Murder Never Retires by Faith Martin
Publisher: Joffe Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by FernHillary Greene returns to Thames Valley Police HQ, acting as a consultant for the Crime Review Team, looking into murders which the police have never been able to solve.
She wasn’t sure she wanted to go back. But solving crimes is irresistible for Hillary Greene. And it doesn’t hurt that her new boss is devastatingly handsome.
Twenty years ago, mother-of-three Anna McRae was found beaten to death in her kitchen with a rolling pin. She’d been having an affair with her brother-in-law, so the prime suspect was Anna’s sister Debbie. But the evidence never added up.
However as Hillary digs deeper, more secrets and betrayals emerge. Who wanted Anna dead and can Hillary finally bring her justice?
Meanwhile, Hillary is distracted by an unknown admirer, who quickly seems to be going from suitor to stalker.
Can Hillary solve a fiendishly complex case from the past while fending off unwanted attention?
Retired DI Hillary Greene has spent the last year and a half enjoying her life, cruising the Oxford canals and taking life as it came. While Hillary wasn’t convinced she wanted to come back to her old job, solving crimes and doing her work still sang strongly in her blood. When she returns to Thames Valley Police HQ it’s only to look at the lay of the land, but she is immediately captured by a cold case and soon has to admit she might not be quite as ready for the quiet life as she’d assumed.
Hillary has somewhat returned from early retirement, and I found this a greatly enjoyable story. With a new section, new team and a bunch of new characters I thought this was an excellent way to continue the series but give it a new and fresh feel.
Readers should be aware the meat of the book – the cold case murder investigation Hillary and her team are given – runs along very similar lines to the earlier books in this series. The tone and style of the book is enjoyable and a British police procedural style of novel. Even though this book is well into the series the fact the mystery stands very well alone and virtually all the cast and characters are new and freshly introduced means I feel this book would be an excellent point for anyone to jump in if they had been curious or not discovered this author and series before.
With a solid plot and a few threads left hanging clearly for future books this is a great murder mystery and a series I strongly enjoy. Recommended.
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