The Vicarage Murder: Monica Noble Detective, Book 1

Written by Faith Martin

Narrated by Claire Storey

Meet Monica Noble: the vicar’s wife with a taste for solving crimes.

Please note this book was first published as “AN UNHOLY MESS” under Faith Martin’s pen name JOYCE CATO.

In a quiet Cotswold village, all hell is about to break loose.

Monica Noble is throwing a party to welcome the village’s new residents. The guests include Margaret and her cheating husband Sean. Also on the list are a celebrity chef, an Oxford university professor, a 40-something divorcee, and the owner of a chain of gyms.

Then as the drinks are flowing, a shotgun blast rings out. One of the guests is found dead.

DCI Dury and Sergeant Jim Greer are soon on the scene and discover that the victim had many enemies. Almost all the guests harbour secrets and motives for murder. Even Monica’s daughter comes under suspicion.

When another villager is strangled to death nearly a week later, the stakes are raised.

Can Monica help the local detectives save her daughter and solve the murders before anyone else pays the ultimate price?

This is the first of a series of enjoyable murder mysteries with great characters and baffling crimes which will keep you gripped till the final page.

Perfect for fans of classic whodunits by authors like Agatha Christie, LJ Ross, TE Kinsey, and J.R. Ellis.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Spotify Audiobooks
• Release date: Dec 14, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664992375

Reviews for The Vicarage Murder

[Mari Melting · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoy Faith Martin’s cozy mysteries so was very happy to stumble across this earlier work. It does not disappoint and I really like the setup of the Vicar and his wife. Looking forward to the next book.

[KJ Santa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good stuff. Intelligent, interesting, not wholly predictable. Sadly, the recording jumps in Ch. 16 of 18, at or slightly before about 16:09. This is a critical moment, cutting off the end of the main character’s revelation, skipping to the list of evidence which proves it true. Unfortunate, but still worth the listen. I imagine it’s only about a paragraph or two skipped