A Very Private Murder

Charlie Priest #13

by Stuart Pawson

D.I. Charlie Priest is on gardening leave - the neighbours have complained about his weeds - when the call comes. Ghislaine Curzon, girlfriend of one of the royal princes, is in Heckley to open the Curzon Centre, a new shopping mall and conference facility. But as she reveals the commemorative plaque at the opening ceremony it looks like someone has got to it first, defacing it with a single obscene word in foot-high red letters. The visiting dignitaries are aghast and the chief constable insists on Charlie investigating the case. Charlie would rather be investigating the burglaries perpetrated by a two-man gang, armed with a pit bull terrier, but he welcomes the opportunity to meet Ghislaine, known as Grizzly to her friends, at the family's stately home in East Yorkshire. He also meets and befriends Toby, her precocious thirteen-year-old sister. The jollities cease, however, when the mayor of Heckley and driving force behind the construction of the Curzon Centre is found dead, killed

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Procedural, British Literature

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Stuart Pawson lived in Fairburn, Yorkshire, with his wife, Doreen.

After a career as a mining electrical engineer, he worked part-time for the probation service for five years, mediating between offenders and their victims. This gave him a good insight into the criminal justice system, and it was during this period that he started to write his first book, The Picasso Scam.

Stuart believed he must have some cowboy genes somewhere in his genome because he always had a strong affinity for the American West. His first visit to the USA was to work for a month at a Wyoming coalmine, and he holidayed over there many times. Although tone-deaf (some would say stone-deaf) he always thought it would be good fun to be a songwriter. The thought of composing a three-minute song as opposed to a 300-page book had a certain attraction. He managed to combine the two themes - song writing and the West - in the opening chapters of Laughing Boy, and he enjoyed writing that one immensely.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this was like a lovely visit with an old friend! If you're not familiar with the Charlie Priest series, I highly recommend reading them from the beginning (check out Pawson's website for the titles http://www.meanstreets.co.uk/) as Charlie's personal life and relationships with members of Heckley CID are important components of the books. These are Yorkshire police procedurals with a strong sense of place and clever sense of humor, and are likely to appeal to fans of Reginald Hill, Stephen Booth, Peter Lovesey, Peter Robinson, etc.

[John Hardy · Rating 3 out of 5]

DI Charlie Priest #13. I picked this up at a previous Bookfest and it has sat around too long. I don't think I have read any others in the series. The novel is written in first person, which I usually dislike. Charlie as a character is a bit unbelievable, almost too good to be true.
The main plot, solving the murder of a wealthy man, takes a bit of a back seat to a sub-plot involving the girlfriend of a Prince. It gets unbelievable when a mere Inspector is assigned to conduct investigations in that household, and without passing any security check. Charlie also forms a friendly relationship with the young sister of the girlfriend, who has a serious disease . This author uses every trick to tug at the heartstrings.
In the end, Charlie shows himself to be soft-hearted towards a murderer, but forms an intense dislike for a mere puppet accomplice. The character is highly inconsistent. Other police characters make little impression.
I doubt if I will put much effort into searching for earlier titles in this series.
Rating 3.0.

[Alison C · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mini-celebrity, said to be dating one of the Royals, is picked to open a new shopping mall, but when she does it is discovered that someone has defaced a commemorative plaque with an obscenity. Detective Inspector Charlie Priest is ordered to investigate, but soon the trivial incident takes a back seat to his investigation of the murder of the town mayor, a prime instigator of the shopping mall project and someone with more than a few secrets…. I thought this was the first in a series of mysteries set in Yorkshire, but it turns out to be the most recent in a multi-volume series. It is told in the first person, which means the reader only knows what DI Priest knows and only develops an understanding of the characters through his eyes. I found the plot to be okay, but the fact that it took me 6 days to read this book indicates that I wasn’t very impressed; meh.

[Plum-crazy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this back in 2011 & initially I didn't think it was going to be up to the usual high standard. I think it was just because it seemed so very long since there'd been a new Charlie Priest book to read & my expectations were so high. However, that thought was only momentary as Charlie is on top form here - especially during a bank robbery!

A really good series that far too few people seem to know about & I'm having great fun discovering them all over again. Sadly this is the last of the series as Stuart Pawson died in 2016 & he will be sorely missed.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie is always lots of fun and this time he visited some places I have visited because some ancestors came from those place in East Yorkshire. Horses are always an added attraction, although this book nicely dispels any visions of flying manes and wads of cash. As for the pit bulls...
I do enjoy the details of the procedural and the way officers are moving to their appointed tasks with Charlie as task master, always bearing in mind that some higher-up will be examining his budget and mileages.

[Eric Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my 2nd D I Priest novel and they really are a pleasant interlude , reminiscent of Frost . This one finds the main character fancying himself in competition with a royal for the affection of a unattached young lady who may have a murderer for a father . With a humane animal gun as a killing weapon , dodgy racehorse owners and wealthy land-owners running out of money in the mix , there is no shortage of suspects . Lots of light humour to enjoy along the way .

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good holiday read. Detective Inspector Charlie Priest is a rounded, likeable character working in a northern town, Heckley. This saga involves rude words on a commemorative plaque, the murder of the town's less-than-honest mayor and a race horse or two. It's an involving enough story, well-told. But a week after having read it, I can't remember much about it.

[Eleanor Webster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love DI Priestly novels. An easy read that sucks you in with the usual humour thrown in. Having accidentally reread the three first books in the series earlier this year (the benefit of getting older is that reading becomes a cheap hobby as I keep rereading books I've forgotten I read.) I prefer his later books as I think his characters have settled in over time.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I have finished this series. It has become one of my favourites and I will miss Chatley Priest and his crew.

This was a good story but not as strong as many of the others. There was very little about his personal life and I missed that.

[Oise · Rating 2 out of 5]

this one wasn't for me. there were loads of side plots and characters with silly names so it was really hard to keep track. Not much actually focus on the murder. It was a bit of a drag and some of the references hadn't aged well. This might be that I haven't read the others in the series?

[JEANNIE JONES · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another triumph for Charlie Priest.

A brilliant tale about Yorkshire and Inspector Priest and colleagues doing their jobs with humour and pathos. Stuart Lawson is a wonderful writer. I have enjoyed all 13 books.

[Alka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Discovery of a new author, murder mystery series. Subtle, meandering and not too predictable. Enjoyed

[Alison Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a bit of a meander of a read with no real tension or build-up in plot but in this first person narrative, the protagonist is someone I wouldn't mind having a drink with.

[Alayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very gripping story! And wryly amusing, with a sting in the tail that the reader will not see coming! Excellent.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had this in my work bag to read on the tram on the way home.

It was so good I took it out of my bag to read at home.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read, easy on the eye.

[Neil Fulwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid detective novel which juggles its subplots effectively and is narrated with touch of wry humour.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Charlie and his team very relatable and have loved all of the books in this series so I am very sad to have come to the end of the series.

[Debi Ziemba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute Twist

Really enjoy Charlie and his team, AND his maneuvers. I never saw the final twist. Next book should let us know where this is headed.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic series finished. Well worth reading!

[Sreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok

[John Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had put this on my list to get because I had heard an earlier book in this series and enjoyed it. The cover says "Yorkshires answer to Morse", but it wasnt old Endeavour that I thought of when I read the book but perhaps a smartened up and Anglicised Rhebus. It is an easy going story and although all of the characrters were of course fictitious, I bet that I know who everyone thinks of when they read the book.
I shall be looking for others in the series and that is always a good recommendation.

[Julie Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best of the three I've read...the other two were good, but this was great!

Very intriguing mystery, characters...Charlie's life takes an interesting turn personally. It left me wondering what happens next for good ol Charlie, who's irrepressible humour and good nature make him such a good character to root for...

Enjoyable series.

[Carlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great character! D.I. Charlie Priest that is. I haven't enjoyed a mystery so much in a long time. The location, in Yorkshire, England, came alive in the words of the author. Great story, police procedural par excellence. This is number 13 in the series and the first one I've read, but it easily stands alone. I look forward to reading more about Charlie and his fellow detectives.

[Lin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great writing, love his humorous style using hilarious metaphors and similes. Detective Inspector Charlie is a very likeable character who quietly gets the job done. He is gentle when he questions the locals, but can leap into action when needed. Looking forward to reading more of Pawson's books.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved this series and read all 13 books, hope there is more to come.

[Rog Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read most of this series and have read some of the earlier books two or three times. Charlie Priest is a great character and this is a good read.

[Tracee · Rating 2 out of 5]

It finally picked up in the last third but really nothing to write home about