Aspire to Die

An Oxford Murder Mystery (Bridget Hart Series, Book 1)

By: M S Morris

Narrated by: Esther Wane

Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Lust. Ambition. Murder.

When a beautiful, wealthy student is found dead in her room in Oxford's most prestigious college, Detective Inspector Bridget Hart is called to investigate. The murdered girl appeared to have no enemies, yet was killed in a brutal and bloody assault.

Haunted and driven by her own personal tragedy, newly promoted DI Bridget Hart has a lot to prove as she leads her first murder case. Her investigation uncovers a tangled web of lies, lust and ambition, and brings her into conflict with powerful interests.

But no one can be above suspicion within the closed and claustrophobic confines of an Oxford college, where students and academics live and work side by side, and a ruthless killer waits to strike again.

©2019 Margarita Morris and Steve Morris (P)2020 Tantor

Solid police procedural

I liked this first book as I enjoy police procedurals. I’ll go onto read the next one.

Good characters, obvious perpetrator

I enjoyed the characters in this book, the side characters as much if not more than our lead, Bridget Hart. I will continue with the series to see what more develops with the characters.

I do have to say that I knew “whodunnit“ very early in the story, and basically why. This doesn’t usually happen for me so early in a procedural/mystery. It was a tad disappointing in that. But, I will at least give the next in the series a go.

The narrator was mostly very good, with a couple of tone disconnects when she was doing a male voice.

Easy to follow good story spent time well

This was a good mystery that made sense even when I garden outside. I love Oxford and the references and a reader who keeps the story flowing and easy to catch all the details. Thank you!!

"Lust and ambition."

"Oxford was a strange place."
Lead detective D.I.Bridget Hart might live and work in Oxfordshire, even attended university in Oxford, and enjoys Italian opera in her car, but Inspector Morse she is not. Instead she is the rather trite dowdy single mother of a teenage daughter, sister to an unsolved murdered girl when she was teenaged and, despite always unapologetically leaving him in the lurch, mysteriously very attractive to an art gallery owner with whom her efficient sister wanted to match her. And Aspire to Die is the story of her first lead case, a police procedural of fairly incompetent floundering and self recrimination.
Though the plot lurches from one suspect to another, Oxford itself provides the enduring and intriguing background and the reader is treated to a comprehensive glimpse of some of the less than tourist aspects of the City as well as the beauty, standing in solid contrast to the people inhabiting it.

The characterisation is insipid and the plot lurches from one obvious suspect to another, and it is further not helped by the narration. Esther Wane has the pleasant sounding clipped English voice so beloved by classic children story presenters, clear, well articulated with certain words stressed for emphasis, but soulless, sounding dismissive and not really invested in what is being read. Plus, unforgivably, in a book so carried by it's setting, she fails to correctly pronounce some place names, such as St.Ebbes, known as St.Ebbs, is here given as St.Eebase, and Osney (Ohznee) becomes Ossni. Small differences, perhaps, but when the City itself is such a large part of the story, quite unforgivable.

Having lived in the city of Dreaming Spires for close on forty years, and married to a native, I enjoy books with an Oxford setting. This was not one of the best, but is readable - from a print version, preferably

🎧 a good listen

This book, Aspire to die, is entirely enjoyable. The character development is sound, the plot framing each person well.
The performance is exactly as it should be, neither taking center stage nor proving a distraction.
What I did not prefer were the multiple mentions of the lead character’s being overweight, blaming her extra lbs on her pregnancy [15 years in the past!], her perpetual pondering pursuit of food and alcohol, regret over how she fit into her clothes, envy of other women who were not overweight and her inability to puzzle out her low self esteem cannot be solved through an obsession with her job.
Alright that was a rant, I acknowledge it. Yet, this world needs strong women role models, so I risk sounding “preachy” to make a point.

My first but not my last!

This was my first Morris book but it won't be my last! Excellent writer.... and Esther Wane is remarkable! I wish she could narrate everything I listen to! I actually picked this series because it's narrated by Wane - that's how much I love her! :)

Great story with wonderful twists and turns and the ending was a surprise to me. In most cases I usually guess who "did it" but NOT this time - Didn't see it coming!

I look forward to reading more, more, MORE!!

A cookie cutter but engaging.

I like tou saw Bridgets thought process but at times she takes away from something potentially beautiful sentiment to bald lachumanité. or faith which is the essence of humanity.

Just Ok

I love British mysteries set in Oxford (or any university for that matter.) Eager to start a new to me series, I picked this one based on reviews and title details. It was well performed. However, it seemed to me that it was obvious who did the crime. From almost the first. Also, writers in this genre seem to be recycling and/or borrowing plot elements from each other. Maybe you'll like this book. I didn't hate it. But I will not be buying any more in this series. The main characters just were not interesting enough to overcome the familiar and overused plot elements.

Workplace and home challenges

Bridget didn’t up for herself but one time and I didn’t see a lot of leadership. It’s there…. So give her more substance and less ‘poor me’.
We all have lost a precious person in our lives and she needs to come to terms with it! She was 20+ when sister was killed not 10 and no one there for her…. I truly didn’t understand that at all, Smacks of no one loves me but hinders attempts of sister and daughter. All have had a cheating mate at some level. Tell him not us. Having said that I live the character and really want more.
Overall, excellent narrative, interesting team, love the daughter, sister-we all have one, has issues too but it’s life, so I follow Bridget

Old-fashioned mystery

Old-fashioned detective murder mystery that is all about the plot, no agenda, no irrelevant subplots.