Ryder & Loveday Mystery, Book 1

Synopsis: Oxford, 1960. There’s a murderer on the loose and two unlikely heroes are poised to solve the case.

Meet Probationary WPC Trudy Loveday – smart, enthusiastic and always underestimated.

In the hope of getting her out of the way, Trudy’s senior officer assigns her to help coroner Clement Ryder as he re-opens the case of a young woman’s death. She can’t believe her luck – she is actually going to be working on a real murder case.

Meanwhile, the rest of the police force are busy investigating a series of threats and murders in the local community, and Clement can’t help but feel it’s all linked.

As Trudy and Clement form an unlikely partnership, are they going to be the ones to solve these crimes before the murderer strikes again?

Review: This is a novel that intrigued me a lot, both for its very nice French cover and for its synopsis.

Trudy is an intern with the police. It’s not an easy place for a young woman in the 60s and our heroine would love to prove herself more than anything. When she’s asked to team up with Dr. Clement Ryder so they can get rid of her, she doesn’t expect the story to take her that far. The doctor wants to dig up a case when a rich family is in turmoil over some terrifying anonymous letters. But it could well be that by investigating, they discover secrets that everyone thought were hidden forever.

I had a really good time with this novel and its characters. We follow the different protagonists by alternating chapters and I found it very interesting to learn more about them. Trudy is very eager to prove herself, even though nothing is that simple. Although she draws conclusions sometimes hastily, she’s lively and does her best to understand what’s going on. I also really liked Clement Ryder who is an extraordinary man and the duo was really nice to follow. Besides, I’m very curious now to find out what’s next to find them.

It was a novel that keeps us on the edge of our seats and I must admit that I was surprised at the end when I learned the details of the investigation.

Yes, it was a good detective sotry with a quite light atmosphere, but with a well-developed plot.

13 thoughts on “A Fatal Obsession by Faith Martin

  1. Sophia Rose

    I love that its set in the 60’s and has the added woman police officer fighting to prove herself while working with the coroner. Sounds great, Melliane!

  2. kindlemom1

    Fun that this has a dual POV. Sounds fun!

  3. Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum

    This sounds good! I love a good murder mystery, and a cop/coroner partnership sounds pretty intriguing!

  4. Carole's Random Life in Books

    I love that the main character is a female officer in the 60s. I do love a good mystery so I will have to keep this one in mind. Great review!

  5. Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer

    Loving the sound of this… perfect winter read!

  6. Heidi

    I love the sound of a novel that keeps me on the edge of my seat.

  7. Mark Murata

    If it’s a French cover, does that mean they travel to France to solve the case?

    1. Melliane

      No, I mean that I read the French edition. Sorry if it was not clear

  8. Carole Rae

    This sounds really good!

  9. Mary Kirkland

    That sounds like a really good read.

  10. blodeuedd

    I am reading a French one at the moment, so this would be nice too

  11. ShootingStarsMag

    Ooh this sounds really good. I love a nice detective fiction story.

  12. Anne - Books of My Heart

    I think I would really like this! Fabulous review!

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