The Hanging in the Hotel

Written by Simon Brett

Narrated by Geoffrey Howard

The Hopwicke Country House Hotel once boasted a clientele of the rich and famous. But hard times call for hard measures, so owner Suzy Longthorne throws open her doors to welcome the Pillars of Sussex, an elitist group of local businessmen whose social gatherings revolve around drinking and off-color commentary. She hires Jude to help keep the spirits flowing. But when one of the initiates turns up dead, it’s up to Jude to uncover a truth no one wants discovered.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blackstone Audio
• Release date: Jun 26, 2005
• ISBN: 9780786136957

Simon Brett

Simon Brett worked as a producer in radio and television before taking up writing full time. As well as the much-loved Fethering series, the Mrs Pargeter novels and the Charles Paris detective series, he has written a number of radio and television scripts. Married with three children, he lives in an Agatha Christie-style village on the South Downs. You can find out more about Simon at his website: www.simonbrett.com

Reviews for The Hanging in the Hotel

[the7ken7petersen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is one of those easy reads: a pleasure to flick through an effortless couple of hundred pages in a day type reads.Simon Brett is particularly good at making his detectives, Carole and Jude, into ordinary people. Agatha Christie began the art with Miss Marple but, whilst there were unquestionable characteristics of an old woman within Marple, she was never a really believable character and she always knew a high ranking policeman to open doors for her - not Brett's sleuths, they are considered busy bodies.The story ambles to its amiable conclusion but, why, oh why did we have an unsatisfactory ending whereby the main malefactor gets away scot free? It may be true to life, but this story, like any good detective fiction, isn't. The art is, surely, to put realistic characters into unlikely plots.This is a minor gripe in what is a fun read.

[hdcclassic · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As a detective novel this did not strike me that much, even in realm of cozy it felt quite unrealistic and the mystery played out pretty close as expected.But nevertheless, an entertaining book.

[cdeuker · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm assuming that the other books in the series must be better, as this was strictly ho-hum. It falls into the Agatha Christie style mystery; short on violence, long on puzzling it out. Pillars of Sussex meeting ends with a hanging in the hotel. Later, at another Pillars meeting, yet another Pillar dies. Was the first death really a suicide? Two middle-aged detectives, Jude and Carol, solve the mystery after a series of twists and turns. The killer--Bob Hogkins (sp)--the most likely suspect. But wait, he put his chauffeur up to the dirty work and manages to skate free. He is, of course, the Pillar of the Pillars of Sussex. Sounds cynical, and it is a little, but the genteel nature of the detectives mitigates against the "he gets away with it" ending.

[smik_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Suzy Longthorne is in a bind and she desperately needs help. Her once exclusive hotel is in need of a cash flow. After the events of September 11 she has seen bookings at her hotel drop, so in order to make good on her investment she has opened the doors of the Hopwicke Country House to the general public. She is currently hosting a meeting of the Pillars of Sussex, an exclusive gentleman's group of business and community leaders from the area. They tend to get a bit rowdy after drinking and Suzy is short-staffed so she goes to her dear old friend Jude to see if she can help waitress the party. Jude accepts and gets more than she bargained for.While at the hotel Jude is frazzled with all the many chores she has to do, working as a waitress, bartender, and a maid Most of the members of the Pillars of Sussex are lushes and sexist and she is forced to deal with them. She even helps a prospective member of the group back into his hotel room after he falls drunk outside. He regales Jude with all his dreams and aspirations as he hopes to join the men's organization. When, on the very next morning, he is discovered hanging from the bedpost everyone is convinced that it was suicide. All except for Jude. The man had lots of dreams and was planning on doing some great things. The last thing on his mind was suicide; Jude is convinced of it. So why is everyone in a rush to call his death suicide?THE HANGING IN THE HOTEL is the latest alliterative entry in the English village of Feathering mysteries. The British cozy mystery series is filled with light humor, colorful characters, and outrageous situations from the lead characters in the story. Jude is a free-spirited and determined middle-aged woman who will find out the truth into the death and even involve her straight-laced neighbor Carole Seddon to help her.