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Learn moreThe Hopwicke Country House Hotel once boasted a clientele of the rich and famous. But desperate times call for desperate measures, so owner Suzy Longthorne throws open her doors to welcome the Pillars of Sussex, an elitist group of local businessmen whose social gatherings revolve around drinking and off-color commentary. Short staffed, Suzy recruits Jude Seddon as a waitress to help keep the spirits flowing. But the next morning, Jude discovers the body of a young man, supposedly an initiate for Pillar membership, hanging from the beam of a four-poster bed. The police are quick to rule the death a suicide. The Pillars of Sussex deny that the victim was ever considered for membership, and Suzy just wants to forget that it ever happened. But Jude knows that both parties have something to hide, and she’s determined to uncover the truth. She enlists a reluctant Carole to nurture her relationship with a flirtatious Pillar in the hope that they can crack him.
Simon Brett is the creator of four series of detective novels, the Charles Paris, Mrs Pargeter, Fethering, and Blotto & Twinks series. His 1984 stand-alone novel A Shock to the System was adapted as a film starring Michael Caine. He was awarded an OBE in 2016 for his services to literature and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Before turning to writing full time, he worked with BBC radio and London Weekend Television Other radio work includes several one-off plays for Radio 4 and a number of episodes of the Baldi detective series. A former president of Britain’s Crime Writers Association, he is president of the Detection Club, as well as being involved with various writers’ organizations.
Geoffrey Howard (a.k.a. Ralph Cosham) (1936–2014) was a British journalist who changed careers to become a narrator and screen and stage actor. He performed in more than one hundred professional theatrical roles. His audiobook narrations were named “Audio Best of the Year” by Publishers Weekly, and he won seven AudioFile Earphones Awards, and in 2013 he won the coveted Audie Award for Best Mystery Narration for his reading of Louise Penny’s The Beautiful Mystery.
Reviews
“[Carole and Jude] give Brett the comic tools he needs to poke wicked fun at British politics, aging pop stars, reality TV, Rotarians, celebrity chefs, the legal profession and the social mores of modern England.”
“Offers comfortable pacing and plenty of plot twists.”
“Believable characters, intriguing motives, sudden plot twists, and an assortment of jibes at the vanities inherent in Britain’s upper crust…make this excellent listening.”
“Gifted author Simon Brett shows why he is a grandmaster of the amateur sleuth tale with this delightful whodunit filled with twists, red herrings, and false clues.”
“Fans of British mysteries are in for the read of their life. Wry humor, colorful characters, and a quaint setting add to the book’s cozy charm.”
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