Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “A Bloody Hot Summer” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

A Bloody Hot Summer

Trevor D'Silva (Goodreads Author)

3.88 · Rating details · 56 ratings · 11 reviews

It’s 1927 and Great Britain is sweltering in an unprecedented heatwave. On the morning after her eightieth birthday party, Lady Fitzhugh is discovered bound and butchered in her bed, with her family and staff the prime suspects...

Whilst holidaying at nearby Meadowford Village, Detective Dermot Carlyle is asked to help investigate the brutal murder. The clues all point to a ...more

Get A Copy

Kindle Edition, 245 pages

Published November 12th 2019 by Black Rose Writing

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about A Bloody Hot Summer, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about A Bloody Hot Summer

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.88 ·

Rating details

· 56 ratings · 11 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of A Bloody Hot Summer

Jan 27, 2020 Mary Yarde rated it it was amazing

“Her screams reverberated throughout the mansion as the tray fell, scattering its contents on the bedroom floor…”

The Fitzhugh family had congregated at Fitzhugh Manor in the village of Meadowford, to celebrate Lady Doris Fitzhugh’s eightieth birthday. But the tranquillity of this small family union was shattered when Alice entered her mistresses’ bedroom the following morning, for Alice had unwittingly stumbled upon a gruesome discovery. Lady Doris’s throat had been slit, and her emerald jewelled necklace had been stolen.

Detective Dermot Carlyle was on leave when he was called in to help with the case. Young, though he may be, Dermot has a quick wit and a sharp intelligence, and this was the kind of case he had been waiting for to prove his worth. However, it soon becomes clear that this was not a simple robbery that had gone wrong — this was premeditated murder.

From a family celebration to the discovery of a shameful family secret that had remained hidden for three generations, A Bloody Hot Summer by Trevor D’Silva is an utterly enthralling murder mystery that will leave the reader guessing right up until the very last minute.

With an exceptional eye on the historical detail and a keen understanding of what makes an entertaining read, D’Silva has penned a truly wonderful book. The narrative is rich, vibrant, and utterly irresistible. D’Silva has captured the very essence of what Britain was like in the 1920s. His attention to the language, along with all its glorious slang, and the richness of the local dialects have all been wonderfully explored and skilfully executed.

A Bloody Hot Summer isn’t just set in the 1920s. It also touches upon the Indian Rebellion of 1857 as well as the “Scorched Earth” policy applied by the British and the subsequent imprisonment of tens of thousands of men, women and children. These terrible camps were poorly administered, and conditions were horrendous. Many died. I thought D’Silva depicted this shameful and sinister era of British history with great skill and diligence. Kudos, Mr D’Silva.

A Bloody Hot Summer is both exciting and dark in almost equal measures. It is also incredibly fast-paced and immensely readable. As with all good murder mysteries, I put on my amateur detective hat and tried to piece the clues together to come up with a culprit as well as a motive. However, D’Silva is the king of plot twists, and I found myself dismissing my own theories more than once as to who the killer was. A Bloody Hot Summer is undoubtedly a book that captured my imagination. The Fitzhugh family is suffocating in secrets and lies, which made for a cracking read. Just one more page became one more chapter. This is the kind of book that a reader will forgo sleep to finish!

Detective Dermot Carlyle was the ideal protagonist. He is an intelligent man who does not take things at face value. He is always looking for a motive, and he finds himself entangled in this web of egotistic individuals who all have a motive for murder. The more Dermot uncovers, the more there is to learn. I thought Dermot’s depiction was fabulous, and he was by far my favourite character in this book — and the most honest. Dermot reminded me at times of Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes — he is always thinking, he always sees the bigger picture. Dermot is certainly the eponymous hero of this novel.

I also thought the portrayal of young Hector was fabulous. This young thirteen-year-old boy is the heir to the Fitzhugh estate, and he is the only member of the Fitzhugh family whom I did not suspect of foul play. He has an air of innocence about him, and the thought that someone was trying to kill him, made me even more compelled to read on. I thought Hector’s depiction was brilliant.

Another character who piqued my interest was the dismissed servant, Irene Shaw. Irene’s character has been maligned by the Fitzhugh’s, without having had the chance to defend herself of what she had been accused of. Through Irene, D’Silva has demonstrated just how superior the Fitzhugh family thinks they are when compared with everyone else, which says more about them than Irene.

I enjoyed every minute of A Bloody Hot Summer by Trevor D’Silva. It is a book worthy of any bookshelf.

I Highly Recommend.

Review by Mary Anne Yarde.
The Coffee Pot Book Club. ...more

flag Like · see review

Dec 11, 2019 Michael Hartnett rated it it was amazing

A Lively Mystery that Exposes Murderers and Empires
Trevor D’Silva’s A Bloody Hot Summer is an old-fashioned British mystery, marked by an ever-building body count and a delicious parade of clues. Yet the novel also serves as a penetrating commentary on the price of Empire with its enemies made near (Scotland and Germany) and far (India and South Africa). By interweaving the complex history of the Fitzhugh family from 1850s India to fin de siècle South Africa (during the Boer Wars) to the Great W A Lively Mystery that Exposes Murderers and Empires
Trevor D’Silva’s A Bloody Hot Summer is an old-fashioned British mystery, marked by an ever-building body count and a delicious parade of clues. Yet the novel also serves as a penetrating commentary on the price of Empire with its enemies made near (Scotland and Germany) and far (India and South Africa). By interweaving the complex history of the Fitzhugh family from 1850s India to fin de siècle South Africa (during the Boer Wars) to the Great War right up to the story’s present day 1927, D’Silva delivers a narrative soiled by the undercurrents of violence and greed.
Yet the serious price of that brutal colonial history is given buoyancy by the author’s playful approach to the mystery genre. The author clearly is having fun here as he draws on the traditional tropes and hints with elements ranging from poisoned medicines to cut saddle straps to secret passageways to dull knives to evidence hidden behind paintings. The presence of the charming, unassuming detective Dermot Carlyle on the scene gives the novel a measure of British restraint that keeps the tone wry and pensive.
Plus, D’Silva’s assured pacing propels the story ahead so that the clues and deaths accumulate in intriguing ways. As I mentioned in the opening, all of this cultivated, amusing mayhem is offset by the darker legacies of British history, one for which the Fitzhugh family paid an extremely high price, even as it gained great fortune. Indeed, no fortune could be more unfortunate.
At one point Pippa says to her boyfriend Richard, “You will have to wash your shirt or the stain will never come off.” The stains are everywhere in this novel and they hurtle back to a dark past, most pointedly in the concentration camps during the Boer War. Through his weather motif, D’Silva slyly hints how the legacy of colonialism permeates every aspect of English life. As Major Havelock points out, “This heat reminds me of South Africa and India.” That heat bears down on the characters through A Bloody Hot Summer, an environment that can be withering. The atmosphere is one ripe for exposure and revelation.
Finally, the elaborate maneuvers Dermot employs to draw out the murderers are masterful and lead to a very satisfying climax. I highly recommend A Bloody Hot Summer since it serves as a fun, engaging mystery while unearthing a past the evokes both shame and the opportunity for redemption.

...more

flag Like · see review

Dec 03, 2019 Billy Buttons rated it really liked it

THE WISHING SHELF BOOK AWARDS
19th October, 2019
TITLE: A Bloody Hot Summer
AUTHOR: Trevor D’Silva
Star Rating: 4

To Sum Up
‘A cleverly plotted murder mystery populated with complex characters. Very enjoyable.’

REVIEW
I do enjoy a good murder mystery. And this is what A Bloody Hot Summer is. Set mostly in England during the 1920s, it kicks off with the murder of Lady Fitzhugh, a murder Inspector Lester Enderby and the younger Dermot Carlyle must try to solve. What follows is a cleverly interwoven plot i ...more

flag Like · see review

Feb 19, 2021 Lisa McCombs rated it it was amazing

Lady Doris Fitzhugh is celebrating her eightieth birthday and surrounded by friends, family and important members of the English countryside where she lives in her inherited Fitzhugh Manor. The day is hot, bloody hot, but that doesn’t deter from the celebratory confusion of the day. As guests come and go, it is easy to be misplaced, but at the end of the day no one expects to be murdered. There is no reason to expect foul play, even within a family of dark secrets. Fortunately Inspector Dermot L ...more

flag Like · see review

Apr 02, 2020 Sublime Book Review rated it it was amazing

Overall Rating = 4.88
Storyline & Concept = 5
Writing & Delivery = 5
Cover Marketability = 5
Editorial = 4.5

A Bloody Hot Summer offers a fine influential mix and feel of two of England’s most famous literary giants. The Dickens-like introduction immediately releases mystery and flashes the twists to come. An intricately laid out cast of characters is introduced with purpose and the flavor of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle fitting each one into the puzzle. Classic storyline points are used in a learned and s ...more

flag Like · see review

May 12, 2020 Colin Benbow rated it really liked it

A gratifying read

A book with lots of twists in the plot which includes historical fact as pert of the story. Following the twisting plot tests the brain at times though satisfying when you grasp the relationship.
Felt at times the detective a little slow in picking up the clues. His age and rank make the reader wonder why the older higher ranked inspector didn’t take more of a leading role. Enjoyed The adventure. A reminder the Norman governing class have not been perfect in treatment of other c ...more

flag Like · see review

May 28, 2020 Susan rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-1901-1945

1927 Arthur Endecott has returned to the Fitzhugh Manor in time for Lady Doris 80th birthday party. But by the next morning Lady Doris is discovered dead. What could be the possible motive for the guilty party. What connection is there to the events of 1903 and Argyle Castle, and of the events in Kamalpore in 1857.
Inspector Lester Enderby calls in the Metropolitan Police who send Detective Dermot Lucian Carlyle who is visiting his familt in the area.
Enjoyable fast paced historical murder mystery ...more

flag Like · see review

May 08, 2020 Mark Schultz rated it it was amazing

This story is such a delight! A classical, English, murder-mystery in the tradition of one of the finest authors in the genre. Any person who delights reading this type of material will not be disappointed in the least.
There is no question, the author has proven he is an accomplished writer. His handling of the major aspects such as plotting, action and dialogue are masterful. His scene-setting and narration is elegant. There is nothing to complain about. Not even a single spelling error popped ...more

flag Like · see review

Feb 06, 2021 Helen Firor rated it really liked it

Interesting mysyery

I enjoyed this mystery, written like the vintage English detectives story. I got lost in the family tree at the beginning but it was all detailed by the end. Look forward to another one.

flag Like · see review

Dec 07, 2019 Trevor D'Silva rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

Go to my webpage to read reviews by other people. trevordsilva(dot)com

flag Like · see review

Nov 26, 2020 Maria Logan-Montgomery rated it really liked it

https://www.grumpybookreviewer.com/fi...

I was invited by the author, Trevor D’Silva, to read his second novel, A Bloody Hot Summer, in exchange for an honest review. The book is set in early 20th century England, and covers the time from the Boer Wars to The Great War, and examines much of the greed and abuses of that time in both India and South Africa under British rule. It is written, of course, in British English. This is a saga of an aristocratic English family whose greed still exists, but ...more

flag Like · see review

Teresa Jordan rated it it was amazing
May 08, 2020

michael hepburn rated it did not like it
May 11, 2020

Mirachil27 rated it liked it
Feb 25, 2021

Christine Cannings rated it it was amazing
Jun 04, 2020

Carol Mason rated it it was amazing
Feb 10, 2021

Jill rated it it was amazing
Feb 19, 2021

Carol mason rated it it was amazing
Aug 26, 2020

Suzanne Robertson Moutis rated it it was ok
Jul 14, 2020

Barbara Shipman rated it liked it
Feb 06, 2021

Graham Thompson rated it it was ok
May 08, 2020

Bonnie Stasko rated it it was amazing
Jul 21, 2020

ruth eyers rated it really liked it
May 05, 2020

Angela rated it it was amazing
May 02, 2020

sandralane rated it did not like it
May 20, 2020

Marjorie Murphy rated it liked it
May 03, 2020

Isabella Burke rated it liked it
May 17, 2020

Chris Collier-Roberts rated it it was amazing
Feb 14, 2021

Drfranni rated it did not like it
Feb 05, 2021

Bev Martin rated it liked it
Feb 10, 2021

« previous 1 2 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

About Trevor D'Silva

Trevor D'Silva

9 followers

Trevor D’Silva has a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering; M.S. degrees in Engineering Management, and Environmental Engineering; and an Associate degree in Accounting. He has lectured in mechanical engineering and environmental science subjects at various colleges. Fateful Decisions is his first novel, encompassing history and fiction from WW I to the end of WW II. He uses his free time to expan ...more