Death in the Off-Season

A Merry Folger Nantucket Mystery, Book 1

By: Francine Mathews

Narrated by: Madeleine Maby

When Rusty Mason, scion of one of Nantucket's oldest and wealthiest families, is found dead in a flooded cranberry bog one foggy fall night, 32-year-old detective Meredith Folger is faced with her first murder case.

Merry is the daughter of the local police chief and granddaughter of his predecessor; her father is a strict boss and Merry feels pressure to go the extra mile to prove her promotion to detective isn't just nepotism. But the Mason murder is a demanding first test.

Merry's investigation brings to light all the tensions that plague the tiny community of Nantucket: the decades-old grudges; the skyrocketing real estate that only wealthy weekenders can afford; the resentments of the old Nantucket families who are barely keeping their homes and heritage fishing businesses alive. But Merry knows the island and its politics in a way only a local can.

©1994, 2016 Francine Matthews (P)2016 Recorded Books

Good story, unnatural narration

I really enjoy this series but not so much the reader. The cadence to the reading seems slow. The dialog is extremely stilted and unnatural. I found it distracting to the story line.

Excellent

Very well written, and the plot twist are wonderful. The narrator I thought was very good. It was a bit stilted, but it fit the Chandra of the story. Thank you.

Nasty Doings on Nantucket

This book offers a good sense of place, and how that place helps create and define character. Nantucket in the off season is really a village, where one’s lineage is readily known to all, and the sins of the fathers are often paid for by the children. The narration was adequate but annoying due to subtle errors. NO ONE on the island say “Sia’sconset”. It’s always “‘Sconset”. (Even the famous “bluff walk” is named ‘Sconset Bluff Walk.) The narrator’s intrusion of an hysteria overtone whenever something bad occurs or is about to happen in the story was off putting and unnecessary. The tension between Merry and her father seemed contrived, and all the romances were forced.
The female characters were far better realized than the men, many of whom blurred together.
There’s only so much a faded plaid shirt can do to delineate character! Overall, the Audio version was only adequate. I’d suggest reading this title visually in book or Kindle format instead.

An excellent book for a relaxing weekend.

A compelling story, it held my interest. I recommend it. Perhaps not a masterpiece, but very good. I will definitely listen to the next book in the series, and hope for more in the future.

Refreshing

Well read and surprising from the get go, this modern thriller did not stop keeping me on tenterhooks right up to the end.