‘Great characters, great plot and a totally dazzling finish… Wonderful.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
Oxford, 1961
A family day out at Briar’s Hall ends in tragedy when a young boy goes missing – and his body is found at the bottom of a disused well in the orchard.
It looks like a simple case of an eleven-year-old exploring where he shouldn’t: a tragic accident. But Coroner Clement Ryder and … accident. But Coroner Clement Ryder and Probationary WPC Trudy Loveday aren’t convinced. If Eddie had been climbing and fallen, why were there no cuts or dirt on his hands? Why would a boy terrified of heights be around a well at all?
Clement and Trudy are determined to get to the truth, but the more they dig into Briar’s Hall and the mysterious de Lacey family who live there, the murkier things become.
Could it be that poor Eddie’s death was murder? There are rumours of blackmail in the village, and Clement and Trudy have a horrible feeling that Eddie stumbled on a secret that someone was willing to kill for…
Fans of Betty Rowlands, Agatha Christie and Faith Martin’s DI Hillary Greene series will not want to miss this!
Readers LOVE A Fatal Secret!
‘A brilliant book! This is Faith Martin at her scintillating best!… A cracking good read… Highly recommend this book and I give it a delighted 5 stars!’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
‘Gripping suspense that will have you on the edge of your seat. I was hooked from page one.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
‘Great plot, excellent main characters and I read it in one sitting! I would highly recommend this book.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
‘Gripping… Crime-busting nostalgia at its very best.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
The Ryder and Loveday Series
Book 1: A FATAL OBSESSION
Book 2: A FATAL MISTAKE
Book 3: A FATAL FLAW
Book 4: A FATAL SECRET
Book 5: A FATAL TRUTH
Book 6: A FATAL AFFAIR
more
I confess: I am a Faith Martin-Hillary Greene fan – I have read all of this series and have re-read them all! I haven’t gone in for the travelling cook or the vicar’s wife series, but this Dr. Ryder and DC Loveday is another winner in my eyes!
It’s the 1990s and women are trying to break into once-all-male professions, including the British police, so DC Loveday is facing the obvious sexist brick walls. Working on cold cases and then open cases that the police do not want to bother with, she joins Dr. Ryder, one of Oxford’s coroners, to delve into serious miscarriages of justice.
This is book 4, and Ms. Martin fills in the new reader with enough details without quoting long passages from previous e-books, one of my pet peeves with series writers. If you like reading series and seeing the characters & relationships develop along with the crime plots, these e-books will be good reads. The books all contain the word Fatal: Obsession, Mistake, Flaw, and Secret, with a 5th book coming out in February (Truth). And in each one, there is definitely something that turns out “fatal” for the criminal!!
Whodunit mystery with new on the force WPC. British mystery. Good characters. Clean. fun read.
A FATAL SECRET by Faith Martin is the fourth in the Ryan and Loveday police procedural. This series features an unlikely pairing between women’s probationary constable Trudy Loveday, a young 19 year old from a working class family and Dr. Clement Ryder, a retired surgeon who now works as a coroner for the Oxford police. The series is set in the ‘60’s, and gives a fascinating look into the place of women in the police force at that time as well as a social system that still put more emphasis on a young woman marrying rather than having a career.
As a woman in the police service, Trudy encounters a great deal of resistance from her superior officer who questions the place of women in the police force. Since he can’t refuse to have her in the precinct his solution is to assign Trudy to more menial tasks such as filing and logging personal items for people being booked into jail. Dr. Ryder, on the other hand, sees Trudy as an asset and someone with a sharp mind to be nurtured and grown.
Dr. Ryder is called in to investigate when a member of the local landed gentry is unsatisfied with the conclusion brought by an inquest in the death of a child on his estate. Because there is still significant political weight afforded the gentry, his request is given the green light and Dr. Ryder is assigned the investigative duties. Because of his high regard for Trudy, he immediately requests her assistance and because he also has considerable weight within the police service, his request is granted.
As WPC Loveday and Dr. Ryder begin to explore the child’s death, they become convinced he was murdered and it was made to look like an accident. There are numerous twists and turns as they question people attached to the estate, many of whom have secrets they wish to keep. Not all of these secrets refer to the child’s death and it becomes Ryder and Loveday’s job to separate out what’s relevant.
In addition, there is an ongoing storyline of Dr. Ryder’s self diagnosed Parkinson’s Disease. He has noticed signs such as tremors and unsteady gait and is trying to hide this information for fear it will mean he is judged medically unfit for his position as coroner which requires he be able to pass a police physical. Trudy has noticed some of his problems and has her suspicions, but is reluctant to ask for fear of the answer.
As expected, Ryder and Loveday solve the murder and identify the murderer but not before experiencing some trauma themselves. Trudy is in a quandary because she is nearing the end of her probationary period, her parents are pressing her to leave the dangerous field of police work, and the solution of this murder pressed her into actions she had never fully considered when joining the force. Her choices, as well as Dr. Ryder’s fate, are left for future books.
Because the relationship between Dr. Ryder and WPC Loveday is central to this series and develops with each book, the series is probably best enjoyed being read in order. The mysteries themselves are stand alone, so that is not necessary for the enjoyment of solving the puzzle of “who done it”. My thanks to HQ Digital Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. I highly recommend the entire series.
A Fatal Secret by Faith Martin is another gripping historical crime novel. It is the fourth book in the Ryder And Loveday Mystery series but can be read as a stand-alone.
I enjoyed returning to Oxford in 1961, being reunited with the crime busting duo of probationer WPC Loveday and aging coroner Dr Ryder. They are an engaging couple with her copper’s nose and his education. A perfect blend of youth and experience. Whenever the police shelve a case, Ryder and Loveday spring into action.
A terrible crime? Or an unfortunate accident? The reader tries, alongside Ryder and Loveday, to piece together the clues, as the locals seem tight lipped. Some seem burdened with a terrible secret. Relationships are strained as lives are exposed and the questions mount up.
I love these Ryder and Loveday mysteries, it is a nostalgic step back in time that is juxtaposed with what seem to us, outdated views on life. Women are seen as weak and inferior to men, good for marriage and childbearing but not for ‘real’ work. Even within the police force, women are good for making tea, filing paperwork and handing out tissues. The young, forward thinking Loveday is a breath of fresh air and perfectly paired with the crusty old coroner who sees her for what she is – a competent young woman. Together they solve the crimes of Oxford.
For me, this series is reminiscent of a blend of the television series Inspector George Gently and Inspector Morse. I think Ryder and Loveday would make a fabulous television series – any producers out there please take note. I would cast Martin Shaw as Ryder and Joanne Frogatt as Loveday. Anyone want to make my dream come true?
These Ryder and Loveday books are crime busting nostalgia at its very best. I love all the books.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
England, murder-investigation, law-enforcement
I’m sure that my lukewarm response to this book is mostly due to my aversion to first degree murder of a child disguised as an accident. I just couldn’t seem to get as interested in either the plot or the characters this time. I haven’t read the earlier books in the series, but that wasn’t the problem as there was good referencing so that the reader is not left adrift.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from HQ Digital via NetGalley.