Death on the Downs

Caught in a rainstorm while on a solitary stroll on the West Sussex Downs, Carole Seddon takes refuge in a dilapidated barn, where she discovers human remains packed inside a pair of blue fertilizer bags. Together with her free-spirited friend, Jude, Carole sets out to solve the mystery of the bones. Their quest takes them to various Weldisham pubs, to the home of a missing teen, and to a New Age health retreat, as the pair sift through village gossip and local history to find the identity of the body and discover how it got there. With a largely female cast, it's surprising that DEATH ON THE DOWNS is read by a man. But Geoffrey Howard gives a sensitive reading to Brett's novel, the second in his Fethering series, resulting in a mystery as riveting as it is charming. S.E.S. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine


Carole Seddon "parked the Renault on the outskirts of Weldisham, a village in the foothills of the South Downs that looked from the outside as though it hadn't changed much since the days when Agatha Christie might have set a murder there." Since Christie has at last consummated her flirtation with death, Simon Brett is the one who must produce the human skeleton, and get this story going. Brett has a beautiful, deep voice, with just a dash of plum. There follows a classic English mystery. Who's good? Who's wicked? Carole trusts her friend Jude, or does she? The puzzle challenges the mind. The neat prose and precise reading gratify the ear. B.H.C. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

February 1, 2003
When Carole Seddon discovers two blue fertilizer bags containing the neatly stacked bones of a human body, she has no idea of the perils that await her. Carole, a timid, retired Home Office employee, is not comfortable with the kind of attention this discovery brings her. When her friend Jude returns, the two women decide to solve the mystery on their own. Brett (The Body on the Beach) has created another interesting cast of characters in his "Fethering Mysteries," including Carole, a prim woman who doesn't-or at least thinks she doesn't-care for change, and Jude, her neighbor, who is so secretive that no one even knows her last name. Jude is assertive and outgoing, the exact opposite of Carole, but they form an interesting team when detecting, and this won't be the first murder case they solve. Geoffrey Howard's narration sets the proper British tone. Sure to be popular with those who enjoy literary "cozy cottage" mysteries, this is highly recommended for all public libraries.-Theresa Connors, Arkansas Tech Univ., Russellville

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.