sageweim

Enjoyable Scottish Cozy Mystery

Revisado: 06-21-24

I’ve listened to all of Mullet’s Whiskey Business mysteries twice now. These stories are what cozy mysteries should be with well-developed, believable characters and plots. The main character, a world-weary photojournalist who is called to a small Scottish village after her beloved Uncle dies and leaves her a Whiskey distillery, slowly becomes enamored with the life and people of the village. All of the characters are fleshed out well and the relationships between them, each other, and particularly the main character are built out in ways that make sense. I particularly like how the author has her protagonist has a habit of describing each new person she meets using three adjectives. Liam, her dog, is a delightful touch, and she has a best guy friend we’d all like to have. The mystery element in each book does a good job drawing the reader in without “overwhelming” the characters and their stories. You won’t find any gory violence or sex scenes in these books—nor are they edge-of-your-seat literary masterpieces—but each of the books are well-told cozy mysteries with engaging characters. I very much enjoyed these books. If you like M. C. Beaton’s Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin mysteries, Menuhin’s Heathcliffe Lennox mysteries, and the like—you’ll enjoy Mullet’s Whiskey Business mysteries as well.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Underwhelming

Revisado: 06-21-24

I purchased this book based on the many excellent reviews, which I now find perplexing and can only gutless they come from the author’s family and friends? The narrator is quite good, especially switching from character to character and between American and Scottish accents. I gravitate towards cozy mysteries (Hamish Macbeth by Beaton, Whiskey business mysteries by Mullet, and the Heathcliffe Lennox mysteries by Menuhin, for example—but also enjoy the grittier British mysteries like Anne Cleeves’ stuff). I found the main character in An American in Scotland irritating, predictable, and unlikeable. What the other characters saw in her to like, I’ll never know. There is zero development in the relationships between the main character, a young American woman who suddenly decides to move to a small Scottish village, and the longtime villagers. She drops in and immediately everyone thinks she’s the most wonderful person ever despite her outright rudeness to the main male character in particular. I slogged through unwillingly, until I could take it no more and returned the title to get a credit back.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

So Bad MC Beaton Must Be Rolling in Her Grave

Revisado: 02-23-24

The last time I was this disappointed was when I took a sip of what I thought was a crisp, cold Belvedere vodka martini, but found it instead to be tepid tap water in a martini glass. From the get-go the narrator ruined Hamish for me. Why, oh why, was Mr. Monteath brought back to narrate after the many negative reviews for his equally poor narration of “Death of a Laird”? Monteath makes Macbeth sound like a mentally impaired seventy year old man with a fake Scottish accent. And suddenly Col. Halburton-Smythe has a British accent? Monteath’s American accent is even more annoying. In fact, his narration grated so badly on my nerves that I could not finish the book. As for the story itself …. RW Green’s first Hamish Macbeth effort (Death of a Laird) was an abysmal failure; nevertheless, I gave him a second chance with “Death of a Traitor” which was not bad. I’d thought RW Green had finally figured out how to capture Hamish and the characters of Lochdubh and so eagerly awaited this, his next, book. Unfortunately, Green hit bottom and started digging with “Death of a Spy”. The story, or at least the first six chapters I suffered through, is so far removed from M.C. Beaton’s Hamish and the Lochdubh universe that it’s barely recognizable. The title detail even misspelled “Lochdubh” for goodness sake. No amount of Belvedere vodka martinis can rid me of the awfulness of “Death of a Spy”. VERY disappointing effort all around, and I’m so sad.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

Thoughtful & Engaging Murder Mystery

Revisado: 07-18-23

The Glass Room is Cleeves’ best Vera novel, IMO. This is not an edge-of-your-seat, rollercoaster ride suspense—but is a slow boil, layered, very well-developed story that you will relish getting back to until completed. Those who enjoy police procedurals that make one puzzle and think will find this listen very satisfying. I greatly enjoy Beaton’s Hamish Macbeth or Graham’s Inspector Barnaby books when I want a “mindless” read while multitasking—Cleeves’ Vera novels are best listened to when one can give them their full attention lest one miss subtle but key elements that build out the characters’ depth, making them so believable, and/or that enrich the story in meaningful and satisfying way. I think Cleeves’ best talent is her ability to create such vividly real characters so as to make one believe they must actually live and breathe somewhere on this earth. This will be a book I’ll likely listen to again in the future.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Narration Made This a Hard Listen

Revisado: 05-10-23

I’m about a third of the way through this book. The “halted” speech and awkward pauses of the narrator’s delivery is incredibly distracting. It sounds as if she just picked up the novel and began reading without any thought or thought reading. Characters’ voices were almost identical, making it hard to to know who was talking. Also, the accents were most inconsistent with mostly an American accent with a slight Irish tinge. I’m not sure I can slog through ….this….one due to the poor….. and distracting……… narration.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Excellent Writing

Revisado: 02-19-23

I’ve been steadily making my way through all of Martha Grimes’ Richard Jury series. This has been an engaging read with several story lines. Inspector Jury doesn’t make an appearance until much later in the book with my favorite character in this series, Melrose Plant, taking the lead role for most of the book. The Lamora Wink is darker than most of the other 15 preceding books. Those that are sensitive to crimes involving children may want to give this one a pass. There’s no graphic descriptions, but still there are disturbing parts. Grimes is a master at storytelling. While some may find her style “over descriptive”, I find the detail brings the characters and settings to life. I’m looking forward to the next one in the series.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Another excellent ride with Jack and Sarah

Revisado: 03-13-22

I really enjoyed this 39th installment of the Cherringham series. Even though I had a good idea “whodunnit” early on, the story kept my interest throughout. This is not exactly a gripping crime mystery, however the backstory of a “boys will be boys” adventure that goes tragically wrong and how the character deals with the guilt as an adult through his music resonated with me. The close friendship, trust, and respect between Jack and Sarah makes this duo incredibly like-able, which is why I eagerly look forward to the next installment in the Cherringham series. And Neil Dudgeon does an excellent job narrating.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Disappointing

Revisado: 03-09-22

I’ve listened to all of MC Beaton’s Hamish Macbeth books..3 times. Lochdubh became home to me, and its lovable characters became like family. I listened to Green’s first Hamish novel and felt as if I landed in an alternate universe— not unpleasant, just…well…so foreign. For one thing, Hamish lacks the wry humor and wit with which MC Beaton endowed him. For another thing, why does Sonsie just magically reappear? This and other discrepancies in the world according to Hamish became too much of an irritation for me to overlook. While I like the narrator’s Scottish brogue, it is so completely unlike Graeme Norton’s and Shaun Grindell’s interpretations of Hamish and the rest of Lochdubh’s inhabitants, that I just could not recognize the characters or enjoy the stories as I use to. But what REALLY put me off is realizing I lost a whole credit on a listen less than 1 1/2 hours long. That felt like a total ripoff on top of the major disappointment of an unrecognizable Hamish and Lochdubh. Rest In Peace, Ms. Beaton — you and ALL of your beloved characters are sorely missed.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 11 personas

Story Decent; Narration Grates at Times

Revisado: 02-28-22

There are characters a reader will love to hate in this “cozy” murder mystery set in the mid 1800s. The narrator’s voice for Alice and others (Mrs Neil) was shrill and screechy—grating on my ears and nerves so badly I had to FF through these parts. Her male voices were indiscernible from other male voices. Overall the story is decent, but the narration made it difficult for me to enjoy it.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

I….just….can’t

Revisado: 01-30-22

Having listened to the first 25 Agatha Raisin books, I settled down on the couch, Earl Grey tea in hand, headphones adjusted, and started “Dishing the Dirt”. Egads, Agatha sounds like a Disney character. Every other sentence ends in “Agatha said”, “Charles said”, and so on. I tried, I really did—but this narrator ruined it for me. I suffered through it for exactly 7m20s and just could NOT STAND the narrator’s high-pitched, screechy voice a second more. I’m done with the series and choose to remember Agatha through Penelope Keith’s excellent rendition.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña