The End of the Wasp Season

A Novel

By: Denise Mina

Narrated by: Jane McFarlane

Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

When a notorious millionaire banker hangs himself, his death attracts no sympathy. But the legacy of a lifetime of selfishness is widespread, and the carnage most acute among those he ought to be protecting: his family.

Meanwhile, in a wealthy suburb of Glasgow, a young woman is found savagely murdered. The community is stunned by what appears to be a vicious, random attack. When Detective Inspector Alex Morrow, heavily pregnant with twins, is called in to investigate, she soon discovers that a tangled web of lies lurks behind the murder. It's a web that will spiral through Alex's own home, the local community, and ultimately right back to a swinging rope, hundreds of miles away.

The End of the Wasp Season is an accomplished, compelling and multi-layered novel about family's power of damage-and redemption.

©2011 Denise Mina (P)2011 Hachette Audio

Mixed reaction

The underlying mystery in this story is so convoluted that it is hard to follow. I am still not sure who ultimately committed the murder. A the same time I find the main character Alex Morrow to be so fascinating that I will probably buy the next book in the series in order to follow her story.

Readers who like a real challenging mystery that requires paying attention to every detail will probably find this book satisfying.

Detailed and rich writing.

I listen to a lot of books, helps while I work. This was the first book from Mina I’ve listened to. I wanted to keep listening - not always the case. Love the straight forward style and well rounded characters.
Will look for more of her titles.

Love Alex Morrow

Denise Mina has created a great character in Alex Morrow. Never sentimental, but always smart and on point. I hadn’t read a Denise Mina novel in awhile, this new series has reviewed my interest, and I didn’t see the ending coming. I’ll check out the first in the series.

Confusing

So I was confused by how many characters were in this book. They were really hard to keep track of. The other thing that annoyed me was the lead detectives name was so close to Thomas‘s mom‘s name that every time they were talk about one I think they were talking about the same person. So it took me about halfway through the book to get their names were that close together. The other thing that drove me crazy is the beginning of the book talks about her father dying and how much she hated him but yet they never came full circle as to why or how the detective was supposed to help her brothers son. It was very confusing and the storylines when good when I wasn’t confused

Kept me listening

I loved this book! It kept me interested throughout. The narrator is magnificent. I was never disappointed. The story is fresh, the plot moves along at a good pace, the characters are well defined and realistic, and the ending is adeptly written. Suspenseful until the very last page!

Perfect rainy day novel

Excellent narration of a chilling tale filled with vulnerable characters. Kept me enthralled all the way to the end. Recommend this novel highly.

Great!

Would you listen to The End of the Wasp Season again? Why?

Good and involved story. Not at all boring. First I've read by this author, and I'll read more.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, good characters and plot you could not figure out.

What about Jane McFarlan’s performance did you like?

Great!

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

No, too long, but I did listen for 2 hours at least each time.

Any additional comments?

Excellent author.

This is Not to be Missed! Great Story!

What a treat this book is for someone searching for a writer with a unique slant on the typical mystery/crime/police procedural! The story is complex, but that is what makes it interesting!

A detective pregnant with twins struggles against other cops who jump to conclusions -- because they are trying to find the quick and easy answer to a horrific crime; generational family sagas of greed, mental illness and very, very awful parenting; young thugs who are such sociopaths that they can't help but incriminate themselves; and so much more combine to create memorable characters and a compelling plot.

I liked everything about this book. The narration is even and spot on throughout. Give it a try!

Loved and I’m very picky

I loved this book!
And the narrator is perfect.
I’m reading the next book in series now and it’s narrator is awful!!!
I don’t even think I can finish the book
I’m so disappointed
Please go back to Jane McFarlane!!!!

Excellent Scottish Mystery

Denise Mina rocks! Some great things about the book. Nuanced depiction of station politics. Vividly paints the despair of the perpetrators after the “romance” of the crime is replaced by the real of the conviction. Beautifully drawn pictures of the individuals and family dynamics