Julie Bryant

Like a few of the less-than-enchanted reviewers here, I was looking forward to such a well-regarded book. I tried to get into it, but it was too desolate and depressing. None of the characters gave me a reason to care what happened with them. After realizing that I was beginning to lose my will to live, I stopped listening. Just not my cup of tea.

Ms. Rosenblatt is one of my favorite narrators, and her approach to Amelia Peabody Emerson is spot-on in my opinion. Having listened to her with the Nevada Barr mysteries, I thought she was American yet it seems her British accent is perfect too. Go figure!

Anyhoo, of the Amelia Peabody series, this is my favorite. The plot twists make it fresh and exciting, and the banter of all characters is hilarious. A very fun listen.

Rita Mae Brown is one of my favorite authors. She weaves her words into wonderful stories that keep the reader/listener begging for more.

That being said, though, I think the use of a professional voice artist may have served the book at bit better. Ms. Brown's voice and inflection sometimes are a bit jarring or stilted. Maybe this was the first time Ms. Brown has recorded one of her novels?

The story was exactly what I expect in a "Mrs. Murphy" mystery, so I am pleased in that regard. But the narrator's voice was a bit flat and expressionless. Not enough variety to the different characters' "voices".