Death Wears a Mask

By: Ashley Weaver

Narrated by: Alison Larkin

Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Amory Ames is looking forward to a tranquil period of reconnecting with reformed playboy husband Milo after an unexpected reconciliation following the murderous events at the Brightwell Hotel. However, she is drawn into another investigation when Serena Barrington asks her to look into the disappearance of valuable jewelry snatched at a dinner party. Amory agrees to help lay a trap to catch the culprit at a lavish masked ball hosted by the notorious Viscount Dunmore. But when one of the illustrious party guests is murdered, she is pulled back into the world of detection. Rumors swirl about Milo and a French film star. Once again, Amory and Milo must work together to solve a mystery set in the heart of 1930s society London.

©2015 Ashley Weaver (P)2015 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Different narrator than the first book in the series...

She starts out a bit shrill and with a little lisp but as she reads the shrill settles down and the lisp fades. Milo and Amory Ames are very much like Nick and Nora Charles and their mysteries are similar, nice and cosy!

Charming. Funny. Well-read.

I read the first book in this series and couldn’t wait to continue. This second cozy-mystery did not disappoint. I thought it began a bit slowly but as the story picked up I was fully engaged. The reader, Alison Larkin, was excellent. She did specific character voices so well. I laughed out loud often. I was fully invested in amity and milo’s marital troubles. I was eager to see the murder and robbery solved. This was an excellent book.

Similar style to the Royal Spyness series

Any additional comments?

It's similar to Rhys Bowen in style and setting. While these book series are unrelated, I felt like I was reading a spin off, told by Belinda after she had gotten married. I think Georgie's sleuthing ways rubbed off on her and this is how Belinda turns out. It's enjoyable and I looked for the third book as soon as I finished but I guess I need to wait a bit.

Another Very Satisfying Listen..!!

I consider a book a success,.. when it’s finished ,... and I realize I’m smiling..
Deep?.. No, but all the same , worth a credit..

The Characters Are Definitely A Challenge To Like

Have you ever read a series of books because you disliked a character? I hadn’t – until now. Of course, if the mystery wasn’t excellently written, fast-paced, and well delivered, I wouldn’t be interested in the characters at all. I started the series with the seventh book which constantly talked of Milo’s past indiscretions – which were apparently legendary. Since I’m pretty intolerant of infidelity, I wanted to read the first couple of books to see when/where/how Milo had his grand epiphany and decided to mend his ways. I also held some hope that maybe he was a spy for the Home Office (or some agency) and the playboy image was his cover. None of that seems to be the case. For me, Milo remains a one-dimensional character and I just can’t seem to get a handle on him. I think that has more to do with the fact that the stories are written in the first-person, so we never get Milo’s point of view – we only see Amory’s. Maybe we’ll get more depth from Milo in later books, but I still didn’t see any in the seventh book I read either.

I was at the point where I was ready to close the book and just write the series off, but decided to read another chapter – and I am glad I did. One of my main ‘problems’ with the relationship was that Amory is supposed to be a strong, smart female lead but I wasn’t seeing it. She let Milo walk all over her for five years, so I was hard-pressed to figure out how I was supposed to find her a credible heroine. She was so wishy-washy – Milo would want to talk and she’d tell him she didn’t want to talk about it. Well – DUH! Finally, at about the fifty-percent mark of the book, she began to let him know, in no uncertain terms that she was through tolerating his peccadillo’s. So – good for her. He, however, still didn’t seem to get it. Since scandal and gossip didn’t phase him in the least, he didn’t understand how it bothered her. So, there wasn’t a grand epiphany, no apologies, but maybe they did come to a meeting of the minds and hearts at the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery because there were plenty of villains to go around – and figuring out whodunit took me just a bit longer than usual. I enjoyed the times where Milo and Amory are actually sleuthing together and working in more of a partnership than seems to be their norm.

When a friend of Amory’s mother invites Milo and Amory to dinner, it is to ask Amory to watch the guests – and to help solve the mystery of some jewel thefts at her home. Amory ends up in the company of some rather unsavory individuals who are letches – and maybe thieves as well. Nobody is who they appear to be. When a young man is found dead at a ball, with pilfered jewels scattered around him, the chase is on in earnest. There are lots of red herrings to throw you off the scent and many unsavory characters to make your skin crawl. When the final pieces fall into place, Milo and Amory find themselves facing a villain who has already murdered once and is willing to do so again.

Not worth the credit

I did enjoy Ashley Weaver's first book but Death Wears a Mask is just a repeat of the first. Also I did get very tired of the discussion of Milo's philandering and will Amory stay or go.

Love books so bought audible rendition narrator ruined experience

This narrator
Cannot preform masculine voices and not much better woman’s either so
Sad because books are so much fun

Fine, not fantastic

Initially I was disappointed in the narration - I enjoyed the first book, but the new narrator had a higher voice that grated on me a bit. She made Amory sound sillier/less self-assured somehow. In general the story was fine, but I didn't love it. I agree with some reviews I saw saying it was a bit tedious to go through all the stuff with Milo's infidelity again.