Death in Print

Death in Print is book five in the St. Just mystery series, by G.M. Malliet. DCI Arthur St. Just and his fiance Portia De'Ath attend a celebratory reception of best selling author Jason Verdoodt held at St. Rumwold College. When Jason is found dead at the bottom of the stairs, St. Just is at the scene and once again drawn into a murder investigation. This is a police procedural set in england that had me hooked from page one. There are plenty of suspects as the victim was a womanizer who didnt treat people well, earning himself numerous enemies. There are lots of red herrings throughout, which kept me guessing until the end. Thank you to the publisher and to netgalley for providing me with this ARC to read and review.

Murder at Oxford…imagine what happened and why. This talented author has written a book of mystery and intrigue. The red herrings kept me guessing. Just when I thought I knew what would happen next, it did not. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher and the author. Read this and enjoy. Try to discern the ending.

A Fiendish Plot…
The fifth St Just Mystery arrives as a prestigious Oxford collage and a small but renowned publishing house gather ranks to celebrate a tutor who has recently become a wildly successful author - Jason Verdoodt. Among the privileged guests lurks Detective Chief Inspector Arthur St Just and crime author fiancé Portia De’Ath. The party is not about to go off without problems and murder is at the top of that list. In fine form, St Just is thrown headlong into the investigation. Hugely enjoyable mystery in traditional vein with a cast of eccentric and well done characters, a fiendish plot populated with red herrings, humour and satire aplenty and a perfectly executed denouement. Surely the best instalment yet in this entertaining and intelligent series.

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
What a great, fun book, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Good characterizations, sly humor and a close look at the publishing business ... who knew it could be so nasty?
Jason Verdoodt has become an overnight success with his first book, making him even more unpleasant. At the party feting him someone took revenge and he is dead.
DCI St. Just and his fiancee Portia De'ath, crime fiction writer, are at the party and get drawn into the case and a twisty one it is!
Loved it and recommend it highly!

I absolutely loved thos British police thriller. I was hooked from the beginning til the end. I loved it!!! It was an absolute delight to read.
I just reviewed Death in Print by G.M. Malliet. #DeathinPrint #NetGalley
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G.M. Malliet writes three different mystery series. This is the fifth in the St. Just series; it is the first I have read and it worked well as a standalone. DCI St. Just of Cambridge is visiting Oxford with his fiancee, Portia, a crime fiction writer, to celebrate the success of author Jason Verdoot. The evening is spoiled when Verdoot is murdered. St. Just offers his assistance to Thames Valley police to investigate the many suspects.

This was a solid somewhat cozy mystery/police procedural with an interesting cast of characters. The author listed those characters with short descriptors at the beginning of the book which was much appreciated. There was some dry British humor interspersed throughout the book, as well as insight into the world of publishing. I enjoyed the references to the fictional Inspector Morse and the real actors who played in the two series about him; they are so much a part of Oxford popular culture.

"A celebration in Oxford for university tutor and bestselling author Jason Verdoot, attended by DCI St. Just and his fiancée Portia, is a night to remember...for all the wrong reasons.

University of Oxford tutor and bestselling author Jason Verdoodt has it all: acclaim, women, money...and an enemy or two. When he's found dead at the bottom of the stairs during a celebratory reception at St Rumwold's College, many wonder if seething jealousy of his literary success has turned someone's mind to murder.

Detective Chief Inspector Arthur St. Just becomes inescapably drawn into an investigation that takes him down the historic streets of Oxford and into the hallowed halls of its university. Alongside his fiancée, crime fiction writer Portia De'Ath, he uncovers several motives for murdering the celebrated but insufferable Jason - whose next novel may be a threat to many in his orbit - and no shortage of suspects who are nursing a grudge from the first novel. Has someone decided to write revenge into the plot?"

To fill the Endeavour sized hole in your life.

procedural, law-enforcement, author, university, murder-investigation, murder, due-diligence, England, sly-humor, publisher, mystery, secrets, crime-thriller, twisty, Thames-Valley, lies*****

How have I missed this author/series?
DCI Arthur St Just of the Cambridgeshire Constabulary and crime writer/Cambridge criminologist fiancée Portia De’Ath were attendant at the celebratory reception of best selling author Jason Verdoodt at St. Rumwold College when Verdoodt was found dead at the base of a major set of stairs. Not exactly an accident as the victim had had a combination of sedatives plus a very good wine and was not particularly well liked. Thank goodness that there is a cast of characters at the beginning! There are more than enough suspects, including the odd family running the publishing house that Verdoot was about to dump. All the characters are clearly represented, the plot twists are inventive, and the humor is somewhat sneaky. Loved it!

I requested and received an EARC copy from Severn House via NetGalley. Thank you!

This murder in Oxford is another complicated case for St. Just. It happens while he and Portia are visiting and he gets pulled in by the man in charge. I love all his snarky thoughts that are never spoken aloud to suspects and witnesses. They are priceless! If you like subtle English snark you will love St. Just.

Jason Verdoot- Oxford tutor and author-is pretty annoying (and more) but people still show up for his reception at St Rumwolds. Among them, luckily, are DCI Arthur St. Just and his fiance Portia De'Ath, who also happens to be a mystery writer because Verdoot is found murdered at the bottom of the stairs. St Just offers his help to the Thames Valley force and together with Portia, works through the (long) list of suspects. This feels more like a cozy than a procedural but it's a good read for fans of British crime novels. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Will be fine as a standalone.

Perils of publishing!

Detective Chief Inspector St. Just is attending a literary event in Oxford with his fiancé crime writer and Cambridge don, Portia De’Ath.
A reasonably new publishing house, Castle Publishing, the brainchild of Sir Boniface Castle, has burst on the scene poaching exceptional writers and editors and having now published a literary masterpiece by Jason Verdoodt, The White Owl.
Unfortunately the drinks and dinner for the bright new star of the literary world turns into a murder scene. Of course St. Just ends up pursuing the case along with the local constabulary.
The murdered man was a right manipulative piece. His modus operandi included sexual harassment, denigrating everyone, a sense of entitlement, a faked biography, and it now appears, plagiarism.
Sparse writing with delightful observations on St. Just’s part presents an engaging cosy murder mystery.
I did wonder about the prologue and what happened.
All was revealed later.
Get set for a fascinating read.

A Severn House ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

I love St Just mysteries and this one is the best I read so far. There's even the mention of a former spy turned vicar that could be Max Tudor and I would very happy to read a new mystery featuring him.
G.M. Malliet delivers a complex, twisty and multilayered mystery that kept me turning pages and guessing till the last page. It's a page turner full of surprises but also full of sharp remarks about the life of a writer, publishing world and life in historical college in Oxford.
I loved every moment and and thoroughly enjoyed it even if Portia if more of a side characters.
Very entertaining and compelling I strongly recommend it

G. M. Malliet has mastered the cozy police procedural in the St. Just mysteries. Death in Print is the fifth book in the series. Jason Verdoodt is the darling of the publishing world; a debut author of an international bestseller. Jason also is an Oxford professor and a horrible person. Castle Publishing, which owes its prestige to Jason, hosts a party for him at Oxford. Detective Chief Inspector St. Just of the Cambridge police and his fiancée, Portia, a mystery novelist and Cambridge don, are among the guests. When Jason is found dead, St. Just is thrown into the murder investigation.

The book is easy to read and provides some interesting commentary on the publishing world. I did have to suspend some belief that St. Just could be a major force in the investigation when the Oxford police are right there. I was slightly disappointed in the ending -- it felt rushed, as though Malliet was on a deadline and just had to finish the book. In my opinion, the series needs to be read in order. If you enjoy the St. Just series then check out the author's Max Tudor series (there is even a reference to Max in this book, which was fun).

Detective chief inspector St. Just attends a reception for an author along with his author wife Portia at Oxford. The author ends up dead and his background iffy. The publishing company is in financial trouble. Lots of suspects in service or academic. Bad behavior everywhere. Excellent drama in academic setting.