Books Read: Matthew Costello & Neil Richards - Cherringham: Murder on Thames

Cherringham is a quiet and peaceful town in the Cotswolds. Time moves slowly here, and nothing out of the ordinary ever happens, until one morning a woman’s body is discovered in the river. Sarah Edwards has just returned to Cherringham with her two children following the breakdown of her marriage. Sarah had been friends with Sammi Jackson – the woman in the river –before they both moved to London and she’s certain there is more to her death than meets the eye. But juggling the school run and her job as a web designer doesn’t leave much time to solve murder mysteries.

After the death of his wife, former NYPD homicide detective Jack Brennan has retired to Cherringham hoping for a quiet life. He soon realises “peace and quiet” isn’t really him and, despite his misgivings, he’s persuaded by Sarah to help her look into Sammi’s death. It quickly becomes clear that the case isn’t as simple as the police hope. From her violent ex-boyfriend to her alcoholic father, it seems everyone has something to hide. Sarah and Jack will need to use all their wits to get to the bottom of this case.

Amazon link: Kindle

Murder on Thames is the first of twelve monthly installments in a new eBook crime series set in the Cotswolds village of Cherringham, a bit like a fiction version of Midsomer Murders which considering both authors experiences as script writers you can't help make this comparison.

When Sarah's friend Sammi is found dead in the local weir she is convinced that this is not a simple case of suicide despite what the police are saying so sets out to investigate for herself which brings her into contact with Jack, a former NYPD who has retired to Cherringham to lead a quiet life, who she manages to intrigue enough to convince him to help her.

Sarah and Jack make an interesting combination, she's a busy single mum who's returned to Cherringham following her divorce and he's used to the hustle and bustle of New York which couldn't be further from his current lifestyle living on a boat.  But together somehow they formed the perfect partnership which I can't wait to see develop over the next 11 episodes.

If you're looking for something gritty then this definitely is not that but if you've got a couple of hours to spare and want to enjoy a simple murder/mystery then this story is perfect for you as due to its size you can read it in a single sitting.  

Despite this being co-written by authors on different sides of the world, Matthew Costello in the US and Neil Richard in the UK, there are no obvious joints in the writing which can happen sometimes when collaborating on a story.  I'm already looking forward to reading the next installment which is due out shortly.

I'd like to thank Sophie at ED PR for sending me a copy of this eBook to review.