Wicked Autumn

A Max Tudor Novel

By: G. M. Malliet

Narrated by: Michael Page

Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Max Tudor has adapted well to his post as vicar of St. Edwold's in the idyllic village of Nether Monkslip. The quiet village seems the perfect home for Max, who has fled a harrowing past as an MI5 agent. But this new-found serenity is quickly shattered when the highly vocal and unpopular president of the Women's Institute turns up dead at the Harvest Fayre. The death looks like an accident, but Max's training as a former agent kicks in, and before long he suspects foul play. As the investigation unfolds, Max becomes more intricately involved. Memories he'd rather not revisit are stirred, evoking the demons from the past which led him to Nether Monkslip.

©2011 G.M. Malliet (P)2011 Dreamscape Media

Critic reviews

"Agatha Award-winning author Malliet (Death of a Cozy Writer) debuts a superb new series.... You’ll marvel at the author’s low-key humor and crystal-clear depictions of small-town life...Malliet, like Louise Penny, brings a contemporary freshness to the traditional mystery." (Library Journal)

"Malliet has mastered the delights of the cozy mystery so completely that she seems to be channeling Agatha Christie...with a hero who adds sex appeal to the mix...includes snippets of ironic humor...making the story even more delicious...winning." (Booklist)

"[A]n authentic village mystery that also pokes fun at the conventions...Malliet deftly juggles all of her characters...the murder plot here is quite devious and the motive quite evil.... The author provides a story that works on several levels, including the pleasure of a visit to a traditional English village." (January magazine)

Good plot but very boring story.

Would you try another book from G. M. Malliet and/or Michael Page?

No. Story was filled with way to much irrelevant details and Page was often hard to understand.

What three words best describe Michael Page’s voice?

Thick and hard to understand at times.

Was Wicked Autumn worth the listening time?

No

Homage to Miss Marple and her village?

Would you listen to Wicked Autumn again? Why?

Yes, I would. It is a good story with a great narrator and a complex mystery is woven. The tone is a bit breezy and tongue-in-cheek, which makes it a good listen for lighter moments.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Wicked Autumn?

Learning about the background of Max Tudor, a former MI5 agent turned Anglican priest in the small village of Nether Monkslip.

Which character – as performed by Michael Page – was your favorite?

Max Tudor although other characters, who are less developed are memorable. I hope that some of them continue on in the series.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I found it gripping and I enjoyed the homage to the traditional Golden Age of the British cozy mystery and the small town. I could imagine Miss Marple set down here. I like the town shops and the fair. On the other hand, I suspect that the author is am American because there are some non-Britishisms that I caught here and there, (but do not recollect).

Any additional comments?

I plan to continue with the series. It is the equivalent of "comfort food" for me. I hope that the minor characters will return and be better developed. Some readers might not be entirely comfortable with all aspects of this book--it is very contemporary despite the fact that I kept thinking it was the 1930's. Mentions of google or the internet sometimes seem jarring in contrast with the Olde Tyme Englishe Fayre.

Great mystery with intrigued plot.

This is one of the best mysterious I have listened to in years. Great character development and along with wonderful narration created a beautiful and novel precept.

Too Many Sermons

A lot of the characters are caricatures: the vegetarian, the independent femme fatale etc.
There is quite a lot of preaching about tolerance of difference which I found utterly tedious. The narrator is superb and wasted on such drivel. The author plays it too safe and endeavours to convert the reader to political correctness. A great setting and a fun idea for a cozy but the fearful and timid writing destroyed what it had the potential to offer.

The Best Cozy

If you could sum up Wicked Autumn in three words, what would they be?

Cozy, Easy, Funny

What other book might you compare Wicked Autumn to and why?

Agatha Raisin Series- English village and the cast of characters

What about Michael Page’s performance did you like?

Crystal clear pronounciation and well timed pauses made for easy listening.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes but toward the end I forced myself to turn it off because I didn't want the book to end.

Any additional comments?

AUDIBLE- Please ask for more of GM Malliet's books be made into Audiobooks.

Modern take on Christie

Any additional comments?

A wonderful cozy style mystery with a modern touch. Ex-MI5 agent Max Tudor is world weary. He turns to the cloth, and finds that even in the most quiet of hamlets, murder and chaos preside. As the new Vicar in the sleepy hamlet of Nether Monkslip, all is definitely not as it seems... A fun and engaging listen.

Relaxed read and entertaining.

Would you listen to Wicked Autumn again? Why?

Yes, liked the characters.

What did you like best about this story?

Complicated plot, took me a while to guess who did it.

What does Michael Page bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Life to the characters.

good introduction to new journey

Slow pace, but kept me interested enough to wait for new turn. The characters are colorful, the plot is a puzzle. As a fan of Agatha Christie, I feel like coming back for a visit after long absence from home. The main character is growing on you as time and events going on. I believe I'm hooked for the rest of the books in this series.

fun!

an updated twist on Brother Cadfael~ delightful for lovers of English mysteries :-) well read

Fun listen in old fashioned way

I enjoyed Wicked Autumn as a social satire more than as a mystery. The writing is witty and observations about current culture very to the point. The village characters are well drawn and catty. My interest began to drag because the novel concentrates more on the secondary characters than on the mystery of Wanda's death. I would have liked more action. This is a true armchair mystery because the main character, the Vicar, spends most of the book sitting down taking the secondary characters back through the day of the murder. Like Malliet's other books, the solution seems forced at the end and unrelated to most of the events or characters in the story. Great narrator.