Winter's Pearl

Prologue to the Guy Winter Mysteries Series

By: James Philip

Narrated by: Melanie Fraser

Length: 2 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Winter's Pearl - Prologue to the Guy Winter Mysteries Series is a novella which sets the scene for the first full length Guy Winter mystery, entitled Winter's War.

Winter's Pearl is set in London in the first months of the Second World War during the period of the so-called 'Phoney War'.

It draws us into the complex world of Scotland Yard's most famous detective Guy Winter; the Mystery Man. So named because no other living detective has ever solved as many mysteries as Winter of the Yard. However, the great detective's fame and triumphs have come at a high cost.

Just when we think we've discovered our hero at his all-time low, it gets worse and it doesn't ever look like it is going to get better. Who needs enemies when your friends are on somebody else's side?

©2014 James P. Coldham writing as James Philip (P)2016 James P. Coldham writing as James Philip

I will be listening to more of the series.

This book is an obviously an introduction to a series. The characters are developed and the mystery to be solved is laid out. The main character is interesting and conflicted about how his life has turned out and is now a suspect in a murder. When the book ended I wanted to hear more.

I received this book free from the author for review. I would have still been pleased if I had paid for it.

BBC and PBS take note, the next serial is here.

This is like immersing myself in a PBS/BBC event. The story is everything you want in a period piece and has all the nuances you love. If you enjoy a well-paced, dramatic adventure...then look no further. If this is the start of a series, then dive in and be prepared for what is hopefully a long and amazing ride. I was fortunate to be gifted a cop and now look forward to many more tales involving Guy Winter...also, the historical touches and the tie in with Jack the Ripper had me going back to look up some info on this very famous serial killer. Bravo, Mr. Philip.

As always, Ms. Fraser is simply amazing as a narrator. Her voice makes this wonderful story all that much better. She is one of my favorites and I hope she brings more of Mr. Philip's stories to life.

A Short Glimpse at the Phony War

Winter's Pearl is a short prologue to James Philip’s Guy Winter Mystery series. It’s set during the opening days of WWII during the period known as the “phony war.” Several characters are introduced, points of conflict between them are established and we’re given an opening mystery to wet our appetites. Based on the prologue, Philip’s is going to give us a look inside British intelligence and police services during the war. It promises to be most interesting.

I received this as a free Audible download in return for an honest review. The narrator, Melanie Fraser, was excellent.

An intro Novella to a promising series

If you could sum up Winter's Pearl in three words, what would they be?

Interest provoking Introductions

What was one of the most memorable moments of Winter's Pearl?

Meeting Guy Winter. and the brief Jack The Ripper flashback.

What about Melanie Fraser’s performance did you like?

Her performance was well done. For the most part, I wondered about the selection of a female narrator. It seemed that the majority of conversation was between two males and that the narration perspective was also a male one. But, for an entertaining listen that piqued my interest in the story I was hooked by Melanie Fraser's narration. Her sense of timing and characterizations were what made this even more interesting to me.

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

Makes me want to read and listen to the rest of the series

Any additional comments?

Again, this is a novella introducing characters and situations that will fill out a promising series. I conjured up visions of Foyle's War, Ian Fleming's real life escapades and the like. There are several steamy sections. So if that's an issue for listeners then be forewarned.


This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com.

An Excellent Beginning to a Historical Fction

WINTER'S PEARL was a nice prologue to a promising new series. This really set the stage for the full length Guy Winter stories. The characters were great as well as the story. I agree with the synopsis that this is a complex story with excellent dialogue. JAMES PHILIP ( COLDHAM) wrote a neat story about spies and the pearls. And he couldn't have found a better narrator.

MELANIE FRASER was outstanding. She has a lovely voice with beautiful tone and inflections. Her pronunciations are impeccable. I love hearing her read. I think she's perfect for the series and hope she continues with it. It was very enjoyable.

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review."

Nice listen

What made the experience of listening to Winter's Pearl the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed the style of writing - it's like listening to PD James or Elizabeth George. I was also interested in the Jack the Ripper thread

What was one of the most memorable moments of Winter's Pearl?

The revelation of the Pearls

Any additional comments?

I'm glad I listened to this as its the prequel to the Winter's War audiobook that I am listening to.

Amazing Performance in WWII Espionage Thriller

Any additional comments?

Winter’s Pearl by James Philip is a good introduction for the other books in the series featuring Guy Winter, a WWII Scotland Yard detective who British intelligence wants to recruit. The author points out that this series is meant to be read and listened to as "coherent, linked episodes." As such, I listened to the prologue and the first three books in the series.

In Winter’s Pearl, the term "Pearls" is explained as classy women who were essentially high-class prostitutes who spied for British intelligence during WWI. In this short story, one of the "Pearls" is murdered, and the evidence suggests that Guy Winter did it. The rest of the story features Guy proving his innocence, finding the true killer, and trying to figure out who may have set him up for the crime. Needless to say, many characters are introduced, all of whom are featured in subsequent stories.

Melanie Fraser narrated this audiobook and she did a fantastic job. She really brought the characters to life, giving each character their own distinct voice. Melanie's crisp British accent and soft refined tones were perfect for this audio and definitely contributed to my enjoyment of this book. In short, I enjoyed listening to this audiobook and recommend it to those who enjoy historical espionage thrillers!

Nice introduction to the series

I liked this book. I wish I had read this one before I had read the first "official" book of the series, since this one really help set the scene and explained a lot of what happened in the background of book #1 (Winter's War). This book takes place during the beginning of WWII, and its interesting to see how prostitutes, or "Pearls", were used to gather information by the British Intelligence. I listened to the Audible audio book narrated by Malanie Fraser, and she did a great job. I really liked that she has a lower or mid-range voice for a female narrator, and she has great character differentiation. She speaks very clearly and uses good pacing. I think she was a great pick for the narration of this book. Overall, if you like stories about WWII or British spies, I think this would be a great introduction to a series containing these elements.

Winter's Pearl

“This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook

Boom.”



A prologue to a series about the early years of WWII, and Scotland Yard’s detective Guy Winter. It sounds that this will be an interesting series. I will look for more from this author.


The narration was well done. The characters were excellently portrayed.

Promising intro the Guy Winter Series

This prologue is a promising start to the first book in the Guy Winter series called 'Winter's War'. We are introduced to all the main characters and there are quite many. This introduction helped me a lot to get to know the characters with their praise and flaws before the real story started. It jumped around a lot - from one character to another - so you'll have to concentrate on getting to know each one.

Melanie Fraser does an outstanding performance - a good, clear British voice that makes you feel you're right there at the scene. The story came to life in an oll' times British environment, as we all know when we watch British period dramas.

*This book was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review.