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Bridget Hart #3

Do No Evil

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Old friendships. Dark secrets. Deadly lies.
When Detective Inspector Bridget Hart returns to her old Oxford college for a reunion dinner, she’s hoping for a fun weekend catching up with old friends. But the reunion takes a macabre turn when body parts are served up at the college feast, and one of her friends is found murdered.

With Bridget’s arch rival Inspector Baxter leading the murder enquiry, and herself a potential suspect, Bridget is forbidden from taking part in the investigation. But that doesn’t stop her from carrying out her own private enquiries.

Bridget soon realises that the murderer is someone known to her. And as the weekend continues and more bodies are found, it becomes clear that they will stop at nothing to get what they want. Can Bridget uncover the dark secrets of the past in time to halt the killing, or will she be next on the murderer’s list?

249 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 27, 2020

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About the author

M.S. Morris

16 books147 followers
M S Morris is the pseudonym for the writing partnership of Margarita and Steve Morris. Together they write psychological thrillers and crime novels. The couple are married and live in Oxfordshire. They have two sons.

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5 stars
1,442 (50%)
4 stars
1,009 (35%)
3 stars
329 (11%)
2 stars
44 (1%)
1 star
16 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
Profile Image for Kathy.
3,654 reviews262 followers
December 28, 2020
Now that I am halfway through this series I will have to slow down with only three more books to look forward to. I like spending time with Bridget and in this case we follow her to a reunion at Merton College where she attended twenty years ago. She believes she is going to have a nice break from routine, but this meeting of old classmates turns deadly. The challenges are many and it certainly is a near thing as events conspire to see more threats to life. I can't describe the plot without spoiling it. This is another engaging, enjoyable book from these talented authors.

Kindle Unlimited
Profile Image for Karen.
592 reviews
February 21, 2024
The third in this police procedural series set in Oxford. An easy read and enjoyable for what it sets out to be - well the genre I think it fits into. Although I will say that having now read three of the series there is a formula to the writing appearing and there are some stereotypes and character traits emerging that are a little overdone - the bumbling overworked detective for example (not always the same individual though). The clues were not particularly subtle and it was easy to ascertain the perpetrator long before the detectives did. I also noted some evidence of dual authorship - repetitions of actions and ideas that shouldn't really have made it through a good full edit. All that said, I will read on to see what happens next in the life of Bridget Hart and her team while I look to other favorite authors for more nuanced crime fiction (Peter Grainger's DC Smith and Kingslake series or Louise Penny's Gamache series for example).
Profile Image for MarilynLovesNature.
237 reviews56 followers
August 20, 2023
A well-written "British style" mystery (does have a British author, but I'm referring to the older British classics) that reminded me a little of PD James' best mysteries. The murders that take place are rather gruesome. I almost guessed the murderer but not the actual motive, so it was at least possible to attempt a solution, as compared to many mysteries I read that do not give enough clues.
I stayed up very late to finish it. I hope to find more by this author, although this one, #3 of the series, was the only one available as an audio on Libby for my libraries. There were many available to read. The characters were defined well enough to relate to the mystery as motive was so important. Generally I like mysteries where the characters outshine the plot. This was an exception in that the plot was of equal if not greater interest to me.
Profile Image for Pgchuis.
2,180 reviews30 followers
January 15, 2022
This was a quick enjoyable read, although some of the grammar was bit off and there were chunks of repetition (I think we heard three times that it was 17 years since the characters matriculated and 20 since they graduated). The Oxford setting was extremely well done and the plot was good, although I am not sure quite how Tina in her role as a lawyer could lie so as to affect her client's case...
June 21, 2020
Better and Better

I've enjoyed every book in the series and this did not disappoint. I love it when the characters in a series grow, make you feel like you know them, and look forward to what comes next. Eagerly awaiting Book 4!
Profile Image for Roger Bell.
5 reviews
July 10, 2020
Superb read - thoroughly enjoyed the intrigue whilst wondering "who dunnit"! Also enjoying the development of the characters and relationships
154 reviews
July 8, 2021
Multiple murders, of Bridget Hart's college friends, at an Oxford gaudy (reunion).
Profile Image for Paula R. C. Readman.
Author 26 books50 followers
October 5, 2024
I enjoyed this book but it did have an element of inspector Morse (Colin Dexter) about it. Okay, you could say it was the setting, but I felt the story line too. Great characters and a neat twist.
July 2, 2020
Do No Evil

Very very enjoyable in fact when I have done this going to order book 4.Love the Oxford setting and very interesting storyline,plus the main characters growingbon me more and more.Would not hesitate to recommend.
528 reviews3 followers
December 29, 2022
M.S. Morris -- Bridget Hart serie
Do No Evil #3

This is a first for me. I’m reviewing the entire Bridget Hart series of books, at least the first seven which I’ve ‘read’ one after another for the past few weeks.

They’re all pretty good. I’ve given them all a 3 star rating but I’d put them on the high side of 3 stars, certainly good enough to enjoy binge-listening to them. I couldn’t go to 4 stars because that would elevate them to the level of admiration I’ve reserved for the works of Peter Grainger, Donna Leon and a few others; they’re not that good, however, I do recommend the series. The books are not all equally good but they are close enough not to matter; they share the same virtues and weaknesses so this review is for all seven books. If you want plot summaries you can find them on Goodreads or elsewhere. The books are “cozies” but not of the ‘tea and scones’ type. There is more to them than that but they’re not gritty, gruesome or challenging. Here is my take on the first seven books.

Pros:
• The books offer the gentle feel of a cozy without being fanciful or silly. There may be no real tension or thrills but the writing is solid, easy to read and satisfying.
• Each book delivers something new to the reader. It’s often a detailed examination of some arcane practice or study: steganography in ‘Preface to Murder’, the details of ‘change ringing’ in ‘Toll for the Dead’ and so on. I found these elements to be very interesting and worth the read all on their own.
• Relationships are well handled, including both professional and romantic. Listening to the last in the series I felt as if I were saying good-bye to a community I’d come to know and will miss.
• The narrative is clear and easy to read; the performance of the audiobooks is very well done.
• The descriptions of Oxford and the colleges, architecture and history of the area are great and also worth the reading on their own. It’s like being there and, if you like, you can see most of the locations on Google Streetview so as to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the location if you haven’t had the pleasure of visiting them in person.

Cons:

This is the other side of the coin to the “Pros” above.
• This doesn’t bother me but it might alienate some. The books don’t offer a lot in the thrills and intensity department so they may be a bit bland for some readers.
• The main character, her Welsh officer and superior are frequently irritating. They also receive a lot of repetitive character enhancements. This may have been done to allow a reader to enter the series with any of the books. On a ‘binge-listen’ this becomes disturbingly apparent.
• The unpicking of the mystery relies on the awful trope of brilliant police interview techniques. In fact, the key to solving a case usually comes down to a fortuitous accident: a dropped piece of paper, a ‘suspicious’ glance, an overheard snatch of conversation. The interviews, the squeeze techniques and implied threats used by the detectives are enough to make anyone resent the police. Bridget Hart blunders around like a headless chicken accusing everyone of murder and then arresting then releasing characters who never should have been suspects in the first place. She is definitely a weak link.
• The series also involves what is perhaps my #1 pet peeve of police procedurals, that of constant references to how detectives are so overworked that they have no time for relationships, a home life or other interests. I really hate this one.
• The plots of all the books are formulaic. Once you’ve cracked the formula it’s clear that the guilty party will be introduced early. He or she will seem nice and harmless only to be left on the periphery of the narrative. Eventually he/she will be shown to have harboured a grievance for years only to crack one day for no credible reason. The motives behind the crimes never seem adequate.
• One expects red-herrings and misdirection in any mystery/police procedural but, in this series, they are clumsy and obvious. This may not be significant in the reading of any individual book but they are obvious when binge-listening.

I know I’ve given more “cons” than “pros” but the series is seriously good fun. Anyone wanting to enjoy a mostly nice bunch of engaging characters solving complex criminal challenges should take the time to explore these books. I don’t regret a minute spent with Bridget Hart & co.

Profile Image for Cathy.
218 reviews1 follower
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April 20, 2024
I’m still enjoying this series, listening to them on Borrow Box through my library, but I do wish the author would stop telling me what’s just happened, not just in the previous book but sometimes what feels like the previous chapter (or almost).
278 reviews2 followers
June 3, 2020
Excellent plot and characterization. This is a fabulous series!!!! Hard to wait for #4!
Profile Image for Dianne Gow.
281 reviews
May 29, 2020
This series gets better with each addition. Cannot wait for #4
Profile Image for Connie.
332 reviews2 followers
January 4, 2021
Oh well, a promising series ups the gore and loses some of its charm. Come on Faith Martin. I don't care what you choose to call yourself, really, but we all know who you are, and you can do better. More character. More setting. More nuance. Less blood. Less conflict between the 'detective,' and, in this case, the man in command.

It is inevitable that your readers will compare this detective series set in Oxford with Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse series. I am cheering for DI Hart to be equally inspiring. But really, the refrain that she has struggled to rise in her profession as a single mom is not so inspiring as it is pathetic. If there is praise to be gained from this facing of adversity, the reader should be able to infer her plight, rather than having it reiterated, several times in each novel in the series. This makes DI Hart more a victim than she deserves to be. In the same way, the references to the murder of her sister now elicits more anger than empathy. If this core mystery is to be solved at some point in the series, get on with it. I am suffering compassion fatigue.

And I guess that is what is really the problem with novels where there is a series of absurd killings with little rhyme or reason and a lot of blood. I get compassion fatigue. Oh great, here's another one. Oh yawn, not this scenario again. Oh, is DI Hart about to discover another corpse? Mercy. Who will be left alive at the end of this one. How many corpses now? The inspector's sister died 17 years ago. Oh yes and another flatmate about the same time. Oh and yes, the initial 'victim.' Here's the real problem. If the people who get killed off aren't in the least admirable or likeable, or we do not ever have a chance to know them, I don't care about them sufficiently to care about who killed them. And that's that.
Profile Image for John T.
77 reviews
August 11, 2022
Glad to see the series return to a Collegiate setting, though the amount of murders in just a few months makes me worry about visiting the town.

Cracking read; shame we can’t rate a 4.5.
Profile Image for Carlin.
1,576 reviews11 followers
July 19, 2022
See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil: do no evil!

Number #3 in the Oxford mystery series with DI Bridget Hart. She was taking the weekend off to attend a college gaudy or reunion of alumni celebrating those who started Merton College 20 years before. It did not go well!

Since the murder victim was a fellow alumna and college roommate, DI Hart was forced to the sidelines while fellow DI Baxter was put in charge of the investigation. The techniques of the two DIs couldn't have been more different with Bridget always a step ahead of her colleague. Although somewhat predictable the story was solid and provided insight into the workings of the college tutorial system in Oxford academia. I really like the characters in Bridget's life both personal and professional (reading the first 3 books in a row) and how the investigative teams conduct their painstaking interviews with the alumni (all considered possible suspects), how much of solving a case is intuition versus plodding rote investigation. I plan to move on to the next installment now!
Profile Image for John Lee.
735 reviews11 followers
December 8, 2022
My third of this series and the high standard continues.

Sometimes a book drags and you are almost reading for the sake of it. Not so here. Good characterizations with an easily imagined storyline, it even had me thinking of possible villians between my reading sessions.

After the previous book where D I Hart was outranked ( although not out performed ) by her ex husband, now Drug Squad, this time she is replaced as senior officer as she was a guest at the Gaudy (old school reunion) where the murder took place. If she had obeyed the orders of D I Baxter , not to get involved/stay out - then there wouldnt have been much of a story.

Her 'family' situation kept to a minimum as was the potential goriness and with the continued growth of the character of Jake and Ffion, this was a most enjoyable read.

Did I work it all out? Almost. I was in the right place but took a wrong turning.

This is so close to a 5* for me. As long as the two romances dont get in the way of the mystery, it could well be there with the next.
1,629 reviews
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February 20, 2021
When Detective Inspector Bridget Hart returns to her old Oxford college for a reunion dinner, she's hoping for a fun weekend catching up with old friends. But the reunion takes a macabre turn when body parts are served up at the college feast, and one of her friends is found murdered.

With Bridget's arch rival Inspector Baxter leading the murder enquiry, and herself a potential suspect, Bridget is forbidden from taking part in the investigation. But that doesn't stop her from carrying out her own private enquiries.

Bridget soon realises that the murderer is someone known to her. And as the weekend continues and more bodies are found, it becomes clear that they will stop at nothing to get what they want. Can Bridget uncover the dark secrets of the past in time to halt the killing, or will she be next on the murderer's list?

Bella, guilty. Lover of Lydia.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
429 reviews4 followers
February 11, 2021
I really like the writing style of this duo. I didn’t want to put this book down until I was done.

This is the third book in the series that follows DI Bridget Hart, a fairly new detective who just can’t seem to get time off. This time she was at a class reunion when things took a turn for the worst. Due to her connection with the victim she is not leading the inquiry. However, this doesn’t stop DI Hart from asking questions.

Her team is assigned to the lead detective with 20 years experience but it is clear where their loyalty lies.

I liked her old tutor who imparts wisdom to Bridget and her team.

I good story with fun twist that took me on a ride all the way to the end.

Happy Reading!
351 reviews3 followers
September 22, 2020
I have enjoyed this series tremendously by the husband and wife team who call themselves M.S. Morris, finding myself caring about the characters and the situations they are in. It is particularly engaging for me since I have attended classes at Oxford and like being taken back to the setting. This particular story is set almost exclusively at the college at Hart's gaudy. One by one some her old college friends are dying. The mystery is intriguing. My only disappointment is that the detectives in the story seemed a little dense, unwilling to follow leads that should have been obvious. I was a little bothered by that. Other than that, it was very enjoyable read.
Profile Image for Richard Cole,.
75 reviews1 follower
December 2, 2021
Death In The Heady Levels Of Academia.

A well written and well constructed many facetted tale based in one of England's great seats of learning.

Bridget's reunion at her old college ends up with her being deeply involved with gruesome deaths and mutilations at her Oxford University reunion.

Her endeavours to investigate matters and generally assist are thwarted at every turn by the officer in charge of proceedings. Nonetheless, her contribution is crucial to a successful outcome to the situation.
Profile Image for Ellie Thomas.
Author 43 books64 followers
April 23, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this homage to Dorothy L. Sayers magnificent Gaudy Night, with lovely touches that deliberately echoed that classic story.

However, this Gaudy mystery was very much Bridget's and her team's - despite the interference in the investigation from a less gifted DI. Great plotting, excellent characterisation and the setting used to perfection made this the most enjoyable so far of this super series.
April 3, 2024
A suspenseful read with Oxford’s beauty as the perfect backdrop!

M.S. Morris’ novels about Bridget Hart and her detective skills are greatly enhanced by the setting: the beauty of Oxford’s colleges and the Machiavellian politics of Academia.
All the characters are very well described and some are delightfully enigmatic too.
One doesn’t want to put down this novel once you have started reading it. It helps distract you from your worries without lacking in substance.
Profile Image for Mary Stagg.
257 reviews2 followers
September 25, 2024
I rather like these books. I like Bridget and her life. She doesn't have impossibly long legs, wonderfully auburn hair, and an amazing love life. Nor does she run drink green tea or run a successful family. In other words she's ordinary but is a very good detective. Sadly in this case she knows the first murder victim as they were students together at Oxford. Obviously she's not on the case but solves it anyway. Its a great book.
Profile Image for Julie Stace.
47 reviews3 followers
February 24, 2021
Great Book

Another great read, this series is what I would call a cosy mystery, great to read with chocolate biscuits & a cup of tea.

This is a new author for me & so far I’ve enjoyed the first 3 books in the series, although I did guess who the killer might be in this one!

On to the next one 😊
302 reviews1 follower
May 25, 2022
Never seen this plot!

Pretty good read. Fairly decent pace with a few slow spots, but they're quick! The subplots are cute, and no one is jumping into anything. I think they could have done away with half of the storyline including Baxter, his brashness got old, (this is where it felt drawn out). But all in all a decent read.
1,162 reviews7 followers
December 18, 2023
Good story

Engaging characters and a wonderful setting. I really enjoy how the characters develop in this series. In this case, Bridget takes a bit of a back seat as she's a witness and a friend of the victim. Jake and Ffion step up and ask the difficult questions that really move the case forward despite the myopic efforts if the SIO, who doesn't seem to accomplish much at all.
3,636 reviews11 followers
May 18, 2024
Ridiculous story with a predictable solution and unpalatable characters, not improved by.narrator Esther Wane's uninspired performance: she, too, sounded bored by the murder mystery and could not deliver male sounding voices. Her snippets of Irish accent for one of the characters sounded good, though.

Read through Audible plus programme.
Profile Image for JayeL.
1,929 reviews
Read
August 2, 2024
Bridget goes to have some fun and ends up working again, but surreptitiously be cause she is a witness and DI Baxter is in charge. He isn't fast enough and Bridget's classmates keep dying.

I was able to figure out early on who the killer was, but I couldn't think of a motive and I kept doubting myself.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews

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