The Mystery of the Marsh Malaise

Wonky Inn, Book 5

De: Jeannie Wycherley

Narrado por: Kim Bretton

Water, water everywhere...but not a drop to drink.

Alfhild Daemonne's beloved Speckled Wood is dying.

Worse, Mr Hoo is sick!

In fact, several Whittlecombe villagers are seriously ill, and the problem appears to be with the water.

Alf must appeal to the magickal Keeper of the Marsh, an ancient tree named Vance for help. But he’s not happy about being poisoned and she’s going to have to mollify him.

Which won’t be easy.

The villagers are blaming her too, but the wonky inn owner knows full well her bitter arch-rivals The Mori are out to do serious harm to her reputation, her business, and the land she cherishes. Alf’s had enough. A showdown with The Mori is on the cards.

It’s time for "nice" Alf, to become "nasty" Alf.

Is she up to it? Can Alf become a lean, mean, witchy-fighting machine?

Only if she stops eating cake.

Find out what Alf does next in this action-packed instalment of the wonky inn series, full to bursting with the ghosts, witches, wizards, warlocks, and weirdness you’ve come to adore.

Clean and cozy witch mystery with subtle hints of darkness.

©2019 Jeannie Wycherley (P)2020 Jeannie Wycherley

Water Troubles

I enjoyed this book as much as the preceding four in the series. I felt for Alf when she realized the extent of the damage to the woods and the creatures of the woods after it was determined that there was something wrong with the water. I applauded Alf's proactive actions as she worked to solve the mystery and to find a way to resolve the issue. I liked the new characters who played a role in the story. I admired Kim Bretton's narration as her performance added to my enjoyment of the story. I was given a copy of the audiobook. I volunteered, without financial gain, to post this review which reflected my honest opinions regarding this audiobook.

A glimpse of the dark side

With Alf’s fiancé missing, she goes all in on finding out what has happened to him. Is he even still alive? The Spotted Wood is dying & people are falling ill all around. Alf knows that something is amiss & soon it’s revealed that the village’s entire water supply has been poisoned. As her search for answers continue to come up empty, Alf resorts to desperate measures by hiring a powerful witch from the dark side for help. It’s soon evident that the Mori are responsible. The story is fast moving with some interesting twists. The usual characters make this such a compelling series & I must admit to becoming addicted.

SUCH A FUN SERIES

SUCH A FUN SERIES.
The Mystery of the Marsh Malaise in deed, so so much I am dying to say but I really do not want to pre-empt the surprises and fun you will find in this book. I am really enjoying the characters, ghosts, witches and humans alike and the narration is fantastic. looking forward to many more books in this series.

Was this written by the same author?

I tore through the first 4 books on audible, loving both the stories and the narrator. The narrator is still great on this one... but this story is...ugh... boring. I'm struggling to finish it. It started out pretty good, with the mysterious necromancer, who Alf hires to help her find George. But this water poisoning plot is so boring! All the descriptions of nature- it just slogs on and on.

A Wonderfully Wonky Return to the Inn!

The Mystery of the Marsh Malaise is another delightful installment in Jeannie Wycherley’s charming Wonky Inn series. As the fifth book, it continues to build on the quirky, magical world I’ve come to love, while introducing fresh characters that add depth and intrigue to the story. Wycherley’s writing is as atmospheric and witty as ever, blending mystery, whimsy, and just the right touch of the supernatural.

Kim Bretton once again delivers a stellar narration—her performance brings each character to life with warmth and personality, making the audiobook an absolute joy to listen to. Her voice perfectly captures the tone of the series and enhances the immersive experience.

This book didn’t just meet my expectations—it exceeded them. If you’ve been following the series, you’ll be thrilled with how the story continues to evolve. And if you’re new to the Wonky Inn, you’re in for a treat. Highly recommended!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

Environmental crisis at the Wonky Inn!

All the water around Whittlecombe including the woods around Alfhild Daemonne's Wonky Inn is contaminated! Alf is sure the Mori are behind the poisoning of the water, which is causing the entire ecosystem to die. Alf and her friends begin an inves and a battle for existence of the entire town. I enjoy this series very much. The characters and their relationships are real and relatable. I love how the author reminds us that all living things are connected and reliant on each other. The narration is outstanding.

Disjointed Story and Odd Character Shifts

I actually had to take a break from this and return to finish. This story felt disjointed in a way that none of the others in the series have so far. Alf is desperate to find her boyfriend George who was kidnapped by the Mori and the over arching large scale attempts to destroy Alf and her Wonky Inn are going full throttle in this story. In fact so full throttle I was beginning to get a little tired of the fact that at any moment the local town sounds constantly ready to stone Alf (and I mean literally stone her). The story jumps around as Alf is trying to amass a team to find George and destroy the Mori plot even starting to dabble in darker magic. Throughout this we definitely see a shift in Alf starting to dance far more into morally ambiguous territory than ever before and convincing others of her team to join her. I will also say the ending of this story and some of Alf's choices and her nonchalance about these decisions that were based on assumptions made without any investigation or inquiry felt rushed and off putting to me and very hand waved in a manner that seemed more like the author wanted to shift certain dynamics and characters on the board of this world and didn't want to bother to work it out more organically. This was definitely the first time I have finished a volume of Wonky Inn that I felt glad to be done and thankful there are no more available on Audible at the moment, which is a little sad as until this point I was so smitten with the world and characters in it. I am not against characters evolving and struggling with where their emotions push them but the entirety of this volume felt more slap dash and scattered so this shift in character felt less intentional and more incidental. I don't know if this volume was a one off and things will return to their regular style in the next book (I know there are 14 in the series via Kindle, but there are as of January 2022 only 5 available on Audible currently). Again I am sure some might like this style of writing but I found it a little disappointing.