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Feel-good cosy mysteries set in the Cotswalds

Revisado: 12-31-24

An enjoyable cosy mystery series featuring a pair of likable amateur sleuths. Jack is an American expat, a retired NYPD detective who relocated to the Cotswalds after the death of his beloved wife from cancer. He lives alone on a boat with his dog.

Sarah is a divorced mother of two who runs her own website design business. She is also a skilled hacker, having learned from a guy she hired to trace her husband’s hidden assets during their messy divorce. She initially approaches Jack to help her investigate the suspicious death of a childhood friend, but the two hit it off, and they eventually become partners in crime solving. They work pro bono and completely unofficially, which gives them the leeway to bend the normal rules of investigation.

Each compilation contains three stand-alone episodes. The stories are generally short, about two to three hours per episode, and are mostly nonviolent. Not all of the mysteries involve murder. The British narrator does a good job voicing all the characters, including a passable New York accent for Jack.

This is a very long series, and I’m enjoying the development of the characters and their relationship over time.

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Delightful story and narration

Revisado: 10-30-24

I grew up with the Disney version of this story; I had no idea that the original novella was written by the author of the James Bond novels, Ian Fleming. Fleming initially created it as a bedtime story for his son Caspar, and wrote it down (in longhand, as his doctors had forbidden him a typewriter) whilst recuperating in the hospital after a heart attack. Sadly, Fleming did not live to see the book published, having suffered a second heart attack in August 1964.

The book and movie begin the same way: eccentric inventor Caracticus “Crack” Pott, having come into a windfall after selling one of his inventions, uses some of the money to buy and restore a 1920’s era race car. His children, twins Jeremy and Jemima, declare it the most beautiful car in the world, and christen it “Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang,”after the distinctive noises it makes when starting up. They believe the car to be magical.

When the car is up and running, Pott uses it to take his wife and children on a picnic to the seashore (wife Mimzy is absent from the movie version, in which Pott is portrayed as a widower).

What happens next is where the book and movie diverge. I won’t spoil the plot by giving any details; suffice it to say that the children’s opinion of the car is justified.

David Tennant’s narration is marvelous, as usual. I can imagine him telling stories like this one to his own children (of which he has 5 in real life).

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Pratchett meets Dickens

Revisado: 05-02-24

I’ve always thought that the Artful Dodger deserved his own story, and who better to give it to him than Sir Terry Pratchett?

Dodger ages to 17 in this version, and meets real historical characters (Queen Victoria) as well as fictional ones (Sweeney Todd). Dickens himself puts in an appearance as a crusading young journalist called Charley.

It’s all great fun, combining an authentic feel of Victorian London with Pratchett’s trademark humor.

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good sequel

Revisado: 04-30-24

I read the original Pollyanna many years ago, and was unaware that there was a sequel. This book begins a few months after the end of the first novel. The title character ages from 13 to about 19 or 20 in the course of the book, and it ends with her engagement. If you enjoyed the original story, it is a worthy sequel.

There are two versions of the book available on Audible. I recommend this one, narrated by Alan Munro. The narration of the other version is extremely poor.

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bad narration ruins a classic story

Revisado: 04-29-24

I read the original Pollyanna as a child and was looking forward to listening to the sequel, but the narrator’s flat intonation and total lack of acting skills ruined it for me. I gave up after two chapters.

I will buy a different version of the book or read it on Kindle. Don’t waste your money buying this version.

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did not finish

Revisado: 04-21-24

Did not finish. Leaving this review only because Audible is using the fact that I listened to part of this book to recommend the author’s other books to me.

Lackluster plot and poor narration made this a dnf for me. Returned halfway through the 7th chapter. Please do not recommend any more of this author’s work.

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Good but too short

Revisado: 04-20-24

Good story, but could have been a little longer. Needed a denouement to flesh out the ending. I liked the chemistry between the male and female leads. Despite the rather abrupt ending, I kind of figured out the twist at the end.

I wouldn’t have paid a credit for such a short listen, but as a freebie it was enjoyable.

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Rip-off of a classic

Revisado: 04-02-24

First of all, let me say that I am a sucker for a twice-told tale. I love stories that continue from where the author left off, such as the many Sherlock Holmes pastiches out there, or that tell the story from another point of view, such as Jane Eyre retold by the first wife, or Peter Pan from Captain Hook’s point of view.

This book is neither. The author simply borrows the storyline from Anne of Green Gables, changing the names to avoid a lawsuit from the L.M. Montgomery estate, and dumbing down the characters for kids. The addition of magic does nothing to enhance the story (the original Anne lives in her imagination to cope with her bleak childhood. Why would someone with magical powers need to do that?)

The babyish narration does not help, either.

If you are a lover of the original book, skip this one. If you have never read Anne of Green Gables, read it instead.

I knew that I wanted to return this title within the first chapter, but Audible wouldn’t let me return it because I’d “read too far.” Suffered through a couple more chapters so that I could leave this review and warn others.

As a longtime Audible customer and one who frequently buys additional credits, I am not happy with Audible’s return policy. Apparently, all titles are ineligible for return except the free ones.

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OK story; don’t like narrator

Revisado: 04-02-24

I really enjoyed this author’s adult fantasy, the Emily Wilde series, and have been very disappointed in her young adult fiction.

A lot of it has to do with the narrator. I dislike it when American actors try to fake British accents; just hire a real British person. This narrator put on an accent for the characters and then lapsed back into her own native accent for the narration. It was jarring. I also really dislike adult women who affect a high, childish voice. Just use your own natural voice.

Finally, one of my pet peeves is the mispronunciation of words, especially proper names. I winced every time the narrator said the name “Gawaine.” It would have taken less than 30 seconds to look up the correct pronunciation.

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Treasure Island - the grownup version

Revisado: 03-14-24

Pros: Good imitation of RLS’ prose style, an original storyline with a good hook, and a potential romance which was missing from the original. Secondary storyline of a slave ship wrecked on the island adds moral justification for the enterprise, and gives the story more weight and tragedy. The narrator is a young adult, rather than a child as in the original novel, which allows for more self-reflection.

David Tennant’s narration excellent, as always. He’s one of the better British actors working today.

Cons: The sentences sometimes get a bit too run-on to follow. Long passages describing the island’s flora and fauna distract from the main storyline. Especially when they include extinct or nonexistent animals like dodos or giant squirrels, which changes the tone from realistic to surreal. I would have cut all such descriptions if I were the book’s editor.

Toss-up: the ending. Some readers found it too abrupt. I disagree. It’s open-ended, which allows readers to draw their own conclusions. I think it goes along with the more morally ambiguous universe of this novel.

There is definitely a lot more blood and angst in the sequel. It’s not a kid’s book.

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