The WPC And The Vulture

 A Fatal Obsession by Faith Martin is a fabulous police retro novel set in 1960. The book is evocative of a bygone age where crimes were solved by legwork, questions and a healthy dose of suspicion.

A Fatal Obsession is a ‘thinking man’s’ novel. Being set in Oxford conjured up familiar landscapes for me. As a fan of the television series Morse and WPC56, I found the novel to be reminiscent of a blend of both.

An unlikely pairing of a young WPC and an aging coroner ensured the reader was entertained as the young woman learnt about crime solving from the master.

Modern murder collided with a cold case and kept the reader intrigued as we journeyed from parlors to stately homes. The reader found that secrets resided behind locked doors, requiring digging to unearth them.

Due to comprehensive descriptions, the characters were easily to picture and well drawn. The narrative held my attention as I tried to piece together all the clues. In an age of male dominance and female stereotyping, the fresh faced WPC was a breath of fresh air.

Any television producers out there? I think A Fatal Obsession would make a marvelous ITV series that has the legs to run for years and years.

Gripping, original and new. I loved it.

I received this book for free from Net Galley. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

JULIA WILSON