From Publishers Weekly
Fans of Brett's witty Mrs. Pargeter and Charles Paris mysteries will cheer this buoyant launch of a series set in the English seaside town of Fethering (mischievously situated "not far from Tarring"). It's here that Carole Seddon, a fiftyish divorcee late of the Home Office, has settled, content to live a sensible, orderly retirement. But two events conspire to disrupt Carole's rigid routine: the arrival of an alarmingly casual new neighbor who insists on being called, merely, "Jude"; and the discovery of a dead middle-aged male on the Fethering beach. When Carole informs the police about the body, they dismiss her as a menopausal hysteric; after all, their subsequent search of the area yielded no trace of evidence. But when a haggard, drug-deranged woman appears at Carole's door with a gun, demanding to know if Carole located a knife on the body, Carole realizes that the corpse had been moved just before the police search. When a local teenage boy is found washed up on the beach, it's Jude who convinces Carole that the two deaths are somehow connectedAand deserving of the two neighbors' full attention. Carole and Jude have surprising depth as characters, even though Brett overplays his hand in refusing to reveal any details of Jude's former life, including her surname. But the yin/yang relationship of the women is both mysterious and wholly believable, and the seacoast setting is so vivid you can taste the salty air. For late-summer beach reading, this is a cracking good choice. (Aug.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This novel introduces Carole Seddon, a sensible woman in her 50s, who is grateful to look older than her years. A divorcee recently retired from the Home Office, she hopes to lead a very low-profile life at her cottage in Fethering; however, her plans for a quiet seclusion are quickly dashed when she discovers a corpse on the beach. The subsequent disappearance of the body, interview by the police, and threat by a gun-wielding stranger leave Carole befuddled. Her neighbor Jude decides that the two of them need to solve the mystery themselves. A more unlikely partnership cannot be imagined. Brett, well known to readers of his Charles Paris series (Star Trap, Murder in the Title), is at his humorous best in this cozy seaside mystery. Skillfully narrated by Geoffrey Howard, it is highly recommended for all public libraries. Theresa Connors, Arkansas Tech Univ., Russellville Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
Finding dead bodies definitely does not happen in Feathering, and solving mysteries is decidedly not among Carole Siddon's sensible activities. Events, alas, take over, and the story reveals the darker sides of an English seaside town. Pungent wit flows razor-sharp out of Howard; each word is uttered with an exactitude that perfectly mirrors the droll social commentary that sets Brett's book apart from the rest of its genre. Line after line, Howard evokes characters and milieu. Great fun! S.B.S. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
Brett spikes the cozy British mystery with wry humor, as seen in his two previous series: the first starring Charles Paris, a mostly sauced actor who solves backstage murders; the second revolving around Mrs. Pargeter, a widow who inherits her husband's criminal empire. Here he launches a new series, The Fethering Mysteries, starring Carole Seddon, who wants nothing more to happen in her life and who lives in a town that seems perfectly suited to her needs. After taking early retirement, the divorced Carol moves to the seaside village of Fethering on England's southern coast, where the strict zoning laws prohibit all but the most constrained living arrangements. Even so, Carole's resolve "to exclude the unexpected" is soon washed up, along with the body of a middle-aged man she discovers on her daily constitutional. By the time Carole reports the body, it has disappeared, and police dismiss her as hysterical, forcing Carole into sleuthing to prove her sanity . Carole's life is further disrupted by a pesky new neighbor who insists on joining her in detective work and by two more suspicious deaths--all in the course of a single week in "safe" Fethering. Brett is a master at subtle characterization, superb setting, and plotting in which his characters solve themselves in the process of solving murders. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description
"A pair of sleuths who are winning enough to make the reader invite them back for more....Holmes and Watson with a dash of Laurel and Hardy." (Toronto Star)

"An impressive debut, marked by the usual attention to wit and detail." (Library Journal)

"The characters are wonderful, and their silliness quite engrossing." (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Sensible Carole Seddon doesn't have the tolerance to deal with her new bohemian neighbor, Jude. But Jude doesn't seem so bad when Carole discovers another addition to the neighborhood-a dead body on the beach bearing two wounds on its neck.

Download Description
When recent retiree Carole Seddon discovers a dead body on the beach of Fethering, an English seaside village, her sensible life becomes suddenly quite complicated. And with the help of her Bohemian neighbor, Jude, Carole finds a new purpose in life as a detective.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

A brilliant new addition to the Berkley Prime Crime list...

Berkley Prime Crime is proud to welcome one of mystery's most esteemed masters to its line-up of bestselling writers. This brand new series showcases Simon Brett at his charming best--witty, cozy, and sophisticated...all at the same time.

In the English seaside village of Fethering (located next to the town of Tarring), recent retiree Carole Seddon just wishes to live a quiet, sensible life with Gulliver, her Labrador Retriever. But when she discovers a dead body on the beach while walking the dog, her sensible life is suddenly quite complicated. And with the help of her bohemian neighbor Jude, Carole finds a new purpose in life--as a detective.

"Simon Brett is one of the wittiest mystery writers around." --The Baltimore Sun

"[Simon Brett]'s hard to beat." --Kirkus Reviews

"Entertaining." --Chicago Sun-Times

"A joy from start to finish." --Denver Post

Simon Brett is the author of the Mrs. Pargeter Mystery series, and the creator of the Charles Paris mysteries. The Body on the Beach is the first novel in the new Fethering Mystery series. A former president of Britain's Crime Writers' Association and Chair of the Society of Authors, he lives in the south of England with his family.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Fans of Brett's witty Mrs. Pargeter and Charles Paris mysteries will cheer this buoyant launch of a series set in the English seaside town of Fethering (mischievously situated "not far from Tarring"). It's here that Carole Seddon, a fiftyish divorcee late of the Home Office, has settled, content to live a sensible, orderly retirement. But two events conspire to disrupt Carole's rigid routine: the arrival of an alarmingly casual new neighbor who insists on being called, merely, "Jude"; and the discovery of a dead middle-aged male on the Fethering beach. When Carole informs the police about the body, they dismiss her as a menopausal hysteric; after all, their subsequent search of the area yielded no trace of evidence. But when a haggard, drug-deranged woman appears at Carole's door with a gun, demanding to know if Carole located a knife on the body, Carole realizes that the corpse had been moved just before the police search. When a local teenage boy is found washed up on the beach, it's Jude who convinces Carole that the two deaths are somehow connected--and deserving of the two neighbors' full attention. Carole and Jude have surprising depth as characters, even though Brett overplays his hand in refusing to reveal any details of Jude's former life, including her surname. But the yin/yang relationship of the women is both mysterious and wholly believable, and the seacoast setting is so vivid you can taste the salty air. For late-summer beach reading, this is a cracking good choice. (Aug.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

This novel introduces Carole Seddon, a sensible woman in her 50s, who is grateful to look older than her years. A divorcee recently retired from the Home Office, she hopes to lead a very low-profile life at her cottage in Fethering; however, her plans for a quiet seclusion are quickly dashed when she discovers a corpse on the beach. The subsequent disappearance of the body, interview by the police, and threat by a gun-wielding stranger leave Carole befuddled. Her neighbor Jude decides that the two of them need to solve the mystery themselves. A more unlikely partnership cannot be imagined. Brett, well known to readers of his Charles Paris series (Star Trap, Murder in the Title), is at his humorous best in this cozy seaside mystery. Skillfully narrated by Geoffrey Howard, it is highly recommended for all public libraries. Theresa Connors, Arkansas Tech Univ., Russellville Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

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