The Best Corpse for the Job by Charlie Cochrane

Best Corpse for the Job by Charlie Cochrane is a contemporary cosy mystery with more than a dash of slash. In a typically English village setting, this story plays with the customary pieces – murder most horrid, the insider who helps the police, lashings of tea and cakes – in a modern way. Ideal for the reader who wants to see sympathetic gay characters in a genre that doesn’t always have them, and wants a bit of a twist to the traditional style of tale.

Tea and sympathy have never been so deadly.

Schoolteacher Adam Matthews just wants to help select a new headteacher and go home. The governors at Lindenshaw St Crispin’s have already failed miserably at finding the right candidate, so it’s make or break this second time round. But when one of the applicants is found strangled in the school, what should have been a straightforward decision turns tempestuous as a flash flood in their small English village.

Inspector Robin Bright isn’t thrilled to be back at St. Crispin’s. Memories of his days there are foul enough without tossing in a complicated murder case. And that handsome young teacher has him reminding himself not to fraternize with a witness. But it’s not long before Robin is relying on Adam for more than just his testimony.

As secrets amongst the governors emerge and a second person turns up dead, Robin needs to focus less on Adam and more on his investigation. But there are too many suspects, too many lies, and too many loose ends. Before they know it, Robin and Adam are fighting for their lives and their hearts.

Booklist reviews: “Cochrane, known best for her Edwardian Cambridge Fellows series, offers a genuinely entertaining read.”

THE BEST CORPSE FOR THE JOB is available from Amazon, Amazon UK and Riptide Publishing.

 *****

As Charlie Cochrane couldn’t be trusted to do any of her jobs of choice—like managing a rugby team—she writes, with titles published by Carina, Samhain, Bold Strokes, MLR, Riptide and Lethe.

She’s a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Mystery People, International Thriller Writers Inc and is on the organising team for UK Meet. She regularly appears with The Deadly Dames.