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Betty Church Mystery #3
The Ghost Tree
A long buried secret is unearthed in the woods in this pitch-perfect WW2 crime mystery. 1914: Sixteen-year-old Etterly, running from something, hides inside the trunk of a tree and disappears. The police search but find no trace. Her family and friends wrack their brains, but come up with nothing. And so slowly life returns to normal. The hole in the tree is boarded up and the village of Sackwater moves on. Only Etterly's best friend, Betty, clings to hope, insisting she can hear her friend calling for help. 1940: A skeleton is discovered buried in the woods. Though most clues have long since decayed, it is wearing the necklace Etterly had on the day she went missing. Long haunted by her friend's fate, Detective Betty Church is determined to solve the case once and for all.
496 pages, Hardcover
First published August 23, 2018
35 people are currently reading
234 people want to read
About the author
M.R.C. Kasasian
30 books515 followersMartin Kasasian was raised in Lancashire. He has had careers as varied as factory hand, wine waiter, veterinary assistant, fairground worker and dentist. He lives with his wife in Suffolk in the summer and in a village in Malta in the winter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
May 10, 2020
This is the third in MRC Kasasian's historical crime series featuring Inspector Betty Church of the Suffolk constabulary set in the small town of Sackwater. There are two timelines, the first when Betty was a 14 year old schoolgirl, whose best friend, the pretty 15 year old Etterly Utter disappears, with rumours and superstitions surrounding the famous King's Oak, locally known as the Ghost Tree, seen as instrumental in her going missing, amidst other theories. The young Betty has been haunted throughout the years by the loss of Etterly. In 194o, during WW2, 26 years later, Betty is now a police inspector at the local police station when a young boy, Humphrey Smith, uncovers a lower jawbone, where later other bones and a silver chain that Betty knows belonged to Etterly are recovered. Is it possible that these are the remains of the long lost Etterly Utter?
Etterly Utter's parents, who have kept her bedroom just as it was when their daughter disappeared, do not for one second believe that the bones are hers, they are convinced Etterly is still alive and will one day return home. After Etterly's disappearance during a competitive rounders match between the boys and girls, Betty had noticed but kept silent about seeing a shadowy man. Later, another child, Godfrey, part of Betty's group, dies in an apparent accident involving a skittish horse belonging to a gypsy family running a local farm. In a narrative that goes back and forth in time, and includes the appearance of the grumpy and rude Sidney Grice and March Middleton, Betty in 1940 is determined to solve the mystery of what happened to Etterly.
I enjoyed this installment of the Betty Church historical mysteries, although I have to be honest and say that I much preferred the 1940 time period more. It would have been rare and unusual to have seen a woman promoted to the rank of Inspector in the police force of the time, and it is clear that there are many have problems accepting Betty, including some in the police force itself. There are pacing problems with the 1914 timeline in the story, there are times when the narrative flows like the turgid thickness of the heaviest syrup, slowing the reader down considerably. Otherwise this is an entertaining historical crime read that I enjoyed reading, a particular highlight being the police team relationships. Many thanks to Head of Zeus for an ARC.
Etterly Utter's parents, who have kept her bedroom just as it was when their daughter disappeared, do not for one second believe that the bones are hers, they are convinced Etterly is still alive and will one day return home. After Etterly's disappearance during a competitive rounders match between the boys and girls, Betty had noticed but kept silent about seeing a shadowy man. Later, another child, Godfrey, part of Betty's group, dies in an apparent accident involving a skittish horse belonging to a gypsy family running a local farm. In a narrative that goes back and forth in time, and includes the appearance of the grumpy and rude Sidney Grice and March Middleton, Betty in 1940 is determined to solve the mystery of what happened to Etterly.
I enjoyed this installment of the Betty Church historical mysteries, although I have to be honest and say that I much preferred the 1940 time period more. It would have been rare and unusual to have seen a woman promoted to the rank of Inspector in the police force of the time, and it is clear that there are many have problems accepting Betty, including some in the police force itself. There are pacing problems with the 1914 timeline in the story, there are times when the narrative flows like the turgid thickness of the heaviest syrup, slowing the reader down considerably. Otherwise this is an entertaining historical crime read that I enjoyed reading, a particular highlight being the police team relationships. Many thanks to Head of Zeus for an ARC.
September 16, 2020
4.5/5
Another cracking read from M.R.C. Kasasian. I've read all 8 of his books now and every one of them has been an absolute gem. Great characters, a well plotted and intriguing mystery, and lots of humour. Am surprised these books aren't a lot more popular, and Kasasian feels like a well kept secret.
Lastly, as much as I love Betty Church and the world she inhabits, I really hope he intends to write more Grice/Middleton novels at some point. It was lovely to have them show up briefly in this book, but I would love to see more.
Another cracking read from M.R.C. Kasasian. I've read all 8 of his books now and every one of them has been an absolute gem. Great characters, a well plotted and intriguing mystery, and lots of humour. Am surprised these books aren't a lot more popular, and Kasasian feels like a well kept secret.
Lastly, as much as I love Betty Church and the world she inhabits, I really hope he intends to write more Grice/Middleton novels at some point. It was lovely to have them show up briefly in this book, but I would love to see more.
September 11, 2020
I was a fan of the author’s ‘The Gower Street Detective’ series and enjoyed the first book in his new series featuring Inspector Betty Church (Betty Church and the Suffolk Vampire) when I read it in 2018. I have the second book in the series, The Room of the Dead, in my TBR pile and although The Ghost Tree makes reference to events in the previous book, I believe it can still be enjoyed as a standalone or read out of sequence, as I did.
The Ghost Tree features the author’s trademark humour and fondness for wordplay and puns, and once again demonstrates his enthusiasm for giving characters quirky names. For example, the Harrison clan who appear in the book have first names that include Darklis, Harkles, Shadrach and Morphus. Try putting those through a spell checker!
As well as having a very personal reason for wanting to solve the mystery of Etterly Utter’s disappearance, Betty needs all her wits about her because the rest of the police officers at Sackwater Central are a pretty hopeless bunch. Betty’s fellow Inspector (known disparagingly as Old Scrapie) continues to have it in for her and WPC Dodo Chivers is still making ditsy comments and pathetic jokes. For example, when a character demands “Give me a ruler,” Betty reflects that at one time Dodo would have said George III, but that she [Dido] has grown up a lot since then. Unfortunately Betty is proved wrong. Worst of all, Dodo can’t even make a decent cup of tea! The only sensible member of the team is Sergeant Briggs who demonstrates unexpected empathy and sensitivity.
For fans of ‘The Gower Street Detective’ series, Betty’s godmother, March Middleton, makes a brief appearance in order to offer useful advice. And there’s an even briefer appearance by March’s guardian and mentor, Sidney Grice, displaying his usual extremely literal response to questions.
You can’t help liking Betty. She’s independent-minded, courageous and resourceful, especially since she’s had to overcome, not only discrimination in her chosen career, but the loss of her arm in an accident. As it happens, her prosthetic limb comes in very useful at times. Another returning character is Toby Gretson, editor of the local newspaper, with whom Betty has a bit of an on again, off again thing.
At nearly five hundred pages, there were some sections, such as the seemingly interminable description of a rounders game in the opening chapters, I felt could have been trimmed to improve the pace of the book. And readers will no doubt be divided between those who find the author’s rendering of a Suffolk accent amusing or irritating. I’m afraid, I found myself increasingly gravitating toward the latter when presented with sentences such as “You can’t admit you goo wrong over those old bone.‘
If you can get past some of the stylistic idiosyncrasies I’ve mentioned, there’s an intriguing mystery to be discovered that plunges the reader into the seamier side of life. Wartime events, such as the evacuation of Dunkirk, also provide a backdrop to the plot along with the day-to-day realities of rationing and blackouts. When the mystery is finally resolved, there emerges a heart-warming message about the strength of unconditional love and the possibility of forgiveness.
The engaging nature of Betty herself and the author’s tongue-in-cheek humour make The Ghost Tree an entertaining addition to the series. I received an advance review copy courtesy of Head of Zeus via NetGalley.
The Ghost Tree features the author’s trademark humour and fondness for wordplay and puns, and once again demonstrates his enthusiasm for giving characters quirky names. For example, the Harrison clan who appear in the book have first names that include Darklis, Harkles, Shadrach and Morphus. Try putting those through a spell checker!
As well as having a very personal reason for wanting to solve the mystery of Etterly Utter’s disappearance, Betty needs all her wits about her because the rest of the police officers at Sackwater Central are a pretty hopeless bunch. Betty’s fellow Inspector (known disparagingly as Old Scrapie) continues to have it in for her and WPC Dodo Chivers is still making ditsy comments and pathetic jokes. For example, when a character demands “Give me a ruler,” Betty reflects that at one time Dodo would have said George III, but that she [Dido] has grown up a lot since then. Unfortunately Betty is proved wrong. Worst of all, Dodo can’t even make a decent cup of tea! The only sensible member of the team is Sergeant Briggs who demonstrates unexpected empathy and sensitivity.
For fans of ‘The Gower Street Detective’ series, Betty’s godmother, March Middleton, makes a brief appearance in order to offer useful advice. And there’s an even briefer appearance by March’s guardian and mentor, Sidney Grice, displaying his usual extremely literal response to questions.
You can’t help liking Betty. She’s independent-minded, courageous and resourceful, especially since she’s had to overcome, not only discrimination in her chosen career, but the loss of her arm in an accident. As it happens, her prosthetic limb comes in very useful at times. Another returning character is Toby Gretson, editor of the local newspaper, with whom Betty has a bit of an on again, off again thing.
At nearly five hundred pages, there were some sections, such as the seemingly interminable description of a rounders game in the opening chapters, I felt could have been trimmed to improve the pace of the book. And readers will no doubt be divided between those who find the author’s rendering of a Suffolk accent amusing or irritating. I’m afraid, I found myself increasingly gravitating toward the latter when presented with sentences such as “You can’t admit you goo wrong over those old bone.‘
If you can get past some of the stylistic idiosyncrasies I’ve mentioned, there’s an intriguing mystery to be discovered that plunges the reader into the seamier side of life. Wartime events, such as the evacuation of Dunkirk, also provide a backdrop to the plot along with the day-to-day realities of rationing and blackouts. When the mystery is finally resolved, there emerges a heart-warming message about the strength of unconditional love and the possibility of forgiveness.
The engaging nature of Betty herself and the author’s tongue-in-cheek humour make The Ghost Tree an entertaining addition to the series. I received an advance review copy courtesy of Head of Zeus via NetGalley.
March 27, 2020
Set in 1914, the story opens with the disappearance of 16 year old Etterly during a game of rounders between teams of boys & girls in the Suffolk village of Sackwater on the East coast of England.
The story is narrated by Etterly's best friend, Betty Church and this is the first twist in this tale.
This book is a sort of prequel as it's the 3rd in the Betty Church series. In the first two, set in 1939 and 1940, Betty is a policewoman - a police inspector no less - who has risen through the ranks in London and returns to Sackwater to take charge of the local police station.
In this story, teenage Betty dreams of becoming a police officer and she certainly has a flair for poking her nose into other people's business! In fact, I found Betty to be a bit annoying. She seemed to find fault with almost everyone in the village, especially her parents - her father is the local dentist and Betty's certain her mother wishes her daughter had been a son instead!
Meanwhile, villagers and police search for the missing girl and Betty herself is quizzed by a local police officer who she dislikes because he once reprimanded her for skimming stones. Shortly afterwards, one of the village boys disappears overnight and is later found by Betty emerging from the hollow trunk of a tree reputed to be haunted - The Ghost Tree. Shortly afterwards he dies of a serious head injury.
People believe different stories about Etterly's disappearance but some, including Betty, believe The Ghost Tree was involved. Eventually, village life returns to normal for everyone except Betty who's convinced she hears her friend's voice coming from the hollow trunk of the tree. She even manages to persuade her amateur detective aunt to help her investigate.
The story moves forward to 1940 and the discovery of a skeleton, buried in the woods at Sackwater. Despite the body having decomposed, there's a clue in that with the corpse is a necklace on the corpse Etterly had on the day she went missing.
Having been troubled ever since Etterly's disappearance a quarter of a century before, Betty resolves to solve the mystery of what happened to her childhood friend.
I found the plot of this book unfolded too slowly - for example, the description of a game of rounders goes on for far too long - and I almost gave up. I didn't like the use of local dialect, especially the almost constant repetition of the words "goo" and "dirnt". That said, the author is a writer of considerable experience with half a dozen mystery novels to his name.
What kept my interest was the image of a sleepy English village and its many colourful inhabitants at the outbreak of the First World War and the supernatural story of missing children and a haunted tree.
I'd particularly recommend this book to fans of Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce mysteries, although Betty is a lot feistier than Flavia.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Head of Zeus for an advance copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.
The story is narrated by Etterly's best friend, Betty Church and this is the first twist in this tale.
This book is a sort of prequel as it's the 3rd in the Betty Church series. In the first two, set in 1939 and 1940, Betty is a policewoman - a police inspector no less - who has risen through the ranks in London and returns to Sackwater to take charge of the local police station.
In this story, teenage Betty dreams of becoming a police officer and she certainly has a flair for poking her nose into other people's business! In fact, I found Betty to be a bit annoying. She seemed to find fault with almost everyone in the village, especially her parents - her father is the local dentist and Betty's certain her mother wishes her daughter had been a son instead!
Meanwhile, villagers and police search for the missing girl and Betty herself is quizzed by a local police officer who she dislikes because he once reprimanded her for skimming stones. Shortly afterwards, one of the village boys disappears overnight and is later found by Betty emerging from the hollow trunk of a tree reputed to be haunted - The Ghost Tree. Shortly afterwards he dies of a serious head injury.
People believe different stories about Etterly's disappearance but some, including Betty, believe The Ghost Tree was involved. Eventually, village life returns to normal for everyone except Betty who's convinced she hears her friend's voice coming from the hollow trunk of the tree. She even manages to persuade her amateur detective aunt to help her investigate.
The story moves forward to 1940 and the discovery of a skeleton, buried in the woods at Sackwater. Despite the body having decomposed, there's a clue in that with the corpse is a necklace on the corpse Etterly had on the day she went missing.
Having been troubled ever since Etterly's disappearance a quarter of a century before, Betty resolves to solve the mystery of what happened to her childhood friend.
I found the plot of this book unfolded too slowly - for example, the description of a game of rounders goes on for far too long - and I almost gave up. I didn't like the use of local dialect, especially the almost constant repetition of the words "goo" and "dirnt". That said, the author is a writer of considerable experience with half a dozen mystery novels to his name.
What kept my interest was the image of a sleepy English village and its many colourful inhabitants at the outbreak of the First World War and the supernatural story of missing children and a haunted tree.
I'd particularly recommend this book to fans of Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce mysteries, although Betty is a lot feistier than Flavia.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Head of Zeus for an advance copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.
June 8, 2020
I would like to thank Netgalley and Head of Zeus for an advance copy of The Ghost Tree, the third novel set in 1940to feature Inspector Betty Church of the Suffolk Constabulary.
In 1914 Betty’s best friend 15 year old Etterly Utter vanished without a trace from the ghost tree, a hollowed out tree in the local park. In 1940 Betty is back in Sackwater as a police Inspector when bones are found in a local field. A necklace that Betty identifies as Etterly’s is with the bones and Betty vows to find out what happened to her.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Ghost Tree which is an engrossing read with a couple of good twists. It is told from Betty’s point of view in the first person so the reader can live the story with her. And what a story it turns out to be. It starts in 1914 with the disappearance of Etterly as a 13 year old Betty recounts the heartache of her friend’s disappearance and the efforts she put in to find her. This quarter of the novel also includes a cameo from Sidney Grice and March Middleton. The rest of the novel is set in 1940 and revolves around Betty’s investigation into what happened to Etterly.
The novel doesn’t shy away from the seamier side of life and, yet, there is something innocent about it. Perhaps it is the incompetence and naïveté of her subordinates or the optimism of the war spirit but it’s there. Betty’s team are still full of stupid jokes and foibles but while I found some of it boring and repetitive in previous novels the author has found the right balance in this novel and it held my attention throughout.
Betty Church is a wonderful creation. She is smarter and more efficient than her bumbling colleagues and is wasted in the backwaters of Sackwater but with only one arm she is lucky to have the job, never mind look for brighter lights. I like her impatience with the team and her sardonic take on life in general.
The Ghost Tree is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
In 1914 Betty’s best friend 15 year old Etterly Utter vanished without a trace from the ghost tree, a hollowed out tree in the local park. In 1940 Betty is back in Sackwater as a police Inspector when bones are found in a local field. A necklace that Betty identifies as Etterly’s is with the bones and Betty vows to find out what happened to her.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Ghost Tree which is an engrossing read with a couple of good twists. It is told from Betty’s point of view in the first person so the reader can live the story with her. And what a story it turns out to be. It starts in 1914 with the disappearance of Etterly as a 13 year old Betty recounts the heartache of her friend’s disappearance and the efforts she put in to find her. This quarter of the novel also includes a cameo from Sidney Grice and March Middleton. The rest of the novel is set in 1940 and revolves around Betty’s investigation into what happened to Etterly.
The novel doesn’t shy away from the seamier side of life and, yet, there is something innocent about it. Perhaps it is the incompetence and naïveté of her subordinates or the optimism of the war spirit but it’s there. Betty’s team are still full of stupid jokes and foibles but while I found some of it boring and repetitive in previous novels the author has found the right balance in this novel and it held my attention throughout.
Betty Church is a wonderful creation. She is smarter and more efficient than her bumbling colleagues and is wasted in the backwaters of Sackwater but with only one arm she is lucky to have the job, never mind look for brighter lights. I like her impatience with the team and her sardonic take on life in general.
The Ghost Tree is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
February 15, 2021
This story starts when we go back to 1914, when Betty's best friend Etterly disappears without a trace, supposedly trapped in the Ghost tree. The story then comes back to 1940, when part of a human skeleton is found not far from the tree.
Betty fears this might be her best friend Etterly and starts to investigate.
I found the beginning of this story at little slow in places, but it soon gets going when we come back to 1940.
With the usual great cast of characters, humour and clever plots. I hope there will be more.
Betty fears this might be her best friend Etterly and starts to investigate.
I found the beginning of this story at little slow in places, but it soon gets going when we come back to 1940.
With the usual great cast of characters, humour and clever plots. I hope there will be more.
March 6, 2024
Read without reading the others in the series. Definitely can read it out of order or for the first time to the series. The story follows a case of a missing girl last seen entering the ghost tree. After years of no updates in the case Betty Church finds a skeleton of a teenage girl near a ditch. What follows is an intriguing story with complex and funny characters. I wish we had a follow up with Sidney and March after their visit … that didn’t make sense especially with the duo being so world renowned as detectives.
September 2, 2020
In 1914 16 years old Etterly Utter (many a play on this name will occur) disappeared inside The King’s Oak an old tree. Betty her best friend never forgot her. In 1940 Betty is now Inspector Church and two skeletons are found in the area Etterly disappeared. Etterly’s parents still refuse to believe she will not come home. Starting an investigation Betty remembers a local boy found in the tree with head injuries called Godfrey was the tree going to bring light to these mysteries all these years later.
Inspector Church has her hands full with dragging her Constables into the present day and much humour comes with the local Suffolk dialect.
These characters have a very unique and old fashioned way of communicating with each other.
There was a lot of character and screen setting in the early part of the story but the pace really picks up when Inspector Church takes centre stage.
I was given an Arc of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Inspector Church has her hands full with dragging her Constables into the present day and much humour comes with the local Suffolk dialect.
These characters have a very unique and old fashioned way of communicating with each other.
There was a lot of character and screen setting in the early part of the story but the pace really picks up when Inspector Church takes centre stage.
I was given an Arc of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
August 27, 2022
I almost stoped reading this title. However I stuck with it and it became more and more interesting as I went on. So if you read stick with it as it is well worth it.
July 9, 2020
Honestly, this book was slow and clunky. There was no sense of peril or urgency, and the main character felt stilted and poorly written.
I really liked the concept of a missing girl, a ‘ghost’ tree and a WWII mystery, but this failed to meet any expectations.
By the end of the book, I found I didn’t really care what had happened to Etterly, nor what the end result would be. Everything felt 2 dimensional.
It was almost as if the author was trying to cram in as many different characters as possible and not do any of them justice.
Not an author I will be rushing back to.
I really liked the concept of a missing girl, a ‘ghost’ tree and a WWII mystery, but this failed to meet any expectations.
By the end of the book, I found I didn’t really care what had happened to Etterly, nor what the end result would be. Everything felt 2 dimensional.
It was almost as if the author was trying to cram in as many different characters as possible and not do any of them justice.
Not an author I will be rushing back to.
April 8, 2022
I was a huge fan of the author’s other series “The Gower Street Detectives” and this series which seems to be a cross between a comedy and a mystery series but doesn’t to know which one it wants to be. The first book was full of wooden characters but I thought it was because, first book.
We’re into the third book….and zero changes with the main character…or any of the other characters.
The entire mystery of this book I really….didn’t care about. Or any of the characters. It was just flat.
I don’t get the 5 star ratings. I know everyone has their own opinion, but wow 😯
We’re into the third book….and zero changes with the main character…or any of the other characters.
The entire mystery of this book I really….didn’t care about. Or any of the characters. It was just flat.
I don’t get the 5 star ratings. I know everyone has their own opinion, but wow 😯
October 24, 2020
Betty Church has lost a friend. And friends shouldn't stay lost if they don't have to. And if your lifelong dream is to become a detective, well, of course you go looking, even after you find a body, don't you? That's what The Ghost Tree is all about, and a wonderful story it is, too.
Inspector Church is a dogged detective, and in between the quips, and there are plenty, because this series is famous for them, she follows the clues and asks the right questions -- because the girl's father is convinced that his daughter isn't dead, no siree. There's no giving up for her, and luckily there are plenty of people left to talk to, people who can fill in blanks and explain what happened so long ago. And she has her own memories to conjure up.
The ending made me cry, because it pulled me into the "real" world, because with the virus and all and things the way they are, that's just the way I'm feeling. I love Betty and Dodo and Toby and all of them -- and going back to this and future books, I'm worried for what's coming, because the war is coming (it's 1940). But Betty will think of something funny to say about it, luckily for us readers, and they'll get through it, just as we'll get through it. Humor does wonders for us all.
Inspector Church is a dogged detective, and in between the quips, and there are plenty, because this series is famous for them, she follows the clues and asks the right questions -- because the girl's father is convinced that his daughter isn't dead, no siree. There's no giving up for her, and luckily there are plenty of people left to talk to, people who can fill in blanks and explain what happened so long ago. And she has her own memories to conjure up.
The ending made me cry, because it pulled me into the "real" world, because with the virus and all and things the way they are, that's just the way I'm feeling. I love Betty and Dodo and Toby and all of them -- and going back to this and future books, I'm worried for what's coming, because the war is coming (it's 1940). But Betty will think of something funny to say about it, luckily for us readers, and they'll get through it, just as we'll get through it. Humor does wonders for us all.
May 13, 2021
I would place this 3rd Betty Church mystery in 2nd place. The characters are not quite as teeth-grindingly annoying and I loved the bit where Sidney Grice makes an appearance and puts Betty's parents down. However, the mystery itself was a bit too convoluted.
November 9, 2023
I like the idea of this series, but the execution is grating and just plain weird. It’s part serious murder mystery and part farce, with hordes of buffoonish side characters saying and doing things that are so dumb and incongruous part of me wonders if it is even meant to be funny. Is it a parody? A half-hearted attempt at surrealism?
The plot is okay, but it starts off so slowly I would have DNFed in the early stages if I hadn’t been trapped on a plane, and it never gets that layered or exciting. Part of why I borrowed The Ghost Tree is because it was compared to Agatha Christie in the blurb, but the plot at most only aspires to her sleight of hand.
At one point I thought the ending was going to be so annoying and unsatisfying I’d give it one star, but it pulled it back a little (not fully) just in time to get two.
The plot is okay, but it starts off so slowly I would have DNFed in the early stages if I hadn’t been trapped on a plane, and it never gets that layered or exciting. Part of why I borrowed The Ghost Tree is because it was compared to Agatha Christie in the blurb, but the plot at most only aspires to her sleight of hand.
At one point I thought the ending was going to be so annoying and unsatisfying I’d give it one star, but it pulled it back a little (not fully) just in time to get two.
January 23, 2021
I don't know quite what to think about this book, yes I wanted to find out what happened but felt that this was a book which was a cross between a comedy and a whodunnit. I know the police involved lived in the 'Sticks' and it was mainly set in WWII but there was a sense of a non-professional attitude
which rankled. Even the Betty Church of this series was lacking in credibility in some of the story and having to wade through dialect is not one of my favourite pastimes when reading, but that's just me. We can't all like the same books but if you like to experience different styles of writing then have a go.
which rankled. Even the Betty Church of this series was lacking in credibility in some of the story and having to wade through dialect is not one of my favourite pastimes when reading, but that's just me. We can't all like the same books but if you like to experience different styles of writing then have a go.
January 20, 2022
I didn't make it past the first few chapters. Its attempts at humour? (I'm not even sure if it was supposed to be funny) were lame, the minute detail of playing a game of rounders, was mind-numbingly boring, the idiotic names were irritating. I just couldn't bear it any longer. Next.
December 29, 2020
In 1914 Betty Church’s best friend Etterly Utter goes missing. The last place she was seen was near the King’s Oak, somewhere which will forever be associated with her disappearance. It is a mystery that will remain for many years, lending a supernatural air to the old hollow oak. But when a skeleton with a necklace belonging to Etterly is discovered near Sackwater, Betty, now Inspector Church, is soon back on a case which she had attempted, and failed, to solve nearly 26 years ago.
I have to admit I was initially disappointed in this entry in the Betty Church series because it was set in 1914. I found Betty irritating at this age and didn’t really manage to properly engage with her everyday life, although well written and with a sense of solid historical accuracies. I had grown used to the ragbag group of Sackwater police officers and wanted more of the same.
So I regrouped by buying the audiobook, because Emma Gregory’s superb narration really brings Betty’s world to life for me.
This time it was a solid sit down to the finish through a really well-crafted murder mystery; and a lesson to me as a reviewer to clear my head of preconceptions and absorb what’s in front of me, not to judge the story by what I think I should expect.
Once Etterly disappeared the narrative really took off and I began, once again, to appreciate M.RC. Kasasian’s storytelling acumen.
Betty as a child is a very different prospect to Betty as a police inspector. That she has a long way to go makes for an interesting encounter with the local police sergeant when he questions her over Etterly’s disappearance. It is both hilarious and excruciating as the young naïve Betty allows the sergeant to steer her innocent answers into incriminating territory. But this is one of the talents of Kasasian as a storyteller. He somehow manages to run outrageous, sometimes slapstick humour, alongside the sinister and unpleasant.
Those characters who could be a figure of fun, the eccentric First World War shattered Superintendent Vesty, for example, are a way to really bringing home how ordinary people’s involvement in world events carved physically and emotionally into an entire generation and that the same looked about to happen all over again.
This is cozy crime Agatha Christie style with something deeply disturbing rippling along beneath the outward respectability, gentility and buffoonery.
Once in 1940, the plot hots up even further as the skeleton is found, providing numerous twists and turns, as well as the opportunity for Betty to show her ingenuity and that the very dotty police constable ‘Dodo’ Chivers may not be as daft as she appears.
The Ghost Tree plunges Betty into a very dark world which challenges her need to make a bad world right. Given that this is only the beginning of the Second World War, which has already begun to make itself felt on the quiet and unassuming Sackwater, future Betty Church novels promise to be very interesting.
I have to admit I was initially disappointed in this entry in the Betty Church series because it was set in 1914. I found Betty irritating at this age and didn’t really manage to properly engage with her everyday life, although well written and with a sense of solid historical accuracies. I had grown used to the ragbag group of Sackwater police officers and wanted more of the same.
So I regrouped by buying the audiobook, because Emma Gregory’s superb narration really brings Betty’s world to life for me.
This time it was a solid sit down to the finish through a really well-crafted murder mystery; and a lesson to me as a reviewer to clear my head of preconceptions and absorb what’s in front of me, not to judge the story by what I think I should expect.
Once Etterly disappeared the narrative really took off and I began, once again, to appreciate M.RC. Kasasian’s storytelling acumen.
Betty as a child is a very different prospect to Betty as a police inspector. That she has a long way to go makes for an interesting encounter with the local police sergeant when he questions her over Etterly’s disappearance. It is both hilarious and excruciating as the young naïve Betty allows the sergeant to steer her innocent answers into incriminating territory. But this is one of the talents of Kasasian as a storyteller. He somehow manages to run outrageous, sometimes slapstick humour, alongside the sinister and unpleasant.
Those characters who could be a figure of fun, the eccentric First World War shattered Superintendent Vesty, for example, are a way to really bringing home how ordinary people’s involvement in world events carved physically and emotionally into an entire generation and that the same looked about to happen all over again.
This is cozy crime Agatha Christie style with something deeply disturbing rippling along beneath the outward respectability, gentility and buffoonery.
Once in 1940, the plot hots up even further as the skeleton is found, providing numerous twists and turns, as well as the opportunity for Betty to show her ingenuity and that the very dotty police constable ‘Dodo’ Chivers may not be as daft as she appears.
The Ghost Tree plunges Betty into a very dark world which challenges her need to make a bad world right. Given that this is only the beginning of the Second World War, which has already begun to make itself felt on the quiet and unassuming Sackwater, future Betty Church novels promise to be very interesting.
June 9, 2020
I really enjoyed The Ghost Tree and wholeheartedly recommend it as a good read. I love the descriptions of people and events. There is a great feeling of place and time, so much so that it works as historical fiction as well as a crime/mystery story. The characters are all developing nicely over the series – I have to admit that I am glad the twins have moved on. Dodo is most interesting after the talking to she got at the end of the previous book – very clever. The other police are all nicely distinctive and feel real because they are not stereotypes or completely predictable. Even the weird parents are more likeable the more we come across them. A gentle romance is well handled.
And I was so delighted at the cameo appearance of March Middleton and … I really should have seen it coming and I didn’t!
What is extraordinary about Kasasian ‘s writing is the ability to change from silly and very funny comedy to poignant, sad and even dark scenes which are not forced or contrived or manipulative. The writing has great feeling and conviction and touched my heart. I love a book that both makes me laugh and cry. There is a genuine feeling that this unusual story is written by an unusual, thoughtful and caring man.
Perhaps best of all is that it is a great mystery story and I didn’t see where it was going even though all the clues were there. The ending is good – completing this story satisfactorily but leaving us wondering about Betty’s future health and relationships. I am so looking forward to the next one! Thank you Martin. Keep up the good work!
Thank you #Netgalley
And I was so delighted at the cameo appearance of March Middleton and … I really should have seen it coming and I didn’t!
What is extraordinary about Kasasian ‘s writing is the ability to change from silly and very funny comedy to poignant, sad and even dark scenes which are not forced or contrived or manipulative. The writing has great feeling and conviction and touched my heart. I love a book that both makes me laugh and cry. There is a genuine feeling that this unusual story is written by an unusual, thoughtful and caring man.
Perhaps best of all is that it is a great mystery story and I didn’t see where it was going even though all the clues were there. The ending is good – completing this story satisfactorily but leaving us wondering about Betty’s future health and relationships. I am so looking forward to the next one! Thank you Martin. Keep up the good work!
Thank you #Netgalley
April 19, 2022
This is the third book in a series and specifically about the audiobook. The narrator was quite good and handled the various voices nicely.
The story follows the same format as the previous 2 books which was that the stories all did a slow burn. The first half or so jumps between two time periods- the teen years of the main character and her adult hood as a police officer. In the previous 2 books I didn’t warm to Betty but I didn’t dislike her quite as much as I did in this book. At just under 14 hours the book is about 5 hours too long and only gave me more time to develop a large amount of dislike and disdain for adult Betty. The story didn’t feel compelling enough to keep me interested after chapter 59 when she questions a witness with all the arrogance, aggression and snark that one could never wish for culminating in her punching them in the face. I ended up skipping some of the remaining chapters just to finish the story. I’m pretty sure this will be the last one in the series for me.
The story follows the same format as the previous 2 books which was that the stories all did a slow burn. The first half or so jumps between two time periods- the teen years of the main character and her adult hood as a police officer. In the previous 2 books I didn’t warm to Betty but I didn’t dislike her quite as much as I did in this book. At just under 14 hours the book is about 5 hours too long and only gave me more time to develop a large amount of dislike and disdain for adult Betty. The story didn’t feel compelling enough to keep me interested after chapter 59 when she questions a witness with all the arrogance, aggression and snark that one could never wish for culminating in her punching them in the face. I ended up skipping some of the remaining chapters just to finish the story. I’m pretty sure this will be the last one in the series for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2020
The third book featuring Inspector Betty Church sees her past return to haunt her. Her childhood best friend, Etterly Utter, disappeared twenty-six years ago and was never seen or heard from again. When the skeleton of a young girl is unearthed in the present, Betty has to face the possibility that Etterly never left at all.
The story starts off in the past (1914) with the young Betty (with a fairly happy childhood considering her parents - what is their problem with her?) which is then cut short when her best friend disappears. The story then moves to the present (1940) with the discovery of a skeleton and Betty decides that she needs to know what happened to Etterly once and for all. At the bottom of this there is a good story, but it is again buried in too much slapstick and it begins to get tiresome after a while. It was an okay read but could have been better.
Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Head of Zeus, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
The story starts off in the past (1914) with the young Betty (with a fairly happy childhood considering her parents - what is their problem with her?) which is then cut short when her best friend disappears. The story then moves to the present (1940) with the discovery of a skeleton and Betty decides that she needs to know what happened to Etterly once and for all. At the bottom of this there is a good story, but it is again buried in too much slapstick and it begins to get tiresome after a while. It was an okay read but could have been better.
Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Head of Zeus, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
May 20, 2021
Since the first Betty Church mystery, it's been clear that the feisty police inspector would eventually turn to the disappearance of her childhood friend. Etterly Utter walked into the large hollow tree where a group of girls had stashed their coats, and was never seen again. When bones of a young woman are found in a barren field, Betty is afraid that her hopes of someday finding Etterly alive have been dashed. But Etterly's father has received a strange anonymous letter saying that Etterly is living in London. As Betty revisits her memories of Etterly's disappearance, and the coast of Suffolk waits for the expected German invasion after Dunkirk, Betty makes a quick trip to London and finds that she's been looking at the mystery in the wrong way.
July 4, 2022
In this, the third Betty Church mystery, I think we’ve seen the best of the series. I think the earlier two did not have the most believable murders. But here I think motives were clear and completely believable.
I’ve always really liked the way the author writes, and the characters are always great. You will care for the characters, Betty is a great character and I hope there will be more in the series. The books are a nice mystery with fun characters and a serious backdrop with being 1940.
I’ve seen a reviewer say they had an issue with the pacing of the flashbacks, I didn’t find that at all and really enjoyed reading about the big mystery in Betty’s past.
I’ve always really liked the way the author writes, and the characters are always great. You will care for the characters, Betty is a great character and I hope there will be more in the series. The books are a nice mystery with fun characters and a serious backdrop with being 1940.
I’ve seen a reviewer say they had an issue with the pacing of the flashbacks, I didn’t find that at all and really enjoyed reading about the big mystery in Betty’s past.
April 21, 2025
قراءات ٢٠٢٥
مازلت على نفس طبعي مع قصص السلسلات، استمع لأول جزء وربما أصل لنصف الجزء الثاني، ولا أتذكر من البطل ومن هذه الشخصية الجديدة ومتى وأين حدثت الرواية!
عندما قررت تخطي إحباطات التركيز والاستمتاع، وتشجعت لأعيد استماع ما لم استوعبه والذي كان يصل للألف صفحة أو أكثر، وجدت متعة خاصة، يزيد من حدتها، التعلق بالأبطال، والذي في معظم الأحيان، يترك فراغاً أحاول سده بسلسلة جديدة ، لا استمتع بها ولكن لا أجد البديل، فأصر على الاستمرار، وعندما أجد نفسي تائهة مرة أخرى، أعيد الكرة.
تعلقت بالشخصيات هنا على قدر كرهي لها في بداية الأمر!
أتمنى أن استمتع بكتابات الكاتب الأخرى كما استمتعت مع betty Church
مازلت على نفس طبعي مع قصص السلسلات، استمع لأول جزء وربما أصل لنصف الجزء الثاني، ولا أتذكر من البطل ومن هذه الشخصية الجديدة ومتى وأين حدثت الرواية!
عندما قررت تخطي إحباطات التركيز والاستمتاع، وتشجعت لأعيد استماع ما لم استوعبه والذي كان يصل للألف صفحة أو أكثر، وجدت متعة خاصة، يزيد من حدتها، التعلق بالأبطال، والذي في معظم الأحيان، يترك فراغاً أحاول سده بسلسلة جديدة ، لا استمتع بها ولكن لا أجد البديل، فأصر على الاستمرار، وعندما أجد نفسي تائهة مرة أخرى، أعيد الكرة.
تعلقت بالشخصيات هنا على قدر كرهي لها في بداية الأمر!
أتمنى أن استمتع بكتابات الكاتب الأخرى كما استمتعت مع betty Church
July 1, 2020
I think this is my favourite MRC Kasasian book so far. I've read all three of the Betty Church series and all the Gower Street series. This book offered to fill in some background and strengthen the ties between the two series. It was well constructed, a real mystery that led you down one path only to twist the plot with genuine surprises. I'm invested in the recurring characters and want to know what happens to them as much as how the mystery unfolds. The cliff hanger at the end ensures I need to know when the next book is released to find out the next phase. Great story.
March 16, 2022
Pretty "meh" for me, after a strong 2nd book in the series. Too much of Betty's "parents," not enough plot, not enough pay-off. The 2nd book was tightly constructed with threads that all tied together at the end, but this one is meandering and the past / present aspect didn't combine well. Not sure if I hope for more entries in the series or not at this point. Kasasian is still a clever writer with an ear for dialect and a penchant for memorable / bizarre names so I'll probably give the next book (if there is one) a chance.
June 7, 2020
Betty Church is back and I found this story as enjoyable as usual.
I struggled a bit in the first part that I found slow but I throughly enjoyed the second part that is excellent.
A well thought cast of characters, a vivid and realistic historical background, a solid mystery and a lot of humour.
This series is a favorite and I recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I struggled a bit in the first part that I found slow but I throughly enjoyed the second part that is excellent.
A well thought cast of characters, a vivid and realistic historical background, a solid mystery and a lot of humour.
This series is a favorite and I recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
August 28, 2025
An enjoyable read which keeps you turning the pages. In the beginning I found the plot a little slow with long characterisations but many were quite funny and proved worthwhile in the end.
It also provides a sad commentary about the helpless place many women held in early 20th Century England but the author used Inspector Church to show the reader that the war was a turning point and attitudes were a-changing.
It also provides a sad commentary about the helpless place many women held in early 20th Century England but the author used Inspector Church to show the reader that the war was a turning point and attitudes were a-changing.
June 3, 2020
Thanks to #Netgalley, the publisher #Head of Zeus and the author M R C Kasasian for providing me with an advance copy of The Ghost Tree in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. This is the third novel in a series set in 1940 featuring Inspector Betty Church and I have read them all. I loved this book as all of the characters are so well written. This book is a historical mystery which explores the disappearance of Etterly Utter . I highly recommend this book and all of the books in the series.
June 18, 2020
I loved this - it’s not easy to read in lockdown, but this kept my attention and I was utterly engrossed in it. Betty is a fantastic character and the more I see of the others - especially Dodo and Bantony - the more interesting they are. Nicely twisty mystery and a delightful cameo from Sidney Grice and March Middleton
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2022
Kasasian loves to draw on humour and frustration in order to delight readers as they follow the mystery to the end and this book doesn't disappoint in that. It does get personal for the main character in the series when her childhood trauma catches up with her and the investigation requires her to be a witness too. I loved it and can't wait for another Kasasian book.
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