Miss Seeton Quilts the Village

By: Hamilton Crane

Narrated by: Phyllida Nash

Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's Summary

Miss Seeton returns! A new original (the first in almost 20 years) for this classic series of humorous cozy mysteries created by Heron Carvic.

It's practically a royal marriage! The highly eligible son of Miss Seeton's old friends Sir George and Lady Colveden has wed the daughter of a French count.

Miss Seeton lends her talents to the village scheme to create a quilted "Bayeux Tapestry" of local history, inspired by the wedding. But her intuitive sketches reveal a startlingly different perspective - involving buried Nazi secrets, and links to the mysterious death of a diplomat and to a South American dictator....

Serene amidst every kind of skulduggery, this eccentric English spinster steps in where Scotland Yard stumbles, armed with nothing more than her sketchpad and umbrella!

©2017 Sarah J. Mason (P)2017 Prelude Books Ltd

Keystone Cops to the Rescue

I grabbed a copy of this when it first came out and was utterly delighted with the book. Now the AUDIO version is out and narration is splendid (the redoubtable Ms Phyllida Nash again lends her voices, warmly drawing you into the story), turning this tale into an old friend you can enjoy visiting over again. My original review is below:

I have just been savoring this long awaited new addition to the Miss Seeton oeuvre. While I have had the pleasure of reading the entire series in order, each of the adventures can be read individually, and this stands alone just as nicely. Author Sarah J Mason, writing as Hamilton Crane, carefully introduces each location and character which is pertinent to this story so that you are never at a loss (although if you have read earlier tales you can enjoy the depth of your knowledge and Insider smugness).

The village of Plummergen, like any small, insular hamlet, has its own peculiarities which are exploited to the full for your amusement and delectation. Miss Seeton's subtle sensitivity which reflects as almost psychic ability in her drawings is, as always, the key to solving the various Mysteries presented. This delightful gem is a welcome addition and I really anxiously anticipate the next volume--thank you so much Farrago, Prelude and Netgalley for sharing this with me.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Good just not great.

I found it difficult to follow the story line on audible. I think it would flow better as a book read. The performance was fine and I enjoyed the story once I figured out where it was going.

Not Miss Seeton.

What would have made Miss Seeton Quilts the Village better?

The title is misleading as apart from a brief description of her return from visiting a friend there is no mention of Miss Seeton in the first hour and a half of listening. At this point I gave up. The idea of her slightly supernatural talents applied to drawing her fellow villagers should have been amusing in the original authers work but doesn't even get a mention as far as I got in this book.

What was most disappointing about Hamilton Crane’s story?

Almost no mention of Miss Seeton and her talent for seeing beyond the ordinary. The gentle humour of the originals is lost and there was far too much of politics and international intrigues. If I wanted politics and intrigue I would have bought another type of book. I wanted a quiet cosy village novel to while away a few precious hours relaxing as in the original books.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The narration was very good, hence the star rating. For once I felt the narrator was wasted on an awful story.

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Only the narrator who was very good and had a pleasant voice, just what you want to sit a listenen to while relaxing.

Any additional comments?

The author has failed to catch the spirit of the originals. They may be quite good as an author in there own field but sadly I will never find out as this story has put me off anything they might have written under their own name.