Customer Reviews

The Stabbing in the Stables (Fethering Mystery)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I've just read five books in the series. I love the author's style of writing, love the characters and can even solve the mysteries. :)
However...the writing in this book doesn't flow as well compared to the previous books. I'm glad I read some of the reviews regarding violence. I'm not into gory descriptions that's why I liked the other books.

"The Stabbing in the Stables," the latest of Simon Brett's forays into the lives of Jude and Carole in the fictional Sussex town of Fethering, is as fresh and clever as the first in the series. As others have mentioned, usually series begin to become tired (witness the once-great Agatha Raisin series) or parodies of themselves (e.g., the "Cat Who" mysteries). But Simon Brett seems immune to any of that.

The sign of a truly great series is when you can't wait for the next one. That's certainly the case here! I hope Mr. Brett hurries up with the next mystery.

Simon Brett's expertise is exceptional. Yes, I know he's written a lot, but not every prolific author improves with successive books. Brett, however, is one who does. In this series, he takes a fairly unlikable character (Carole)and compels us to follow her no matter how unlikely we would if we knew her in real life. Cleverly, Brett adds a more likable character (Jude) but keeps much of her life hidden. Add a compelling tale and you've got a great read!

Eleanor Sullivan, author of Assumed Dead

I love this series. It's one of my favorites. I feel as though Carole and Jude are my old friends. However, for me, there was a bit too much malice in this one. The crimes were a little more cringe-worthy than the other books. The story was still well-written and as usual, there's a great undercurrent of suspense, but it's not my favorite book in the series. But that's okay. I'll take Simon Brett's Fethering Series over most other mystery books any day!

Brett Simon's THE STABBING IN THE STABLES has the local authorities willing to put the murder in the lap of a brutal slasher who has been harming mares in the area.
Jude is asked to aid one of the damaged horses at Long Bramber Stables, but stumbles over the body of ex-equestrian performer Walter Fleet.
Walter was deadly with the ladies and Jude has a suspicion the killer maybe closer to home as there are any number of possibles for closing out his career.
A great read with two engaging characters to lighten your day.
Nash Black, author of TRAVELERS.

Simon Brett is an accomplished writer and has several mystery series. The Feathering series features two middle-aged, but otherwise completely different, amateur detectives, Carole and Jude. Carole is a highly-controlled, reserved, retired former civil servant. Her neighbor and accomplice, Jude, is a free-wheeling, new-age "healer".

Part of the humor and fun of this series is in the interactions between these two and watching the gradual "loosening" of Carole. (Egads, she is now drinking wine in the kitchen!)

I always enjoy this series, but this book was particularly engaging. Carole and Jude come upon a murder victim only minutes after the murder at a stable where Jude was going to attempt the healing of a horse. The cast of characters drawn into the book was interesting and engaging: an angry, sullen adolecent, a gorgeous but troubled society matron, a central casting drunken Irishman who's a little more than what he seems.

Lots of fun and totally engrossing. Read it and enjoy.

I look forward to reading everything by Simon Brett. He is a recent discovery for me and I like all three of his series. Stabbing in the Stables is a Fethering mystery, featuring Jude (an alternative therapist) and Carole Seddon (an uptight Home Office retiree). This interesting duo becomes involved in a murder at a stable after Jude has been called upon to look at, and possibly heal, a horse.

I love the relationship between the two women. Jude is a very accepting Earth mother sort with healing hands and Carole is a very rigid type who is learning to unwind as she spends time with Jude. And she, like the rest of us unbelievers, is skeptical of Jude's abilities (a good move on Brett's part as this built-in skeptic keeps the reader from balking and moves the story along). And both Carole and Jude have a need to find out answers and can't resist the lure of a mystery.

Brett populates this entire book with interesting characters. They all have depth because they all have needs, desires, and conflicts (with the possible exception of the villain of the piece, who is obvious fairly early on). The character of Donal is fantastic and is slowly revealed like a peeled onion, changing the way he is regarded by both the other characters and the reader.

This is not a book for the extremely squeamish. While not explained in gory detail, it does have violence against both humans and animals in it. But if you can handle a dose of reality in your mystery, the writing makes this one quite worthwhile.

Did I guess it? Sort of. Any more detail would ruin it for you. Will I read more? Absolutely.