Dead on Arrival — Katie Gray
“A very well written crime fiction story.”
An enjoyable cosy crime novel. This is the first book in The Dead Series. Pippsy and Jack Standage are private investigators who visit a luxurious Cotswold hotel for a restful break.Alas it proves to be anything but restful.
One volume in the book series: Dead
Classification: Crime and mystery fiction
Reviews
A dead man in the driving seat? Pippsy and Jack Standage couldn’t resist getting involved in the case. The interesting and amusing way they went about solving the mystery made very enjoyable reading.
I was intrigued from the start and made time to put my feet up and read it over three nights. It is an ideal book to relax with on a cold winter night by the fire. It is action packed. The twists and turns in the story kept me totally adsorbed and guessing what the final outcome would be.
This is a great debut novel. Katie Gray has a brilliant imagination. It’s a very well written crime fiction story. I sincerely hope to read more of Pippsy and Jack’s adventures in the near future.
Verified Purchase
I am a well-travelled reader and writer of stories in the crime thriller genre, reading books by authors such as Child, Connelly or Baldacci. But by way of a change, I came upon this book by Katie Gray. Intrigued by a title which promised something bad had already happened. However, this is the first time I have read something called a cosy crime novel. At first, I was surprised by what I was reading it seemed like something I might have encountered back in my youth. At that stage, I did not realise that the adjective cosy meant so much. I took a few moments to read more about the subgenre where sex and violence or ‘blood and guts’ occur off stage’ so no mess, amateur sleuths get involved in a small community to solve some heinous crime. All done with a sort of whimsical banter and lots of old-fashioned common sense. The result is a comfortable and warm escapist read. You can’t help but smile over it.
Katie’s book does a great job of meeting the expectations of the cosy label. A book of nearly 300 pages, charts the progress of Private Investigators; Pippsy Standage, a character on the right side of ditzy and her phlegmatic husband, Jack, tracking down murderers and other assorted villains. PI Pippsy, is a well-drawn character who manages to get on with things, whether they get her into trouble or not. I think we’ve all met people like that. Indeed I’ve rarely known a character get in and out of so many scrapes in one book. All the way through you can’t help but smile or laugh as the story progresses and we follow the highs and lows of the rest of the characters including of course those unscrupulous villains!
If this is your kind of fiction then you should get the second and third novels in this series and find out how much more trouble the Standages can get themselves into. Although it has not converted me from the ‘blood and guts’ of crime thrillers, I can’t help but smile when I picture Pippsy getting into difficulty and her husband trying to wade in to save her …and then messing up.
Verified Purchase
This is not the my usual genre and had never heard of a cosy crime thriller but I have to say I thouroughly enjoyed it. It was very entertaining and justhad to keep reading until the end. Well done Katie
Verified Purchase
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Description
An enjoyable cosy crime novel. This is the first book in The Dead Series.
Dead on Arrival is a gripping cosy crime mystery packed with suspense, intrigue, humour and unexpected twists. Perfect for fans of British detective fiction, amateur sleuth mysteries, and traditional whodunnits, this charming murder mystery will keep you guessing until the very last page.
Private investigators Pippsy and Jack Standage are looking forward to a peaceful getaway at an elegant luxury hotel in the heart of the picturesque Cotswolds. But their relaxing break takes a deadly turn when a car pulls up outside the hotel carrying a dead man behind the wheel.
Soon the unlikely detective duo are drawn into a dangerous web of hidden identities, missing diamonds, stolen money, suspicious hotel guests and a police inspector who may not be telling the truth. As kidnapping attempts, threats and shocking discoveries pile up, Pippsy and Jack must unravel the mystery before they become the killer’s next victims.
Set against the backdrop of the beautiful English countryside, Dead on Arrival is a fast-paced cosy mystery thriller filled with eccentric characters, clever clues and classic crime-solving charm. Fans of Agatha Christie-style mysteries, Richard Osman, M.C. Beaton and light-hearted British crime fiction will love this entertaining series starter.
Perfect for readers who enjoy:
- Cosy crime books
- British mystery novels
- Amateur detective stories
- Cotswold mysteries
- Female sleuth mysteries
- Murder mystery thrillers
- Humorous crime fiction
- Classic whodunnits
- Private investigator novels
- Clean mystery suspense series
Start The Dead Series today with this witty and addictive cosy crime adventure from Katie Gray.
Further details
Reader reviews and ratings:
I can't get enough cosy crime novels. I particularly liked this one by Katie Gray because it had all the elements I expect in a proper cosy crime book. Keep 'em coming Katie!
Emma Bridges
Books in the Series
-240x360.jpg "Dead Scared")
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Reviews
A dead man in the driving seat? Pippsy and Jack Standage couldn’t resist getting involved in the case. The interesting and amusing way they went about solving the mystery made very enjoyable reading.
I was intrigued from the start and made time to put my feet up and read it over three nights. It is an ideal book to relax with on a cold winter night by the fire. It is action packed. The twists and turns in the story kept me totally adsorbed and guessing what the final outcome would be.
This is a great debut novel. Katie Gray has a brilliant imagination. It’s a very well written crime fiction story. I sincerely hope to read more of Pippsy and Jack’s adventures in the near future.
Verified Purchase
I am a well-travelled reader and writer of stories in the crime thriller genre, reading books by authors such as Child, Connelly or Baldacci. But by way of a change, I came upon this book by Katie Gray. Intrigued by a title which promised something bad had already happened. However, this is the first time I have read something called a cosy crime novel. At first, I was surprised by what I was reading it seemed like something I might have encountered back in my youth. At that stage, I did not realise that the adjective cosy meant so much. I took a few moments to read more about the subgenre where sex and violence or ‘blood and guts’ occur off stage’ so no mess, amateur sleuths get involved in a small community to solve some heinous crime. All done with a sort of whimsical banter and lots of old-fashioned common sense. The result is a comfortable and warm escapist read. You can’t help but smile over it.
Katie’s book does a great job of meeting the expectations of the cosy label. A book of nearly 300 pages, charts the progress of Private Investigators; Pippsy Standage, a character on the right side of ditzy and her phlegmatic husband, Jack, tracking down murderers and other assorted villains. PI Pippsy, is a well-drawn character who manages to get on with things, whether they get her into trouble or not. I think we’ve all met people like that. Indeed I’ve rarely known a character get in and out of so many scrapes in one book. All the way through you can’t help but smile or laugh as the story progresses and we follow the highs and lows of the rest of the characters including of course those unscrupulous villains!
If this is your kind of fiction then you should get the second and third novels in this series and find out how much more trouble the Standages can get themselves into. Although it has not converted me from the ‘blood and guts’ of crime thrillers, I can’t help but smile when I picture Pippsy getting into difficulty and her husband trying to wade in to save her …and then messing up.
Verified Purchase
This is not the my usual genre and had never heard of a cosy crime thriller but I have to say I thouroughly enjoyed it. It was very entertaining and justhad to keep reading until the end. Well done Katie
Verified Purchase