MURDER ON THE OXFORD CANAL a gripping crime mystery full of twists

From the design of the cover I misjudged this book thinking it was a cosy crime mystery. I'm glad to say, couldn't have been more wrong, there is absolutely nothing cosy about this book.A DI facing huge problems in her personal life which are impacting immensely on her work life - none of which are of her making. Whilst she has a solid team behind her, at least one of them resents her, her boss grabs every lead she gets and she has to work alongside a colleague who hates her and would love to see her fail spectacularly.Despite everything Hillary Greene is able to piece the whole case together bit by bit and is eventually the one who finds the answers the team are looking for.I really enjoyed this book but I do have to mention a couple of gripes - well one gripe but two instances. I really dislike the use of the appalling American phrase "Sick to my stomach". It is nonsense - what Mel felt was nauseated. I also didn't care for the erroneous implication that we in the U.K. have a limited number of sick days in the way that Americans do.Despite the above, I really enjoyed this book and read it in one day, ignoring everything else I ought to have been doing.

Maybe if you like endless comments about who fancies who, what they are wearing and how their blue eyes compliment their blue shirt. If you like a book full of the stereotypical 1) intelligent attractive in an unconventional way but down trodden female detective. 2) gorgeous blonde junior who everyone fancies including the boss. 3) woman hating unfulfilled nasty male colleague. If you like endless descriptions of the country side and most importantly you are not wanting to read a crime thriller, then this is the book for you.

This is the first of 5 books I ordered of this series by Faith Martin. It has taken me some time to get around to reading it because of the many others that were in the queue before it!I like a book that grabs your attention on the first page and holds that interest throughout. This is not one of them. The emphasis appears to be on life, relationships and animosity within the police force itself and very little time spent on the crime investigation. I also reached the end of the book never remembering who some of the characters were, which is never a good sign for me.However, it is OK and I look forward to rather more intrigue in the next four!

This is a superb police/crime book. I enjoyed every minute of it. One of a very few books that you can know and understand the characters without using pages of descriptive. A good story-line but not sure about the 'full of twists' cover description. The story developed really well but nowhere was I thinking - wow didn't expect that. Starting Book 2 of the series now. Excellent book

This was the first time I have read this author. It took me a little while to get into the book, simply because the author was laying the foundation down of the characters. Once into the book, loved it, found it hard to put down, and read continuously. I love the main character DI Hillary Green, lovely person, she gets frustrated and hacked off with folk who don't know their jobs! Love it! She is a fighter, even when she is not allowed to follow through on things. The end was a surprise for me, I won't share, or I'll spoil it.It was really pleasant relief that there wasn't a lot of 'sex' in the storyline which so many authors always thinks this catches folk and hooks them, maybe a hint though! Looking forward to now reading the second book. These were meant to be a 'holiday' read, but guess they won't last until then.

This was the first book that I read by faith Martin. The reason for selecting this book is because are used to live in Oxford and I thought it would be that much more interesting because it was set in a part of the country I knew very well. I like the Way the book is written, I like the character of DI Greene, although I thought the actual Plot itself could’ve been slightly stronger than it was. Even so I will also now purchased the other two books by this author and I look forward to reading those.

4.5 - Firstly, I will be reading the next in the series. That says as much about the book as the score. I liked the characters, the setting and the story-line, which was refreshing. getting into a book can be a bit of a struggle for me, but this one held my attention and it was finished in a 48 hour period. Only the third book I have read in such a short time-frame. I am looking forward to reading the next instalment.

An exciting crime story, in a beautiful setting. DI Hillary Green is a delightful character, her colleagues an interesting mix of personalities. An unusual multi faceted plot, well written. Welcome, Faith Martin, to my list of favourite authors!