The Hanging in the Hotel

A Fethering Mystery

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. Short staffed, Suzy recruits Jude as a waitress to help keep the spirits flowing. But the next morning, Jude discovers that one spirit has flown away for good, when she finds the body of a young man, supposedly an initiate for Pillar membership, hanging from the beam of a four-poster bed.

The police are quick to rule the death a suicide. The Pillars of Sussex deny that the victim was ever considered for membership. Suzy just wants to forget the incident ever happened. But Jude knows that both parties have something to hide, so she enlists a reluctant Carole to nurture her relationship with a flirtatious Pillar in the hope that they'll topple him over and uncover the truth.

©2004 Simon Brett (P)2004 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"The 'odd couple' is a staple of the classic whodunit, and Simon Brett gives it a sweet twist." (The New York Times)
"One of the wittiest writers around." (Baltimore Sun)

Love Carole and Jude!

Love this series! I can’t wait to listen to the rest of them!! Keep them coming!!!

Nice

Nice to listen to when drifting of. The ladies are investigating once again, Sheila’s son has updates in his life and murder pays a visit.

Rock Star Ex, Snooty Men's Club and Murder

This is a favorite in the series. Jude's lifelong friend, Suzy Longthorne owns The Hopwicke Country House Hotel and is trying her best to keep it afloat after 9/11 when Americans are loathe to fly and tighter restrictions have been instituted on all the airlines. Formerly a destination place for the rich and famous, her hotel is now limping along and she is forced to welcome more local groups, such as the Pillars of Sussex for the annual convention. The Pillars of Sussex are a bunch of sexist businessmen who make crude remarks, drink themselves into a stupor and try to outdo one another like school boys. The night of the event, Suzy is (once again) short handed and calls Jude to come and help her as she prepares to serve the group at their banquet dinner. Jude, ever the loyal friend, agrees and soon the pair are busy waiting on the raucous group. Jude, ever the observer, never misses a trick, and the interaction between the guests that night stick with her. About to turn in for the night at 3 a.m., she notices one of the young guests too drunk to make it into his room, and decides to help him. Soft hearted and kind, Jude gets the young fella into bed, and is glad to hear him say that things in his life are looking up. The next morning, the young man isn't at the breakfast table, and he is soon found hanging from his four poster bed. Police are quick to rule it a suicide. But a niggling feeling tells Jude it's NOT. Always a truth seeker, Jude goes about trying to discover what REALLY happened to him. Of course, Carole agrees to help. 😊 What a pair these two make. The twists and turns in this one will give you whiplash. 😂 So much fun! Great mystery and an ending well worth the wait!

How about Jude and Carole without a murder?

Characters rich and substantial. Language marvelous. But the murders are getting old. Would be welcome to have all of Simon Brett's engaging characters in another sort of story.

Reliably entertaining

What did you love best about The Hanging in the Hotel?

I always enjoy the way Brett weaves social satire into his mysteries. The two female lead characters are interesting in themselves and from book to book one gets to know them fairly well. How they relate to each other adds a level of interest I appreciate.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Hanging in the Hotel?

It would be hard to pick any one moment - there were some surprises that I enjoyed but I don't want to give anything away in this review.

What does Geoffrey Howard bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He brings the words to life with just the right satirical tone.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I don't really see this as a movie - maybe a BBC episode - the books would be great as a TV series!