A Fatal Night

Ryder and Loveday, Book 7

By: Faith Martin

Narrated by: Stephanie Racine

Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's Summary

New Year’s Eve, 1962.

As a snowstorm rages outside, Oxford high society gathers to ring in the new year at the city’s most exclusive party. This is a soirée no one will forget...not least because a guest is found dead in his car the next morning.

It seems the young man tragically froze to death overnight after crashing into a snowdrift—but when WPC Trudy Loveday and coroner Clement Ryder are called in to investigate, they discover a tangled web of secrets that plainly point to murder.

With everyone telling different stories about that fateful night, only one thing is clear: several people had reason to want the victim dead.

If Trudy and Clement don’t find the cracks in each lie, the killer will get away with the perfect crime....

Perfect for fans of Betty Rowlands, L. J. Ross and Agatha Christie, this mystery will keep you hooked until you’ve solved the case.

The Ryder and Loveday Series

Book 1: A FATAL OBSESSION

Book 2: A FATAL MISTAKE

Book 3: A FATAL FLAW

Book 4: A FATAL SECRET

Book 5: A FATAL TRUTH

Book 6: A FATAL AFFAIR

Book 7: A FATAL NIGHT

Book 8: A FATAL END

©2021 Faith Martin (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Good book

A very good book. I like Trudy and the Doc in this, their seventh book. And now we have Vincent. Very interesting.

The story was good. I didn’t guess who-done-it but I didn’t give it too much thought and let the investigation go forward.

Excellent narration by Stephanie Racine.

5

Tons of snow, roads blocked, town closed, a body. And so it begins. I liked this one a lot.
We are treated to a full cast of interesting characters,
lots of talking, lots of hot tea brewing for anyone who walks just a short way. I remember Britain's historic artic winds
blizzards a few years ago. Here it is.
Not a disaster story, just fine detective work.

A good cozy mystery.

I like my books to be rougher than this book, but it was just what I needed as a respite from what I’m used to. Characters are developed and main characters are likable. This book is a clean, nice story with a few twists. I enjoyed it, and now will go back to the dregs of society with their murders.

My Only Disappointment is I Finished It Too Quick

I love the time and setting of these novels, but the characters are what make them shine. I’m drawn in and entertained the entire length of the novel. My only disappointment is I’m done and have to wait for the next one.

Best One Yet

Have listened to the entire series. This was the best one yet. Can't wait to see Trudy get some positive recognition.

Great edition to this series

Nice change of pace in the plotting of this story. I especially enjoyed the edition of Dr Ryder's son and hope he becomes a regular. The editors synopsis describes the storyline. I would not recommend this book as a stand alone. Start at the beginning, each book is worth a credit.

Brought to you by the letters “ly”

Apologies in advance for this review, because once you start noticing Ms. Martin’s use of adverbs you won’t be able to stop. It must have boosted her word count by at least 20%.
…she asked, mildly.
…he responded, firmly.
…she said, flatly.
…she added, crisply.
I lost track of the narrative several times, distracted by the artless way these useless words were stapled to the end of every third sentence. The favorite by far was “mildly.” That’s such a (forgive me) mild descriptor, it adds nothing to the story but Ms. Martin was so enamored of it that she used it six times in recounting one short conversation between characters and at least two dozen times throughout the rest of the book.

Incessant use of adverbs, word repetition within sentences and character head-hopping are hallmarks of a very amateur writer, which Ms. Martin is not. These stylistic shortcuts are disappointing and for me, overshadowed a decent plot.

If I could have given a 7 8 or 9 I would have.

This was a very enthralling mystery. The characters were really interesting. I loved the cat fight. Both the women and the men. It was truly funny. Faith Martin did just a marvelous job of writing this kind of mystery. Stephanie Racine was terrific as narrator. I can hardly wait for the next in this series.

Brilliant

Another great instalment of the Ryder and Loveday series . Plenty to keep you guessing and some very devious characters !
Thoroughly enjoyed it , now sighing at the wait for the next one .

Excellent as always

Another good story by Faith Martin.
Good plot although not terribly complicated. The real interest to me is the relationship between Clement and Trudy.
I fear we may be coming to a conclusion soon though with this relationship .
Excellent narration.

Excellent

Another very good story in the Ryder and Loveday series, well read and no obscene language.

Brilliant

I’ve enjoyed this audio book, a great story which kept me interested all the way through