Pagan Spring

A Max Tudor Novel, Book 3

By: G. M. Malliet

Narrated by: Michael Page

Vicar Max Tudor, reveling in his new-found personal happiness with Awena Owen, feels that life at the moment holds no greater challenge than writing his Easter sermon. With Awena away, he looks forward to a dinner that includes newcomers to the village like West End dramatist Thaddeus Bottle and his downtrodden wife Melinda. But when one of the dinner guests is found dead in the pre-dawn hours, Max knows a poisonous atmosphere has once again enveloped his perfect village of Nether Monkslip. Connections to long-ago crimes, some sparked by the paintings of a famous local artist, help Max unravel the clues - but can he restore peace to Nether Monkslip and still manage to finish his sermon?

©2013 G.M. Malliet (P)2013 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Critic reviews

"Contemporary cozies don't get much better than Agatha-winner Malliet's third Max Tudor mystery." ( Publishers Weekly, Starred Review)

Surprising great find

British cozy mysteries are my favorite genre, and I was happy to find the Max Tudor series.

My favorites contain the following: a clear, pleasing British reader; intelligent, likable detective and cohort (someone with whom to discuss the case), attractive setting (the village wasn't described much in this book), dislikable victim, and interesting additional characters.

I look forward to the series with great interest, and will look for all Malliet books.

An engaging story, beautifully written and narrated

The Max Tudor books were new to me, as was Audible, as I began listening a few weeks ago. There is humor, poignancy and such imagination in the details. I now look forward to Summer!

Couldn't put this down

First of all, I could listen to Michael Page forever. I love his voice. He does G.M. Malliet's work a great service. There have been times when I couldn't listen to a book because the narration is so bad. That's unfair to the author, in my opinion. But this is certainly not one of those cases. Page does wonderful work!

Max Tudor is a different kind of priest. That's good for making him the hero in this series. He's called a "murder magnet" somewhat tongue in cheek but it does seem he finds himself surrounded by more than his fair share. But, heck, that's what makes this series interesting and fun.

This latest mystery is another winner for Malliet. I never saw this ending coming as it did. We also see the relationship between Max and Awena develop. I can't wait to see where that goes!

I really liked this and I'm getting the next book immediately.

Book good. Narrator fantastic.

I'm totally enthralled by the narration of Michael Page. If I were still in Britian, I suppose I'd have to say I am besotted.

Great book for Agatha Christie fans!

PAGAN SPRING returns us to the small English village of Nether Monkslip where Max Tutor is an ex MI5 agent turned Anglican priest. His love life with the controversial spiritualist, Awena Owins, continues to blossom. Max also steps into a new possible murder. Thaddeus Bottle has moved back to a hugely renovated mansion in his family's home village. But humble he is not. Everything is about him and his desires. He desire is to be the center of everything, and his recent dinner party brings some upstanding townspeople to his home so they can properly admire the "celebrity" amongst them. But perhaps everyone is not quit so enamored as he might have hoped, as he's dead by the next morning.

Malliet fills her book with wonderful dry English humor, exquisite small town cliches, lovely clues, and characters that definitely entertain the senses. In this particular book, she also deal thoughtfully with some very serious subject matter from World War 2. Must read for cozy fans who want everything a cozy promises plus some excellent commentary on serious matters. Her best one yet!