Murder at Hawthorn Cottage

A Melissa Craig Mystery, Book 1

By: Betty Rowlands

Narrated by: Joan Walker

Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Meet Melissa: cat lover, caring mother… daring detective?

Melissa Craig is absolutely delighted with her new life in an old crumbling cottage, spending her days pruning the primroses and getting to know Binkie, the ginger cat next door. She only wishes she had made the move to the countryside sooner.

But when a knock at the door brings news of a shocking discovery, she suddenly finds herself thrown in to the middle of a baffling mystery: the bones of a young woman have been found in the woods just behind her new home.

Perhaps the little village of Upper Bembury is not as idyllic as it first seemed?

Strange phone calls in the night convince Melissa that the police are barking up completely the wrong tree, so she can’t resist doing a little digging of her own. From the bingo hall to the beauty salon and beyond, her search ruffles a few feathers and uncovers many of the village’s most scandalous secrets, but gets her no closer to finding the culprit.

The discovery of a tatty old photograph in a drawer is the final piece of the puzzle she needs, but as a newcomer in this close-knit community, does Melissa have what it takes to get to the bottom of this extraordinary murder mystery alone?

A joy to read! An absolutely unpausable whodunnit for fans of Agatha Christie, P.D. James and Faith Martin.

This book was previously published as A Little Gentle Sleuthing.

©2018 Betty Rowlands (P)2018 Bookouture

splendid!!

This is going to be a very interesting series. Don't miss it!! I liked narrator.

Good Listen

I thoroughly enjoyed Murder at Hawthorn Cottage. The main characters were well developed and the story flowed to an exciting ending. I wasn’t crazy about the narrator but she did a good job. I recommend this book to all mystery fans.

1990s Cozy, Nicely put together

This story is a charming cozy set almost 30 years ago in the 1990s. A modern female sleuth who’s a touch less confident than she should be, moves to the Cotswolds to continue her successful career as a novelist in an era pre-cell phones & computers with some traditional gender stereotypes which makes the story modern but a bit old fashioned as well.

Good plot but very drawn out

Could not be sure of Melissa’s age. Perhaps she is about 45. Reader has the voice of a much older woman. But then she might have adjusted herself to seem older.
The plot was good but rather too drawn out in the retelling and rehashing to other characters. Will have to wait to see if I will get another Audible book by this author.

Murder by Narration

While I loved the story and plot I struggled with the narrator. She was slow had a flatness in her tone. The depiction of some of the characters voices seemed unnatural and unbelievable.

More mystery, less personal questioning

I prefer stronger women for main characters. Seems like it would be easy to ditch an annoying, patronizing male friend who also happens to be married to some other women.

Would like the pace to pick up.

She's not getting my respect or my sympathy and the action is slow.

Interaction of characters.

I liked the way the clues were presented, but the answers were not revealed until the end. I also liked the surprise ending.

Everything’s good about this book.

I had a hard time putting this down. A lot of personal details and mystery/crime clues made this one full of suspense and anticipation. I’m looking forward to her next book.

Mixed feelings

I wasn't keen on the main character at the beginning, but as she softened a bit later in the story I felt she was okay. Other reviewers have mentioned that they didn't care for the narrator's male voices, but I was fine with them as a matter of fact, I believe the audio edition works well with the crusty next door neighbor.

Unfortunately, I felt the plot itself was rather silly. Also, I wasn't real keen on the minister and his wife. He came off as dippy enough that his later revealed role in the plotline was difficult to swallow.

Very entertaining

I liked the book and the reader. It was well done and no swearing. Which is a good thing in my book!