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wilde_book_reviews 's review for:
Murder on Line One
by Jeremy Vine
Radio and TV Presenter Jeremy Vine's first foray into the world of Mystery writing is a well crafted, heart wrenching story of murder, blackmail and catfishing.
Former Radio DJ and local celebrity, Edward is traumatised by the tragic death of his 11 year old son 18 months ago. He's then let go from the radio station as part of their shake up to bring in a more youthful audience.
He's approached by Stevie who's granny was a big fan of Edwards and Stevie believes died in suspicious circumstances. Edward discovers her granny was Riva, a regular caller to his talk show. She had left him a letter at the station addressed from 'In Desperation - Riva', but the envelope was empty. What could she have been so desperate to let Edward know before her death in a house fire?
Kim is an estate agent and former lover of Edwards who's mother is swindled out of money during a fake online relationship. She was also a regular caller into Edwards talk show. Could there be someone out there targeting his listeners?
Given Jeremy Vine is a radio DJ and so is his main character, Edward, I expected there to be more background about the world of radio but it is largely side-stepped which I feel was a missed opportunity to add more depth to the story.
I loved the setting of Edwards house, on the edge of a cliff which is eroding into the sea. Its creaking and groaning, the warping of its structure over time as the earth shifts, a satisfying backdrop to his own fall from favour.
The plot is solid, everything linking together nicely at the end. Through-out the book I kept thinking about the concept of chekov's gun, which proposes that should a gun be mentioned then you know that the gun will be used. I felt that within the plot, once you think 'why has he mentioned that' again and again, it wasn't too difficult to work out the ultimate solution.
There are a few twists and turns along the way. I didn't think there were too many and helped with the pacing of the story and kept the pages turning.
I would like to convey my thanks to Netgalley and the publishers, HarperCollins for providing the opportunity to review this novel. All opinions are my own.
Murder on Line One is due to be published on 24th April 2025 by HarperCollins
Reviewed February 2025
Former Radio DJ and local celebrity, Edward is traumatised by the tragic death of his 11 year old son 18 months ago. He's then let go from the radio station as part of their shake up to bring in a more youthful audience.
He's approached by Stevie who's granny was a big fan of Edwards and Stevie believes died in suspicious circumstances. Edward discovers her granny was Riva, a regular caller to his talk show. She had left him a letter at the station addressed from 'In Desperation - Riva', but the envelope was empty. What could she have been so desperate to let Edward know before her death in a house fire?
Kim is an estate agent and former lover of Edwards who's mother is swindled out of money during a fake online relationship. She was also a regular caller into Edwards talk show. Could there be someone out there targeting his listeners?
Given Jeremy Vine is a radio DJ and so is his main character, Edward, I expected there to be more background about the world of radio but it is largely side-stepped which I feel was a missed opportunity to add more depth to the story.
I loved the setting of Edwards house, on the edge of a cliff which is eroding into the sea. Its creaking and groaning, the warping of its structure over time as the earth shifts, a satisfying backdrop to his own fall from favour.
The plot is solid, everything linking together nicely at the end. Through-out the book I kept thinking about the concept of chekov's gun, which proposes that should a gun be mentioned then you know that the gun will be used. I felt that within the plot, once you think 'why has he mentioned that' again and again, it wasn't too difficult to work out the ultimate solution.
There are a few twists and turns along the way. I didn't think there were too many and helped with the pacing of the story and kept the pages turning.
I would like to convey my thanks to Netgalley and the publishers, HarperCollins for providing the opportunity to review this novel. All opinions are my own.
Murder on Line One is due to be published on 24th April 2025 by HarperCollins
Reviewed February 2025