Death on a Summer Night

Cherringham. A Cosy Crime Series - Mystery Shorts 12

By: Matthew Costello, Neil Richards

Narrated by: Neil Dudgeon

Twenty-five years ago, on a hot summer night, Tim Bell drove to a secluded spot with talented young musician Dinah Taylor after their date at the village fair. But Dinah was never seen again, and Bell - with blood spatters on his clothing - was sent to prison for her murder. Now freed, Bell has returned to Cherringham and his life is in danger from those who feel that justice hasn't really been served. But Jack and Sarah wonder: was Bell really guilty - or did the real killer escape detection all those years ago? As Cherringham swelters in another hot summer, time is running short for the two of them to uncover the truth... before someone else dies.

Cherringham is a serial novel à la Charles Dickens, with a new audio episode released every two weeks. Set in the sleepy English village of Cherringham, the detective series brings together an unlikely sleuthing duo: English web designer Sarah and American ex-cop Jack. Thrilling and deadly - but with a spot of tea - it's like Rosamunde Pilcher meets Inspector Barnaby.

Each of the self-contained episodes is a quick listen for the morning commute, while waiting for the doctor, or when curling up with a hot cuppa. For fans of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple series, Lilian Jackson Braun's "The Cat Who" series, Caroline Graham's "Midsomer Murders", and the American TV series "Murder She Wrote", starring Angela Lansbury.

Co-authors Neil Richards (based in the UK) and Matthew Costello (based in the US), have been writing together since the mid 90's, creating content and working on projects for the BBC, Disney Channel, Sony, ABC, Eidos, and Nintendo to name but a few. Their transatlantic collaboration has underpinned scores of TV drama scripts, computer games, radio shows, and - most recently - the successful crime fiction series Cherringham. The narrator of the audiobook, Neil Dudgeon, has been in many British television programmes including the roles of "DCI John Barnaby" in "Midsomer Murders" and "Jim Riley" in "The Life of Riley". He is also known for his film roles in "The Nativity", "Sorted" and "Son of Rambow". In 2012 Dudgeon starred as "Norman Birkett" on BBC Radio 4's Afternoon Play series written by Caroline and David Stafford.

©2017 Bastei Lübbe (Lübbe Audio) (P)2017 Lübbe Audio

Well done!

quick-conviction, cold-case, Cotswolds, short, serial, small-business, small-town, ex-cop, amateur-sleuth, family, friendship, investigation, law-enforcement, cosy-mystery*****

In this episode a man returns to Cherringham after 25 years in prison for the murder of a fellow high school student and is shunned quite noisily. Jack witnessed town behavior in the pub and objected to the escalation. When he asked the first simple questions, he was appalled at the rush to judgement in view of no body being found. Together with Sarah and a few others, the investigation is launched and a good whodunit unfolds. Well done!
Love this idea of a series given in short bursts that are just the right size as well as so much more flexible than a whole novel! The ongoing sleuthing involves a retired and widowed older NYPD homicide cop who is finding life in the English countryside a fair antidote to his mourning, and a local recently divorced woman who has returned to her hometown with her children. They make a good sleuthing pair.
Voice actor Neil Dudgeon has been an excellent asset to my listening pleasure, making sure that
I know who's talking while I do mindless things.