An Artful Murder

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An Artful Murder(Detective Sara Hirst #4) - Judi Daykin- Crime/police procedural

A wonderful page turner of a read! A body has been found in an expensive art piece in the grounds of a lavish manor house- a garden funerary urn. Strangely there is what appears to be a toy llama peeking out of the top.  Could the artefact be significant to the murder or the victim? The victim is one of a group of four former students- three still working at the university. Detective Sara Hirst is used to solving murder crimes but this one does appear rather off. When there is another murder- again one of the four there is clearly a link. Is one of the two remaining of the group out for revenge in some way and what is the motive and significance of the toy?

Although book four in a series this happily stands alone (I haven't read all of the others). I quickly liked Sara and her determination both in the crime and in the political work arena. Agnes is also a great character I would love to know more about. This is a wonderful easy read, paced well and I found myself turning the pages easily. Highly enjoyable and I look forward to the next in the series

For more reviews please follow me on Twitter@nickisbookblog

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AN ARTFUL MURDER BY JUDI DAYKIN DISCOVER ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING CRIME THRILLERS YOU’LL READ THIS YEAR.   Detective Sara Hirst has moved from London to Norfolk Police’s Serious Crimes Unit. Sara has dealt with murder before, but nothing so bizarre as this. A dead body forced inside the top of a funerary urn — on the lawn of a remote country manor — with a toy llama carefully balanced on its head. A few days later, the body of a woman is found, tied to a gothic-style chair with her throat slashed. There’s a llama with her too. The two victims were part of the ‘Famous Four’, a group of friends who studied at the University of East Anglia back in the day. Three of them still work there. And now two are dead. The team’s new DCI, Helen Hudson, is convinced the prime suspect is Dom Wilkins, a member of the Famous Four and one of the victims’ old flames. Sara worries she’s overlooking something obvious. And she has a growing suspicion that her boyfriend is keeping something from her. Sara must keep focused if she’s to unmask the killer before they strike again. This gripping, character-driven crime thriller is perfect for fans of Joy Ellis, J.M. Dalgliesh, Matt Brolly, Rachel McLean, Rachel Lynch and Angela Marsons. JUDI DAYKIN WAS LONGLISTED FOR THE CWA JOHN CREASEY NEW BLOOD DAGGER 2021! READERS CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF AN ARTFUL MURDER:  “Loved this . . . A brilliantly entertaining read that I thoroughly enjoyed and very much look forward to the next in the series. Stunning.” Nicki  “Love this series . . . This story unfolds with a lot of twists; I'm saying no more. I loved it and the super duper end. Till the next time.” Booklover Bev  “This was my favourite DS Sara Hirst book so far. . . Really good and highly recommended!” Hannelore  “This is a gripping thriller that gets readers turning each page until the end. The Sara Hirst character is well drawn as well. Amazing, I shall be returning to this author again most probably. Highly recommended.” Mary H.  “What an enjoyable book . . . a real page-turner.” Paul THE DETECTIVE In her mid-thirties, DS Sara Hirst has left a successful career in London’s Metropolitan Police Force and taken a new post in Norfolk Police’s Serious Crimes Unit. Unfortunately, her welcome on the team is far from warm, and Sara will have to work hard to prove herself when the discovery of a body on her first morning leads to all kinds of difficulties. THE SETTING A patchwork of tiny rural villages, with quaint coastal seaside resorts and peppered by farms, on a bewildering network of small back lanes. There are no motorways here, and sometimes it feels like your nearest neighbour lives in Holland. Bounded on one side by the Norfolk Broads and the Wash on the other, its greatest feature is the boundless skies. The weather changes before your eyes. To many, it seems like a fairy tale, a cherished memory of childhood holidays. In reality, these are small hard-working communities, where people tend to mind their own business, and it’s easy to keep a dark secret. ALSO BY JUDI DAYKIN: DS SARA HIRST SERIES Book 1: UNDER VIOLENT SKIES Book 2: INTO DEADLY STORMS Book 3: A BRUTAL SEASON Book 4: AN ARTFUL MURDER



JUDI DAYKIN

Yorkshire born, Judi has lived, worked and made theatre in Norfolk for the last forty years. She completed her MA in Creative Writing (Crime Fiction) at the University of East Anglia (UEA), and her debut novel was shortlisted for the Little, Brown UEA writer's prize in 2019. 'I love the beautiful, vast skies and watery landscapes of Norfolk. Our home in a village on the north coast can feel wonderfully remote, even though the nearest town is only a few miles away. I can't imagine living anywhere better than this.' Judi is also a working actor, and has been known to twiddle the knobs on the sound desk for the variety shows at Cromer Pier. She runs her own theatre company, Broad Horizons, specialising in commissioning new plays recovering and retelling women's stories. BOOKS BY JUDI DAYKIN DETECTIVE SARA HIRST SERIES: UNDER VIOLENT SKIES INTO DEADLY STORMS A BRUTAL SEASON AN ARTFUL MURDER NORTH NORFOLK MURDER MYSTERIES BOOKS 1–3 BOX SET FOLLOW JUDI ON AUTHOR WEBSITE FACEBOOK TWITTER


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