‘Jury of One’ by Charlie Cochrane

Published by Riptide Publishing,
31 March 2016.
ISBN: 978-1-62649-377-3

Detective Inspector Robin Bright and his lover, Adam Matthews, are happy in their life together, since their first meeting when a murder occurred at Adam's school, nearly a year before. They are living in Adam's house, in a pleasant village, with their adored – and adoring- Newfoundland dog, Campbell, and Adam is growing accustomed to having their weekend plans disrupted by Robin being called in to investigate serious crimes.

This time their peaceful Saturday is destroyed by a murder in the nearby town of Abbotston. A man has been found stabbed in an alley, close to an upmarket restaurant, and the local Abbotston police are fully occupied with manning a cup tie and attempting to discover the attacker of three young women, one of whom has died.

As Robin tries to establish the truth behind the murder of Thomas Hatton it soon becomes clear that there is more in the dead man's background than is revealed by the business card that declares him to be a tax consultant. Robin has to tread very carefully indeed in order to avoid the danger of terrorist complications and the malice of Inspector Root of the Abbotston police. To make things even more complicated, a witness in Robin's present case turns out to be a man whom Adam once had a crush on. New tensions emerge in Adam and Robin's relationship and, as Robin draws closer to the truth about Hatton's death his job places the person he loves most in danger.

Jury of One is the second in the series featuring Robin Bright and Adam Matthews. It is thoroughly enjoyable and well-paced, with several strands to the mystery and a sharp, tense conclusion. The gay romance is well balanced, augmenting the investigation, and the central characters are all very likeable. An excellent read.

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Reviewer: Carol Westron

Charlie Cochrane  couldn't be trusted to do any of her jobs of choice—like managing a rugby team— so she writes. Her favourite genre is gay fiction, predominantly historical romances/mysteries.  A member of the Romantic Novelists’  Association, and International Thriller Writers Inc, Charlie's Cambridge Fellows Series, set in Edwardian England, was instrumental in her being named Author of the Year 2009 by the review site Speak Its Name.

http://www.charliecochrane.co.uk

Carol Westron is a successful short story writer and a Creative Writing teacher.  She is the moderator for the cosy/historical crime panel, The Deadly Dames.  Her crime novels are set both in contemporary and Victorian times.  The Terminal Velocity of Cats is the first in her Scene of Crimes novels, was published July 2013. Her second book About the Children was published in May 2014.

www.carolwestron.com