Aspire to Die
An Oxford Murder Mystery

This book is written by a couple who clearly know Oxford intimately. They deliver a compelling introduction to a young female police inspector, Bridget Hart, who is given charge of a murder investigation involving the death of Oxford student from prominent family. Bridget is a sympathetic character,......more

3 stars ⏳ [Re-read project #14 of 2025, 1st proper review, rating maintained] I blame Gaudy Night for starting my fascination with murder in scholarly settings, esp. Oxford and its timeless surroundings. So it was a given that a detective series set in Oxford would attract me. I started this series a......more

After a dozen pages I had to check I hadn't read the book before it seemed so familiar. I suppose I have just read too many books with a female detective finding her way in a male dominated force and struggling to find the time for her teenage child. Fortunately this wasn’t that bad, although it was......more

My wife gave this, along with a few other books, for Christmas (Oxford is a common theme in our gifts since we met there). One of the most attractive features of the book is the setting. The reference to al fresco Shakespeare early on immediately reminded me of seeing a performance of Romeo and Juli......more

This was a great who dun it... kept you guessing. First of a series, looking forward to the second book. The DI is newly promoted and looking to prove herself when she is home, taking a much needed day off to celebrate her daughters, Chloe’s bday. She gets called in on a murder investigation of a ver......more