The Torso in the Town

by Simon Brett

Book Overview

A dinner party at a Fedborough mansion with some stuffy, not very close friends is not exactly Jude's cup of tea. But the practically mummified torso of a woman found in the cellar is much more up Jude's alley. Once again, Jude and her reluctant neighbor Carole, find themselves embroiled in another puzzling whodunit. "Few crime writers are as enchantingly gifted...as Simon Brett." (Sunday Times, London) "A marvelous send-up of contemporary British...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425185028
• ISBN13: 9780425185025
• Release Date: August 2002
• Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
• Length: 340 Pages
• Weight: 1.14 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.5" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Good book

I love this series. Torso in the Town is not my favorite installment, but it's a good one nonetheless. I think the reason I didn't enjoy this one as much is because the townspeople were either excruciatingly annoying or downright evil. In the other books in the series, the townspeople are just quirky and you like to laugh at them. In this book, there just seemed to be more of a menacing tone. Also, there was poor Carole and her breakup with Ted. The woman isn't exactly sunshine and rainbows on her normal days, so you can imagine what she's like after an embarassing breakup. All that aside, the plot itself is well written and the mystery is tight and interesting. As usual, the revealing of the culprit is a tantalizingly slow, heart-pounding climax. Brett once again throws red herrings everywhere. I absolutely did not predict the culprit correctly. So other than my slight disappointment with the characters, I enjoyed this book. I look forward to Stabbing in the Stables, which is coming out in August 2006!

Murder in a small town

A headless, armless torso is found by the host's young son, in the cellar of one of the better houses in a small town, during a dinner party, and so the local gossip begins! Elements of mysteries, illicit love affairs and all of the petty gossip that small towns thrive upon, emerge as everyone speculates on firstly, the identity of the victim and secondly, upon the murderer.Friends Carol Seddon and her next door neighbour, Jude,play detective as a relief from the boredom and insularity of small town life and uncover many secrets involving the town's inhabitants.The story is written in a light hearted way and in the elegant style of many other English mystery tales...I thoroughly enjoyed it !

A complicated search for the killer

Simon Brett's novel, Torso In The Town tells of a historic village, newcomers, and a mummified torso which turns the party into a morgue. The mystery involves all in a complicated search for the killer.

The Fethering mysteries continue

In this third of the Fethering mysteries, Jude, is present when a mummified torso is found in the basement of a friends house. The arms and legs and clothing are missing. In an effort to help the 14 year old boy who found the body, Jude agrees to investigate the mystery. Carole has retreated into a shell after breaking off her relationship with Ted Crisp, and Jude sees the investigation as a way to open her up again. They find a town divided between the "chubs" or locals and the incomers who think they know all there is to know about the town. The body turns out to be the missing wife of a failed businessman of the area, and of course, he is the prime suspect. Soon after he turns up dead and the mystery deepens. The danger also increases for Jude and Carole, and they must find the murderer before he or she finds them.This is a very good series. The retired civil servant and the new age healer make a very good team. The author has depicted the atmosphere of a small town invaded by tourists and retirees admirably and the mystery is very good.

I did enjoy this book, but......

I haven't read a book by Simon Brett that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed and I have read 29 of them. This new series is a refreshing change from Mrs. Pargetar and Charles Paris, although I still like the Paris books the best. That said, I have just one minor complaint. Mr. Brett uses a word not often heard, at least in the U.S. After the third time I started counting how often "punctilious" was used. Eight times in a book just 340 pages long is a git much. I wish he could have used conscientious, careful, scrupulous, precise or nice once in a while. That said - I still enjoyed the book.