What do you think?
DI Winter Meadows #6
Rise to the Fly
Will the police or a devious killer win this battle of wits?
A quiet corner of Wales becomes the centre of a murder investigation when the bodies of a retired couple are found near the shore of a reservoir.
Police try to establish the methods and motives of their attacker by careful examination of the crime scene. And, bizarrely, fishing flies are found in the victims’ mouths .
The investigation into people connected to the area begins to focus on a family farm . But how were the victims connected to it?
When Madog, an elderly member of the small community disappears , the detectives become pretty sure someone on the farm is responsible. But who? And why?
Will finding Madog lead them to the killer? Or have the police themselves fallen into a clever trap?
RISE TO THE FLY is the sixth standalone title in a bestselling series of atmospheric mysteries set in mid-Wales. The full list of books, all FREE with Kindle Unlimited and in paperback, is as
1. THE SILENT QUARRY
2. FROZEN MINDS
3. SUFFER THE CHILDREN
4. A KNOT OF SPARROWS
5. LIES OF MINE
6. RISE TO THE FLY
7. WINTER'S CRY
8. HARBOUR NO SECRETS
If you enjoy mysteries set in evocative locations that keep you guessing until the very end, you’ll love this suspenseful title by one of Wales’ best crime fiction talents.
A quiet corner of Wales becomes the centre of a murder investigation when the bodies of a retired couple are found near the shore of a reservoir.
Police try to establish the methods and motives of their attacker by careful examination of the crime scene. And, bizarrely, fishing flies are found in the victims’ mouths .
The investigation into people connected to the area begins to focus on a family farm . But how were the victims connected to it?
When Madog, an elderly member of the small community disappears , the detectives become pretty sure someone on the farm is responsible. But who? And why?
Will finding Madog lead them to the killer? Or have the police themselves fallen into a clever trap?
RISE TO THE FLY is the sixth standalone title in a bestselling series of atmospheric mysteries set in mid-Wales. The full list of books, all FREE with Kindle Unlimited and in paperback, is as
1. THE SILENT QUARRY
2. FROZEN MINDS
3. SUFFER THE CHILDREN
4. A KNOT OF SPARROWS
5. LIES OF MINE
6. RISE TO THE FLY
7. WINTER'S CRY
8. HARBOUR NO SECRETS
If you enjoy mysteries set in evocative locations that keep you guessing until the very end, you’ll love this suspenseful title by one of Wales’ best crime fiction talents.
295 pages, Paperback
Published March 14, 2022
About the author
Cheryl Rees-Price
21 books145 followersCheryl Rees-Price was born in Cardiff and moved as a Young child to a small ex-mining village on the edge of the Black Mountains, South Wales, where she still lives with her husband, daughters and two cats. After leaving school she worked as a legal clerk for several years before leaving to raise her two daughters.
Cheryl returned to education, studying philosophy, sociology and accountancy whilst working as a part time book keeper. She now works as a finance director for a company that delivers project management and accounting services.
In her spare time Cheryl indulges in her passion for writing, the success of writing plays for local performances gave her the confidence to write her first novel. Her other hobbies include walking and gardening which free her mind to develop plots and create colourful characters.
Cheryl returned to education, studying philosophy, sociology and accountancy whilst working as a part time book keeper. She now works as a finance director for a company that delivers project management and accounting services.
In her spare time Cheryl indulges in her passion for writing, the success of writing plays for local performances gave her the confidence to write her first novel. Her other hobbies include walking and gardening which free her mind to develop plots and create colourful characters.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
February 1, 2023
Rise to the Fly is exactly what I expect from Cheryl Rees-Price: a phenomenal police procedural, full of characters driven by a mix of logic and emotion that is so realistic that most authors fail to capture. Everyone is flawed and has made mistakes, and relationships are always fragile, but when DI Winter Meadows and his team arrives to solve yet another murder, we get to witness everything fall apart. Before going further, I loved this novel and recommend it to any and all murder mystery readers.
That said, I wish I hadn't read the back of the novel, because it sets up expectations that weren't in the story. If possible, you should skip reading what marketers thought would help sell the book, because the novel is fantastic but being mislead, I closed the book feeling a bit underwhelmed.
To explain what I mean... well, the core of novel retains what I love about a Winter Meadows novel. Meadows is incredibly sympathetic, and there is a finely-crafted multi-layered mystery that could possibly be solved before the heroes solve it. Certainly I was kicking myself at the end for not spotting the clues. That said, the end of the novel was a mad rush, and Meadows's team felt a bit absent. I would have appreciated a longer page count so that the extended characters could have gotten more 'screen time' -- it's been a while since we've seen our heroes grow.
What I'm saying is that Rise to the Fly is very episodic: a standalone novel that doesn't ask you to read any of the previous novels. That's fine. But I'm a fan, and I want more than that.
Recommended.
That said, I wish I hadn't read the back of the novel, because it sets up expectations that weren't in the story. If possible, you should skip reading what marketers thought would help sell the book, because the novel is fantastic but being mislead, I closed the book feeling a bit underwhelmed.
To explain what I mean... well, the core of novel retains what I love about a Winter Meadows novel. Meadows is incredibly sympathetic, and there is a finely-crafted multi-layered mystery that could possibly be solved before the heroes solve it. Certainly I was kicking myself at the end for not spotting the clues. That said, the end of the novel was a mad rush, and Meadows's team felt a bit absent. I would have appreciated a longer page count so that the extended characters could have gotten more 'screen time' -- it's been a while since we've seen our heroes grow.
What I'm saying is that Rise to the Fly is very episodic: a standalone novel that doesn't ask you to read any of the previous novels. That's fine. But I'm a fan, and I want more than that.
Recommended.
October 24, 2023
Most of the book was ok, if a bit slow, but I found the ending to be unnecessarily complicated and highly unlikely. Hopefully the next in the series will be back to the usual higher standard.
June 10, 2024
Like an Agatha Christie!
So many suspects, then death every few pages… Totally exhilarating last few pages!
So many suspects, then death every few pages… Totally exhilarating last few pages!
May 27, 2023
As I read mostly this genre of books, I usually find myself guessing the perpetrator quite early on, that didn’t happen with this book. It didn’t quite keep me guessing until the reveal, but almost did. I had guessed it a few chapters before it was revealed, although even then I still thought there was a chance it was another character. As with all the others in this series of books, it was very well written and an excellent read. The only thing that frustrated me was my own inability to sort the wheat from the chaff and figure out who was doing it earlier, which is a testament to how good the plot was
March 15, 2022
Rees-Price does it again with this domestic murder mystery set around the Usk Reservoir. Two deaths launch a murder inquiry but it is when someone goes missing from a farm at the centre of the investigation that the plot thickens. Tenderly told in places, the book demonstrates Rees-Price's wonderful ability to keep the reader guessing and bring everything together when the real killer is finally revealed.
April 29, 2023
Really enjoyable and although it was nice to catch up with the characters, the story remained crime focused. Delighted. Each of these books are unique as are the crimes - a pleasant change to other series. This author is becoming a ‘must read’ for all the right reasons I.e. the well rounded characters and clever stories.
I also like the unanswered questions e.g. what had been the cause of the upset between the two young officers….
I also like the unanswered questions e.g. what had been the cause of the upset between the two young officers….
August 16, 2025
Too long. Too many characters. The plot didn’t make sense. Some people apparently were in two places at once. Endless endless boring boring pointless interviews and speculation and no evidence hunches to the point of distraction. I’m sorry I have enjoyed the books so far but for me this was the worst. Found myself just wanting the author to get to the bloody point. Two stars because I like the Police team.
July 9, 2023
Another good book by Ms Cheryl Rees-Price, you couldn't get any more welsh with those surnames could you! I didn't inherit my mother's!! Winter has been put in charge of a major crime unit to cover a large area and has surprisingly been allowed to take all of his staff with him! Can't see that happening round here! The first chapter or two led you into the plot and you wondered where this was going, then wham, they are called out to a man and woman who've gone missing from their holiday cottage and it looks as if they left a casserole in the oven before they went out for their nightly stroll. They never came back, the casserole was ruined and the owner had to ventilate the place because of the smell of burnt food, the oven was still on.
The team started getting in people to scour the woods looking for them and also round the reservoir beyond that. They are found dead in the wood with their throats cut with fishing line and heads bashed in and fishing flies pushed through their tongues. Around the same time one of the farming family has gone missing and the family have been looking for him but he's nowhere to be found. He could have gone out on his boat on the reservoir, except as one of the family Kitty said he wouldn't be able to do that as he's too old and frail to launch it on his own, he would have to have help and all of the family were on the farm apart from him.
He, Magog, was found a day later floating on the surface of the reservoir also with a fishing fly stuck through his tongue. Winter begins to smell a rat, although he was surrounded by fish, for the farm not only was a farm to churn out milk but also cheese and there was also a very large fish farm. I had to re-read a few pages because they certainly were a big family, I can imagine Ms Rees-Price sitting down with pen and paper and grids drawing up the family members and into which part of the family they sit, because at one point I thought I might have to do the same. They had different surnames. It gets much deeper and darker from now on and although yet again I spotted the murderer (only by dashing down some names on the back of an envelope and then thinking aha it's most likely to be that one), but this time I was slightly more nearer the end in working this out than in the other books.
I do like these books, Winter is such a nice guy that you wonder he became a police officer at all, yet I like the fact that he's not your usual heavily flawed over-worked police officer with massive hang-ups which have him awake all night or popping pills or drunk, all of which makes a pleasant change in crime dramas! I wonder if I have book 7.
The team started getting in people to scour the woods looking for them and also round the reservoir beyond that. They are found dead in the wood with their throats cut with fishing line and heads bashed in and fishing flies pushed through their tongues. Around the same time one of the farming family has gone missing and the family have been looking for him but he's nowhere to be found. He could have gone out on his boat on the reservoir, except as one of the family Kitty said he wouldn't be able to do that as he's too old and frail to launch it on his own, he would have to have help and all of the family were on the farm apart from him.
He, Magog, was found a day later floating on the surface of the reservoir also with a fishing fly stuck through his tongue. Winter begins to smell a rat, although he was surrounded by fish, for the farm not only was a farm to churn out milk but also cheese and there was also a very large fish farm. I had to re-read a few pages because they certainly were a big family, I can imagine Ms Rees-Price sitting down with pen and paper and grids drawing up the family members and into which part of the family they sit, because at one point I thought I might have to do the same. They had different surnames. It gets much deeper and darker from now on and although yet again I spotted the murderer (only by dashing down some names on the back of an envelope and then thinking aha it's most likely to be that one), but this time I was slightly more nearer the end in working this out than in the other books.
I do like these books, Winter is such a nice guy that you wonder he became a police officer at all, yet I like the fact that he's not your usual heavily flawed over-worked police officer with massive hang-ups which have him awake all night or popping pills or drunk, all of which makes a pleasant change in crime dramas! I wonder if I have book 7.
November 20, 2023
A couple of ramblers are found dead in woodland near the Usk Reservoir in Wales. While their deaths make little sense initially, the family that owns the woodland soon becomes the focus of police inquiries in the 6th novel of the Winter Meadows series.
The murder of Madog, a popular and much loved family member, is linked to the other murders when fishing flies are found in the mouths of all three. With an annual fishing competition and fish farm nearby, police have a lot of potential suspects to interview.
Yet it’s family issues that become the primary focus when a will and codicil go missing, followed by more murders.
Like the previous novels in the series, this is another distinct and original story with plenty of motives and suspects to keep you guessing. The police team have their own conflicts to resolve as they struggle to make sense of the murders and prevent more deaths. But with time running out before another murder takes place, the tensions rises as the story races towards an exciting climax and resolution.
This is a terrific series with original characters and plots that keep you wanting more.
The murder of Madog, a popular and much loved family member, is linked to the other murders when fishing flies are found in the mouths of all three. With an annual fishing competition and fish farm nearby, police have a lot of potential suspects to interview.
Yet it’s family issues that become the primary focus when a will and codicil go missing, followed by more murders.
Like the previous novels in the series, this is another distinct and original story with plenty of motives and suspects to keep you guessing. The police team have their own conflicts to resolve as they struggle to make sense of the murders and prevent more deaths. But with time running out before another murder takes place, the tensions rises as the story races towards an exciting climax and resolution.
This is a terrific series with original characters and plots that keep you wanting more.
April 23, 2026
Got me hook, line and sinker
I had some trouble keeping track of the large cast of characters but that's because my concentration and memory are not great.
There were the likeable characters, the unlikable and the ones I just wasn't sure about and so many layers to the story.
Quite an achievement to keep so many threads going and so many possibilities. I often work out the likely culprits but this one really kept me guessing.
I've enjoyed all the books and look forward to reading those to come. Hopefully quite a few more.
Love that they're set in Wales too. Land of my father's but not my mother's.
I had some trouble keeping track of the large cast of characters but that's because my concentration and memory are not great.
There were the likeable characters, the unlikable and the ones I just wasn't sure about and so many layers to the story.
Quite an achievement to keep so many threads going and so many possibilities. I often work out the likely culprits but this one really kept me guessing.
I've enjoyed all the books and look forward to reading those to come. Hopefully quite a few more.
Love that they're set in Wales too. Land of my father's but not my mother's.
March 9, 2025
What seems like a quiet place for a peaceful vacation turns deadly when the murdered bodies of a retired couple are found near a reservoir. A nearby family farm and its inhabits become the focus of the police investigation. And then an elderly member of the small community is also found murdered. Most puzzling are the fishing flies left on the victims, in their mouths. This intriguing mystery will have readers puzzling right along with story’s detectives. Well written and quite entertaining, fishing for clues is the sport in this crime novel.
March 29, 2025
ya, I know, I'm a four star kinda guy.
Interesting whodunit. Murder A and then murder B and what the hell is the connection.
Different and interesting background of the characters/suspects with lots of red herrings, mean nasty folk and perfect sweethearts, all to lead you astray or in the right direction.
Me, I kinda figured out the who and why and got it right for a change.
But good police work, easy to read story, a couple too many characters, and looking forward to the next.
Interesting whodunit. Murder A and then murder B and what the hell is the connection.
Different and interesting background of the characters/suspects with lots of red herrings, mean nasty folk and perfect sweethearts, all to lead you astray or in the right direction.
Me, I kinda figured out the who and why and got it right for a change.
But good police work, easy to read story, a couple too many characters, and looking forward to the next.
August 14, 2025
Very disappointing. Very little DI Meadows and team; mostly the family drama, primarily from Kitty's POV. The "mystery" (ie, murders and various other nefarious activities) was obvious, but the really compelling question was Kitty - was she ever going to grow a spine (ha ha) or a brain? Or even act rationally for once? Sorry, Kitty lovers, she takes plot-induced stupidity to a whole new level. Read the series, but skip this one.
March 23, 2022
Great addition to a terrific series. Family dynamics are central to this storyline. So many secrets and subterfuge make it difficult for the team of detectives. DI Winter is a very interesting character and is a great leader for these Welsh detectives. Each scene is beautifully described and all the characters are wonderfully brought to life. Recommend the entire series.
April 18, 2022
This is a complex, fascinating tale of family disfunction and murder. I do love this series, which is set in interesting locations in Wales and DI Winter is unusual in that he grew up in a commune, smokes pot and is mellow and good with people. He is very perceptive, which pays off in this book. There are many characters and motives and I did not guess at the ending.
October 2, 2023
Rise to the Fly: (DI Winter Meadows Book 6)
Boy can this Author Write a Good Book,!! I just couldn’t put it down, all the way through I never guessed the ending. It was so well thought out each character was in the frame. In the end the answer wasn’t expected at all. I thoroughly recommend reading this series of books written by Cheryl Rees-Price.
Boy can this Author Write a Good Book,!! I just couldn’t put it down, all the way through I never guessed the ending. It was so well thought out each character was in the frame. In the end the answer wasn’t expected at all. I thoroughly recommend reading this series of books written by Cheryl Rees-Price.
Read
January 20, 2024This one was a bit confusing no less good lots of murder on a farm and the killer unknown until nearly the end of the book. I love these books. I'm glad I happened to find this author there are 2 more books in the DI Winter Meadows series and I hope I can find both looking forward to listening to them.
May 15, 2022
Another great story
Another great story the Inspector Winter Meadows series and a one that was filled with intrigue. So many strong characters and a story line that kept you guessing right up to the end.
Another great story the Inspector Winter Meadows series and a one that was filled with intrigue. So many strong characters and a story line that kept you guessing right up to the end.
August 15, 2022
The characters were well-defined, but the plot was muddled. The relatives didn’t recognize the photo of the murderer, even though he was part of the family. The killer was often at two places at one time. How did he accomplish that? At least, there was a happy ending for Kitty.
June 10, 2023
Dangerous fishing
It was a complicated plot and sometimes it was hard to follow due to the amount of characters involved.
It was well written but not as enjoyable as the previous books.
It was a complicated plot and sometimes it was hard to follow due to the amount of characters involved.
It was well written but not as enjoyable as the previous books.
June 11, 2024
This was on track for a 4 star review until it got close to the finish, when everything started unravelling ... I had visions of Keystone Cops racing in all directions while the baddy was running rampant.
September 24, 2025
This is a remarkable story of family greed and control, causing Winter Meadows and his team a great deal of heart-searching. A thoroughly good read and I look forward to the next book in the series.
Julian Tremayne, Cromer, Norfolk
Julian Tremayne, Cromer, Norfolk
March 20, 2022
Lots of twists and turns to keep you reading
Family drama is always full of emotion and cruelty, this one took us on a ride. Plus I get to visit Wales!
Family drama is always full of emotion and cruelty, this one took us on a ride. Plus I get to visit Wales!
March 24, 2022
Rose to the Fly
Fantastic read. Couldn't put it down. What an ending. Another great write by Cheryl Rees- Price. Thoroughly recommend this read
Fantastic read. Couldn't put it down. What an ending. Another great write by Cheryl Rees- Price. Thoroughly recommend this read
April 4, 2022
A Dysfunctional Family Whodunit
I liked this book a lot! Well written, interesting characters, many twists and turns. The Family dynamics that lead to lying, intrigue and murder.
I liked this book a lot! Well written, interesting characters, many twists and turns. The Family dynamics that lead to lying, intrigue and murder.
April 4, 2022
excellent read
Exciting right to the end. Felt I knew the family involved to the last paragraph. Well written . Onto next book
Exciting right to the end. Felt I knew the family involved to the last paragraph. Well written . Onto next book
April 5, 2022
Great read
Very good well enjoyed held the interest right to the final word can't wait for the next exciting book thank you
Very good well enjoyed held the interest right to the final word can't wait for the next exciting book thank you
April 12, 2022
Best book in the series
I'm looking forward to more books in this series. They're fast reads, with good plots, and the characters are interesting.
I'm looking forward to more books in this series. They're fast reads, with good plots, and the characters are interesting.
May 3, 2022
6 books in, I so hope there is more to come. I highly recommend this series !
June 12, 2022
In this DI Meadows book, he and his team must solve several murders related to an inheritance. Which family member is the murderer and who will profit the most? Those are the questions to be asked.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews