Author: Faith Martin
Genre: Crime Thriller / Murder Mystery
Format: Paperback 384 pages
Release Date: 4 October 2018
Publisher: HQ Digital
My Rating: ****
Today it is my great pleasure to join the blog tour for Faith Martin’s new novel ‘A Fatal Mistake’. My thanks to the publisher HQ Digital for the advance copy for review and for inviting me to join the tour. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Synopsis
A brand new Ryder & Loveday mystery from global bestseller Faith Martin
Summer 1960, Oxford
In the glorious sunshine of Oxford, on a day when everyone should be celebrating, tragedy strikes when a university student is found floating in the river, dead.
Probationary WPC Trudy Loveday finds herself paired with coroner Clement Ryder to investigate and it soon becomes clear that this case is not going to be easy.
The witnesses all refuse to give a straight answer, each new lead sends them in a new direction and tales of other missing youngsters add further mystery to the investigation.
One thing is certain though, something doesn’t seem quite right about the university’s most popular student….
You can pre-order your copy of ‘A Fatal Mistake’ on Amazon at:
My Thoughts
Although this is not the first book in the Ryder & Loveday mystery series it is completely capable of being read as a standalone. I didn’t actually realise at the time of reading that this book was part of a series, although there are some references to a previous case that Ryder & Loveday have worked on together and it did make me wonder at the time if there was a book with these characters in prior to this one. These previous references though do not detract from the story at hand in this book and it is still a logical read without having read the first book.
The story is mainly told from Trudy Loveday’s point of view with brief parts being told from Dr Ryder’s perspective and some of the other featured characters. Trudy is a young 19 year old girl trying to make her way within the police force in the 1950’s. She struggles in what is a male dominated career and with her young age working against her she feels as if she will never be able to learn the skills needed to progress up the ranks.
This is where Dr Ryder makes an entrance. He is the coroner tasked with investigating the death of the Oxford Student and enlists Loveday’s help. He sees a spark in her work ethic and wants to help her hone her skills and become the best she can be. The bond between Ryder and Loveday is really touching. It is a classic example of a mentor and student relationship when it works at its best. Ryder clearly sees the potential in Loveday and in return, Loveday clearly respects Ryder and his knowledge. I personally have never had the luxury of having a mentor in this capacity but after reading about these characters it has made me want to make more of a concerted effort to help any young colleagues I can as they embark on their careers.
About three quarters of the way through I had a sneaky suspicion I knew who the killer was and I was right. However, I didn’t enjoy the book any less because of this as there were still many aspects of the how and why I hadn’t figured out which all became apparent at the end. The author throws in lots of twists and turns and writes a few people into the picture as suspects which made for an enthralling read.
There were parts of the characters that I personally felt could have been developed more, or potentially been given a greater emphasis in the book. However, this is a book within a series, and having not read the other books or without knowing the authors intentions it could well be that these developments will come in later books in the series. This is the beauty of a book series after all that the reader is not given the full picture necessarily to entice us to want to read more.
On the point above this series has done just that for me, i’m intrigued to know what the prior case Ryder & Loveday worked on together and i’m intrigued to see how these characters develop. I will be seeking out the first book in this series and I eagerly await the next one to see what these characters get up to next! Highly recommend this book for anyone who likes a book with a classic ‘who done it’ theme.
About the Author
Faith Martin has been writing for over 25 years, in four genres and under four different pen names. She was born in Oxford and sets most of her crime novels within sight of the city of dreaming spires. A real nature lover and aficionado of the countryside, descriptions of wildlife and native flora often find their way into her manuscripts.
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Great review! This one sounds good!!
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Definitely worth a read if you like this genre 👍
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