Bones Under The Beach Hut (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
I have read most of the books of this series. I like this as a mystery. It is difficult to make an amateur duo work, but Brett does a very good job of that. What I really did not like about this one was the overly mean spiritedness of Carol. She has been self absorbed in the earlier books, which worked in complementing the two main characters. In this one Carol is completely unashamed of her cruel interactions with innocent bystanders. This is especially galling as she is overly sensitive to what she considers slights from others. It is to the point that even the extremely laid back Jude should be having second thoughts about her friendship with Carol. I do not have to like the detecting duo, but heavy dislike of a main character is signaling me that I have read enough about the dysfunctional Carol. Murder and intrigue seem to follow Carole Seddon and her neighbor Jude wherever they go, even to the upscale village of Smalting, where Carole has rented a small beach hut for the upcoming summer visit by her daughter-in-law and grand-daughter. Carole is eagerly looking forward to the visit but experiences some trepidation about its success, which grows even greater when she makes a terrible discovery on her first visit to the beach hut. Her find reveals that not even the uppity "hutter" community are safe from the underworld of pedophilia, bribery, infidelity and murder. As usual, Carole and Jude are drawn to the crime and determined to investigate it on their own, despite the reticence of the police and the other hutters to provide much information. Carole and Jude initially focus on the original owners of the hut, Philly Rose and her missing lover. When it becomes apparent that Philly is likely innocent, they begin to expand their search into the other huts and their proprietors. As their probe widens, they uncover some unsavory truths about the organization of the hutting association and many of its members, including the pompous president and the obnoxious caretaker. These men, and many others, apparently have much to hide...but is it murder or something else altogether? Although the Fethering series has lost much of its original charm, I enjoyed this book for the focus it placed on Carole, for whom I've always felt an affinity. Her staid nature, obsessions and fears are all so pathetically charming and it's so wonderful to see her gradually thawing as she learns to open her heart to love her growing family and open her mind to accept Jude's more laidback philosophy. Despite the nice character development, however, I found several faults with this installment. My biggest issue was with Jude's perspective on pedophilia, which I found to be a bit disconcerting. I truly sided with Carole's disagreeing stance. In addition, the book's mystery falls somewhat flat. The plot is loosely contrived and a bit unsatisfactory, which is unusual for Brett. He seems to be giving up on the series and preparing the reader for its eventual close. Though I've enjoyed all of the Fethering books, I tend to agree with Jude that it may be time to move on. In summary, though it was still an entertaining read, I must say that it wasn't nearly as good as the earlier books in the series.
What do You think about Bones Under The Beach Hut (2011)?
Carol and Jude do it again, another good, gentle Miss Marple like mystery.
—Squingy
Another light and enjoyable book from Simon Brett.
—mim_sta
