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Dead in the Water cover art

Dead in the Water

Written by: Matthew Costello, Neil Richards
Narrated by: Neil Dudgeon
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Publisher's Summary

On the night of the school prom, a young teacher is found dead in the Thames in a drug-related accident. It seems - at first - to be another sign that Cherringham High is spiralling out of control. The new head however is convinced that the teacher's death is suspicious and quietly calls in Sarah Edwards. With her one-time detective partner, Jack Brennan, back in America, Sarah is at first reluctant to take on the case. But when she does get involved, it soon becomes clear that the tragic accident might really be a case of murder - and even Sarah herself could be in danger ...

"Dead in the Water" is the first full-length novel set in the sleepy English village of Cherringham, featuring the unlikely sleuthing duo Sarah, an English web designer, and Jack, American ex-cop. Thrilling and deadly - but with a spot of tea - it's like Rosamunde Pilcher meets Inspector Barnaby. For fans of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple series, Lilian Jackson Braun's "The Cat Who" series, Caroline Graham's Midsomer Murders, and the American TV series Murder She Wrote, starring Angela Lansbury.

Co-authors Neil Richards (based in the UK) and Matthew Costello (based in the US), have been writing together since the mid 90's, creating content and working on projects for the BBC, Disney Channel, Sony, ABC, Eidos, and Nintendo to name but a few. Their transatlantic collaboration has underpinned scores of TV drama scripts, computer games, radio shows, and - most recently - the successful crime fiction series Cherringham.

The narrator of the audiobook, Neil Dudgeon, has been in many British television programmes including the roles of 'DCI John Barnaby' in 'Midsomer Murders' and 'Jim Riley' in 'The Life of Riley'. He is also known for his film roles in 'The Nativity', 'Sorted' and 'Son of Rambow'. In 2012 Dudgeon starred as 'Norman Birkett' on BBC Radio 4's Afternoon Play series written by Caroline and David Stafford.

©2019 Bastei Lübbe (P)2019 Lübbe Audio

What listeners say about Dead in the Water

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wish it was clear to read this between 24 and 25

The story was great. Giving 3 stars because I wish it was made clear that you needed to read this book inbetween book 24 and book 25 of the series. I got into book 25 confused as to why the cliff hanger at the end of book 24 was never addressed

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Dead in the Water by Neil Richards

Love these books on to the next one.
Love Neil Dugeon reading them. He has a warm rich tone to his voice.

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4 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Boring!

The only good thing I can say about this book is it helped me get pff to sleep!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Longer Format Yields Improvements

The biggest disadvantage of the Cherringham Cosy Mysteries is the limitations set by the episodic tale-telling. There simply isn't enough time for the tandem of authors Niel Richards (UK) and Matthew Costello (US) to get into the unspeakable elements of a crime/murder. I have long felt that a more relaxed framework would let them deliver on the promise suggested by some of the 'disturbing' aspects of residents hinted at in earlier episodes. I was prescient. Character backgrounds in this one (with drug use at the local school) are more troubling, the authors include some mild expletives, and the transatlantic collaboration uses the novella format to inject some much-needed tension. Richards and Costello also take advantage of the increased time to do some legitimate character development (e.g. Jack's thinking on returning to America full-time).
Unfortunately, they appear to be tied to their presentation of Cherringham as a friendly, picture-postcard village largely peopled with boring, cheery folks. This book builds on an established pattern: PG-13 mysteries written like a TV screenplay for a prime-time BBC-type audience. The attempt to be more gritty, however, is appreciated.

The weakest part of this submission is the narration. Niel Dudgeon (usually excellent) delivers a somewhat subdued, disinterested reading performance in this installment. He is still excellent in pacing, narrates the main text clearly, and performs character parts well, but his delivery is lacking in emotion for some reason.

If you are a fan of the series, this is a fine continuation (I was hoping for something even a little bit darker, but wasn't terribly disappointed). This much-improved effort is slightly subpar, but still worthy of 8 stars out of 10.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A decent story

I've listened to and enjoyed several of the Costello and Richards stories, but this one left me a little ambivalent. I felt a little lost. A good story, nevertheless.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Very interesting storyline

Enjoyed this book very much. Has a well-developed plot and storyline. Interesting characters. Excellent narrator.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great to know!

I wondered what happened to Jack when he left abruptly to go back to the State, now I know.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

light and fun

Great narrator with lots of nuance. a lively story as well. it was quite enjoyable

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Good 👍

Great narration good story line. loved the expressions. nice ending 👌 👏 😍 👍

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Rough...

Oof. The narrator's American accent is more like a Canadian cowboy meets Tony Soprano. Not good.

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