Another cracking read
Love the storylines by Roy Lewis
Keep you entertained from start to finish
Highly recommended
Well written and will keep you up till the early hours

Thankyou to NetGalley, Joffe Books and the author, Roy Lewis, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of The Woods Murder in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I thought this book was well written. It provides a really good read that keeps your interest. The characters were engaging and realistic. 3.5 stars.
Well worth a read.

Normally I won’t request something that isn’t set in the current time period (or future) for various reasons but I didn’t see that aspect before clicking request so I figured I’d give it a go. I’m glad I did! It was actually refreshing to read a story without all the modern technology that makes crime solving “so easy” these days. One really had to work for it back then!

I liked the writing and it was an interesting cast of characters. There were a few different subplots happening but all was resolved at the end. There were some surprises and red herrings and the ending was a surprise for me. I had not read any previous work by the author and this is a series but it reads quite well by itself. Overall a nice and unexpected change from my usual stories.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Joffe Books for a copy in exchange for a review.

This is my second Inepector Crow. Neither book has been consecutive, nor do you need to read this series in order, each book stands alone. I am thrilled with this series, the writing is concise, the plots are cleverly constructed and I never have figured out who the bad guy is. The timeframe is the 60’s, it is the characters, rather than the setting, so the time period is irrelevant in my opinion. The author is very good at building suspence, so once in, it is hard to put down. Language and sex are not an issue, nor is it violent. If you like the television show “Endeavor” or “George Gently” you will like this. I highly recommend this author and this series.
Thank you to netgalley for a free advance copy in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

This book is set in the sixties and is the third book in the Inspector John Crow series.
A nine year old girl is murdered on her way home from school. Charles Lendon is a womaniser lawyer is found stabbed through the heart with a skewer. What do these two murders have in common ?
It took me a while to get into this book but i am so glad i stuck with it. There were so many suspects and my own list was growing. It is packed with lots of red herrings and buckets of tension. A really good crime thriller and police procedural. A really good read and a recommended crime thriller.
I would like to thank the Netgalley and Joffre Books for the ARC of this book in return for giving an honest review.

Scotland Yard Chief Inspector John Crow is dispatched to the countryside town of Canthorpe to investigate the vicious murder of a local lawyer, Charles Lendon. Lendon was stabbed in the chest with a skewer at a deserted mill in the woods. It's a killing with plenty of emotion behind it.
Crow butts heads with the local Police Superintendent Hugh Simpson who is annoyed that his Chief Constable has not let him handle the case. However, Simpson has already got a murder investigation to deal with, one that is proving difficult to crack after several weeks of work. Simpson resents Crow's presence in Canthorpe and makes his feelings known. Friction between the two detectives increases as their two investigations begin to overlap.
Lendon, he victim in Crow's case, is a prosperous lawyer, but with low personal morals. He chases and beds most women he comes into contact with. As the opening sentence in the story says: "Most women were fascinated by Charles Lendon" Lendon plays on this fascination although things don't always work out well for the women. He is astute in his work, maybe even ruthless, but is successful. Crow sets about investigating the many people who may want Lendon dead and quickly finds several potential suspects. There is a bit of soap opera in Canthorpe which produces some activity for Crow to pursue. The story is told at a brisk pace without any dull moments, and several chase scenes keep suspense at a high level. There's an exciting conclusion and all the loose ends are tied up.
This book is one of a series but is easily read as a standalone. It is a recently revised edition of a book published in 1971 (with a different title) and it reflects the then current technology. There is for example no DNA testing and more prosaically, no email, mobile telephones or similar devices. It is not so dated as to be quaint and the storyline still works. It is easy to read: English slang may be interpreted by non-British readers using the glossary of terms appended to the book.
There's a curious fascination with Crow's physical appearance. As one witness remarks after her interview by the inspector: "'He's an ugly man, isn't he,' she said. "I mean, he's so tall, and his head is such a funny shape. He's like a skeleton". Comments similar to this one are numerous in the book.
"The Woods Murder" is a cleverly plotted police procedural murder mystery set in the English countryside and has a satisfying conclusion. It is recommended for fans of English police detective fiction.
Thanks to Joffe Books and Netgalley for my copy of the eBook. The views expressed are my own.

A nine year old girl is murdered on her way home from school, in a small English village. And then the suspect is murdered too. It is a great police novel.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this book.

Not a book that drew me in at first but a very good take on crime and policing in the 1960's well before the tech age.A lovely addition to the stable of Roy Lewis. I give it 4*

This is a great addition to the Inspector Crow series and possibly the best one. This book was a great read, as it was set in a time when police had to do more legwork to solve crimes vs using forensic science. I found that interesting. The plot also moved along fast and there were some twists, so overall, it was a great read!

Synopsis
It’s difficult to write a detailed synopsis without giving things away.

Set in the late sixties (prior to DNA testing, mobile phones etc), The Woods Murder is the fast paced story of Inspector Crow of Scotland Yard and his quest to find a murderer.

Shortly after the horrific murder of 9-year-old Jenny Carson shocks an entire town, the body of local solicitor Charles Lendon (A womaniser and outsider disliked by many local people) is found with a skewer stabbed through his heart. Already with their hands full, the local police reluctantly call in Inspector Crow and his team to assist in Lendon’s case.

The more Crow looks into the murder, the longer and more complicated the list of suspects become until reaching an intense climax close to the end.

Review
After the first few chapters I really wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book or not. I struggled to find anything about the characters that I liked ( character rapport is really important for me) and I also found it difficult to shift my thinking into the era this book is set in. But, I’m not one to give up on a book so quickly and I continued. And boy was I rewarded! It didn’t take long (about chapter 6 or 7) until I became hooked.

Rather than rely on the fear factor, (although there is a particularly intense scene through the woods) Lewis goes for the suspense angle. The Woods Murder reads like a good old-fashioned police drama, like the ones I remember watching with my grandparents on a Sunday afternoon. You spend the whole book playing ‘who dun it?’

Through a variety of points of view, the story is told, weaving a web of potential suspects, each one as likely as the next. It keeps you guessing right until the very end and each time you are sure you know who the murderer is, bam! – something changes your mind.

I also love the fact that it sticks to the story line. There are no real sub stories of romance going on etc. It means you can fully focus on the simple but thrilling crime drama.

It’s compulsive reading!

This is a recommended read for anyone who likes crime/police dramas. It’s the third in the Inspector Crow series and I’m definitely adding the first two to my TBR pile.

THIS BOOK WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AS “A SECRET SINGING.”

This is the 3rd appearance of Inspector Crow of Scotland Yard. Told in the time frame of the 1960s, Crow has to solve crimes the old fashioned way. There were no cell phones, no pagers, no DNA testing.

There have been two crimes committed in a small English village. A nine-year-old girl goes missing, only to be found day a day later. The girl's father blames Charles Lendon for her death. And when Lendon is found murdered a week later, he becomes the prime suspect.

Local law enforcement is not too happy to have Crow in their jurisdiction, so they have split the crimes. The locals will follow the young girl while Crow concentrates on the lawyer, Lendon.

There are many suspects, as Lendon was not a well liked man. A lot of people had reason to want him dead .... his housekeeper lover, the various other lovers and their husbands, his business partner, even the young lady who is his colleague and her boyfriend.

This is a fast-paced mystery, a page turner from start to finish, with a surprising ending. The characters are credible and the premise is exact. I look forward to Crow's next adventure.

Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Set before an age where police forces had all technology at their hands Inspector Crow must use all his knowledge to bring the perpetrator to justice, Charles Lendon has been murdered and all is not what it seems, is the murder of Jenny Carson connected ? Will the Inspector solve the murder ?

It is nice to have a modern murder mystery set in a time before mobile phones, dna, etc. Policing was more difficult, but Detective Chief Inspector Crow manages well with his intuition. I love the description of Crow - and wonder who would play him in a film or on tv - he's tall, thin, bald, with a skull like head. He can generally tell who is lying to him - but two people get away with it here - and affect the whole outcome.

A good, readable book.

This is an old school crime mystery set in the 1960s fashioned into a rational, logical whodunnit. There is a brutal child murder with the killing of 9 year old Jenny Carson. Jenny's father blames the notoriously ruthless womanising lawyer, Charles Lendon. Not for actually being responsible for the murder, but because his actions endangered local children. Then later Charles Lendon himself is stabbed, killed by a skewer that went through his heart. Inspector Crow is called in. He looks for connections between the two murders. This is a quick read, there are a host of suspects and plenty of intrigue. A good read for crime fiction fans.

This is the third book in the DI Crow series, and as such you should really read the first two to get to know the man behind the face as it were.  

As with the previous books this one is set back in the dark ages of forensics and police investigations where the police had to do a lot more door knocking instead of relying on science. 

There are also a lack of any modern technology in this book, which isn't necessarily a bad thing as it does rely on the police force doing a lot more digging around and actually talking to suspects and witnesses.

As with the previous two books this one is a very nice straight forward who-dunnit mystery with the reader learning everything at the same time as the Inspector himself, although there are some little nuggets of information we know that the DI doesn't, but not enough for me to work out who did it.

Overall I thought the book was a very good read for it's time, although in places it did come across a bit dated.  If you are looking for a nostalgic crime/mystery book then I would recommend this book as it was quite an enjoyable read

This is Roy Lewis’ third Inspector Crow novel, and it is the best one yet. Roy Lewis was actively writing from the late sixties into this century, and this particular book was published in 1971. Allowing for the fact that there were no desk computers, cellphones, or DNA, this book is not dated, and is an excellent mystery. Roy Lewis is unjustly underrated, and should be considered one of Britain’s top crime authors.

These Inspector Crow books are good, old-fashioned mysteries and police procedurals. A murder, or murders, is committed, and the police work to solve it. According to what I read in the British papers of today, modern British police forces are more focused on thought crimes and are not trying to solve actual crimes such as burglary and assault, but the police officers in Roy Lewis’ books are what we think of when we imagine the police, thank goodness.

I don’t like spoilers, so I am not going to give any. We follow along with the police, and some of the characters, with the author playing very fair with the reader. I confess I did not know “whodunnit,” but looking back the clues were there.

I am so happy that these Roy Lewis books are being reissued for Kindle. Lewis has long been one of my favorite authors, but the Inspector Crow series is new to me. I am enjoying it very much, and I heartily recommend these books to anyone who likes mysteries.

Another cracking story from Roy Lewis. A step back in time when crime, even murder appears more gentle. A great way to read an easy story line. Chief Inspector Crowe hets his man with a surprising end.

I enjoyed this book, it was a good story with lots of twists and turns. I enjoyed the setting back in the 60's, it made a nice change to reading detective stories set in the current day. The main character was interesting, a good police officer but not a perfect one which made him quite likeable despite his rather bizarre appearance. It was not easy to predict the killer because there were lots of "red herrings" which made the story all the more enjoyable and satisfying in its conclusion.

A good, old style whodunit. The book aged well and it's pleasure to read about discoveries based on deduction more than scientific tests.
I love this book and look forward to reading other in this series.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Joffe Books and Netgalley for this ARC

Jenny Carson was just nine years old when she was murdered whilst taking a shortcut through Kenton Woods. Her father blamed lawyer Charles Lendon for her death - not that he thought he was physically responsible, but because Lendon had refused to allow the local children to use his driveway as a shortcut to school, forcing them to cut through the woods if they were late. Lendon wasn’t a popular man - he would say that lawyers never are - partly because of his attitudes, but his incessant womanising had made him a lot of enemies. When Lendon was murdered a couple of months after Jenny’s death, there was no shortage of suspects.

Cathy Tennant was an articled clerk in Lendon’s office. She knew his reputation, but was unworried by it. Their relationship was purely professional and she respected what Lendon did for her. Her boyfriend, Mike Enson, was less sanguine, but, unknown to Cathy there was a history between Lendon and Enson’s family. Neither man was happy about Cathy’s association with the other.

Detective Chief Superintendent Hugh Simpson was of the opinion that he and the local force could handle the investigation into the two murders without outside assistance. Chief Constable Rogers was of a different opinion and essentially it came down to finance. If Scotland Yard was called in within the first twenty-four hours it would be cheaper for the local force - and so Detective Chief Inspector Crow arrived to take over the investigation into the death of Charles Lendon.

I enjoyed this book a great deal more than I was expecting to. It’s set in a simpler time - probably the early seventies - before mobile phones and DNA testing and it’s obvious from the beginning that the plot is not going to be complex, but it is sound. Author Roy Lewis has a background in the law and as Charles Lendon is a lawyer this creates an authenticity often lacking in similar plots. The characters are good if occasionally two dimensional, but I read the book in less than twenty-four hours, preferring it to other leisure activities. I’d be happy to read more from Lewis.