A Fatal Obsession

Ryder and Loveday, Book 1

By: Faith Martin

Narrated by: Stephanie Racine

Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

The start of a brand-new series from the global best-selling author of the DI Hillary Greene series.

Oxford, 1960. There's a murderer on the loose, and two unlikely heroes are poised to solve the case.

 Meet Probationary WPC Trudy Loveday - smart, enthusiastic and always underestimated.

 In the hope of getting her out of the way, Trudy’s senior officer assigns her to help coroner Clement Ryder as he re-opens the case of a young woman's death. She can't believe her luck – she is actually going to be working on a real murder case. 

Meanwhile, the rest of the police force are busy investigating a series of threats and murders in the local community, and Clement can't help but feel it's all linked.

As Trudy and Clement form an unlikely partnership, are they going to be the ones to solve these crimes before the murderer strikes again?

A gripping, twisty crime novel that you won't be able to pause. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and M.C. Beaton.

Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and M.C. Beaton.  

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

©2018 Faith Martin (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"A beautifully crafted crime mystery..." (Anita Davison, author of the Flora Maguire series)

Just didn't buy it

Clement Ryder, s retire surgeon turned Coroner, who we are reminded is "old" in every other sentence in the scenes in which he appears, teams up with WPC Trudy Loveday, a wet behind the ears 19 year old Probationary WPC who thinks she should be a detective, are paired up to reinvestigate an old death and its connection to a current murder. If Trudy had been on the force for a number of years and had been held back because she was a woman, I might have been more sympathetic with her constant internal complaining. Obviously she doesn't understand about paying your dues. I was also perplexed because she never mentions any other women in the police force or the status of women during the time period.

The story is told by a narrator who skips from character to character so fast in some scenes it is hard to follow who is acting or speaking. We are told at the beginning that the story is in the 1960, which is good because the lack of setting and description could set this story in many different decades. There are no references to 1960 culture, music, politics or literature to ground the reader. Though we do know Trudy's mother has a bakelite radio.

I might have considered a two star because the mystery is interesting until the ending. The buildup for a terrible revelation from the victims mother falls flat. Not only was the solution to the murders a stretch and a bit ridiculous, the fact that Trudy and the "old man" elicited a confession from the murderer without informing him/her of his/her rights, was unacceptable behavior on both their parts.

I can't see myself joining Ryder and Loveday for further adventures.

So Glad I Bought This Book

Faith Martin is a new author to me ,.. and I am so very glad to have found this book .. I am looking forward to her other series,.. and hope that Audible will purchase the other book in this very short ,.. but satisfying series.

A fantastic murder mystery!!!!

A must read, different way of writing and brings the reader in wondering what the ending will be. 100% recommend!

The first entry in a challenging series

Faith Martin knows how to weave a tale. A little bit police procedural, a little bit cozy mystery and filled with interesting characters. This is the first in a series and I look forward to the team of one young female newbie policewoman and a dapper but crotchety former heart surgeon turned coroner. Fascinating pairing isn’t it!

Great new series

Enjoyed it. Would recommend it. Would listen to another. Not too corny and the ending is possibly which a lot of books don't have these days.

Really good

What a good classic mystery. A little disappointed at the end but, the ride was worth it!

Another good read by Faith Martin!

I miss my Hillary Greene and Jenny Starling series, but maybe this series woul end up being just a good. This book is definitely not a bad start to a new set of mysteries!

Could not stop listening!

I became a Faith Martin’s fan. Awesome story (I will not say what I liked about the story to not give away any spoilers) with a great style. Enough detail to give color on characters and not too much to be boring. Great hints of humor. Perfect narration.

very good

An excellent story, interesting and has twists and turns. I look forward to another story by this author, one for woman's lib in the beginning days.

Hating this book wanting my credit back

I hate this book. It is creepy! I wish I could take it out of my library and get my credit back.

Dull, boring, slow.

This should have been edited to a third of its length. I didn't finish it.

Excellent listen

I thoroughly enjoyed this. it kept me company during a day of painting the kitchen (and afterwards, listening into the night). The narration was good so am surprised by other reviews berating it, but I suppose everyone has different preferences.

I loved the premise of a young probationary Wpc in a 60s police force tackling sexism and social expectations and the contrast with a more mature and experienced male coroner fighting a developing illness.

I would have liked Truly to have made more contributions to the reveal stages of the investigation towards the end, instead her role is mostly note taker. I also would have liked the discovery of the killer to have been revealed differently. It was too convenient. Can't say more without spoilers. These minor points did nothing to diminish my overall enjoyment of this excellent story.

I've downloaded the next audiobook in the series as company for today's painting.

A truly glorious story

My Mam recommended this series of books, she loves them. And now so do I.
The narration was tantalising and I am so pleased the same narrator has read all the series, so far.
The main characters are magnificent and so likeable.
The story seemed simple and quaint and then took a twist and a turn into being sinister...thrilling.
I'm off to download the second on in the series now!

Slow and concise narrator very tiring

I enjoy Faith Martin novels this should have been a good book but it was not. The detail of the memorabilia of the decade did make me smile. Sadly the narrator was very slow and precise making it difficult to enjoy and I found it hard to finish. The storyline was weak and very longwinded. Sadly not for me.

Thoroughly enjoyable read.

Lovely for a wet and cold Sunday curled up in front a fire. great characters and a well developed plot make it a book you can't put down. can't wait to read the next one.

Throughly enjoyable.

Very pleasant characters who are portrayed in detail making the reader want to to get to know them more! An exciting story which is beautifully read.

Oxford Blue

Whimsical and intriguing period murder mystery. Sympathetic protagonists, each with a cross to bear. Most enjoyable.

An amazing book

At first I was a bit hesitant, thinking that the pairing of two very different characters would never work, but I was wrong.
A very good storyline whilst in the background these two characters just seemed to become real and they did work well together.

Now on to book 2

Wonderful partnership!

Loved this! So clever to introduce another female police officer having already given us Hilary Greene.

Easy Listening

I enjoyed this story, with good narrator. A few twists in the story. I would recommend.