Marriage Can Be Murder

Dr. Benjamin Bones Mysteries, Volume 1

By: Emma Jameson

Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies

Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Murder in Haunted Cornwall

On the eve of World War II, Dr. Benjamin Bones is at war with himself. While most young men are being sent away to fight the Germans, Ben is chosen to serve on English soil. Ordered to move to wild, beautiful Cornwall, he must trade his posh London office and stylish city life for the tiny village of Birdswing, which has a population of 1,221 souls.

But leaving his home and shelving his career ambitions aren't the only sacrifices he faces. His unfaithful wife, Penny, is accompanying him to Cornwall in a last-ditch effort to save their marriage. But moments after their arrival, Penny is run down in the street, and Ben is almost fatally injured. And while the villagers assume Penny's death to be an accident, Ben quickly deduces it was murder.

As he convalesces in Fenton House, which the locals call haunted, Ben meets Birdswing's eccentric inhabitants. Mr. Gaston, the volunteer air warden who's obsessed with defending his remote village against Nazi spies; Mrs. Cobblepot, a thoroughly practical housekeeper who believes in fairies; and Lady Juliet Linton, a prickly, headstrong aristocrat who won't take no for an answer.

While adapting to life during Britain's "War at Home," a time of ration books, victory gardens, bomb shelters, and the Blackout, Ben sets about solving the mystery of Penny's murder - with a little help from Lady Juliet and the Fenton House ghost.

Marriage Can Be Murder is the new cozy mystery series from New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Emma Jameson.

©2014 Stephanie Abbott (P)2015 Stephanie Abbott

I liked This!

Gladly this story was not all about the crime. It was filled with peripheral characters with their own stories. Also, it made me laugh!

excellent story and plot, but poor narration

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes, the characters were real and funny, and the mystery was good

What did you like best about this story?

the interaction between Lady Juliet and Dr. Bones

Would you be willing to try another one of Matthew Lloyd Davies’s performances?

I would rather have a different narrator because he whispers or drops many phrases, such as the thoughts of the characters, so that it is impossible to understand him. I re-played many passages, and often never understood his words.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me laugh and feel sympathy for the characters

Any additional comments?

great series; ask the narrator to speak more evenly!

crushing for Dr.Bones!

Suspense and hilarity all together! Emma brings out the particular nuances of each characters personality with great care and detail! Lady Juliet being my favorite.

Quirky mystery with really interesting characters

Really enjoyed this book and the one that follows. Set in an interesting time period (in the lead up to WWII) and with really interesting characters. I've read other series by Emma Jameson, but I think this is my favorite. Wish that there were more books in this series.

Can't Wait For Volume 2

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this book very much. It's a traditional whodunnit with likable characters and an interesting plot, as well as several subplots. I thought the narrator did a fine job differentiating the characters and I'm really looking forward to the next installment.

GOOD. ENJOYABLE AND INTERESTING VILLAGE LIFE.

I like this first series in the Dr. Benjamin Bones mysteries. Well written and the narrator, Matthew Lloyd Davies performed the different characters. His female voices were alright easily disquintable. The mystery was quite good and I did not known who the murderer until almost the end. Very good start to a new series, glad I did not listen to the bad reviews.

Great!

This is an excellent and very creative mystery. I highly recommend it for those who like period stories and those with a comic twist. I look forward to the next in the series.

Characters worth getting to know.

I found this an interesting introduction to a new series. Good feel for time and place. Perhaps a little more mystery in the mystery would be a plus. Potential for a growing relationship that will be fun. I look forward to the next installment.

Great fun and misdirection

1939, medical-doctor, Cornwall, murder, murder-investigation, ghosts, amateur-sleuth, intolerance, relatives, relationships, rehabilitation, relocation, resilience, fiction, first-in-series, situational-humor, verbal-humor*****

It begins with a bang! Dr Ben Bones and his unfaithful wife are relocating from London to Cornwall at the earliest part of WW2 by government assignment. Turns out that the town is where said wife grew up. Before anything can come of that, a lorry smashes into them while they are out of the car looking for lodging in the blackout. She gets run over twice and is quite dead, while he has his legs broken (one quite badly). Thus begins the tale of his mental and physical rehabilitation, meeting new friends and acquaintances, and investigating the whole mess. There are some really fun characters. sneaky plot twists, and even a mystifying red herring or three. Great cosy read!
Wonderful narration as always by voice actor Matthew Lloyd Davies.

Bland Dr. Bones

I had mixed feelings while listening to this book. The plot was interesting but not complex. I had the who and why figured out long before the end. Lady Juliet is fun, if a bit obsessive about her looks and personality. She is an individual with a distinct persona. Dr. Bones, our supposed hero, on the other hand, is bland and one-dimensional. His lack of interest in his wife's death is odd. He never asks about the funeral or how her family reacted. Even the secondary characters are more interesting. I don't think the author was able to get in touch with her "male" side and Bones suffers for it. Of course the narrator's laconic, at time dismissive, reading of Bones doesn't help. I doubt I will revisit the series.