Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the 7th book in the series. I admit that I haven't read the rest. A good read I found the writing a little repetitive, and predictable. On the whole a good read.

Although Faith Martin is a prolific writer, This is the first book I have read, A Fatal Night (Ryder and Loveday Mystery #7 is part of a series, but can easily picked up without the need to read the first six.
This book is set in Oxfordshire on New Year's Eve 1962 during the big freeze at a big soiree in an exclusive house owned by a rich widow.
Good looking bachelor and love interest of the hostess is found dead in his car the following morning having crashed his car and assumed died of hypothermia.
WPC Loveday is set to tidy the task of accidental death and asks Coroner Dr Ryder to pronounce death. What starts as an open and shut case, soon turns into something more sinister once the pair start questioning others who worked with with him, knew him previously or attended the same part. It soon became apparent that there was more than one person who had a a motive for murder.
As Loveday and Ryder become involved with what turns out to be a murder enquiry, Ryder's son takes an interest in the investigation (single and similar age to Loveday) and we discover that Ryder is hiding his own secret about his health.
A great book for those who love a cosy crime in a true whodunnit style that keeps you guessing until the end.
#A FatalNight #NetGalley

This is the seventh in the Ryder and Loveday mystery series. Although it is the third I have read, I think it would work well as a standalone.

This one takes place on New Year’s Eve, 1962, back to a time before cell phones and internet; it seems an appropriate setting for an English mystery set in Oxford. Ryder is the aging local coroner, while Loveday is a young constable trying to be accepted as a serious police officer, no easy feat in that era. This likable pair have teamed up successfully before in other cases. A new character introduced is Ryder’s handsome son who seems quite taken by Constable Loveday and joins in the mystery solving.

All of the Martin books I have read have solid stories; more substantial than “cosy” mysteries, yet still pleasant reads (even though murders take place!).
Set during a time of epic snow storms, A Fatal Night is especially atmospheric.

If you enjoy this book, try Martin’s others in the series, as well as her DI Hillary Greene novels.

A well-paced, highly enjoyable whodunnit with well-crafted protagonists and a nice, unobtrusive sprinkling of historical and geographical detail (Oxford, 1962).

This is book no. 7 in a series, but works very well as a standalone. The plot and main characters were very engaging, so I would like to read more of them.

Thank you to HQ and NetGalley for letting me read and review this book.

It is New Year's Eve 1962. It has been snowing seemingly forever & people are fed up with trying to get around Oxford. After a party at a rich socialite's home a guest is found dead in his car. He has crashed into a tree. Is is a tragic accident or is it something more sinister? There don't seem to be lack of people who will be happy to see the back of him! WPC Trudy Loveday and Coroner Clement Ryder are somewhat suspicious. With the snow & the time of year the pair are keen to find answers before the case is passed over to someone higher up the police ladder.

I have never read any of the previous books in this series but that really didn't spoil my enjoyment of it. I vaguely remember that winter of 62/63. The author described that time so well you felt you were there getting your toes frozen. It was also really interesting to read a police procedural in the days before technology became such a bit part of sleuthing. The characters were great. I really enjoyed this one. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Fatal Night by Faith Martin
This is the 7th book in the series about Trudy Loveday and Clement Ryder but although this was my first experience of reading about this paring it did not alter my enjoyment of the novel. The writer clearly evokes the period and as it is set in the winter of 1962 Oxford is struggling in the grip of snow and ice. I remember this period and it the descriptions were very faithful to my childhood memories.
I found the character of Trudy interesting. She is obviously a gifted young policewoman but due to the period in which she is working is surrounded by men who do not think her capable of dealing with anything but the simplest of situations. I really enjoyed the relationship which had built up between her and the ailing, elderly coroner and they worked effectively as a team.
The story revolves around a car crash in which a young man dies on New Year’s Day. Understandably there are few officers available who want to investigate so it falls to Trudy to look into what is apparently a simple traffic accident. It turns out that there is a great deal more involved and Trudy hurries to establish what has happened before the case is taken from her.
It is an enjoyable and unchallenging read; but one which I would recommend to other people. Many thanks to Net Galley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read the book in return for and honest review.

Although I hadn’t appreciated that this was the 7th in a series of novels when I started to read it, it really doesn’t matter as the book works perfectly well as a stand-alone plot.

When a handsome young car dealer dies on the way home from a New Year’s Eve party, it appears to be a weather-related accident until the local WPC and the coroner voice their doubts. Soon the problem is less one of finding a suspect and more a problem of sifting through them.

This was a cosy crime novel with a 60’s period setting. The characters are easy to distinguish and ably drawn although the protagonists are slightly less well realised than the suspects. A very easy read, perfect for this time of year.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, HQ Stories at Harper Collins for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't sure I would love this but I found it really intriguing. Super clever and pacey - I raced through it in no time.

This book was enthralling from start to finish. Ms. Martin is a master at writing crime fiction. This was the second Ryder-Loveday mystery I've read, and already I feel as if Trudy and Dr. Ryder are old friends. About the time I thought I had determined the identity of the murderer, I found out I was wrong. I highly recommend this book to other mystery readers.

Definitely reminiscent of Agatha Christie this was a fun interesting read for me being a fan of the genre. So many characters entangled in this fantastic mystery setting. I enjoyed reading the interactions between the two main characters Loveday and Ryder as they work together to solve a murder that is shrouded in lies and deceit. You wont be disappointed with this book!

A Well plotted book, great story line, i loved reading about the book being set before i was born, and learnt a lot about that time lots of twists in the story bringing a great end

This may be book #7 in a series but A Fatal Night very much reads standalone. The author provides sufficient "catch up" for the reader to quickly understand the characters and how they are connected. On balance, I very much enjoyed meeting Trudy Loveday and Clement Ryder, I found them to be engaging and likeable individuals and appreciated the cross-generational aspect of this pair. There was not a great deal of character growth, though it could be the growth is observed across the whole series rather than within each book.


The whodunnit element of the book was nicely crafted, with a plentiful list of potential suspects and motives. However, whilst I wanted Trudy to solve the case for her success, the victim and suspects were not terribly sympathetic individuals so I felt no sympathy or burning desire for justice. The plot also crawled along at some points, which most certainly didn't help! The themes explored in the book include sexism, family, illness, class and revenge. Some felt as though they are ongoing across the whole series. I do wish the author hadn't portrayed all Trudy's colleagues as narrow-minded, boorish and condescending towards her. Whilst sexism was rampant did every single male treat the women they worked with so contemptuously?


In summary, the positives for me were likeable main characters and an interesting dynamic between them. There was room for improvement in pace and avoiding overly stereotyping characters. I did enjoy the book enough to consider reading more work by the author.

Police procedural set in 1962. Britain was in the start of a 3 month freeze of snow and ice. A local socialite has a New Year's Eve party but one guest doesn't make it home and crashes his car into a snowdrift.
But this is not just a loss of car control...
Facinacting incite into police procedure before DNA profiling and computers

There is a current fashion for nostalgic settings for novels an TV programmes, In the latter case ‘Endeavour’ is not only a good example but, coincidentally, is set in Oxford, the same city of Dreaming Spires, as the series of novels featuring WPC Loveday and her friendly coroner. For readers of a certain age, the 1960s are conjured up tolerably well, with only a few literary ‘Routemaster’ equivalents.
In addition to the 1960s setting there is a certain old-fashioned simplicity in both the writing and the plot that, whilst never going to win prizes for clever complexity or literary merit, is both relaxing and strangely satisfying.
This is a book that should be rattled off easily in two or three sittings. Credulity is stretched occasionally but not to breaking point and there are plenty of false clues scattered through the narrative.

Having read almost all of Faith Martin's books I knew what to expect. This was yet another solid well-written mystery novel.

Well written, well-established characters, and a believable plot. Lots of twists and turns and an ending I didn't expect.

Highly recommended

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

And honestly? This was a tough read. It felt like an 18 year old was writing about how she felt the narrative was in the 60's. Far too many exclamation marks! "Oh, and she sure would get her man!". Far too much repetition; "with a sly face, he slyly slipped away". And why, oh why, does everyone have to be "handsome", "beautiful" or "gorgeous". Where's all the ugly people?

The other bugbear was the use of three emotions playing out on people's faces at once. "Anguish, thrill and dread passed across his face".

Overall the story was OK, a good twist, but the writing style really put me off. I didn't like any of the characters, and I can't believe this is number 7 in a series of stories.

A captivating 1960s cosy mystery that keeps readers guessing right till the very end, A Fatal Night is the latest crime thriller from much-loved reader favourite Faith Martin.

All the movers and shakers of Oxford high society have gathered at an exclusive party to ring in the new year. While a snowstorm rages outside, the guests are all dressed up to the nines tripping the light fantastic, unaware of the all-consuming menace and darkness that is about to be unleashed which will ensure that the new year will start with a bang – but for all the wrong reasons. One of the guests is found dead in his car the following morning and the only people who can get to the truth are WPC Trudy Loveday and coroner Clement Ryder.

All evidence points to the fact that the victim had frozen to death after crashing into a snowdrift, however, Loveday and Ryder are not convinced. There has to be more to this young man’s tragic death than meets the eye and Loveday and Ryder won’t stop until they piece together the pieces of this baffling puzzle. They more they dig into this case, the more they realise that this was no tragic accident, but cold-blooded murder!

It transpires that there were plenty of people who had their own reasons for wanting this young man dead and with the ever-growing list of suspects all telling widely different stories about the night of the murder, Loveday and Ryder find themselves with a huge challenge on their hands. With time not on their side and no leads or clues, will Loveday and Ryder manage to catch whodunnit? Or will they let a dangerous killer get away with murder?

Faith Martin’s A Fatal Night is a terrific cosy mystery I couldn’t resist galloping through. Loveday and Ryder are a brilliant double act who compliment each other and who take readers by the hand and lead them through an intricate, twisted and surprising puzzle that will keep them on the edge of their seats throughout.

Faith Martin deftly balances tension, red herrings and suspense in a superbly plotted cosy mystery that already has me eagerly awaiting the next Loveday and Ryder thriller.

I enjoyed this book and would definitely look to read more of them. I hadn’t realized it was part of a series when I requested it. You didn’t need to have read the others but i think relationships were probably built up in the others and this leads the way for future stories. I found it a quick and enjoyable read, as others have said- reminiscent of Agatha Christie. A nice way to spend a cold, blustery day.

I thought the characters were well developed and I enjoyed the dynamic between the Detective and the Coroner.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

This is part of an established series. I’ve not read any of the earlier books but this didn’t take too much away from the story.

The mystery of who did it was cleverly worked out and the seeds were sown for the next book in the series. I enjoyed it.

Reminiscent of a Agatha Christie mystery with its multiple beautifully drawn characters, I couldn’t stop reading to be surprised at the next layer of the story and twists. I was immersed in the setting and story, enjoyable to the end, and would be perfect for a rainy winter’s night with a hot beverage.