Guilt at the Garage

Fethering #20

by Simon Brett

When Carole Seddon's car is vandalised, it heralds the start of a disturbing series of events in the witty and entertaining new Fethering mystery.

Carole Seddon's trusty Renault is one of her most treasured possessions. So when it is vandalised, there's only one person she will entrust with its Bill Shefford has been servicing the vehicles of the good citizens of Fethering for many years. But how could something like this happen in Fethering of all places?

Then the note is shoved under Carole's kitchen Watch out. The car window was just the start. It would appear that she has been deliberately targeted. But by whom . and why?

Matters take an even more disturbing turn when a body is discovered at Shefford's Garage, crushed to death by a falling gearbox. It would appear to be a tragic accident. Carole and her neighbour Jude are not so sure. And the more they start to ask questions, the more evidence they uncover of decidedly foul play .

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Cozy, Cozy Mystery, Crime, British Literature

192 pages, Hardcover

First published February 2, 2021

About the author

Simon Brett is a prolific British writer of whodunnits.

He is the son of a Chartered Surveyor and was educated at Dulwich College and Wadham College, Oxford, where he got a first class honours degree in English.

He then joined the BBC as a trainee and worked for BBC Radio and London Weekend Television, where his work included 'Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy' and 'Frank Muir Goes Into ...'.

After his spells with the media he began devoting most of his time to writing from the late 1970s and is well known for his various series of crime novels.

He is married with three children and lives in Burpham, near Arundel, West Sussex, England. He is the current president of the Detection Club.

Reviews

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guilt at the Garage is the twentieth instalment in the Fethering Village Mysteries series, featuring amateur sleuthing duo Carol Seddon and her next door neighbour Jude, set in Fethering, West Sussex. After a night drinking her usual dinner accompaniment, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, at Fethering's only pub, The Crown and Anchor, with Jude, Carol decides to err on the side of caution and leave her beloved white Renault parked near the shops and walk the short distance back home to High Tor believing it'll be safe overnight. However, when she takes pooch Gulliver for a walk the following day she finds it has been vandalised and the back windscreen has been smashed in leaving granulated glass scattered over both the boot and the upholstery. This warrants a trip to Bill Shefford's garage, on the edge of the Downside Estate, as she knows he is the only one she trusts to fix it up and treat it with care as well as providing good old fashioned customer service. When she returns home she discovers a frightening message on a piece of paper on the kitchen floor stating "Watch out. The car window was just the start."

A couple of days later, she is once again back at Shefford's, this time for regular repairs, when inexplicably the gearbox of a Triumph TR6 falls on Bill killing him instantaneously. Carole and Jude are shocked by both the death and the vandalism and not forgetting the poisoned pen letters and decide to investigate. This is a richly detailed and atmospheric cosy that had me riveted from the outset. I love the descriptions of the village as it resembles the chocolate-box countryside location found in Midsomer Murders, complete with the same gossiping busybodies. It's compulsive and the mystery had me eating through the pages in record time. Told from the perspectives of both Carole and Jude, it works incredibly well as they each have totally different outlooks on life. There are plenty of twists and turns and a liberal use of misdirection, which successfully threw me off the scent, and I must admit that I love Carole who is a stickler for the rules and represents middle England rather well. An entertaining, enthralling piece of page-turning escapism, and a cosy I highly recommend.

[John Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't read this book if you haven't read the others in this brilliant series first. Yes, of course, it is stand alone story but the enjoyment in this series comes from knowing the people of Fethering, their habits and their histories.

The author's perceptive observations are as descriptive as ever. Who else but Mr Brett would, these days, describe old images " as dated -and-dating as Miss Havisham's wedding dress" - a classic.
These descriptions really draw you into the stories. Not only will you soon be able to accurately describe Carol and Jude to anyone but I expect you to have a complete picture of their adjacent cottages too. You will also have a good picture in your mind's eye of Ted Crisp and the village pub.

The who-done-it element in this story seems stronger than on my recent visits to this sleepy middle class conclave on the south coast, I am pleased to say, even though once again I had the wrong person in the frame. ( May be I would question 'a method' but it is difficult to be specific without giving away too much).

There are indications that this story was written quite recently although still pre-virus. I cant wait to see how Carol and Jude handle Fethering in lockdown. I don't think that the village pub only being able to serve their New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with bona fide meals will be too much of a problem for them but will Ted at the Crown and Anchor manage with the restrictions and closures?

I am sure that this must give the author inspiration for more in this series even though I thought I detected a sign of the alternative.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is always fun to revisit Fethering. It is a bit like a village from an Agatha Christie novel but updated. Though I am beginning to wonder if the depictions are as potentially realistic as they once were for this has been a series going on for probably 25 years without the characters changing much. Though Carole, the most set in her ways character, has changed a bit. It is almost painfully slow. But maybe that is to be expected.

Anyways, it is fun. Sometimes funny and sometimes painfully real. A series I have very much enjoyed.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a joy and a pleasure to spend some time in the imagined world of Carole and Jude as depicted in the Fethering Mysteries.

Guilt at the Garage is the twentieth book Simon Brett has released in this series of cosy crime stories. What draws me to them is the contrast between the two protagonists who in each instalment begin to investigate a suspicious death in or around their small seaside community. They are cleverly drawn characters and the author overlays their fictional setting with an element of danger, slick plotting and a colourful but routine life.

Crime is at the heart of each episode but the background set of characters are restricted to the victim’s occupation, place of death, hobby or club affiliation. So as readers we have over time built up quite an understanding of Fethering and it’s neighbouring towns and villages. From the titles you will quickly get the idea and why each new novel is similar but a fresh and engaging puzzle.

Carole was actually at the old fashioned family run business having her car fixed, when tragedy overtook the proprietor. So she is almost obliged to start asking questions.

Character driven, clever dialogue and the interweaving of everything that makes Carole and Jude so familiar but unique as ‘detectives’ the pages quickly pass with a sense of comfort and a smile on your face.

There is a sense of pause at the end of the book; I am amazed the series has lasted so many variations of this simple premise. I would hate to think there is a change of direction for these two colourful well-meaning, inquisitive neighbours. However, Brett is a prolific writer and an accomplished story teller. I note his latest book is a “Decluttering” mystery. I shall read it with interest but I doubt it will fill the void left, if he has called time on Carole and Jude.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guilt at the Garage (A Fethering Mystery, 20) by Simon Brett.
Having read 19 of the past books in this Fethering series this latest entry brought the same enjoyment from that sleuthing duo of Jude & Carol. The next door neighbors with nothing in common other than being ace investigators. This investigation began with Carol's car being vandalized. The back window being bashed in with glass scattered about she brings it to Bill Shefford's garage for repairs.
The author acquaints us to Bill Shefford and Frankie his receptionist.
While Carol is dealing with her car issues Jude is at home with a cantankerous elderly woman for a client. (Rhona Hampton's daughter is married to Billy Shefford Bill's son.) Rhona has an intense dislike for Bill's new wife Melee from Thailand.
Then a disturbing event occurs at the garage. Bill is crushed to death while working on a gear box. Jude & Carol are swept into a mystery they just can't solve...that is until Frankie hands over bill's diary.
The reason I follow this series is due primarily to Carol and Jude. Their differences personify them as realistic individuals with a workable relationship in solving mysteries. The Crown and Anchor Pub with Ted Crisp as manager/owner joins in the sleuthing to a degree with the latest gossip being tossed about by the locals. This is Carol and Jude's usual go to hang out to listen in to what's being said and enjoy their Sauvignon Blanc. This was another delightful addition to this series.

[Emma Sea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think Carole and Jude need to be separated for Jude's mental health. Instead, they could catch up once a year to share a bottle of sav blanc. And Carole needs a best friend, who themselves only wants one best friend in Carole.

[S.J. Higbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books come under the heading of ‘cosy mysteries’ but I’m not convinced that ‘cosy’ is a suitable adjective for the dynamic that Brett has set up here. Carole Sedden has to be one of the most prickly protagonists I’ve encountered. Unsociable, snobbish, judgemental and narrow-minded, I find her difficult to like. But she is also desperately insecure, horribly lonely and rather vulnerable. I also find it appealing that when her car is vandalised, she doesn’t immediately set to and try to discover the perpetrator – but rushes to get it repaired and cover up the event, because she is obscurely ashamed that such a thing has happened to her…

As ever, I was glad when Jude made an appearance. She is the opposite of Carole in so many ways and far more agreeable – they make an ideal Holmes and Watson pairing. Jude needs Carole’s obsessive tenaciousness and Carole needs Jude’s people skills. The garage murder worked well. I enjoyed the dynamic and learning more about a kindly man who took pride in his work. Brett’s take on the way the social fabric of this country is being strained, with everyone decamping to their own political and class echo chamber, is well depicted without becoming a rant.

Any niggles? Well, the trouble with setting up a hook, like the attack of a protagonist’s car, for instance – is that the denouement has to pay off. And in this case, I felt it was rather contrived and didn’t really satisfy. But because the main action was so well handled and crafted, this didn’t turn out to be a dealbreaker – more of a minor disappointment. I’ll certainly be getting hold of the next book, given there seems to be a major change in the air… Recommended for fans who like their murder mysteries with intelligent and sharp-edged observations on modern society, along with the dead bodies. While I obtained an arc of Guilt at the Garage from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10

[Eugene · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, so I recently picked up #8 in this series, Death Under The Dryer, and while at the library saw this 20th and most recent of Brett’s estimable “Fethering” books, so I grabbed it as well. I usually read these sorts of things in order, but with another 12 to go, I thought I’d see if it has held up that long; well, I did and I didn’t get my answer…
This effort reads well enough, the story is enjoyable to follow, and for those of you familiar with Carole and Jude, one is as much a prig as ever and the other a very attractive character, you’ll certainly decide the same with volume 1 if you’re just starting. On the other hand, I strongly felt that Brett was signaling that this fine series is coming to an end, or a decided pivot to a new locus/focus. You’ll have to read the book to see if you too take that away…but for me, it was sort of disquieting to feel that this might be so, as I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the now nine I have read.
Here, Carole takes her recently vandalized (and beloved) Renault to the auto shop for repair. But shortly afterward, proprietor Bill Shefford is killed in a tragic workplace accident. Or is it an accident? Carole and Jude are not so sure, and doing what they do best, begin to investigate. From there, the story takes off.
A satisfying read, and now I’ll be on the lookout for an announcement of a 21st release.

[Russell Atkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This piece of fluff might easily have been imagined as an outline for a one-episode TV mystery. There's not much to it. I'm learning more about what publishers do to make a book marketable, and it isn't pretty. A couple of posts ago I mentioned a 500-page that was squeezed down to 350 pages by use of small font and narrow margins. This book, at a scant 185 pages, is stretched to feel larger by use of extra-thick paper and some pointless digressions in the story.

The heroines are two single ladies in a small English town who double as amateur sleuths. They look into the mysterious death of an elderly garage owner who dies from a gearbox falling on him in the service pit. It's all quite implausible, but the book is populated with a collection of zany characters and village life in rural England is skewered good-naturedly. It's a quick and inoffensive read.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simon Brett never disappoing and this excellent cozy mystery confirm my opinion.
It's a great mix of mystery, social satire and I loved how he described the dark side of Feathering and of the quirky characters.
Carol and Jude are at their best, each one with their different approach to life and people.
The mystery is solid, full of twists and turns, and the solution came as a surprise.
I loved how the author deals with the racial questions and the bias towards people from other country. The approach to racial differences is realist and it makes the difference featuring how bigot people can be.
It was a highly entertaining and gripping read, strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me an ARC of this title, in return for a fair and honest review.

This was a comfortable read, which may be what some of us need these days. Familiar characters, acting as they usually do, a mystery that plays out as expected. So, it was a fine read, kept me occupied, wasn't challenging in any way.

Unfortunately, though, I wonder if this series isn't getting a bit old and tired, even for the author. The relationship between the two main characters, which used to be one of the most interesting parts of this series, seems to be deteriorating, and I wonder if that isn't an indication that maybe this series has run its course.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading the Fethering series as the world locked down for Covid19. Now a year later I finished the last one. Over the course of this series, it seemed to me that Carole had loosened up a bit and become more accepting of, or at least polite about, her friend Jude's healing practice. Here in #20, she is rather rude to Jude so their odd couple friendship doesn't shine as much.

Still a fun quick read with plenty of red herrings.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It occurs to me that this series has run its course. Carole and Jude are less interesting all the time, partially because they show so little growth as characters.

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for an advance copy of Guilt at the Garage, the twentieth novel in the Fethering series featuring Carole Seddon and her neighbour Jude.

A broken rear windscreen takes Carole to the local garage where Bill Shefford offers his customers old fashioned service. On her return Carole finds an anonymous letter implying that there was more to the damage to her car than simple vandalism. A few days later she is back at Shefford’s for regular repairs when a gearbox falls on Bill Shefford, killing him instantly. Rumours swirl in Fethering so Carole and Jude start investigating.

I enjoyed Guilt at the Garage which is a fun read with a good mystery attached. It is narrated from Carole and Jude’s points of view so the reader knows what they know and can try to guess along with them. In this case it is hard to get ahead of them as much of relevant information is withheld until close to the reveal, and even then it’s not so clear cut, being a case of morality and ethics versus legality. The novel offers a real conundrum in this. Otherwise the novel offers the standard procedure for the series, ask a lot of questions and stumble on the truth, to the background of fairly preposterous death scenes, as in this case, death by gearbox. It made me laugh.

The joy from this novel lies in its rather sharp barbs at middle England. I had forgotten what a pain the straight laced, uptight Carole Seddon is and how judgemental. In sharp contrast the freewheeling, laidback Jude offers support, not censure with her anything goes attitude. Guess who has the more satisfying life and cops less criticism from the author?

Guilt at the Garage is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carole’s precious, pristine Renault is vandalized and her auto mechanic killed. Jude is off cracking a quack doctor’s scam. Just another day in Fethering.

This is Book #20 and the two village sleuths are still in their mid fifties, where they were 20 books ago. Please couldn’t they be aging gracefully?

Agatha Christie was an atrocious racist and Simon Brett seems to trying to follow in her footsteps. Hers was a different era. I find the constant use of the slur chink very offensive. It’s as derogatory as the n word. Why encourage bigotry?

Otherwise this was one of the better in this long running series.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful book in the series featuring the inflexible Carole Seddon and her boho neighbor, Jude, who are friends but polar opposites. Carole’s mechanic dies in an odd accident. Was it actually murder?

While Guilt at the Garage doesn’t rank as one of author Simon Brett’s best, the 20th in this fun, humorous series, proved a delightful read. Readers will enjoy the many inconsistencies and the funny practices of uptight Fethering in Sussex. A good four stars.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit slow with thoroughly unlikeable characters.

[Hannelore Cheney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carol's beloved Renault gets vandalised when she leaves it at a garage. She takes it to the local mechanic, who is subsequently killed by a falling gearbox. Jude, her neighbor, is still working as a healer and the both of them, of course, start their usual sleuthing trying to find out who or what caused this death.
This is the 20th in the series and even though I found it a pleasant read, I was getting irritated with Carole and her constant negativity. I guess I wanted her to change for the better as the series continued. Even though she should be pitied for her rigidity and lack of ease in company, she comes across as downright rude at times.
However, the ending hints at changes to come, which makes me eager for the next in the series!
Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Guilt at the Garage is not going to win an Edgar but it is an enjoyable book to read on a cold Winter afternoon.

Old friends Carole and Jude decide to walk home from their favorite pub leaving Carole’s car parked in town. When Carole returns the next morning, she finds her car vandalized with a broken rear windshield. She drops the car off at Bill’s garage. She then finds a note warning her that the shattered window won’t be the last of it. A few days later, Bill is killed suspiciously while fixing another car. Carole and Jude decide to investigate!

Once again, Guilt at the Garage is a pleasant enough mystery. However, I miss the challenge of the author’s Charlie Paris series. 3 stars.

Thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice plot and interesting characters. An interesting death, not obviously a murder, but plenty of possibilities and suspects. The revelation at the end is satisfying. Much of the setting and character development depends on previous books in the series.
I liked this series so much I started drinking Chilean Chardonnay. But in this books Carol and Jude have switched from Chardonnay to Sauvignon Blanc! Things are changing. Carol seems much less likeable than in previous mysteries in this series. I can almost agree with other readers who dislike Carol enough to quite reading. It almost seems like this book is the end, or at least a prelude to the end.

[Robin Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twenty years on from the first novel in the series Simon Brett's two Fethering lady sleuths - Carole and Jude - are as endearing as ever. And miraculously they don't seem to have aged at all. Perhaps there's even been a bit of a Benjamin Button effect going on?
This may be a whodunit but it's the rapport between the characters that makes it such a delight to read. This is the perfect book to take one's mind off all the worries of the real world. Fethering is a very special place.

[John Frankham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid 20th in Simon Brett’s Fethering series of whodunnits. Our two sleuth neighbours, the decent, introverted and insecure Carole, and the extraverted and self-satisfied Jude wonder how and why the local car mechanic was killed as the gear-box on the car he was repairing fell and killed him.

The usual, well-written and humane story, full of perceptive comments on modern life, and on a wide range of characters. Good, solid stuff.

[Linda Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars, rounded up.

This series is good escapist reading, if sometimes a little implausible. The two main characters are likable, if not always believable. There's poor Carol, a conservative, snobbish, introvert, clinging to outdated social rules. Her friend and neighbor Jude is the opposite. She's an overweight, free spirited extrovert. Their main hobby is solving murders.

This book seemed a little darker than most, with racism rearing its ugly head in the village.

[Suzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another series I love. Quick read and amusing. Two lively characters, who resemble my best friend and I, solve mysteries, usually murders in a small coastal village in SW Britain. Lots of wine drinking and dog walking along the beach. Always a presumptuous man in the story. Great fun.

[Colette Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Enjoyable Read

I love Simon Brett's Fethering series and enjoy reading of the adventures of Carole and Jude! This book gives the impression that the series may not continue for long- I do hope I am wrong!

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like the characters, the actual mysteries are secondary. However, this time around it seemed like they were not together very much. Investigations were done on their own and then at the end Jude alludes to possibly moving on from Feathering, so maybe the series is winding down.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good . Not the best in the series .

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

Best one yet

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back on form!! I've loved this series of books, but felt the last couple had fallen off, but am thrilled that this was back to the best of Carole and Jude.
Hurrah!!

[Sara Eames · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent cosy mystery - I do so enjoy reading the exploits of Jude and Carol.