The Ducal Detective (Book 1, Court of Mystery)

De: Sarah E. Burr

Narrado por: Melissa Green

Murder is a royal affair in this enchanting, cozy novella featuring Duchess Jacqueline Arienta Xavier's first mystery.

When tragedy strikes the Duchy of Saphire, Jacqueline Arienta Xavier finds herself thrust into power as its newly crowned Duchess. Her parents’ carriage is discovered overturned en route to a knights’ tournament, their deaths ruled a tragic accident. But Jacqueline isn’t convinced.

As whispers of betrayal stir within her own court, the fearless young duchess must rely on her sharp wit—and a few unsuspecting allies—to uncover the truth. The deeper she digs, the clearer it becomes that danger lurks closer than she ever imagined. And if she fails to unmask the traitor in time, Jax may be the next to fall.

Step into a world of delightful intrigue and cozy adventure in The Ducal Detective, Book One in the Court of Mystery series.

Welcome to the Realm of Virtues.

Find more of Duchess Jacqueline's adventures in the Court of Mystery, an enchanting cozy mystery saga.

The Ducal Detective
A Feast Most Foul
A Voyage of Vengeance
A Summit in Shadow
Throne of Threats
Paradise Plagued
Burdened Bloodline
Sovereign Sieged
Crown of Chaos
Harrowed Heir
Ravaged Reign
Innocence Imprisoned
Ardent Ascension
Eternal Empire

©2017 Sarah Burr (P)2025 Sarah Burr

Well done whodunit.

The story was intriguing. I thoroughly enjoyed the way the author wound the world building into the narrative. the narrator brings the characters to life and allows you to follow the story without much effort.

THE DETECTIVE DUCHESS

A WONDERFUL BOOK, WITH AN AMAZING INTRIGUE AND ADVENTURE!
MELISSA GREEN DID A GOOD JOB WITH THE NARRATION! I LOOK FORWARD TO MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR AND NARRATOR!

Breath of fresh air

I really enjoyed listening to this short book. It’s not typically the genre that I listen to but I still found myself wondering if Jax was going to solve the mystery surrounding her parents’ death. I’m excited to read on.

Fun quick read!

Narration is well done, good differentiations between characters and read at an easy to listen pace.

Story: a solid mystery with plenty of intrigue and twists. Add in a rising Royal and budding romance and you’ve got the gist of this first novel.

Parents: nothing to be concerned about, suitable for any YA reader!

Can’t wait for the next book!

—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Enjoyable

Quick enjoyable listen. Great narration and the story sets up for the rest of the series

Outstanding Story and Narration

Sarah E. Burr weaves an interesting and exciting mystery in the first book of this series which is sensationally and thoughtfully narrated by Melissa Green. This first book is a great introduction to the main characters and leaves me wanting to go straight into Book 2. The combination of the story and the narration are perfect companions and I can't wait to see what's next.

Flawed, but engaging nonetheless

This book was slow getting started, as we were treated to a lot of information up front about the social/political environment of the setting; although much of it seemed unnecessary, I suspect it will come into play more in later books in the series. Because my attention was not (yet) fully engaged, I noticed little things I might not have otherwise. For instance, although the fantasy setting employs much of the trappings of medieval Europe, the use of 20th-century words, such as when a character is "knackered" (1971) and a tavern is described as "upscale" (1966), felt jarring. Even Jax's name--an acronym created from her initials, her full name being Jacqueline Arienta Xavier--pulled me out of the story every time it was mentioned, since acronyms date only to 1940.

Then, too, certain words were used incorrectly, such as when Jax studied something "profusely." I'll admit, I looked it up to make sure I was not doing the author an injustice, and my instincts were correct: my dictionary defines profuse as "pouring forth liberally" or "exhibiting great abundance"; in other words, an indication of quantity, not depth. You can study something "closely," or "intently," but not "profusely." There was also imagery that seemed...odd. The one that sticks in my mind is "Dark circles hung from her eye sockets." Eww! Gross!

And yet...in spite of its flaws, once the doctor revealed that her parents had not died of natural causes, the book became very engrossing. Best of all, I thought I saw where the author was going, but...she surprised me! In a mystery, that's always a good thing! I thought Jax's apparent(?) love interest wasn't quite up to her weight--I preferred the captain of the guard--but he was a younger son of whom not much was expected, unlike Jax, who was groomed from childhood to rule the duchy someday, It should be interesting to see if/how he matures into an equal partner for her, or if the author has a surprise or two up her sleeve there, as well.

As for the narrator, I thought she was well-chosen for this book. There's always a question of how a narrator will voice characters of the opposite sex, and I thought she was wise not to indicate male speakers simply by a lower/deeper pitch, but by conveying some aspect of personality: for instance, strength for the captain of the guard, and fussiness for the doctor.

All in all, a strong 3.5 stars, which I've rounded up to 4.

Quite enjoyable

Nice little novella. I enjoyed hearing the virtues of the realm as well as those of Jacqueline. I enjoy a strong heroin who know what and how she wants to handle things. The story line was intriguing and I enjoyed how the plot unfolded. Anxiously waiting to be able to hear the up coming sequels.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Very Entertaining Mystery!

This book introduces you to Jax, (Duchess Jacqueline Arienta Xavier), after the sudden death of her parents brings her home to become the new Duchess of Saphire, Jax is told by a trusted adviser that her parents were murdered, With the help of Captain George Solomon, the Captain of the Ducal Guard, Jax investigates her parents murders, while intrigues, betrayal, and a surprise suitor within the palace could endanger the survival of the duchy and cost Jax her life.
The first book is a novella and is followed by four fun and intriguing books that were full of adventures and sweet romance. The first book might seem a little slow at first. It introduces the main characters that will continue through the entire series. The series does pick up and is very interesting and enjoyable to read.
Completely clean and sweet!

Loved it!!!

There are few things more fun to listen to than a strong female who can handle her business. This is very much our heroine. Jacqueline Arienta Xavier is a newly crowned duchy and once she finds out that her parents were murdered, it's on. She was determined and steadfast and without any hand-wringing or angst, went about finding the truth. Loved it!!!

This is a prequel and I will now delve into the other books in this series since I need more!

The narrator was a great choice! Green embodied the strength at the core of the main character while still spinning a great mystery.