Review: Detective Hillary Greene Books 6–10

Detective Hillary Greene Books 6–10 by Faith Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've read 16 DI Hillary Greene novels practically back-to-back so the reviews will be of necessity a bit brief. If you are binge-reading like I am the reminders of what happened previously can be a bit repetitive, but I imagine it means a new reader could jump right in and get up to speed quickly.

MURDER AT HOME
Flo Jenkins is found murdered in her armchair, a paperknife sticking out of her chest. It was common knowledge the old woman only had weeks to live. Why kill a dying woman? DI Hillary Greene faces one of her toughest cases yet.

I did not see this one coming, and yet there was mention of the crucial fact at the start of the novel if I had but realised it was important. I assumed and you know what that does ...

MURDER IN THE MEADOW
Wayne Sutton is found dead by a stream in a beautiful meadow. His head has been bashed in and a red paper heart left on his body. Who would kill the handsome young artist, who had a reputation as a ladies’ man? Can Hillary get to the bottom of a complex case involving jealousy, love, and cold-blooded murder?

I initially remembered who was guilty but not why, but looked at a few other reviews and it all came flooding back. Once again, there is something mentioned at the start of the novel which is highly relevant to the motive for murder.

MURDER IN THE MANSION
Mattie Jones is found brutally stabbed to death in her palatial home. DI Hillary Greene discovers that the victim’s snobby attitude had made her many enemies. But who hated this wealthy woman enough to kill her? Hillary tackles one of her most complex cases yet. Could a blast from the past shed any light?

In addition, there's a sniper picking off police officers at random outside their stations, everyone is looking over their shoulders.

Meanwhile, Hillary's boss Mel is dealing with an horrific case which is falling apart on a technicality.

MURDER IN THE GARDEN
Edward Philpott is found bludgeoned to death with his own spade in his beautiful garden. Hillary’s only lead is a rival from the village flower show who used to argue with the victim about the size of their vegetables. But what dark secrets from the past and present does this village hold?

Edward's family life is tragic. His young daughter was widowed and she had her daughter have moved back in with him, now she has incurable cancer and only a few weeks or months to live.

Meanwhile, the station is rocked by the murder of Hillary's boss, was it the sniper who has been picking off random officers, or could it be linked to the case which went sideways? And if the latter, can they prove it?

MURDER BY FIRE
David Merchant’s body is found in a bonfire in his back garden. David was a publisher and devout Christian. Who would want to kill this seemingly very decent man? DI Hillary Greene faces one of her most puzzling cases as she struggles to find anyone with a strong motive to kill the pious publisher.

I felt, perhaps because I am reading this book 13 years after it was originally published and we as a society are more aware (still trying not to give away spoilers), that the 'big reveal' was obvious almost right from the start and hence I guessed the murderer fairly early on.

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