The Invisible Case: A Sussex Crime - Heartbreaking Tragedy or Coldblooded Murder...

A Janie Juke Mystery

By: Isabella Muir

Narrated by: Bridget Eaton

Length: 5 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Heartbreaking tragedy or cold-blooded murder...?

An Italian stranger arrives in Tamarisk Bay and brings with him mystery and intrigue....

It's Easter 1970 in the seaside town of Tamarisk Bay. Amateur sleuth and professional librarian, Janie Juke, is settling into motherhood and some quality time with her family. When her Aunt Jessica is due back from Rome after nine years travelling around Europe, she arrives back in town with a new Italian friend, Luigi, and the whole family soon get embroiled in a tangle of mystery and suspicion, with death and passion at the heart of the story.

As time runs out on Luigi as prime suspect for murder, Janie has to use all of her powers of deduction in the footsteps of her hero, Hercule Poirot, to uncover the facts. Why did Luigi come to Tamarisk Bay? What is the truth about his family?

As Luigi's story unfolds, tragedy seems to haunt the past, present and unless Janie acts fast, possibly what is yet to come.

If you love Agatha Christie style twists and turns, or are a fan of Call the Midwife, Endeavour, Inspector George Gently and all those great 60s characters, then you will love this Sussex Crime series.

©2018 Isabella Muir (P)2020 Isabella Muir

An Interesting Mystery

I loved the narration- nothing is more fun for this southern US gal than to listen to a British narrator.
I love the fact that our amateur sleuth, Janie Jukes’ hero is none other than Hercule Poirot. She references Poirot several times in the book which made for a great tribute to one of the OG investigators.
I enjoyed the story which was a mystery and also a family legacy story.
Finally, there are two previous books in this series and the other cases that Janie has been involved in are referenced so as a listener I appreciate the fact that you know that Janie has evolved as a person (like she recently has had a baby)and sleuth.
Thanks @rachelsrandomresources and @audible for the chance to listen and honestly give my opinions.

Here for the Family Drama

I was granted complimentary audiobook access to The Invisible Case via Audiobookworm Promotions for my review stop on the blog tour for this title. Thank you to all involved! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

Story: 3 out of 5 stars
Performance: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars

I'd like to start by saying that I was not aware this is not technically a stand-alone when I signed up for the tour, but I don't feel that I was at a disadvantage. This book can be read/listened to as a stand-alone. At no point did I feel like I was missing vital information. A lot of minor character information and world-building is filled in through dialogue with enough callback to their past that everything fills in.

What I liked: The British family characters and the Italian guest home owner are all very interesting and likeable characters (excuse me for avoiding all the names, there were a lot and I listened to the audiobook so I'm not sure on spelling.) I also enjoyed the family drama element between Luigi, his father, and his father's associate.

What I didn't like: Luigi. A whole lot of problems would have been solved if he would just be a little more forthcoming with totally innocent and mundane information and stop whining. Since Luigi was the primary suspect for everything happening in this book and I didn't care about him at all, and the murder victim was a random associate of Luigi's father who conveniently showed up just after Luigi arrived in England, I wasn't at all invested in "who dunnit."

The narration was good! Bridget Eaton is pleasant to listen to and I didn't have any trouble figuring out which character was speaking/thinking at any given time. I will comment that the default playback speed was particularly slow. 1.5x felt close to normal conversation speed and 2x barely felt sped up. If you listen slowly then this one is perfectly paced. If you listen quickly, this may be one of the ones you crank up faster than usual.

Overall this book was a relaxing story with a good mix of characters and I would definitely recommend it as a light read that'll keep you engaged. As for mystery genre readers specifically, I say give it a try, but like me you may find the murder is not the most compelling element of the plot.

Wonderful Cozy WhoDunIt!

The Invisible Case is a different sort of book, and as it's the first one I've read/listened too by this author, I wasn't quite sure to expect. I grew up reading Agatha Christie, what mystery fan didn't? While I'm not a fan of the shows mentioned in the blurb, I am a long-time fan of The Father Brown Mysteries and Murder, She Wrote; both of which have a similar "feel" to the style of mystery that The Invisible Case is.

If you read this book as a stand-alone, the lack of back history is confusing at first, but is handily explained midway through the story. Janie, her father, and her husband are a clearly tight and loving family unit, and Aunt Jessica, though gone these last 9 years fits back easily into their dynamic. Due to growing up with a disabled parent (Janie's father is blind), and the time-frame, Janie is an interesting mix of independent working woman, and soft mother to her newborn daughter. Her father and husband are both supportive of her library work and her detective hobby.

However, when the English businessman with ties to Luigi's father dies at the guesthouse they are both staying at, Luigi's words and actions don't quite add up. It's up to Janie and Co. to dig into Luigi's painful past to prevent a miscarriage of justice and to bring closure to a broken family.

The Invisible Case is a little different; in that the majority of the action and drama rests not on the protagonist of the series, Janie, but that of the accused, Luigi. Unfortunately for the reader, the introduction of Luigi and his majority of behaviors in the book make for a rather unlikable character. When his briefcase goes missing from their train car, he flies into a frothing rage, and continues to do so every time the case is mentioned. Moody and churlish, Luigi sets himself up easily to be seen as a villain. His relationship, or lack thereof with Aunt Jessica, is teased at by multiple characters throughout the story and Jessica's repeated assertion that they're "just friends" falls a bit flat. However, through a bit of poking, prodding, and a incredibly well written scene of motherly interrogation, we find that behind Luigi's awfulness is a sad and emotionally torn young man lashing out.

Isabella Muir writes scenes that are subtly deep and emotionally deft, managing to take what looks like a straightforward whodunit and showing it for a beautifully cultivated labyrinth. Her Audiobook Narrator, Bridget Eaton is inspired! Ms. Eaton has a great vocal range and manages to truly inject feeling into the characters' voices. Together, these ladies have created a wonderful cozy afternoon mystery!