Death and the Decorator is the 21st (!!) book in the Fethering cozy mystery series by impressively prolific author Simon Brett. Released 5th July 2022 by Severn House, it's 222 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
Simon Brett is an indisputably gifted writer. He writes consistently, entertainingly, and
well. All the parts of his mysteries (and they are varied and numerous) fit together and
do precisely what they're meant to do. The characters are believable and
well rendered albeit slightly eccentric. The dialogue works and is never clunky or awkward. This is a long running and well established series and it's always a joy to check in on Jude and Carol and revisit Fethering and the locals. This one is written around a cold case murder and soon Carole's investigating the disappearance of a young woman 30 years prior.
I found it a delightful read and despite the potentially serious subplot
elements, Mr. Brett manages to imbue the whole with enough humour to
make it an entertaining and quick read. North American readers should be
aware that it's written in British vernacular (torch, lift, flat, etc). The plotting is well paced and engaging with a surprisingly twisty denouement and resolution. I found the ending good, but surprisingly melancholy.
The unabridged audiobook version has a run time of 6 hours and 57 minutes and is capably narrated by the author himself. Sound and production quality are high throughout.
Four stars. Really well done and one of my favo(u)rite consistently good cozy series. I'm looking forward to future installments in anticipation of a pleasant rainy afternoon's reading with a pot of tea and maybe some scones beside me.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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