, his life outside of his pastoral role. Someone, it seems, wanted him dead. But why? I like the fast pace of these short books, which don’t contain a lot of background or filler, but do give us insight into the lives of Jack and Sarah and their developing relationship. I love the dialogue in these books! And it’s so well done in audio.

This is #34 of the 100 books I aim to read in 2025.

[Karen Plummer · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Flying Father" is a famous character in Cherringham. He isn't just the local priest, but also is a 60+ year old marathon runner whose wins have earner thousands for charity. Known as a happy man who lived life to the fullest, he was a familiar figure to many as he regularly ran his training route around the church and along the river. He usually ran with his friend, a former priest turned businessman, Liam. Good Friday morning he ran alone and was later discovered dead of an apparent heart attack.

Everyone accepts the verdict knowing he had a heart condition controlled by medication but his friend Liam has doubts. He knows his friend's secrets, and fears someone contributed to this sudden death so he asks Jack to look into it. Jack and Sarah face a daunting task with no one telling all of what they know, from a poor community of nuns to bookies and the horse racing fraternity, from 3 foreigners on a retreat to a defunct hospice. Weeding through evidence, lies and half truths, Jack and Sarah put together a very convincing case in the end.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just when I thought the relationship between Jack and Sarah was taking off, A Deadly Confession arrives and I am not so sure about the two of them as a couple anymore.

This isn’t a straightforward story in that you must leave your personal beliefs at the door. People that should be telling the truth of the Flying Father are keeping secrets, bookies and horse racers are keeping tight-lipped, then add in those on retreat, and a shuttered hospice all of which leaves Jack and Sarah turning in circles when it comes to the latest Cherringham murder. A death that leaves as many believing that maybe not all murders should be solved.

['Manda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another trip to Cherringham for me, my tenth this year. The series itself is progressing along nicely, we get to know more and more about the two main characters as the stories go along. They are both likeable characters, both with a thirst for the truth. This particular story was well written and a little bit different, again. It seems that the stories have a variety about them, the same as the village of Cherringham itself has. I have already got the eleventh story on my Kindle, ready to dive into.

[Jdrocks325gmail.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpected conclusion

While i enjoy the Cherringham series immensely, once in a while the ending is totally other than you expected. This novella was such a one. While many things were hinted at, the actual ending wss a surprise. I enjoy the relationship between the two main characters. And, Sarah's son is a cute addition to the cast, a very excited USA wannabe.

[Meggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fitting end for a Deadly Confession. I enjoyed Sarah and Jack case. Great easy story!

[Roo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent installment

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

#10 ♥️

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one

[Vanessa-Ann Dowsett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best one yet

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are such entertaining short mysteries. Love hearing about Jack and Sarah's investigating. The audios are a delight.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is justice? This question has come up in these books before.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good tale about finding justice. Well done!

[Appleblossomm · Rating 1 out of 5]

Silly

[Neely Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three nuns, two priests, and a lot of sun means an intriguing mystery for Jack and Sarah.

[Maria-E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Serie als Hörbuch. Gut gelesen. Überraschendes Ende.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack and Sarah investigate the death of a priest who apparently died of a heart attack while running. What really happened and why?

[Lenka Habrnálová · Rating 3 out of 5]

Desátý díl cherringhamských detektivek. Mám ráda, že je to krátké, svižné a závěr mě vždycky aspoň trochu překvapí. Prostě kniha na absolutní rychlé vypnutí. Na dovolenou ideál. :)