Murder on Line One by Jeremy Vine book review: A misleading title, but an unputdownable read

Murder on Line One by Jeremy Vine: The review

I’ll get this out of the way first. There’s only one thing I didn’t like about Murder on Line One, and that’s the title. It gave me a false idea of what to expect. While there is, technically, a murder at the helm of Murder on Line One, it happens before the narrative of the book takes place. It’s also not on ‘Line One’, because our protagonist, Edward, has lost his job as a radio host before the book begins, too. Maybe that’s just me being pedantic, but if you are expecting a fast-paced thriller with an on-the-airwaves murderer cat-and-mouse game, perhaps like I was, you’re not going to get that here.

Don’t be too disappointed, though, because what you are going to get is a fascinating, if a little slow, whodunnit mystery that unfolds carefully over the book’s 400 pages. Our protagonist, Edward, has had a very tough time of things recently. He lost his son in a terrible hit-and-run, and that in turn cost him his job as a beloved local radio host. Just when he needed a break, he gets a call from a young woman called Stevie: she’s recently lost her grandmother, who was a firm fan of Edward’s. Her death is looking rather suspicious, and it seems a letter she sent to Edward may hold the answers as to what happened.

Edward and Stevie, along with Edward’s love interest Kim, join forces to become something of an odd trio of sleuths. What they uncover as they begin digging into Stevie’s grandmother’s life is far more than they bargained for. It seems that the mystery at large is far bigger than just one pensioner who died in mysterious circumstances, and many more of Edward’s previous listeners seem to be involved, too. But I won’t tell you any more — I don’t want to spoil it.

As long as you don’t go into Murder on Line One expecting a fast-paced thriller, there’s a lot to enjoy here. Jeremy Vine has done a fantastic job of writing believable, three-dimensional characters who you’ll instantly warm to. Edward is troubled but endearing, and I found myself rooting for him throughout the entirety of the book. Stevie is more of an enigma; she’s certainly more of a secondary character, but getting to know a little about her background makes for interesting (and charming) reading.

Kim’s also a likeable character, and learning more about her, her relationship with Edward, and her husband, ends up forming an integral part of Murder on Line One. I cannot speak too much of the mystery at the heart of the book, because doing so will give too much away, but it’s doled out piecemeal throughout the book, paced slowly but well. And even if you do guess who the culprit ends up being (as I did), it’ll still keep you guessing. Having an inkling of what the ‘twist’ might be didn’t spoil it for me, and it all came together very nicely in the end.

More of a ‘cosy crime’ read than anything else, this is the sort of book you want to get nestled into the sofa with on a lazy evening, mug of cocoa in hand. It’s the characters that keep you gripped more than anything, and I thoroughly enjoyed spending a few hours in the company of Edward, Stevie and Kim. Brilliantly well-written, and surprisingly emotional at times, Murder on Line One is well worth your time. Just don’t put too much stock in its title.

Many thanks to Harper Collins for sending me a physical proof of Murder on Line One.