
Aunt Bessie Assumes
An Isle of Man Cozy Mystery, Book 1
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Rosalind Ashford
-
By:
-
Diana Xarissa
About this listen
Aunt Bessie assumes that she'll have the beach all to herself on a cold, wet, and windy March morning just after sunrise, then she stumbles (almost literally) over a dead body.
Elizabeth (Bessie) Cubbon, aged somewhere between free bus pass (60) and telegram from the Queen (100), has lived her entire adult life in a small cottage on Laxey Beach. For most of those years, she's been in the habit of taking a brisk morning walk along the beach. Dead men have never been part of the scenery before. Aunt Bessie assumes that the dead man died of natural causes, then the police find the knife in his chest. Try as she might, Bessie just can't find anything to like about the young widow that she provides tea and sympathy to in the immediate aftermath of finding the body. There isn't much to like about the rest of the victim's family either.
Aunt Bessie assumes that the police will have the case wrapped up in no time at all, then she finds a second body. Can Bessie and her friends find the killer before she ends up as the next victim?
©2014 Diana Xarissa (P)2016 Diana XarissaListeners also enjoyed...
-
Arrivals and Arrests
- An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy, Book 1
- By: Diana Xarissa
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fenella Woods has only met a few people during the twenty-four hours she's been in Douglas, the capital city of the Isle of Man. She's shocked when she discovers one of them dead in an alley behind her apartment building. Nearly fifty and newly single, Fenella meets a handsome police inspector, a dashing new neighbor, and a sophisticated businessman, all of whom have her questioning her determination to remain unattached. Having a ghost for a roommate and a kitten as an uninvited houseguest has her questioning her decision to start a new life on the small island in the Irish Sea after all.
-
-
entertaining
- By Debbie T on 03-27-25
By: Diana Xarissa
-
The Inspector Graham Mysteries
- Books 1-4 (Inspector Graham Collection, Book 1)
- By: Alison Golden, Grace Dagnall
- Narrated by: Matt Jamie
- Length: 15 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Graham is a detective inspector with London’s Metropolitan police force. He’s a career police officer, an educated, reserved, thoughtful, some might say, complex man. He has suffered tragedy in his life that serves to exaggerate his more introspective characteristics and, like many of us, has to look his demons in the eye from time to time and make tough choices. This box set contains the first four mysteries in this bestselling series.
-
-
Now, how about the rest?
- By Charisma on 10-11-23
By: Alison Golden, and others
-
Murder at Little Minton
- By: Karen Baugh Menuhin, Zoe Markham
- Narrated by: Corrie James
- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Miss Busby helped Major Heathcliff Lennox solve a series of murders at Bloxford in the Cotswolds. Now, she finds herself drawn into a new murder, but this time, it's just her, and she must rely on her sharp mind and sharper wits to catch a Cotswolds killer, along with a handsome police inspector and a reporter who's keen to make her mark.
-
-
I Really Tried
- By Stephanie Lannan on 09-21-23
By: Karen Baugh Menuhin, and others
-
Murder at the Spring Ball
- A 1920s Mystery (Lord Edgington Investigates..., Book 1)
- By: Benedict Brown
- Narrated by: George Blagden
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England, 1925. After years shut away from the world, former detective Lord Edgington of Cranley Hall plans a grand ball to celebrate his seventy-fifth birthday. But when someone starts bumping off members of his scheming family, the old man enlists his teenage grandson to help find the killer, before one of them is next.
-
-
Not that great
- By Julie on 01-23-22
By: Benedict Brown
-
Murder at Everham Hall
- A Marius Quin Mystery, Book 1
- By: Benedict Brown
- Narrated by: George Blagden
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
December 1927. Mystery-writer Marius Quin has one previous bestseller, endless looming mortgage payments, and no idea how to write his next book. When his childhood friend Lady Isabella Montague invites him to an intimate New Year’s Eve party hosted by a narcissistic actor, Marius seizes upon the distraction. With his perpetually glum Basset hound along for the ride, he navigates the snowy lanes to the opulent estate of Everham Hall. As the celebrations begin, fireworks light up the sky, champagne corks pop, and then the host is murdered…
-
-
Great new series!
- By Sallyk575 on 07-02-24
By: Benedict Brown
-
Heathcliff Lennox - France 1918
- By: Karen Baugh Menuhin
- Narrated by: Sam Dewhurst -Phillips
- Length: 1 hr
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Spring, 1918. The Great War is at a crucial stage, the Germans are making one last push into France, and the Allies are struggling to hold them back. Battle lines are shifting, and men, and their machines, are being sent up and down the front to shore up defenses. Major Heathcliff Lennox, and his batman Greggs, are told to report to their new HQ. They set off on a sunlit day to fly the distance, but the enemy is never far away, and disaster strikes. They're sent crashing to the ground behind enemy lines, where life, death, and love await.
-
-
Another great Heathcliff Lennox
- By Katydid65 on 06-04-21
-
Arrivals and Arrests
- An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy, Book 1
- By: Diana Xarissa
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fenella Woods has only met a few people during the twenty-four hours she's been in Douglas, the capital city of the Isle of Man. She's shocked when she discovers one of them dead in an alley behind her apartment building. Nearly fifty and newly single, Fenella meets a handsome police inspector, a dashing new neighbor, and a sophisticated businessman, all of whom have her questioning her determination to remain unattached. Having a ghost for a roommate and a kitten as an uninvited houseguest has her questioning her decision to start a new life on the small island in the Irish Sea after all.
-
-
entertaining
- By Debbie T on 03-27-25
By: Diana Xarissa
-
The Inspector Graham Mysteries
- Books 1-4 (Inspector Graham Collection, Book 1)
- By: Alison Golden, Grace Dagnall
- Narrated by: Matt Jamie
- Length: 15 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Graham is a detective inspector with London’s Metropolitan police force. He’s a career police officer, an educated, reserved, thoughtful, some might say, complex man. He has suffered tragedy in his life that serves to exaggerate his more introspective characteristics and, like many of us, has to look his demons in the eye from time to time and make tough choices. This box set contains the first four mysteries in this bestselling series.
-
-
Now, how about the rest?
- By Charisma on 10-11-23
By: Alison Golden, and others
-
Murder at Little Minton
- By: Karen Baugh Menuhin, Zoe Markham
- Narrated by: Corrie James
- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Miss Busby helped Major Heathcliff Lennox solve a series of murders at Bloxford in the Cotswolds. Now, she finds herself drawn into a new murder, but this time, it's just her, and she must rely on her sharp mind and sharper wits to catch a Cotswolds killer, along with a handsome police inspector and a reporter who's keen to make her mark.
-
-
I Really Tried
- By Stephanie Lannan on 09-21-23
By: Karen Baugh Menuhin, and others
-
Murder at the Spring Ball
- A 1920s Mystery (Lord Edgington Investigates..., Book 1)
- By: Benedict Brown
- Narrated by: George Blagden
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England, 1925. After years shut away from the world, former detective Lord Edgington of Cranley Hall plans a grand ball to celebrate his seventy-fifth birthday. But when someone starts bumping off members of his scheming family, the old man enlists his teenage grandson to help find the killer, before one of them is next.
-
-
Not that great
- By Julie on 01-23-22
By: Benedict Brown
-
Murder at Everham Hall
- A Marius Quin Mystery, Book 1
- By: Benedict Brown
- Narrated by: George Blagden
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
December 1927. Mystery-writer Marius Quin has one previous bestseller, endless looming mortgage payments, and no idea how to write his next book. When his childhood friend Lady Isabella Montague invites him to an intimate New Year’s Eve party hosted by a narcissistic actor, Marius seizes upon the distraction. With his perpetually glum Basset hound along for the ride, he navigates the snowy lanes to the opulent estate of Everham Hall. As the celebrations begin, fireworks light up the sky, champagne corks pop, and then the host is murdered…
-
-
Great new series!
- By Sallyk575 on 07-02-24
By: Benedict Brown
-
Heathcliff Lennox - France 1918
- By: Karen Baugh Menuhin
- Narrated by: Sam Dewhurst -Phillips
- Length: 1 hr
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Spring, 1918. The Great War is at a crucial stage, the Germans are making one last push into France, and the Allies are struggling to hold them back. Battle lines are shifting, and men, and their machines, are being sent up and down the front to shore up defenses. Major Heathcliff Lennox, and his batman Greggs, are told to report to their new HQ. They set off on a sunlit day to fly the distance, but the enemy is never far away, and disaster strikes. They're sent crashing to the ground behind enemy lines, where life, death, and love await.
-
-
Another great Heathcliff Lennox
- By Katydid65 on 06-04-21
-
The Reverend Annabelle Dixon Cozy Mysteries: Books 1-4
- Reverend Annabelle Dixon Collection, Book 1
- By: Alison Golden, Jamie Vougeot
- Narrated by: Penny Scott-Andrews
- Length: 13 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Meet Reverend Annabelle Dixon…. Charming, slightly gauche, very tall, this 30-something vicar has just been appointed to the pastoral St. Mary’s Church, in the picturesque village of Upton St. Mary, Cornwall, England.
-
-
Narrator
- By Svenska on 03-29-24
By: Alison Golden, and others
-
An English Garden Murder
- Julia Bird Mysteries, Book 1
- By: Katie Gayle
- Narrated by: Lucy Scott
- Length: 6 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Recently divorced and reluctantly retired, Julia Bird has fled London to enjoy idyllic rural life in the Cotswolds. Determined to have the perfect English garden, her first job is to tear down the old shed, where she unearths much more than she’d bargained for: a body, apparently buried for decades. But who could it be, and who killed them? The police draw a blank, and even the gossip-fest that is the local book club can’t remember anyone going missing in the village.
-
-
Above average cozy series
- By wisconsinclark on 03-27-23
By: Katie Gayle
-
The Scottish Ladies' Detective Agency
- By: Lydia Travers
- Narrated by: Helen McAlpine
- Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Edinburgh, 1911: When Maud McIntyre and her lady’s maid, Daisy, form a detective agency, they never dream their first case will take place at a glamorous house in the Scottish Highlands. But when the duchess of Duddingston, concerned that a notorious jewelry thief will target her lavish weekend party, employs Maud to go undercover as a guest to find the culprit, the agency has its first case to solve....
-
-
Many mysteries in one!
- By Kathy W. on 07-12-23
By: Lydia Travers
-
A Very English Murder
- A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery, Book 1
- By: Verity Bright
- Narrated by: Karen Cass
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England, 1920. Eleanor Swift has spent the last few years travelling the world: taking tea in China, tasting alligators in Peru, escaping bandits in Persia and she has just arrived in England after a chaotic 45-day flight from South Africa. Chipstone is about the sleepiest town you could have the misfortune to meet. But then, from the edge of a quarry, through the driving rain, Eleanor is shocked to see a man shot and killed in the distance. Before she can climb down to the spot, the villain is gone and the body has vanished.
-
-
I wanted to like this so much.
- By BossyFatBabe on 06-23-20
By: Verity Bright
-
Murder on Thames
- Cherringham. A Cosy Crime Series - Mystery Shorts 1
- By: Neil Richards, Matthew Costello
- Narrated by: Neil Dudgeon
- Length: 2 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cherringham - a quiet town in the Cotswolds. Nothing ever happens there, or so it seems - until one morning a woman's body is found in the river. A terrible accident, according to the police. But is this true? Sarah believes there must be more to it. In Jack, a former NYPD homicide detective, she finds a partner who is willing to start investigating with her. They soon find out that things are not as clear as the police want them to be ... This first - of many cases brings Sarah and Jack together in an unlikely partnership.
-
-
Easy listen
- By Teddie on 06-08-19
By: Neil Richards, and others
-
The Body in the Dales
- A Yorkshire Murder Mystery, Book 1
- By: J. R. Ellis
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A body is discovered deep in a cave beneath the Yorkshire Dales. Leading the investigation into the mysterious death are experienced DCI Jim Oldroyd and his partner DS Carter, a newcomer from London. The deceased is Dave Atkins, well known throughout the village but not well liked. While there is no shortage of suspects, the details of the crime leave Oldroyd and Carter stumped.
-
-
Fresh approach; great narration
- By Panache on 08-12-18
By: J. R. Ellis
-
Bunburry 1-3
- A Cosy Mystery Compilation
- By: Helena Marchmont
- Narrated by: Nathaniel Parker
- Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In "Murder at the Mousetrap," the first Bunburry book, fudge-making and quaffing real ale in the local pub are matched by an undercurrent of passion, jealousy, hatred and murder - laced with a welcome dose of humour. Alfie McAlister has retreated from London to the peace and quiet of the country to recover from a personal tragedy. But an accidental death - which may have been no accident - reveals that the heart of England is far from the tranquil backwater he imagined.
-
-
Lovely, sweet story and superb narration
- By Laura Stone on 01-19-20
By: Helena Marchmont
-
Masked Ball at Broxley Manor
- A Royal Spyness Novella
- By: Rhys Bowen
- Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren
- Length: 1 hr and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the end of her first unsuccessful season out in society, Lady Georgiana has all but given up on attracting a suitable man - until she receives an invitation to a masked Halloween ball at Broxley Manor. Georgie is uncertain why she was invited, until she learns that the royal family intends to marry her off to a foreign prince, one reputed to be mad.
-
-
Fun, light prequel
- By CMMV on 01-01-15
By: Rhys Bowen
-
The Cuckoo's Calling
- By: Robert Galbraith
- Narrated by: Robert Glenister
- Length: 15 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, creditors are calling, and after a breakup with his longtime girlfriend, he’s living in his office. Then John Bristow walks through his door with a shocking story: His sister, the legendary supermodel Lula Landry - known to her friends as the Cuckoo - famously fell to her death a few months earlier.
-
-
Unbelievable debut mystery set in London
- By Tracey on 05-26-13
By: Robert Galbraith
-
A Quiet Life in the Country
- A Lady Hardcastle Mystery, Book 1
- By: T E Kinsey
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden
- Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lady Emily Hardcastle is an eccentric widow with a secret past. Florence Armstrong, her maid and confidante, is an expert in martial arts. The year is 1908 and they've just moved from London to the country, hoping for a quiet life. But it is not long before Lady Hardcastle is forced out of her self-imposed retirement. There's a dead body in the woods, and the police are on the wrong scent. Lady Hardcastle makes some enquiries of her own, and it seems she knows a surprising amount about crime investigation...
-
-
excellent!
- By J.L. on 02-27-17
By: T E Kinsey
-
Off to Be the Wizard
- Magic 2.0, Book 1
- By: Scott Meyer
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's a simple story. Boy finds proof that reality is a computer program. Boy uses program to manipulate time and space. Boy gets in trouble. Boy flees back in time to Medieval England to live as a wizard while he tries to think of a way to fix things. Boy gets in more trouble. Oh, and boy meets girl at some point.
-
-
Hang in there
- By Kelly on 03-04-17
By: Scott Meyer
-
The Case of the Canterfell Codicil
- The Anty Boisjoly Mysteries, Book 1
- By: PJ Fitzsimmons
- Narrated by: Tim Bruce
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There’s a literary niche for all tastes including those who think that either Agatha Christie wasn’t funny enough or that PG Wodehouse didn’t feature anywhere near as many baffling murders as he could have. The Case of the Canterfell Codicil is a classic, cozy, locked-room mystery written in the style of an homage to PG Wodehouse.
-
-
Relaxing old fashioned mystery
- By Laurie S on 11-01-22
By: PJ Fitzsimmons
What listeners say about Aunt Bessie Assumes
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 06-06-18
Good story
The performance cadence was too repetitive, putting me to sleep a couple of times but the story line was good so I stuck with it, enjoying the characters & plot very much.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Eva
- 04-06-19
The cutest little book about a cute little island
I've listened to a lot of books on Audible, but this has to be the cutest little murder mystery I've heard in a very long time. just enough to make you really question whodunit and laugh at the humourous banter. Glad I came across the series and I'll keep going.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sarah
- 12-16-19
Yes, Very Cozy
Cozy was what I wanted and cozy it is. The story was not great,although the murders were a pretty good mystery. The characters were not particularly interesting or well-developed but the main characters were very sweet, which is what you want in a cozy mystery I suppose. I wanted something I could listen to when I wake up in the night and can't go back to sleep and it was good for that. Sometimes I fell asleep listening and then had to run it back but that was not a problem. I will try at least one more novel in the series, and I do recommend it as a true Cozy.
The setting on the Isle of Man attracted me and I enjoyed the local color and references to historic sites.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- wisconsinclark
- 11-11-23
Average start for the first book in a series
This is a predictable formula written book. Absolutely nothing new here. It is ok, and as I do not have much waiting in my wish list, I will try the second book as I do not mind the credit I spent on this one.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Boomertwin
- 02-15-17
Good story
Listening to tHis audiobook was fun. It's full of memorable characters and believable situations. I think every small town has an "Aunt Bessie."
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- happyjo
- 01-18-20
Aunt Bessie assumes
I really enjoyed this cozy mystery! The characters were colorful and I found myself chuckling at some of their antics.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sylvia
- 05-23-17
Nice cozy!
Who was your favorite character and why?
Aunt Bessie has a regular life, good, healthy habits, and is a really nice lady. I liked her back story too! Made me feel like I was really getting to know her.
What does Rosalind Ashford bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Really good, interesting voices, full of character!
Any additional comments?
Not as exciting as some other cozy mysteries in my library. BUT I really enjoyed listening due to the good narrator and the interesting characters. I liked Aunt Bessie and all her good friends and neighbors. It was actually comforting to know she would, in the end, be cared for. The "island" personality and information about the language of the island added a lot to the story. Good descriptions about scenery and setting. I am starting the second book today. I hope the others become available soon!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- LOVETOQUILT
- 04-24-23
Don’t bother …
Plot rambles around, too wordy in descriptors, narrator isn’t that good either. Skip this dud.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 04-04-17
Slo-o-o-o-o-o-w and plodding!
Any additional comments?
I maintained hope the book would become more interesting - after all, this is a murder mystery. I agree 100% w/one reviewer that "Aunt Bessie is in sore need of some redeeming qualities and characteristics if she's to pass as a beloved old lady, but seemed to come up very short in that department". Bessie is nothing more than an semi-reclusive "old biddy" who sorely lacks any charm.
I didn't finish the book - I'd endured enough boredom.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kimberly Volk
- 02-20-19
So boring
The monotone sound of her voice put me to sleep. No excitement to the story. Disappointed.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful