Guns in the Gallery (Fethering Series #13)

by Simon Brett

Overview

Invited to a Private View of the work of controversial artist Denzil Willoughby, the good citizens of Fethering are not quite sure what to expect. And it turns out to be a lively affair, culminating in several embarrassing confrontations. But what no one could have anticipated was that the evening would end in sudden, violent death. The police seem happy to accept that it was suicide, but Fethering residents Carole and Jude remain unconvinced . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780101651
Publisher:	Severn House
Publication date:	06/01/2012
Series:	Fethering Series , #13
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	969,007
File size:	410 KB

About the Author

Simon Brett (1945) is an English author and radio producer known for his detective fiction. Brett began his writing career in 1975 with his book Cast, In Order of Disappearance which began his long running Charles Paris series featuring an actor and amateur detective of the same name. His also known for his Fethering series set in an English coastal town of the same name. In 2016 he was named and Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his writing.

Editorial Reviews

Louise Penny fans will enjoy Brett’s 13th cozy set in the West Sussex town of Fethering (after 2011’s Under the Beach Hut), even if the plot and depth of characterization don’t approach the high standard of Penny’s Inspector Gamache novels. Series heroine Carole Seddon reluctantly attends a private view entitled “Gun Culture” at a modern art gallery, where she and her good friend, Jude, hear an uncomfortably high-volume lovers’ spat that leads to a suicide. Certain that there’s more than meets the eye to the death, Carole and Jude once again turn amateur sleuths. While the investigation and resolution satisfy, the book’s chief pleasure lies in its sardonic character descriptions. Of a self-made businessman who likes to pontificate, Brett says, “He read widely, and if his assimilation of all he read was not always very deep, he did not let that prevent him from filling his conversation with frequently inapposite quotations and references.” (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Brett’s murder mystery showcases his dry humor and serves as a vehicle for social commentary about the priorities of the wealthy of the English countryside. At its core, the story details an investigation into a shooting at an art gallery whose exhibit, ironically, focused on gun violence. While the novel is interesting and listeners will be surprised by its conclusion, the audio edition benefits from having Brett at the microphone. His enthusiasm is especially evident in the quick pace of his reading and the distinct persona he gives to each character. This is an entertaining diversion that will appeal to fans of a good mystery. D.J.S. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2013 - AudioFile

If someone's prone to suicide, is it OK to lend a helping hand? Fennel Whittaker tried to kill herself in a Pimlico flat a few years back. Her sister Chervil found her and called on their dad to hush the matter up. So when she's discovered with her wrists slashed, a suicide note beside her, in one of the yurts due to open soon as a therapy spa on the family's West Sussex estate, most everyone, including the police, thinks that she finally managed to do herself in. But Jude, the Fethering healer who'd been treating her, disagrees, insisting that her client had been feeling quite chipper. Along with her neighbor Carole, Jude had witnessed Fennel's outburst at the Cornelian Gallery's private showing of Denzil Willoughby's conceptual art, when she seemed to be blaming him for an obscure past misdeed. Perhaps Fennel died by his hand, not her own. Other possible suspects include Chervil, whose boyfriend, the son of Bonita the gallery owner, once romanced Fennel; the girls' mum, who seems relieved that Fennel's fragile psyche will no longer be her problem; and whoever it is who took Fennel's mobile phone from the crime scene, obviously to delete an incriminating message. There'll be a disastrous outing on the sea and news of a long-thwarted love before the culprit is unmasked. Brett's usual cozy charm and flashes of wit (Bones Under the Beach Hut, 2011, etc.) are nowhere in evidence here. Perhaps it's time to retire the Fethering series and start something fresh.

Kirkus Reviews