Burglary at Barnard: A Charmingly Fun Paranormal Cozy Mystery

Oxford Key Mysteries, Book 2

De: Lynn Morrison

Narrado por: Pearl Hewitt

Duración: 8 h y 32 m

Resumen del Editor

A secret chamber. A dead body. And one ghost who won't tell the truth!

When Nat agrees to meet a friend in the archives of historic Barnard College after hours, she doesn’t expect to find a hidden chamber or stumble across another dead body.

The Master’s assistant has been murdered, and although Nat figures out who is responsible, finding the evidence is a challenge. Especially when the one ghost who witnessed the crime refuses to say what happened.

The closer Nat comes to finding the proof she needs, the more tempers flare and threats fly. The situation becomes a race against time, and just when she thinks she’s won, Nat realizes the murderer is willing to do whatever it takes to escape justice, including getting Nat out of the way.

Permanently.

Nat’s miscalculation will cost someone their life, but whose?

If you like cozy mysteries where ghosts walk the halls, paintings come to life, wyverns play around, and magic seems within reach, the Oxford Key Mysteries are sure to delight.

©2020 Lynn Morrison (P)2022 Lynn Morrison

Love the book would like to hear the series

I really enjoyed the first two books in the series and wonder why audible has not got an audio version of the third book

paranormal fun wrapped in a mystery

Cozy mystery with a side or two of magic and a little paranormal activity has returned with Nat. This time we end up in a library and it is not what it should be. No leaks from me. Just get your copy and enjoy as this mystery unfolds.

Pearl Hewitt, I am thanking you again for lending your voice and skills. I did enjoy your delivery. Lynn Morrison for me you have penned another cozy mystery that allowed for me to connect with the awesome characters and magic/paranormal activities in a world you created.

The Wyvern Returns

Nat and her merry band of Eternals are back and, this time, Nat and Mathilde have found a body in the library at Barnard College. The unlucky victim is Master Finch-Byron’s assistant and, as it soon becomes obvious, there probably are a plethora of people who could be the murderer because Ms. Evans was not a pleasant or well-liked person. Also, as the title suggests, some thievery has occurred and that might very well be connected to the killing.

Once again, the little wyvern known as H who frequently turns into a cat so regular non-magical people won’t notice the curmudgeonly former gargoyle, is front and center and I thoroughly enjoyed his scenes. Even more fun is the appearance of a particular ghost important to Nat who helps her understand more about this wondrous magical world she has found herself in and he has some knowledge to share regarding the leaking magic affecting the university. While Nat, Mathilde and Kate keep searching for answers to this problem and to the killing, with the assistance of some of the college’s other ghosts, Edward redeems himself a bit in Nat’s eyes, being very slightly less suspicious of the three prefects as he carries out his detective duties.

Oxford is the perfect setting for this series and, having visited years ago, I can readily believe that magic exists there. After all, it’s just about as Hogwarts-ish as you can imagine and, well, I want my own wyvern, thank you very much. Ms. Morrison continues to be enormously imaginative and creative and Pearl Hewitt is fast becoming one of my favorite narrators thanks to her numerous voices and near-perfect pacing.

Loved the characters

I felt that this book was more focused on the murder mystery. We still learned more about the magic at Oxford but what we learned was more tied to solving the mystery. I enjoy the characters and they really have the potential to be a great ensemble cast.

Fun Mystery

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Lynn Morrison. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

This is the second book in the Oxford Key Mysteries, and I liked it even better than the first book, Murder at St. Margaret. It’s full of magic and is a fun read. There’s a lot going on and it not only kept my interest, but it was difficult to stop listening at times.

I enjoyed getting to know the characters more. Nat gets to meet some interesting ghosts as well (I don’t want to spoil it). I still really like “H” who is with Nat all the time.

Pearl Hewitt does a great job with narration. Her pace and timing are good, and she’s able to make each character sound distinct.

I look forward to listening to more of the Oxford Key Mysteries. They’re so much fun to listen to!

Works as a stand alone

Note: While this is book 2 in the series, it works pretty well as a standalone.

The cozy murder mystery with a dash of magic feel continues with Burglary at Barnard. Nat is still a charming character and I’m still completely enchanted with H, the wyvern (or cat when in disguise). He’s a little stubborn, a little naughty, and often the source of a much-needed chuckle. In this tale, we have another dead body and a mysterious theft from a previously hidden room of Oxford treasures.

It’s really the atmosphere that keeps me engrossed in the story. The setting is practically a character in and of itself. I’ve never been to Oxford but the story does such a great job of explaining the pertinent parts that I can clearly picture it in my head. Couple this with the magic system and we have a solid background to turn these characters loose in. In book 1, Edward was nearly a minor character. He’s truculent and also the main romantic interest. Here in book 2, he gets to be a sidekick and I’m happy to report that much of his truculent nature is pushed aside by Nat’s charms.

The plot itself starts off pretty intriguing but quickly becomes very simple. There’s really only one suspect so it’s just figuring out why and how. The why comes out pretty quickly but it takes more work to get the how sorted out. Nat has made more friends in the paranormal community at Oxford and these ghosts provide much-needed info. Even though there turned out not to be a complex mystery, I still enjoyed watching these characters pull all the pieces together.

After all is sorted out, there is a rather lengthy wrap up. It’s a little slow but it involves Edward. Some of this was interesting and bodes well for the next book in the series, but some of it was rather slow with first date jitters and too cute romantic gestures. All told, I did enjoy the story. 4/5 stars.

The Narration: Pearl Hewitt has done another good job with this story. I especially liked her angry, older male voice (she makes him sound like the guilty jerk he is). Hewitt has a variety of voices and her male voices are believable. I also liked how she captured the emotions of the tender moments, like Nat with her ghosty grandpa. The pacing was good and there were no tech issues with the recording. 5/5 stars.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Lynn Morrison. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Great Listen

I have enjoyed this series so much. I like the characters and their development through the series. The storyline is unique and keeps your attention. I can not wait until the next book is released.

Another enjoyable mystery with a magical twist

Burglary at Barnard is the second book in the Oxford Key series. This one takes place a couple of months after the first book. This time around, Nat is at Barnard College to set up an event. While Nat and the other prefects are investigating the theft of a candlestick, they find a secret chamber in the archives along with another dead body.

I enjoyed this installment. The murder mystery was fun to solve. We get to learn a little bit more about the magic at Oxford. I wish it was a lot more, but I suspect this will be drawn out over the subsequent books in the series. The characters from the first book are back in this one as well as a new and surprising addition. I love Nat's group of friends. There is also a nice revelation about one of the characters...I won't tell who. I also love the romance that is blossoming between Nat and Edward. It's seriously really sweet. I definitely recommend this one.

Excellent Paranormal Cozy Mystery!

This is the second book in the Oxford Key Mysteries series. This is an excellent paranormal cozy mystery. In this installment, we follow Natalie and her friends Mathilde and Kate in another entertaining adventure. The world building is intriguing and captivating, filled with magic, unpredictable twists and turns, and a little romance. The supporting characters are great. I like Edward. Pearl Hewitt did a fantastic job with the narration. I am looking forward to listening to more books in the series. I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Lynn Morrison. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.