A Death at Seascape House

A Totally Gripping British Cozy Mystery Novel (A Jemima Jago Mystery, Book 1)

By: Emma Jameson

Narrated by: Tamsin Kennard

Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Meet Jemima Jago: librarian, keen sailor, dedicated tea drinker…super sleuth? 

Jemima Jago has moved back home to the enchanting Isles of Scilly. Ready for a fresh start in a quaint coastal village, she can be found in the stacks of Cornwall’s oldest library by day and stargazing in the cove at night. Jem finds the slower pace of life suits her perfectly, until she stumbles across a very curious crime.....   

On a hunt for a stolen book, Jem instead finds busybody and notorious gossip Edith Reddy dead in her crumbling clifftop cottage. Maybe the island isn’t as peaceful as she thought! But worse is to come when bumbling Sergeant Anderson decides that, as the first person on the scene, Jem must have been up to no good.  

Ever resourceful and endlessly daring, Jem launches her own investigation, determined to clear her name. She soon realizes that many of the island’s eccentric residents had reasons to want Edith out of the way. Did Declan, the weary waiter, finally kill off his most difficult customer? Did Bart, the fishy ferryman, want to rid the island of its grouchiest resident? Or was it Lissa, the friend turned foe, who got rid of Edith?  

When Jem discovers a years’ overdue library book hidden in a drawer at Edith’s home, she’s sure she’s on the right track. But can she set the record straight before the book is closed on her too? 

A gripping and fun cozy mystery from the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Emma Jameson. Brimming with intrigue and warm wit, fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin, and Betty Rowlands will love A Death at Seascape House. 

©2021 Emma Jameson (P)2021 Bookouture, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

I am super excited about this series.

I’ve been searching for a new British cozy mystery series and I absolutely loved this book. The characters, the back story, the narration, amazing. I wish there were more than 2 books already out for this series. I will be starting the 2nd book as soon as I finish this review. If you love cozy mysteries you will love this book.

Great new series

This is my introduction to Emma Jameson Mysteries. I found in enjoyable and intriguing from start to finish. Interesting real characters and setting to be returning home to and solving a murders.

Tamsin Kennard narration made it possible to get lost in the story and acknowledge the characters.

I will be purchasing book 2 (and hopefully more as they appear.)

Couldn’t wait to finish it

Maybe I’m too old for this book, but it read (listened) like a young reader novel.

I tried hard to like this

This book got pretty good reviews so I took a chance on it. Dear God, they must have all been made by friends of the author. So that’s money and time I will never get back. Realize this is different than most reviews, but it was, for sure, not a book that I could connect with, in any way. Narration was not too bad, but the story was.

Meh

Read more like a checklist of requirements for a mystery book…protagonist with checkered secretive past✔️ protagonist accused of crime ✔️ idiot detective ✔️ complicated romance ✔️ myriad cliches ✔️ victimized antagonist ✔️ ridiculous red herrings ✔️. Had a hard time connecting with main character. She’s immature and ridiculous. The choppy story seems too unbelievable. Author wasted time on details and overdeveloped the story line… or many story lines. More like a screenplay (with all the details) for a 1 hour mystery show.

Really good mystery book

I love a good mystery but seldom have the time to indulge. I wound up in the hospital with an infection and pneumonia and after a day or two of boredom I realized I finally had the time now. I’m really glad I landed on this one as it held my interest and I thoroughly enjoyed trying to figure out who the guilty party was. A great way to pass the time and I recommend it to anyone looking for a good mystery!

Interesting to learn about Penzance and islands

Overall good story and well narrated. Characters were well drawn and interesting. A real surprise!

5 stars

This is my first book by this author and I'm impressed. The characters are engaging and the mystery is well developed. I look forward to the next book in this series.

Ugh

Good grief. I’m in Chapter 4. I couldn’t be more bored. I’ll give it a few more chapters, but I don’t imagine I can finish this.

Belligerent and antagonist protagonist

Gosh, I hope I never, ever, have to meet a Jemima Jago - she has a chip on her shoulder the size of Cornwall.

Her belligerence is put down to having been hard-done-by due to an accident for which her youthful recklessness was blamed but she is still reckless as an adult - and now - an antagonist one.

It beggars belief that anyone at all would come to her aid but some hapless sap of a young man does.

A refreshing take on a lady detective story.

Loved it and could not wait to listen to the whole book. A light hearted approach to a murder mystery.

Not really 'British' cozy crime

At first I was thrilled to find a new cozy crime series. Set on the Isles of Scilly with a lively main character and good narration it promised much.
However, when the policeman in charge of the murder was referred to as 'Chief Anderson' it struck a jarring note. After that I found I was listening out for more 'Americanisms' whilst the main character's liveliness became more chippy than likeable and I stopped listening. What a disappointment.

So so mystery

Set on a fictional island, St Morwenna, in the Scillies, this is the first book in the Jemima Jago series. Jem is a librarian who is about to start a new job on the island where she grew up. Of course, the minute she steps off the boat onto the island she finds a the body of the island busybody.

The setting is fabulous, and there are good descriptions of island life and the hardships faced by the inhabitants. The story was engaging, though sometimes a little predictable and I wasn't too keen on the protagonist. However, I will probably give book 2 in the series a try.

Avid reader

Brilliant book, kept me wanting to read more I found it very good and interesting, will read further follow ups.

A great start to the series.

A very intriguing mystery with a great cast of characters. I loved how Jem met the new police sergeant. Their interactions with each other were entertaining. The mystery kept me guessing. I felt sorry for Jem and how her friends and the other islanders treated her when she was a young teen. I hope the next in the series will be out soon.

Totally boring not totally gripping as advertised!

I couldn’t finish this as it was so incredibly boring! No character was in the slightest bit engaging … couldn’t possibly recommend to read it The narrator tried her best I suppose but was on to a loser from the start really.