Looking for a brilliant best-selling murder mystery with a feisty female detective?
Meet DI HILLARY GREENE, a policewoman struggling to save her career and catch criminals.
Wayne Sutton is found dead by a stream in a beautiful meadow. His head has been bashed in and a red paper heart left on his body. The handsome young artist had a reputation as a ladies’ man.
DI Hillary Greene discovers that many wealthy married women were buying his paintings and taking ‘private’ art lesson from him. It appears that several of them might have wanted him dead.
Hillary also has a new detective sergeant, Gemma Fordham. Seemingly efficient and pleasant, she harbours a secret agenda.
Can Hillary get to the bottom of a complex case involving jealousy, love, and cold-blooded murder?
This is a crime mystery full of well-observed characters, which will have you gripped from start to finish.
MURDER IN THE MEADOW is the seventh in a series of page-turning crime thrillers set in Oxfordshire.
Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Colin Dexter, or Ruth Rendell.
What readers are saying about MURDER IN THE MEADOW
“An excellent mixture of suspense, mixed relationships and a cracking murder mystery to solve.” Maggie May
“A really gripping mystery with no shortage of suspects.” Barbara
“Reading another book in the DI Hillary Greene series is like meeting up with a beloved friend. ” Hannelore Cheney
“Excellent storyline and great main characters.” Stephanie Collins
“. . . filled with twists and turns and surprises the reader never sees coming.” Linda’s Book Reviews
THE LOCATION
The pretty ironstone village of Deddington. Not far from the market town of Banbury (noted for its famous Banbury Cross of the nursery rhyme “Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross, to see a fine lady upon a white horse, with rings on her fingers and bells on her toes, she shall have music wherever she goes.”) It has an attractive and unusual church, antique shop and hotel, and several pubs known locally for their cuisine. Although not a tourist spot as such, it is a picturesque spot. Water meadows, such as the one where the body is found, are a feature of valleys in the area, and regularly flood in the winter time, adding nutrients to the soil, and making them especially lovely in the spring and summer, when they can flower quite spectacularly.
THE DETECTIVES
DI Hillary Greene
An attractive woman in her forties, Hillary Greene is a police officer of many years’ experience, and came up through the ranks. Consequently, she knows how the system works, and is fiercely loyal to the force without being blinkered to its faults. She is a long-standing friend of her immediate superior officer, ‘Mellow’ Mallow and enjoys a rather enigmatic relationship with the steely Superintendent Marcus Donleavy. Popular with the rank and file for her no-nonsense attitude and competence.
DCI Philip ‘Mellow’ Mallow
Mel appreciates Hillary’s first-rate ability to solve her cases, and isn’t happy about her harassment by the officers from York. Known for his sartorial elegance and laid-back manners, he has a sharp mind, and an eye for the ladies. A good friend and ally for Hillary in her recent tribulations, he’s determined to keep his best investigator focused on the problems at hand.
PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A REVISED EDITION OF A BOOK FIRST PUBLISHED AS “BESIDE A NARROW STREAM.”
DI HILLARY GREENE SERIES
BOOK 1: MURDER ON THE OXFORD CANAL
BOOK 2: MURDER AT THE UNIVERSITY
BOOK 3: MURDER OF THE BRIDE
BOOK 4: MURDER IN THE VILLAGE
BOOK 5: MURDER IN THE FAMILY
BOOK 6: MURDER AT HOME
BOOK 7: MURDER IN THE MEADOW
BOOK 8: MURDER IN THE MANSION
BOOK 9: MURDER IN THE GARDEN
Books 10-17 coming soon!
Join the Joffe Books mailing list to be the first to hear about new releases.