Murder in the Village most certainly makes a fabulous first book in what promises to be an entertaining series. When dogs are going missing in Little Challham, Challam Castle owner, Belinda Penshurst, talks retired detective, Harry Powell to investigate with her. How will she deal with DS Frank Ross, her ex-husband's best friend, who spends his life trying to do her down?

Belinda Penshurst, the owner of Challham Castle, worried about the pub owner's death and his relationship with her brother, Marcus. We are told that Harry is a retried detective inspector who has moved to Little Challham and now works for Doggie Delight delivering kibble (I want more information). Harry turns out to be a blast from her past but they quickly get together to try and solve the thefts of local dogs and a quick succession of murders. This is a really excellent read, full of action, lots of good police work and really good characters.Her team is not an easy one to manage with two young, eager detectives and one old lazy one, who was a friend of her husband and is now mostly seeing out his time until he can retire, but somehow she gets the best out of them and has a great record of solving cases. Running an investigative team requires strength of character and a certain forcefulness and he’s rather passive as a personality.

Faith Martin has been writing for over 30 years, and JOFFE BOOKS have reissued all of her popular, 2 million-bestselling DI Hillary Greene novels in new updated editions. The detectives: DI Hillary Greene An attractive woman in her 40s, Hillary Greene is a police officer of many years’ experience, and came up through the ranks. His seemingly mild-mannered political rival can't seem to place himself at the time of death either. You know when you're reading a series and you get to that point where you feel like you're part of the team or the family (albiet as a fly on the wall) and can anticipate how a character is going to react? Absolutely fantastic… An addictive perfect mix of mystery, crime, suspense and quirkiness which kept me turning the pages late at night!She was born and brought up in Canton and since she is now stuck firmly in her past, it is a lovely book I can read to her and see her joy as we talk about places she remembers going as a child. Our secondary protagonist is Harry Powell, a retired police detective who is now enjoying the slower and more serene way of life out of the hustle and bustle of the city. Murder in the Village is the 4th in DI Hillary Greene series by Faith Martin and I really enjoyed this one. She survived investigation by the IPC and is fighting off a court action resulting from her Ex-husband's illegal dealings. For as Hillary knows only too well, cops don't like it when they themselves come under investigation!

Belinda Penshurst loves her home village Little Challham, with its shady lanes, two pubs and weekly market. An attractive woman in her forties, Hillary Greene is a police officer of many years’ experience, and came up through the ranks. At the same time, a major police operation is in the works – to get, once and for all, Oxford’s local crime boss.

When I say story, there are actually two stories here – the murder in the village and a much bigger, far reaching battle with the local drugs baron. An Operation headed by new Superintendent Jerome Raleigh, to capture Luke Fletcher and take a shipment of a particularly nasty new drug off the streets, goes horribly wrong with Hillary being shot. The book moved at a snail’s pace (I felt like I was traveling on a glacier to get to the resolution). I also find it increasingly irritating that her female sergeant Janine is always described as 'pretty blonde'.