The torso in the town Book

The Torso in the Town is the 3rd book English author, Simon Brett's Fethering cozy mystery series. I've also enjoyed books in his Mrs. Pargeter and Charles Paris series. The Fethering series features two neighbors, Carole Seddon & Jude, from the south coast town of Fethering (near Brighton) who get involved solving mysteries in the surrounding communities.

Jude is invited to dinner by a couple, she met previously in Spain, living in a nearby town, Fedborough. During the dinner, the Roxby's teenage son discovers a loose panel in the cellar and behind that panel the dismembered torso of a woman's body. It appears that the body has been there for a number of years.

Carole has withdrawn from her friend and Fethering due to a failed romance with neighborhood bar owner Ted Crisp. Carole is embarrassed and can't bring herself to face Ted. Jude thinks that investigating the appearance of the body and how it ended up in the Roxby's basement might distract Carole from her issues.

So the two friends begin to spend time in Fedborough, taking part in the communities Art Festival, meeting and chatting with locals, trying to gather clues on the body and the 'murder'? It's an entertaining story and is filled with interesting characters. Jude and Carole make an excellent team and it's fun getting to know them again. I find it interesting that Carole still doesn't even know her neighbor's last name or much else about her private life. It's due to a combination of Carole's insecurities and Jude's enigmatic attitude towards providing info about her life.

It's a nice, entertaining cozy mystery with lots of clues and suspects. The process of trying to gather information is as interesting as the mystery itself. I liked discovering more about the community of Fedborough, how everyone in a small community seems to know everything about everyone else; or tries to portray that they do and also the power of the gossip chain of communication. All in all a light, entertaining mystery. (3.5 stars)