The body on the beach

Very little disturbs the ordered calm of Fethering, a pleasingly self-contained retirement on England's southern coast.

Which is precisely why Carole Seddon, who has outlived both her husband and her career at the Home Office, has chosen to reside there.

So the last thing Carole expects to encounter in Fethering is a new neighbour with but one name and an obviously colourful past. 'Jude' was not really Fethering... but neither was the body Carole found on the beach. A body, it has to be said, that has disappeared by the time the police arrive.

Only Jude is ready to believe what her neighbour says she saw - and from that moment on, the two women are resolved to turn detectives. "Simon Brett comes up trumps yet again... an excellent thriller." - "Irish News". "A new Simon Brett novel is an event for mystery fans." - P.

D. James. "Pure pleasure from beginning to end." - "Birmingham Post". "I stayed up until three in the morning finishing this delightful, thoroughly English whodunnit." - "Daily Mail".