When I saw this on the bookshelf at Oundle Library, I thought it was just another celebrity cosy crime novel. But then I spotted the cover quote from the author Janice Hallett, saying it was “intriguing, complex and hugely enjoyable”, so I thought I’d give it a try. And I have to say I’m glad I did, because Murder on Line One felt like a cut above many celebrity-penned offerings. I enjoyed it and it earned 4 Stars from me.
Of course Jeremy Vine was going to write a crime fiction novel. Why wouldn’t he? Celebrities of every hue are jumping on the bandwagon and I don’t imagine it would ever be a problem for Vine to find a publisher. But as I say, I was really pleasantly surprised by this, and I’ll go further and say that I’ll look out for his next book, when it appears.
Janice Hallett’s cover quote finishes by describing this as a “small-town whodunnit” and that’s probably a far better summary than ‘cosy crime’, because despite the cast of likeable characters, I found the plot clever and interesting, and I just kept reading.
Murder on Line One is set in Sidmouth, where Edward Temmis has recently been sacked from his job as a local radio presenter – deemed unfit to return to work because he hasn’t recovered quickly enough from a personal tragedy. Rudderless, he’s wondering what on earth he will do next, when a young woman called Stevie asks him to help her find out why her grandmother – who had been one of Edward’s devoted listeners – had died in a suspicious fire last year.
Edward hopes that helping Stevie might give him a sense of purpose while he tries to get his life back on track, so he agrees. And it’s not long before he, Stevie, and Kim (an old fling of Edward’s), realise that Stevie’s grandmother wasn’t the only one of his listeners to have been targeted.
My verdict
So … why did I like this more than so much of the cosy crime that’s out there? Well, the plot turned out to be more complicated than I expected, even though the storytelling was easy-going and relaxed. I liked all the characters too. Edward is well-drawn and I was rooting for him from the start.
There are lots of rather nice little touches that add extra colour as well. Edward, for example, lives in a house that’s literally perched on a cliff-edge. You’re told quite a lot about the house and his insouciance about its future, so sometimes it feels as if the house is becoming a character in its own right. Sidmouth is a good location too – a seaside town full of retirees, that has given Jeremy Vine scope to create an atmosphere of rather unreal gentility. And bubbling away in the background is the will-they-won’t-they relationship between Edward and Kim.
At the end, the solution to the puzzle the trio is trying to solve is unexpected, but plausible. And there’s also an unexpected development in Edward’s personal tragedy, which seems to provide some ‘closure’ for him, so things are neatly tied up by the final page.
Truthfully, I’d rather Jeremy Vine didn’t make a series out of Edward and his friends, but he has a two-book deal from HarperCollins and the next is due to be published in April. I’d just prefer Vine to start his next book with new characters rather than pull Edward back into amateur sleuthing. That way this could remain the small gem that I found it to be. 4 Stars.
Review by: Cornish Eskimo
For Oundle Crime a 4-Star rating means: “A good book with an interesting, layered story that you will still remember after a month.”
If you’d like to meet other crime fiction fans and chat about the books and authors you enjoy, why not come along to an Oundle Crime meeting? It’s relaxed and friendly, and anyone can drop in. Email join@friendsofoundlelibrary.org.uk and we’ll send you the details.