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Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal. Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, just north of the U.S. border, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it’s a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Gamache smells something foul in these remote woods, and is soon certain that Jane Neal died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter.
The new Chief Inspector Gamache novel from the number-one New York Times best-selling author.
When amiable old village eccentric Quentin Andrews dies, the good folk of Cherringham are astonished at the crowd that turns up to his funeral. But even more astonished are the beneficiaries of his will: Quentin has left a veritable fortune to whomever is the first to solve an intricate "Cherringham crossword". That puzzle is only the first of many that Jack and Sarah will uncover as they follow the treasure hunt for clues and learn the truth about who Quentin Andrews really was... and the biggest mystery of them al... was he - in fact - murdered?
India Steele is desperate. Her father is dead, her fiancé took her inheritance, and no one will employ her, despite years working for her watchmaker father. Indeed, the other London watchmakers seem frightened of her. Alone, poor, and at the end of her tether, India takes employment with the only person who'll accept her - an enigmatic and mysterious man from America, a man who possesses a strange watch that rejuvenates him when he's ill.
Auntie Poldi can think of no finer place to wait for death than Sicily. All she asks is a sea view, fine wine (and plenty of it), and her family close around. When death instead takes her handsome young friend Valentino - and under mysterious circumstances at that - Poldi will not take it lying down. Perhaps it's in her blood, but Auntie Poldi's hunting instincts have never felt more alive. Justice must be served - if it's the last thing she does....
Bill Vokes has played Santa at the children's Christmas show for years. But with the show just hours away, he vanishes with no explanation. The whole village is baffled. Did something bad happen to loveable Bill, upstanding citizen, churchgoer, life and soul of the party and the holiday season? Jack and Sarah are on the case - and soon discover there are secrets about this Santa that no one could have imagined.
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal. Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, just north of the U.S. border, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it’s a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Gamache smells something foul in these remote woods, and is soon certain that Jane Neal died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter.
The new Chief Inspector Gamache novel from the number-one New York Times best-selling author.
When amiable old village eccentric Quentin Andrews dies, the good folk of Cherringham are astonished at the crowd that turns up to his funeral. But even more astonished are the beneficiaries of his will: Quentin has left a veritable fortune to whomever is the first to solve an intricate "Cherringham crossword". That puzzle is only the first of many that Jack and Sarah will uncover as they follow the treasure hunt for clues and learn the truth about who Quentin Andrews really was... and the biggest mystery of them al... was he - in fact - murdered?
India Steele is desperate. Her father is dead, her fiancé took her inheritance, and no one will employ her, despite years working for her watchmaker father. Indeed, the other London watchmakers seem frightened of her. Alone, poor, and at the end of her tether, India takes employment with the only person who'll accept her - an enigmatic and mysterious man from America, a man who possesses a strange watch that rejuvenates him when he's ill.
Auntie Poldi can think of no finer place to wait for death than Sicily. All she asks is a sea view, fine wine (and plenty of it), and her family close around. When death instead takes her handsome young friend Valentino - and under mysterious circumstances at that - Poldi will not take it lying down. Perhaps it's in her blood, but Auntie Poldi's hunting instincts have never felt more alive. Justice must be served - if it's the last thing she does....
Bill Vokes has played Santa at the children's Christmas show for years. But with the show just hours away, he vanishes with no explanation. The whole village is baffled. Did something bad happen to loveable Bill, upstanding citizen, churchgoer, life and soul of the party and the holiday season? Jack and Sarah are on the case - and soon discover there are secrets about this Santa that no one could have imagined.
When a big movie production comes to Cherringham, complete with lords, ladies, and flashing swords, the whole village is abuzz with excitement. But when a series of dangerous accidents threatens the life of the young lead, Zoe Harding, Sarah and Jack get involved. Are these really accidents? Or could they be something more sinister - even deadly? Who is trying to destroy the career of the beautiful young star - and why?
In 1944, British bomber pilot Hugo Langley parachuted from his stricken plane into the verdant fields of German-occupied Tuscany. Badly wounded, he found refuge in a ruined monastery and in the arms of Sofia Bartoli. But the love that kindled between them was shaken by an irreversible betrayal. Nearly 30 years later, Hugo's estranged daughter, Joanna, has returned home to the English countryside to arrange her father's funeral. Among his personal effects is an unopened letter addressed to Sofia. In it is a startling revelation.
Maisie Dobbs isn't just any young housemaid. Through her own natural intelligence - and the patronage of her benevolent employers - she works her way into college at Cambridge. After the War I and her service as a nurse, Maisie hangs out her shingle back at home: M. DOBBS, TRADE AND PERSONAL INVESTIGATIONS. But her very first assignment soon reveals a much deeper, darker web of secrets, which will force Maisie to revisit the horrors of the Great War and the love she left behind.
Three very different women come together to complete an environmental survey. Three women who, in some way or another, know the meaning of betrayal.... For team leader Rachael Lambert, the project is the perfect opportunity to rebuild her confidence after a double betrayal by her lover and boss, Peter Kemp. Botanist Anne Preece, on the other hand, sees it as a chance to indulge in a little deception of her own. And then there is Grace Fulwell, a strange, uncommunicative young woman with plenty of her own secrets to hide....
Bruno is a former soldier who has embraced the pleasures and slow rhythms of country life - living in his restored shepherd's cottage; patronizing the weekly market; sparring with, and basically ignoring, the European Union bureaucrats from Brussels. He has a gun but never wears it; he has the power to arrest but never uses it. But then the murder of an elderly North African who fought in the French army changes everything and galvanizes Bruno's attention.
When an American tourist goes missing in Cherringham, the local police don't see reason for concern - people often wander away from such tours. But when that tourist's sister shows up from New York, desperately looking for answers, Jack and Sarah become convinced there's more to the disappearance than meets the eye. Soon, they are entangled in a mystery with a secret history of betrayal, sacrifice, dishonor... and death.
Julia Snowden returned to her hometown to rescue her family's struggling clambake business - not to solve crimes. But that was before a catered wedding on picturesque Morrow Island turned into a reception for murder. When the best man's corpse is found hanging from the grand staircase in the Snowden family mansion, Julia must put the chowder pot on the back burner and join the search for the killer. And with suspicion falling on her old crush, Chris Durand, the recipe for saving her business and salvaging her love life might be one and the same…
Angie Turner hopes her new farm-to-table restaurant can be a fresh start in her old hometown in rural Idaho. But when a goat dairy farmer is murdered, Angie must turn the tables on a bleating black sheep.... With three weeks until opening night for their restaurant, the County Seat, Angie and her best friend and business partner Felicia are scrambling to line up local vendors - from the farmer's market to the goat dairy farm of Old Man Moss. Fortunately, the cantankerous Moss takes a shine to Angie, as does his kid goat Precious.
Bailey King is living the sweet life as assistant chocolatier in New York City. But then her grandmother calls with news that her grandfather's heart condition has worsened. Bailey rushes to Harvest, Ohio, where her grandparents still run Swissmen Sweets, an Amish candy shop. She finds her grandfather is doing better than she feared. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for a local Englisch developer, whom Bailey finds dead in the candy shop kitchen - with Jebediah King's chocolate knife buried in his chest.
With her inquisitive mind, Charlotte Holmes has never felt comfortable with the demureness expected of the fairer sex in upper-class society. But even she never thought that she would become a social pariah, an outcast fending for herself on the mean streets of London. When the city is struck by a trio of unexpected deaths and suspicion falls on her sister and her father, Charlotte is desperate to find the true culprits and clear the family name.
Well-plotted and full of atmospheric charm, Reflex demonstrates the fine style that earned Dick Francis the title of Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America. This fast-paced story of a jockey’s courageous murder investigation exposes the politics and corruption at the heart of the British racing world. Philip Nore has no greater ambition than to successfully complete the last years of his career as a jockey, even if it means bending the rules a bit. But when pushed, Philip discovers that there really are a few other things that matter to him.
When a woman's body is found at the foot of a cliff near St. Denis, Bruno suspects a connection to the great ruin that stands on the cliff above: the Chateau de Commarque, a long-ago Knights Templar stronghold that, along with the labyrinth of prehistoric caves beneath it, continues to draw the interest of scholars. With the help of Amelie, a young newcomer to the Dordogne, Bruno learns that the dead woman was an archaeologist searching for a religious artifact of incredible importance.
Clare Fergusson, St. Alban's new priest, fits like a square peg in the conservative Episcopal parish at Miller's Kill, New York. She is not just a "lady"; she's a tough ex-Army chopper pilot, and nobody's fool. Then a newborn infant left at the church door brings her together with the town's police chief, Russ Van Alstyne, who's also ex-Army and a cynical good shepherd for the stray sheep of his hometown. Their search for the baby's mother quickly leads them into the secrets that shadow Miller's Kill like the ever-present Adirondacks. What they discover is a world of trouble, an attraction to each other--and murder....
I really enjoyed this icy, wintery first book in a mystery series set in rural small town upstate New York. The characters and interactions and connections are great. The story is a good one, multi-layered and complicated with twists and turns. The contrast between the tough ex-military southern female Episcopal priest and ex-soldier small town chief of police is engaging. I have high hopes for this series. I really hope Audible offers all the books soon.
I do agree with other reviewers about the narration. Some of the voices are not the best--the men are often over the top growling and the girls sound too squeaky and babyish. I will say all of this improves as time progresses. Worth sticking with it.
This may be one of my new favorite mystery series. We will see how book two goes. A great start!
23 of 24 people found this review helpful
What impresses me about this series is the adult narrative. The protagonists handle problems as adults. Which leads to the story being compelling without childish expectations. Relationships, competing needs, even disagreements are dealt with a mature manner. Perfection does not rest in either protagonist, so compromise forms the backbone of the characters stories. With top notch character development, descriptive passages that will make you wish for a warm blanket, ethical and moral quandries that create just as much tension as the mysteries, this book provides hours of enjoyment. I look forward to purchasing the rest of the published series when Audible adds it to the available selection.
10 of 12 people found this review helpful
After reading the entire series, I am now listening to them. Suzanne Toren is spot-on with the voices and I am enjoying them even more with her excellent narration. In the Bleak Midwinter introduces Russ and Clare and by the end of the book (which is so complete with strong characters, a solid mystery and heartwarming humor) you can't wait to start the next one. Clare's military background enables her to hold her own when confronted with danger,changing Russ' initial annoyance with her, to admiration. You'll be rooting for them all the way.
Hopefully, audible.com with offer all of them.
5 of 7 people found this review helpful
I like British "cozies" and dislike American "edge of seat" violent action mysteries. This was somewhere in between, falling closer to the "cozy." The ex-military, Epicopalian priest character combined with her relationship with a married, eccentric small town police chief makes this a unique listen. I think there is enough action (especailly in the subsequent installments in the series) to satisfy action listeners.
I listened to all three installments of the series carried by Audible - This was my favoirte (closest to a "cozy," least "edge of seat" action) - but all were most enjoyable. I hope others are added to the Audible catalogue soon.
4 of 6 people found this review helpful
I guess the story is okay but the narrator's interpretation of the character was annoying. Claire is an ex Army chopper pilot and now a priest but based on her voice Claire was whiny and way to southern belle. It would be interesting to know how the author hears Claire's voice. Also, the author dropped such blatant clues that the characters missed that I began to question their intelligence. I doubt I will listen to another one.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
Nails on blackboard
Male voices just nasal whine and add dramatic tough guy emphasis - my ears are going to bleed if I continue
This is a completely unconvincing story. The murder which occurs in this first novel is totally inconceivable. Does anyone honestly believe that a family would murder a girl who had gotten pregnant by their son simply because it might interfere with his military career? Since when does an out of wedlock marriage come as such a surprise to the military? Come on!
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes if you can tolerate the profanity. I did enjoy the story and narrator, one of my favorite, but the profanity was too much for me. I won't read the rest of the series. I would enjoy the story but not the profanity. Sorry
Who was your favorite character and why?
Claire
Have you listened to any of Suzanne Toren’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Many. She is one of my favorite
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Murder in small town
Any additional comments?
No so sorry I can't listen to the rest of the series.
author and narrator meant to be together to share the very good beginning of a hopefully intriguing series of reverent and sherific tales.
The idea of a female Episcopalean priest working to solve crimes with a rugged small town police chief drew me strongly to this audiobook.
However, the implausible interpretation of the characters put me off so that i could not listen for very long, despite repeated tries. Claire, an ex miitary pilot is much too sweet in spite of her obvious strength. Russ, a rough hewn, but sensitive, police chief is played with the voice of a backwoods recluse. Worst of all is the overly harsh reading of Jeff Burns, an obviously narrow minded lawyer. who, however, is needy of support in his attempt to adopt.
The dissonance between the writing and the reading of this potentially interesting book has brought me to the point that I am returning the book.