Death Among the Diamonds

A Cressida Fawcett Mystery, Book 1

By: Fliss Chester

Narrated by: Daphne Kouma

Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's Summary

Everyone in 1920s London knows the Honourable Cressida Fawcett: fiercely independent (though never apart from her little pug Ruby), lover of martinis and interior designer extraordinaire. She’s solved many crimes of fashion...so how about murder?

Cressida Fawcett is heading to the English countryside for a weekend of cocktails and partying at her friend’s glamorous mansion, the location of a recent diamond heist. But just hours after her arrival, Cressida is woken by an almighty scream. Rushing to the landing, she looks down into the great hall to find a trembling maid standing next to the body of Harry, the friendly young chandelier cleaner.

Everyone believes Harry’s death was an accident. But as Cressida examines the opulent hall and the beautiful grounds, she thinks something darker is afoot. Why clean a chandelier in the early hours of the morning? And who overheard Harry boasting about coming into unexpected wealth? A small piece of torn silk found near the body has Cressida looking at the guests’ elegant clothes with fresh eyes....

The short-tempered detective insists that she keeps her curious nose out of the investigation, but it’s Cressida who realizes the stolen diamonds were hidden in the sparkling chandelier. Convinced there is a connection between the theft and the murder, the case takes a sinister turn when a guest is killed in his sleep after a brandy-fueled night of cards. With everyone unable to leave, can Cressida’s sharp eye for detail catch the killer before another life is taken?

An absolutely gripping and utterly charming 1920s murder mystery packed with wit, glamour, and intrigue. The perfect whodunnit for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey, and Downton Abbey!

©2022 Fliss Chester (P)2022 Bookouture, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

Best Cozy Mystery I've Heard in a While

Here's why:
-Intelligent, independent and fun-loving female protagonist, who is assertive without being aggressive or anti-male.
-A humorous and witty whodunit with an abundance of clues, but is not so simple to puzzle out.
-Narration is brilliant, with each character being easily distinguishable.
-No gratuitous violence, misery or human suffering.
-And supernatural free!

Narration gets better

This is a good new series which I almost didn’t listen to because of the narrator. It got better as the story progressed and as I became attached to the characters.

Ok story and characters

There's an engaging plot in here, if parts weren't so unrealistically drawn out. It's like the author trying to build suspense. It's usually obvious what's going to happen, or has happened, but it takes too much wandering and winding to get to the point. There's a likable protagonist, but the detectives don't seem to do much besides interview people. Would have liked a more equal partnership between them.

Narrator is a good performer, but a little slow. It's ok if you set to 1.25. Still looking forward to the author's next books with Cressida and Ruby, since the little pug is worth writing about.

Good read

Enjoyable. Just a couple of mispronunciations in an otherwise good narration. Didn’t have to grit my teeth too often!

Gripping throughout!

Very much enjoyed this book. The suspense builds and builds - completely gripping. The narrator is spot on for all the characters’ voices as well. Highly recommendable!

Highly recommended

Another great book by the fantastic Fliss Chester. One for Agatha Christie fans - a real page turner.

Death Among the Diamonds

A lovely whodunit, with stolen diamonds, then two murders which all look like they could be an accident, and an accident which looked like murder. All these tricky thinks going on during an engagement. Read brilliantly by Daphne Kouma.

Very Enjoyable

Found myself straight into this new heroine’s adventure !
Love this era anyway and the storyline quickly draws us into it all .
Good selection of characters , interesting crime and a few nice red herrings along the way.
Narrator had it just right too . Look forward to the next .