The Stabbing in the Stables (Fethering Mystery) [Paperback]

Simon Brett (Author)

Book Description

Series: Fethering Mystery | Publication Date: June 5, 2007

When an equestrian champion-and ladies' man-is found dead in the stables, Carole Seddon and her friend Jude find plenty of suspects, considering the victim's track record out of the saddle...

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Simon Brett is the author of the Fethering mystery series and the Mrs. Pargeter mystery series, and is the creator of the Charles Paris mysteries. 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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (June 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425216713
• ISBN-13: 978-0425216712
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #959,697 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant entry in a very addicting series, August 28, 2006

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Stabbing In The Stables (Fethering Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Of the all the series that Simon Brett has written, The Feathering Mysteries featuring Carole Seddon and Jude, is definitely my favourite one. Not only are they written with a wry sense of humour, but the mysteries have all been wonderfully intriguing and rather absorbing. And this latest Feathering installment, "The Stabbing in the Stables" proved to be no exception to the rule and was an absolutely wonderful read.

When Carole Seddon agrees to accompany her friend and fellow sleuth, Jude, on her latest case (Jude is an alternative therapist and has been asked by her client, Sonia Dalrymple, to try and heal her lame horse), the last thing she expected was that they would find stable owner Walter Fleet, slashed to death in the stables. Everyone is agog: who killed Walter? Was it, as the police believe the "Horse Ripper," who has been mutilating horses in the area, whom Walter had walked in on? Or was flirtatious Walter killed by a jealous husband? Or could Walter's much put upon wife, Lucinda, have decided to put an end to her troubles in a very final way? Curious and eager to pit their wits against that of the police, Carole and Jude decide to do some sleuthing of their own...

If you're looking for an intelligent and swiftly paced mystery that will keep fairly absorbed from beginning to end, this is definitely the book for you. Simon Brett does a wonderful job of stretching things out in order to keep you guessing. And the wry, witty tone was just the icing on the cake. I particularly liked that Carole is beginning to shed some of her rigid ways and is beginning, at times, to take the lead when following up on leads. I thoroughly enjoyed "The Stabbing in the Stables" and would recommend it to anyone looking for a nice cozy to curl up with.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Stabbing in the Stables..., November 18, 2007

By 

Gayle Surrette "omnivorous reader" (Brandywine, Maryland) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Stabbing in the Stables (Fethering Mystery) (Paperback)

Jude and Carole are back as the amateur sleuths of Feathering, and this time they find themselves involved in deadly horseplay when Jude finds a body at Long Bamber Stables. The police figure it's the mysterious "Horse Ripper," someone who's been mutilating mares across the county, but Jude and Carol suspect the killer might be someone closer to home.

Sonia Dalrymple's has hired Jude to heal her horse's bad knee. Jude's never tried to heal a horse before but she's willing to give it a go. But, since she's supposed to meet her client at Long Bamber Stables after dark, she gets her friend Carole Seddon to give her a ride. The stables are dark and no one is around. When Jude checks inside just in case she got the meeting place confused, she finds a body. Then the night is filled with people as the police arrive just after Sonia and before Lucinda Fleet - the new widow, but one who doesn't appear that upset about her husband's demise.

Once again Jude and Carole are outsiders in a murder investigation. For once, these amateur sleuths are believable. They're totally aware they have no information and that they are cut off from the real investigation. So, they try to gather clues from others who are peripheral to the case: Imogen Potton, a young girl who exercises the horses and mucks out the stable; Lucinda Fleet, wife of the murder victim; Sonia, who boards two horses at the stables and seems to know more than she's saying; Donal, a horse-wise Irishman whom the police questioned; Hilary Potton, Imogen's mother who seems a bit of a drama queen; and Ted Crisp, who runs the local pub and hears lots of interesting gossip.

While Jude would like to find the killer, she's not overly enthused about it. Carole on the other hand is worried about her son Stephen's marriage to Gabe. She's throwing herself into the investigation to stop herself from thinking about her son and daughter-in-law.

There are twists and turns and lots of the usual. The mystery itself is multi-layered with clues from unrelated incidents to throw the reader off as well as Jude and Carole. It's not a challenging mystery for the reader, but the characters are so interesting and the inter-relationships so intriguing that as long as the story is strong and engaging it's a nice chance to see and learn new things about the world of Feathering as well as of Jude and Carole -- it seems opposites do make the best friends after all.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love those Fethering Mysteries!, March 26, 2006

By 

Jonna Turner (Denver, Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Stabbing In The Stables (Fethering Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Could not wait for the U.S. version to come out, so I bought the British version. Pricey and it took a while to get used to the way the Brits punctuate, but thoroughly enjoyed the book. The best in the series so far. Brett is becoming very comfortable with Carole and Jude, and it is fun to watch the ladies change and grow! Plan to try his other mysteries next.