Murder at the Brightwell

By: Ashley Weaver

Narrated by: Billie Fulford-Brown

Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Amory Ames is a wealthy young woman who questions her marriage to her notoriously charming playboy husband Milo. Looking for a change, she accepts a request for help from her former fiance, Gil Trent. Amory accompanies Gil to the luxurious Brightwell Hotel in an attempt to circumvent the marriage of his sister Emmeline to Rupert Howe, a disreputable ladies' man. Amory sees in the situation a grim reflection of her own floundering marriage. There is more than her happiness at stake, however, when Rupert is murdered and Gil is arrested for the crime. Amory is determined to prove his innocence and find the real killer. As the stakes grow higher and the line between friend and foe becomes less clear, Amory must decide where her heart lies and catch the killer before she, too, becomes a victim.

©2014 Ashley Weaver (P)2014 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Critic reviews

"This debut novel by a librarian lays the foundation for a stylish series with Milo and Amory channeling Nick and Nora Charles." (Booklist)

"Fans of plucky female amateur sleuths will welcome Amory Ames, the heroine of Weaver's pleasing debut set in 1932 England... the affable Amory could carry a series." ( Publishers Weekly)

"A witty and charming debut mystery with a believably spunky sleuth and a compelling story of love that never runs smoothly." (G.M. Malliet, Agatha Award-winning author of the St. Just, and Max Tudor mysteries)

Horrible Narration

I bought this book because it was an Edgar nominee for best novel or best first novel. Also looking for something like The Royal Spyness mysteries. Big Mistake. This lady keeps pausing or putting the periods behind each word, like she is reading from a paper where she hasn't practice her speech. Annoying. I can't take it. I returned.

Good mystery, horrible narration

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes, I would recommend the book to anyone who likes Agatha Christie type mysteries - but in book format, not audio. It's not the best or most gripping mystery, but if you like the genre it's a pleasant read.

If you’ve listened to books by Ashley Weaver before, how does this one compare?

1st one

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator over pronounced her lines, made strange pauses and inflections, and gave annoying voices to many of the characters. Enough to make me want to stop listening to the story.

Did Murder at the Brightwell inspire you to do anything?

Write a review. I don't do that often, but I bought the book despite another reviewer's comments about the narration and deciding to add my hearty agreement when it really was so stilted that it detracted from the story.

worst narrator ever

Would you try another book from Ashley Weaver and/or Billie Fulford-Brown?

honestly, i couldn't listen to more than 3 minutes of this person reading. i have no idea about the story. the narrator made me want to run away from my phone.

Would you recommend Murder at the Brightwell to your friends? Why or why not?

no. un-listenable-to

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Billie Fulford-Brown?

anyone

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

not sure.

I'm gritting my teeth

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes, it's an ok 1930s English mystery, but I suspect better enjoyed as a book than listened to.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

A different narrator. I'm not usually picky; this is the first time in having listened to many Audible books that I've reacted so viscerally and negatively.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator's performance is so annoying that it interferes with enjoyment of the plot. Why in the world she drags out every sentence, puts strange emphasis on the odd adjective or verb, and can't produce a soft female voice that doesn't sound insipid, to name a few of my objections, I do not know. Is it the narrator's responsibility or that of the producer to ensure the delivery isn't weird? Probably both.

The narrator ruined this book for me.

What did you love best about Murder at the Brightwell?

The story was cute and kept moving. It is a lighthearted mystery/romance story.

Would you recommend Murder at the Brightwell to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes I would. Easy story to drive to. It doesn't take a lot of concentration. But the book was fun.

How could the performance have been better?

To be honest the narrator ruined the book for me. I almost stopped listening several times.The cadence of her speech was way off. It was painful to listen to, my mind would reconstruct each sentence after she spoke. Too hard to explain here but the good news is that the next book that follows has a different narrator. I will never buy another book read by her. Too bad really.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, not that gripping. Just. Lighthearted story. Just what I need sometimes when I am multitasking.

Any additional comments?

So glad to see a new narrator was hired for the next book, this one does not do the story justice.

cute

What did you like best about Murder at the Brightwell? What did you like least?

nice agatha christie type novel.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

a little irritating trying to speak the male parts. over-exaggerated in a few other parts as well.

Superb who done. it

The author has woven a spectacular tale. The narrator makes the story come alive. Together they are an unbeatable team. I highly recommend this book.

Good Mystery - Awful Narration - Pitiful Romance

It may not be the worst narration I’ve ever listened to, but it is close. The narrator’s voice range seemed very limited. There just wasn’t any flow or smoothness to the delivery. It was as if the narrator was slowly reading the words for the first time – it was stilted and emphasis was placed on words that wouldn’t have been emphasized. If you saw the movie, Galaxy Quest, just picture the aliens in that movie delivering the narration to this novel. On the brighter side, I did notice that this is the only book narrated by this artist – there is a different narrator for the rest of the books. That is certainly a good move on the publisher’s part.

I purchased this book because I first read the 7th book in the series, A Deception at Thornecrest, and very much disliked the character, Milo. That book was supposed to be after the playboy Milo had reformed and settled down, so I wanted to see the beginning – I am NOT a fan of reading of infidelity. Yes, I understand this is supposed to be a historical mystery – but I need a good romance along with my mystery and I just have a really hard time understanding why our female lead, Amory, would continue to put up with the stuff Milo dishes out. I was looking for some grand scene where a contrite Milo would realize the error of his ways and beg for forgiveness. Well, it didn’t happen. NEVER was there an apology – at least not from Milo – Amory made a couple of apologies for not believing him when he told her something.

The series is touted as a being witty and clever – a fun romp as in the Nick and Nora Charles style from the old movies. I didn’t see the slightest sign of any of the wit and humor found in those old movies and there certainly wasn’t any evidence of the love and respect Nick and Nora had for each other. As a child who grew up on those old movies, I can assure you that Nora wouldn’t have put up with Milo’s crap for 5 minutes much less 5 years. The series is set in the 1930s, but the only thing in this book that really evokes that era is the descriptions of the clothing – especially Amory’s. Those descriptions seem limitless and in the most minute detail.

The mystery was well done with lots of red herrings to throw you off the scent. I did suspect who the villain was almost as soon as I met them on the page, but that didn’t keep me from enjoying the rest of the investigation – because – well – I could have been wrong.

Believe it or not, I will be reading the second book in the series, Death Wears a Mask, because I do want to see if there is any repentance on Milo’s part. The writing and story development have definitely improved by the 7th book in the series, so I’ll be interested in where the next book goes.

Terrible Narration

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Different narrator. This one spoke slowly and haltingly, as though reading for the mentally impaired. Her narration robbed the story of all humor and life. The story shows such promise, but I couldn't get past the second disc.

Very Enjoyable!

I love the Twenties -thirties Era. The characters were very entertaining and the plot kept me guessing. The narrator was very good.