Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“There’s a killer on the airwaves … and they’re calling for you.”

I was SO ready for a good murder mystery, and this one seemed like the perfect book to pick up. It’s the first book in a brand new series of murder mysteries from the one and only Jeremy Vine, BBC journalist and broadcaster. Get ready for this one; you’ll fall in love with these characters and you will not see that ending coming. Genius! I’m so happy to be sharing my review of Murder On Line One!

About the book

Darkness looms over sunny Sidmouth, when an unsolved murder comes to the attention of late-night radio talk show host Edward Temmis.

Recently sacked from his beloved job after a devastating tragedy, Edward is cast adrift – until he meets Stevie, whose grandmother, a devoted listener, died in a suspicious fire last year. Well, nobody hurts his listeners and helping Stevie might just give him the purpose he needs.

Joined by his old fling, Kim, they discover Stevie’s grandmother wasn’t the only one of his listeners targeted – this is just the tip of the iceberg.

But who is pursuing his ageing audience and why? And can Edward, Stevie and Kim get to the bottom of this mystery before it’s too late?

The beginning

I really loved the opening chapter in this book; it starts out as normal as can be, but it ends with a tragic little twist that broke my heart a little. It was a powerful start and the perfect introduction to our main character, Edward, a late-night radio talk show host. Or, he was before he got the sack. Edward has suffered a devastating loss; his son, Matty. And after a little incident, he’s forced into finding a new role at the local garden centre. I’ve been to Sidmouth (and Ladram Bay) where the book is set once in my life, but I was instantly transported there when I was reading this. I loved the subtle blink-and-you’ll-miss-it humour that was right up my street. And even though the book felt quite character heavy at the start, I really liked the attention to detail. It made everyone we meet stand out and feel so memorable. When Edward is approached at work by Stevie, a random woman who claims her grandmother, Rebecca – one of Edward’s elderly radio show listeners – died in suspicious circumstances, things really start to get interesting. Could Edward be the key to finding out the truth?

“The story of the death of Stevie’s poor grandmother would most likely lead nowhere. He had not the slightest inkling of how wrong he would turn out to be.”

As well as these characters, we also meet Kim, an estate agent and old fling of Edward’s, someone he didn’t really have the chance to miss or think about afterwards due to the sudden loss of his son and the grief that came with it. I really liked her character, and I liked the bond and banter she shared with Edward, despite their fling only being brief. She becomes the person Edwards calls upon when he starts digging into the case of Rebecca Mason’s mysterious death, and this is where the cosy crime feel began for me; it felt great! It comes to light that Rebecca called the radio show a few times for numerous reasons. A dispute with a drone club. Local farming noise. Could she really have been targeted as a result of her very public complaints? Could someone have wanted her her dead, or was the incident self inflicted? Edward discovers an empty envelope addressed to him from Rebecca before her death, with nothing inside. He needed to find that missing letter. First steps are taken, but there are near-fatal consequences. This case was turning darker by the minute and I was so invested!

The middle

There seemed to always be new characters popping up in each part of the book which was sometimes a lot to keep on top of, but each of them do bring the story to life in their own quirky ways, even if they just have air time for a chapter or two. I loved the contrast of some of the lighter, funnier moments with the dark, uncertain ones. It worked really well and always kept things interesting. Along Edward’s journey to find the truth about Rebecca’s death, he finds himself in some sticky situations, some very dangerous situations. I’d grown to love this character already and if there was a chance of him being injured or even killed, I wanted to protect him at all costs! I was also rooting for Edward at every opportunity. He was slowly slotting together the pieces of the puzzle, each as satisfying as the last. The circumstances surrounding Rebecca’s death get more bizarre and also a little heartbreaking at times, but I really enjoyed how original it felt. And the more Ed and Kim worked together on their little murder case, the closer they became. They were the perfect duo!

“There was a lightness in her step. He loved this about her – the sense that she controlled her world with force and good humour, in a way that he felt he never could. She made things happen; he had things happen to him. She was a queen, and he was a fool.”

Character relationships, especially the relationship between Edward and Kim, were brilliantly explored. I love it when both plot and character development are as good as each other, and we definitely get that in this book. Stevie was also such a wonderful character, so funny but at the same time, so sincere and good-natured. As this trio mull over a potential scam theory, a scam that Kim’s mum had also fallen victim to, I felt just as strongly as these characters; justice needed to be served. And Rebecca’s killer could well be closer than they thought… The scams involved finding out what victims were passionate about and creating a connection through that, something so personal, so dangerous. And in Rebecca’s case, something that ended in tragedy. There’s a real nice sense of community and strength as many people come together to share their experiences of similar scams. It was quite emotional, actually! I was confident that together they could work together to find the perpetrator. This part of the book was really addictive for me, the pace picking up after a slower start.

The end

It seemed Edward was more connected to all the elderly people who had been scammed than anyone expected. Once the realisation hit, that he was in the thick of it, things certainly began to heat up. It was around this time in the book where I suspected numerous characters. I had my own little theories and was scrutinising every move everyone made to try and pick out something that wasn’t quite right. To try and pin the blame on someone. But it was written so well that you simply can’t do it easily! I loved the build up to the reveal; knowing there was someone close by – someone we knew and had already met in this book – who had not only scammed multiple people out of their money and their dignity, but had also taken a life, was pretty unnerving. Edward’s connection with the radio station he had worked for could prove to be very useful at this stage, but he’d have to tread carefully. There could be anyone watching from the sidelines, waiting to strike again… I couldn’t stop reading here. Things felt so intense, and part of me felt a little nervous about what was to come!

“It was as if stories they had kept in the dark were suddenly flooded with light, and once they began talking about what had happened, they could not stop.”

The information revealed to us, those twists! They completely floored me and had my jaw on the floor. Such a satisfying, perfect round up of events written incredibly well. Bravo, Jez 👏 After thinking we know exactly who was responsible and all the ins and outs of this person’s motive and actions, there was more. All certainly wasn’t as it seemed. And lesson learned; be careful who you trust! As well as such a full-on ending, I loved how relationships and friendships are repaired and strengthened, how there is so much hope for the future. And, more importantly, room for more sleuthing! I’m so glad this is the first book in a new series from Jeremy Vine. I can’t wait for what Jeremy has in store for his next book and I’m so excited to be reunited with these characters again. If you’re a fan of a good whodunnit that combines an intriguing, layered plot with brilliant characters and a dash of the best kind of humour, you’ll love this.

Overall thoughts

Murder On Line One is a brilliantly plotted, wonderfully layered whodunnit, filled with a quirky cast of characters and an intriguing mystery to solve. I always think ‘writing what you know’ is a brilliant approach for anyone writing a book, and Jeremy Vine’s radio background makes for such an engaging, original concept here. Despite the first half of the book having a slower pace, there was some excellent character building. Rich backstories, deep conversations and a splash of humour really brought everyone to life and I loved it. I was constantly theorising, but when those twists and reveals hit in all the right places, I still didn’t guess the outcome! It’s an entertaining and absorbing read with surprises, laughs and emotion tucked neatly into every corner, but also has that tension, the uncertainty and that dark feeling that I crave from a murder mystery. A fantastic first book in this new series!

Huge thanks to the author, Jeremy Vine, and the team at HarperCollins UK for my proof copy! You can grab your own copy of Murder On Line One right now on Amazon or wherever you buy your books. If you’re not already following Jezza, you can find him on Instagram and X/Twitter.

Looking for book reviews?

If you’re in need of reviews for your own book, do get in touch to get on my submissions list! All the information you need is on my book reviews page. If you enjoyed this review and would like to support my blog, you can buy me a coffee 😊