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Death and the Decorator

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Death and the Decorator

By: Simon Brett
Narrated by: Simon Brett
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About this listen

Having decided to redecorate Woodside Cottage, Jude has engaged the services of local man Pete, who has painted and decorated the homes of Fethering residents for many years. Pete is currently working on Footscrow House, a large Victorian building being converted into holiday flats.

Whilst at 'Fiasco House', as it is known locally due to the many failed business enterprises over the years, Jude and Pete make a surprising discovery behind a wall panel: a woman's handbag! The casual discovery becomes serious when the police identify the handbag's owner as Anita Garner, a young woman who vanished in suspicious circumstances 20 years earlier. Determined to find out what really happened, Jude and her neighbour Carole's investigations plunge them into a maze of deception and murder, as they uncover a number of uncomfortable secrets beneath the serene surface of Fethering life....

©2022 Simon Brett (P)2022 Isis Publishing Ltd Amateur Sleuths Cosy Detective Mystery Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Fiction Suspense
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Another great piece of creative work from the astonishingly multi-talented Mr Brett. Highly recommended

If I could award six stars I would

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Used to love these series and have listened to every single book so far. Simon Brett is one of my favourite authors, but really it must be true that authors start to despise their sleuths at some point, as we can see his two women sleuths characters changing for the worse in the past few books. Also, their relationship, really it’s not actually possible in real life. They would have either grown apart quietly, had a full blown argument on parting, or most likely would have grown closer than ever, regarding each other with love and respect, after having shared all these experiences together. Really, this dynamic doesn’t work and is going nowhere, with the women not milling together well, showing spite, envy and being unkind. It is very tiresome for the reader, boring and even annoying. The book was saved by the ending and a somewhat satisfactory conclusion. But I wish the Carol and Jude from the first books could come back or at least grow older more gracefully.

Saved by the ending

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Very good characterisation!! The plots are good in this series and the humour good!! You want to see them succeed 😃

I enjoy Jude and Carole😃

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I particularly enjoyed Carole with an e with her hangups and tight lipped personality. I laughed out loud at her assumptions especially of healing. I can't get enough of Featheringham's duo, Jude and Carole!!

charactisation. so aptly created with ideosyncrasies and choice of voices . Simon Brett's delivery was just right.

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As is my way with Fethering Mysteries, I listened to them all again before enjoying the treat of this new story.

Like Carole & Jude, I am in my 50s, & I enjoy spotting which bits of their contrasting characters I identify with most. I have Carole's insecurity & control freakery, combined with Jude's ability to connect with others, & her relaxed approach to diet & routine. It's a fun game to play!

I moved to Chichester aged 11 from East London, & Simon Brett does a fab' job at capturing all the petty snobbery of the Sussex middle classes! Makes me glad I went to Leeds University, married a Wakefield lad, & stayed up north!

I am now listening to Simon Brett's Decluttering Mysteries, which are darker in tone, but equally enjoyable, once you've adjusted to their first person narration.

Love a Fethering Mystery!

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