Detective Hillary Greene is helping the Thames Valley Police HQ, acting as a consultant for the Crime Review Team, looking into murders which the police have never been able to solve. The case is of Anne McRae, a young mother who was found beaten to death by a rolling pin.They did find out that she was having an affair with her brother in law, but couldn't find any evidence against her sister, Debbie. As Greene digs deeper into this unsolved murder, she also has another problem.....an unknown admirer who is turning into a stalker. Can Greene find out who killed Anne McRae and fend off the unwanted attention from her unknown suitor/stalker? I would like to thank Joffe books for the copy of this book, I voluntarily reviewed it.

Hillary’s back! After only eighteen months of retirement she joins the Crime Review Team as a civilian consultant. Her new boss Superintendent Steven Crayle decides to drop her in at the deep end with a cold case that’s over twenty years old. Anne McRae was found beaten to death in her kitchen, with no real forensic evidence and only one suspect that they can’t place at the crime scene, can Hillary crack the case?

So I know this is the twelfth in the Hillary Greene series but I think if you’ve never read any of the others books this is perfect place to give them a go as you are pretty much starting afresh. She has a new boss, new team even a new office, which is more of a cupboard, in the basement of the police HQ which they lovingly call Hades.

I like the fact Faith Martin retired Hillary, it’s given the series a whole new lease of life! I’d recommend this to people who are fans of the TV show New Tricks.

Hillary is feeling distinctly wrong footed investigating an old case and not being treated with the same respect or having the same powers as when she was a DI. She also has a new inexperienced team, who for the most part work part time. The only bright spot is her new right hand man, Jimmy Jessop, a retired detective sergeant, and a person who seems to understand her methods. Another downside to being back is she has picked up a stalker too. Add all that a complex case with seemingly no leads equal a real page turner.

There’s also a new bit of chemistry between her and her new boss Steven Crayle which I can’t wait to see how that works out.

Another great police procedural from Faith Martin that will have you intrigued from beginning to end.

5 stars

After a year and a half of retirement, Hillary Greene is testing the waters to go back to work. When she meets with her old boss, Marcus Donleavey, he tells her about the Crime Review Team. It reviews cold and unsolved cases with a view toward modern forensic techniques and technical savvy. She would be under one Detective Superintendent Steven Crayle. He is a wonderfully handsome man, but more than a little brusque.

Meeting her new team, she learns that they are James “Jimmy” Jessop who is a retired DS, Sam Pickles, a tall young man who is studying at university and Vivienne Tyrell a perfume-wearing twenty-year old who takes an instant dislike to Hillary.

The first case that they review is a woman of three who was beaten to death in her kitchen some twenty years earlier. Her name was Anna McRae and she was having an affair with her brother-in-law Shane. The main suspect then was his wife Debbie Gregg. Debbie was Anna’s sister. She had two daughters and one son named Peter, Lucy and Jenny. Anna’s husband’s name was Melvin.

Jimmy and Hillary’s first interview is with Debbie Clegg, now aged sixty-two. When the rest of the family receives letters from the Thames Valley Police saying that they are reviewing Anna’s death, many of them are nervous.

When forensics finally identifies the stray hair found on Anna’s body, they police have a suspect. Interviewing the suspect is tricky. They deny ever being in Anna’s home and claim to know nothing about her murder. They were at work at the time it happened. Hillary smells something off about the whole interview, but can’t put her finger on it.

The identity of the killer comes as a surprise – at least to me it did.

Hillary solves another one! This is another great book in the Hillary Greene series. We didn’t really think that she would retire, now did we? I truly enjoy Faith Martin’s writing. It is so clear and easy to read for all people. The novel is written linearly, that is to say that one event follows another in a logical progression.

I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this great addition to the Hillary Green series to read, enjoy and review.

Having read book #1 and book #3 in the series, I was actually very surprised to find that within such a short space of time since my last review (25 November 2017) so many more books in this series were published. So I somehow missed them out on NetGalley. Because of that, it was somewhat a surprise to read that Hillary is suddenly almost fifty and coming back from retirement. Oops.
Luckily, having enjoyed her retirement for more than a year, Hillary is now in full swing again and she tackels on a cold case with everything she has. And with success, of course.
Faith Martin is re-building Hillary's life all over again. With so many characters from the first books gone, there is room for new people in her life - not all of them good.
I sincerely hope to find the next book in this series soon on NG because the cliffhanger is great!

I have been a fan of Faith Martin’s Hilary Greene series for quite a while now. I came to the party slightly later than a lot of others but I have certainly caught up with the other books in the series. I eagerly devour each and every book that is realised and I have loved each one that I have read. ‘Murder Never Retires’ is no exception. I absolutely totally and utterly blinking well loved it but more about that in a bit.
Where do I start with Hilary Greene? This book sees our heroine Hilary Green return from some time away sailing on her barge, which she decided to do after she retired from the police. She was that fed up and stressed out that she decided she just needed to get away. The break has done her good- she looks healthier, she has lost weight, her hair has natural highlights and she just seems very relaxed. However I think that the novelty has worn off for her now and she is itching to have purpose again. She goes to visit her former boss to discuss a ‘possible’ return but her former boss knows that it’s almost 100% certain that she will return because she can’t switch off her keen copper’s instinct. Hilary does return but as a civilian employee/ consultant to a cold case review squad. She finds this rather hard to begin with as she has to get used to not having rank and status over her colleagues with all the limited perks that her former role brought her. Hilary has not lost her ability to be able to coax information from even the most reluctant of witnesses or persons of interest. Hilary has a very accurate gut instinct and if something doesn’t seem right to her then it usually isn’t. This book sees Hilary attract the attention of one seriously disturbed police employee. I won’t say which one because that would give a spoiler but safe to say his behaviour rang huge alarm bells for me from the moment I started reading about him. Will Hilary solve the cold case? Will Hilary get on with her colleagues? How will Hilary deal with the unwanted attention of her admirer? Will Hilary stay in her new role? Well for the answers to those questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
The author’s writing style is such that you can’t fail to be drawn into the story and before you know it, you are addicted to reading this book. I picked this book up intending to only read a couple of chapters but I should have known that it would be impossible to just stop at two chapters. Nine chapters later and I was still reading. The chapters are long but because I was enjoying the story and I was so into the investigation, I didn’t realise quite how quickly the pages were turning and before I knew what was happening I had cleared over half of the book. The characters were so realistic that I took to most of them and reading this book felt like reuniting with old friends and colleagues. There was more than one occasion that I wish I could have jumped into the pages of the book to defend Hilary and to deal with her rather creepy admirer but then I had to remind myself that it was fiction. I just have a very vivid and overactive imagination. Everything that the different characters went through, I went through with them. ‘Murder Never Retires’ is one heck of a fast paced rollercoaster ride of a read with lots of twists and turns and moments that hit you like a punch to the gut.
In short, I absolutely loved reading ‘Murder Never Retires’ and I wholeheartedly recommend this series to other readers. It was fabulous to see Hilary having a new lease of life with her retirement and subsequent re-employment with the police. It was also nice to see this series going in another direction and I absolutely loved the idea of the cold case squad. I can’t wait to read the next book in the Hilary Greene series. Here’s hoping that we don’t have too long to wait. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Thank you Net Galley. As usual a fun read in the DI Greene series by Faith Martin. I had been wondering how the return would be staged and I enjoyed the manner of Hilary's return to police work. I also look forward to the development of the 'stalker' angle.

Another entertaining and captivating mystery, Hillary couldn’t stay away from the force, it was deeply rooted in her and on her return she is faced with a cold case that was twenty years old, how in heaven's was she going to solve that with most witnesses aged and died. This is what it’s all about for Hillary putting together those pieces of the puzzle that didn’t make sense. On top of that she picked up a stalker one on the force of all places, now that was another puzzle she needed to solve and fast. Although Hillary was minus her old gang she was still able to do the job she enjoys with great results. A great storyline as is expected and the characters are awesome, my only regret is that I have to wait for the next book to find out how they deal with the scumbag who has decided to target Hillary.

Good to see Hillary Greene back to work again. She is back in her old nick going after an cold case twenty years old. If anyone can solve it Hillary can. The bet is on to how long it will take her. The case was looked at with a keen eye then but there was DNA not identified on the victim. She was a mother of three who was killed in her kitchen. Hillary and her group are going over it all again and looking at it just enough differently to see one or two things that need a follow up. Then Hillary has a secret admirer who is going through her boat after breaking in and sending flowers. That is a situation yet to be solved I love this series and this book was every bit as good.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for a review copy of Murder Never Retires, the twelfth novel to feature ex-DI Hillary Greene of Thames Valley police.

After almost two years of retirement, cruising the waterways on her narrow boat, Hillary returns to Oxford and takes a position as consultant on the Crime Review Team. Her new boss, Superintendent Steven Crayle, isn't overly enthusiastic about having an investigative superstar, as Hillary has been billed, and hands her the coldest of his pending cases, the 20 year old murder of housewife Annie Macrae in her own home.

I thoroughly enjoyed Murder Never Retires which is a straightforward police procedural with several unexpected twists. It is interesting to see Hillary in a new setting with different colleagues although her methods are still the same. She knuckles down, keeps interviewing, looks for discrepancies and puts it all together. I found the detail on her new department and its working practices interesting and informative and a change from the normal procedural.

The novel held my interest throughout as I love the grind of winnowing out the fact from perception and lies and it is particularly relevant when dealing with cold cases. In the early novels in the series I could usually guess the perpetrator early on but Ms Martin has become more adept at hiding both perpetrator and motive so I was pretty clueless until the denouement and hung on to every word as I tried to work it out.

The novel revolves around Hillary who is a very likeable protagonist. Smart, attractive and personable she seems to have it all and yet is single and solitary. This may change as there is the possibility of romance in the air although whether it will be a new boyfriend or her recently acquired stalker is open to to question. I was a bit disappointed that there is no mention of her former colleagues in the novel, not even an update, but the new team adequately fill the gap.

Murder Never Retires is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Author Faith Martin
Murder never retires.


Easy to read, interesting back story. I wish I had read the previous book in this series. Hillary Green is a very polished retired police officer. She is very good at interviews . Well respected by old and new team. Has a strong work ethic. ‘She’s always at her best when she’s up against it.’

A mother of 3, Anne McRae, was murdered 20 years ago, and the cold case was opened again. Hillary Green has retired, but wanted to return to handle different cases. She was matched up with the Close Case head Superintendent  Steven  Crayle. Who had heard about her well deserved track record from her former boss Commander Marcus Donleavy. This was the case that really needed to be looked at again buy fresh eyes after all these years.

There are many twist and turns and an unexpected ending. The new team also has another retired cop, James Jessop,
and 2 interns Sam Pickles and
Vivienne Tyrell . Overlooked by Steven  Crayle. I would recommend this book to mystery fans, the writing was especially well done.

One more thing, what was the thing with police officer Tom Warrington ?

I was giving the story in advance, by Netgalley, with the promise to be truthfull, good or bad

Now I understand why so many people love Faith Martin books! An excellent page-turning police procedural story, the twelfth so far in the series (and previously published as "A Narrow Return"), but it was so easy to get to know the main characters without having read any of the others. This story covered investigating a cold case but was just as exciting as a current crime story and the rather abrupt cliff-hanger ending left me eagerly awaiting the next book.

I am reading my way through this series and am on book 6 so will post a proper review when I have read them all in order. The ones I have read are all brilliant so I have no doubt this will be too!!

We are back with the 12th in the series with Detective Hillary Greene in the lovely setting of the village of Chesterton surrounded by farmland. Retirement is not suiting Hillary and she returns as a consultant to the Crime Review Team headed by Superintendent Crayle looking at a cold case from 20 years ago. Mother Anna McRae was having an affair with her sister Debbie's husband when she was found in her kitchen bludgeoned by a rolling pin. Hillary has acquired a new team who set about re-investigating this killing, but after so long will she be able to get to the truth of what happened? Facing a tough background within policing and budget cuts, Hillary's life is made more difficult as she is stalked by an unwanted admirer.. This is a story of twists and plenty of suspense. Thanks to Joffe books for an ARC.

This is another book in the DI HIlary Greene series. I enjoyed the characters in this book especially Hilary and the mystery however the book ended to abruptly in my opinion. I realize the author wants you to continue reading this series but it just seemed the book stopped short as if she got tired of writing it.

If you haven't made the acquiantance of the DI Hilary Greene stories, fix that immediately! This series has been republished for the US market, and they are obsessively good. Faith Martin has developed a perfectly realized character in Greene - one that the reader will immediately embrace. Her fascinating background and personal life, and, most importantly, her investigative work and interesting coworkers drive the action that is believable and exciting. Martin's writing is impeccable, and her timing keeps the reader turning the pages feverishly. For those of us who have followed Greene through her previous adventures, we are well satisfied with Greene's return from retirement in this whalloping good story.

Welcome back Hillary Green! No longer a DI, but still on top form of the cold case department. Even after 20 years she gets her man! An old friend back after her break touring the canals for over a year, can’t wait for the next book!

Good to see DI Hillary Greene back in harness - well almost. A good story - the solving of a 20 year old murder. Her solve rate is still 100%.

As good a book as ever. Faith Martin's writing skills and imagination haven't let her - or us - yet.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
Hillary Greene is back! After retiring and travelling around on her narrow boat, she's back in Oxford, heading a small team for her old department, looking into cold cases as a civilian consultant. Her new boss, Superintendent Crayle, heads the Crime Review Team and her first case is a murder committed over 20 years ago. An obviously impossible one, which Crayle, aware of her reputation as a superb thief taker, thinks she'll never solve. He is ambitious, and doesn't want to be outdone by Hillary, Ha, is he in for a surprise!
A mother was found at home by her young daughter, killed by a rolling pin. No clues were left behind and the original police team never found the murderer. Hillary and her small team put in a lot of hours; interviewing the people surrounding the case is tough, a lot of them are no longer around.
She's being stalked, not pleasant...But there may be a new man in her life, hopefully we'll find out more in the next book!
It's actually quite refreshing, not only to have Hillary back, but to have new characters and cold cases - as a fan of the cold
case genre, I'm excited about the direction this series is taking. Really enjoyed the book, finished it in a day!

4.5 Stars

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A REVISED EDITION OF A BOOK FIRST PUBLISHED AS “A NARROW RETURN.”

Her retirement has lasted all of a year and a half and now she's back. Although no longer a DI, she is working as a consult for the Police Headquarters. She has a new team and she's being given cold, cold murder cases which have never been solved.

She wasn’t sure she wanted to go back. But solving crimes is irresistible for Hillary Greene. And it doesn’t hurt that her new boss is devastatingly handsome.

Her first case is 20 years old. Anna McRae was found dead in her home, beaten to death with a rolling pin. She was a wife and mother of three children ... but since she was having an affair with her sister's husband, the sister was the prime suspect. But it could never be proven. After 20 years, whatever leads the detectives had once had have turned ice cold.

While she and her team start painstakingly putting together a new case and re-investigating the friends and families of Ms. McRae, she finds that the victim had many more secrets that were never brought to light.

What also emerges is that Hillary has a stalker. First her locker is broken into and a comb goes missing. She receives roses hand delivered to her office. A Valentine and a book of poems are next.

Can Hillary solve a fiendishly complex case from the past while fending off unwanted attention?

HIllary still has the same sharp, feisty edges she has always had. Popular with rank and file, she's no-nonsense and extremely competent in her job. Her new team consists of an older retired Sergeant who has heard of Hillary's reputation and is eager to work with her. Because of budget cuts, the other two members are civilians ... they do the grunt work to free up detectives to do the 'real' work. The young man is greener than green, but is promising in his eagerness to learn from Hillary. The other is a young woman who has designs on the boss and really doesn't want another woman around.

Great characters all around with lots of twists and turns make this crime thriller an exceptional addition to the series.

Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Books n All Book Promotions / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

In this twelfth instalment, Hillary returns to work as a civilian consultant looking into cold cases, having found 18 months of retirement more than enough. No longer being an actual police officer is an adjustment, although other things are refreshingly the same: Hillary still has her bell-shaped hair cut (I find this very intriguing - kicking out at the bottom all round??) and every heterosexual male she encounters is of course attracted to her. I enjoyed her stroppy young assistant Vivienne and the plot was a decent one, although an awful lot of "man" hours seemed to be going into one 20 year old cold case, even if it was an unsolved murder. Hillary's stalker is rather alarming.

Still enjoying these very much.