Dread Murder

In the court of King George IV, Major Mearns - an old dog of war and veteran of Willington's army - is the guardian of Windsor Castle. Some would call him a spy; he calls himself a "watcher." Working with his close friend, the resourceful Sergeant Denny, the pair maintain a cool facade behind which they go about their duties quietly and unnoticed.

Unnoticed, that is, until the day Mearns receives a parcel containing a gruesome surprise: a pair of severed human legs. The legs belong to a fellow soldier. Casting aside official protocol, Mearns and Denny decide to investigate the murder themselves, also enrolling the help of a precocious young runaway, Charlie. But soon these maverick investigators find themselves up against all manner of obstacles and danger, not the least of which is the Crown Keepers of the Peace - a unit of former soldiers headed by Mearns' nemesis, Felix Ferguson.

With more butchered body parts turning up in parcels and the number of deaths rising, our amateur investigators find themselves up to their necks in corruption and intrigue. Mearns struggles to keep Ferguson at bay, not only during the investigation, but also for the affections of the desirable Mindy, a maidservant in the castle. With the pressure on, can Mearns get to the bottom of the murders and win the heart of his ladylove?

With Dread Murder, Gwendoline Butler delivers a cleverly cunning and old-fashioned mystery that hides a gruesome murder behind its charming facade.

©2006 Gwendoline Butler (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Excellent read

The characters are very engaging. Pay attention to the life experiences of the irregular named Charlie. As then tHe ending of the story will fill you with delight. The story really centers around Charlie as a London runaway he becomes drawn into a Theater. Patronize by Mad King George IV, self medicating with an abundance of alcohol. The King is on his second wife, who will have nothing to do with him. The King is surrounded by his staff of courtiers are constantly trying protect the public from knowing how unstable the man in the seat of power ruling nation. NO REALLY THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT KING GEORGE IV. Thus the need for watchers to report to a committee on sanity in the House of Lords. The watchers become involved when body parts start showing up at their door delivered by Charlie. Who is sending these packages and why? And there in lies the tale

Dread murder

This was an interesting book to listen to. the voices of the characters were lovely and authentic.

Excellent!!!!!

That was a very good book. The characters were described so well I could really see them in my mind. The story was interesting and actually quite unusual. I enjoyed this book very much.

Hoodwinked!

The story seemed to go in a few directions at one. The clever murder mystery set in George IV's era would have been wonderful just on its own - the characters are well thought out and engaging and the narration terrific. MY REAL GRIPE is that I felt hoodwinked by the side plot... it's as if you are ready to go on a wonderful journey and without being told by the driver, you end up at a Pyramid Scheme Pitch. Shame on you, Ms. Butler!

Body Parts, Watchers, and King in the Castle

What an interesting listen! You'll need to pay close attention to this one to catch all it has to offer. Young Charlie, hired to deliver a package to Windsor Castle, soon meets up with Major Mearns and Sergeant Denny (veterans of the Napoleonic Wars). Knowing the package was heavy, Charlie had no idea that it had human legs inside. 😮 But he never misses a chance to earn a coin, and he soon is hired to deliver another, though decidedly rounder package to the castle. The Major is beside himself, Soon Charlie discovers a nearly starved young boy tied up and an equally bony dog, being held captive, and vows to help them both. Come to find out they are the captives of the Crowner, Felix Ferguson. Major Mearns, Sergeant Denny and Charlie are on the trail of a killer and its difficult to tell where it will lead them. Excellent period mystery and the conclusion is dramatic and well worth the wait!