Bones Under The Beach Hut

Welcome to Fethering! Amateur detectives Carole and Jude investigate a slaying by the seaside in this quirky, cozy, British village mystery. Carole is delighted to take ownership of a beach hut in the affluent nearby seaside resort of Smaltings - until, that is, human remains are found under the floorboards. Who do the bones belong to - and who put them there? Carole and her best friend Jude are determined to find out. Their suspicion quickly falls on attractive Philly Rose, a young Londoner newly arrived in the area, whose boyfriend has recently vanished in mysterious circumstances. But Kelvin Southwest, self-appointed 'ladies' man' and caretaker of Smalting's beach huts, seems to be hiding a dark secret beneath his smooth exterior . while Reginald Flowers, pompous President of the Smalting Beach Hut Association, is also strangely defensive about his own history. As Carole and Jude dig for the truth, one thing becomes clear: there are secrets buried deep in Smaltings, which someone is determined will never reach the surface.

'A new Simon Brett is an event for mystery fans' P. D. JAMES 'One of the wittiest crime writers around' ANTONIA FRASER 'Murder most enjoyable' COLIN DEXTER Very little disturbs the ordered calm of Fethering, a pleasingly self-contained retirement town on England’s southern coast. Which is precisely why Carole Seddon, who has left behind both her husband and her career at the Home Office, has chosen to reside there. So Carole is surprised to encounter a new neighbour with one name and a colourful past. 'Jude' is not really Fethering . . . but even she is not as surprising as the body Carole finds on the beach. A body, it has to be said, that has disappeared by the time the police arrive. Only Jude is ready to believe what Carole says she saw – and from that moment on, the two women resolve to turn detective.

"As usual with the Fethering mysteries, the characterization of part-time sleuths Jude and Carole Seddon is rich with subtlety. And, as with the Charles Paris mysteries, readers are treated to a cunningly crafted mystery set in a world where stagecraft can serve sinister uses." Booklist Starred Review The local dramatic society provides fertile ground for murder in the brand-new Fethering mystery When Jude agrees to lend her vintage chaise longue for the local Amateur Dramatics Society's production of George Bernard Shaw's The Devil's Disciple, little does she realize she'll end up in a starring role. It's an ambitious play, culminating in a dramatic execution scene: a scene that's played for real when one of the leading actors is found hanging from the especially-constructed stage gallows during rehearsals. A tragic accident - or something more sinister? Carole and Jude make it their business to find out.

'A new Simon Brett is an event for mystery fans' P. D. JAMES 'Simon Brett writes stunning detective stories' JILLY COOPER 'King of the witty village mystery' Telegraph Bracketts, an Elizabethan house near the town of Fethering, is about to be turned into a museum, but the transition is proving nightmarish. Carole regrets her decision to be on the museum’s Board when she witnesses bitter antagonism and rivalry amongst the other members. The tensions climax when a human skeleton is found in the kitchen garden and then another body is discovered, not yet cold. These murders in the museum quickly turn into a case that tests the sleuthing powers of Carole, and her neighbour Jude, as never before . . .

'Few crime writers are so enchantingly gifted . . . as Simon Brett' Sunday Times 'Simon Brett writes stunning detective stories' JILLY COOPER 'King of the witty village mystery' Telegraph Grant and Kim Roxby had hoped that their first dinner party at Pelling House would make an impression with their new neighbours. And the next day it’s certainly the talk of the village in Fethering. For their guests – including the couple’s old friend Jude – had been enjoying a pleasant meal when they were rudely interrupted by a gruesome discovery. A human torso hidden in the cellar. Carole and Jude turn amateur sleuths once again. They begin to question the locals, but they can’t help wondering why a town notoriously distrustful of outsiders is proving so terribly amenable to their enquiries . . .

'Crime writing just like in the good old days, and perfect entertainment' Guardian 'Simon Brett writes stunning detective stories' JILLY COOPER 'King of the witty village mystery' Telegraph Fethering resident Jude soon regrets helping out at an event at the Hopwicke Country House Hotel. The all-male society, The Pillars of Sussex, are visiting and keep Jude up until the small hours when the last of the rowdy men goes to bed. When one guest doesn’t show up for breakfast the next morning, Jude presumes he’s feeling the effects of the night before and searches him out. Only to discover his body hanging from the beams of a four-poster bed. Unconvinced that this was suicide, Jude enlists the support of fellow amateur sleuth Carole to crack the case.

‘King of the witty village mystery’ Daily Telegraph ‘Simon Brett writes stunning detective stories’ JILLY COOPER ‘A new Simon Brett is an event for mystery fans’ P. D. JAMES It wasn’t the rain that upset Fethering resident Carole Seddon during her walk on the Downs, or the dilapidated barn in which she was forced to seek shelter. No, what upset her was the human skeleton she discovered there, neatly packed into two blue fertiliser bags . . . Amateur sleuths Carole and Jude go to the small hamlet of Weldisham where gossips quickly identify the corpse as Tamsin Lutteridge, a young woman who disappeared from the village months before. But why is Tamsin’s mother so certain that her daughter is still alive? As Jude sets out to discover what really happened to Tamsin, Carole digs deeper into Weldisham’s history and the bitter relationships simmering beneath the village’s gentle facade.

At her husband’s funeral, Heather Mallet is publicly accused of his murder. But did she really kill her husband, as many residents of the sleepy coastal town of Fethering believe? To get to the heart of the matter, local amateur sleuths Carole and Jude join the community choir and discover that amidst the clashing egos and petty resentments there lurk some decidedly false notes. At least one chorister would appear to be hiding a deadly secret – and it’s up to Carole and Jude to unearth the truth.