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Very Good!

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-22-24

I'm glad I listened to this. I have listened to one other title by this author, and I very much enjoyed both. Compelling storyline and good character development. Kept me interested.

At first, I wasn't sure the narrator would make a suitable match for the age range of the protagonist, but I soon changed my mind. I think she did a wonderful job. I appreciated her transitions, from different age ranges to accents. I would love to hear more of her narration in the future.

If it were an option, I would give the book and the narrator each 4 1/2 stars.

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Loved It!!!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-08-24

I enjoyed this from beginning to end. The plot and characters were fairly easy to follow (but not boring). The narrator did an excellent job of keeping this reader engaged. I didn't want the book to end. I appreciated the way all the loose ends were explained near the end. (At one point, I wondered whether some of the earlier details would be left unexplained, which would have left me feeling disappointed.) I certainly did not see that last surprise at the very end!! Could be a cliffhanger...

This is at least the third book by Gemma Rogers I've listened to, and I want to listen to all of her books eventually. I also find Imogen Church very easy to listen to, and I would gladly choose more titles with her doing the narration.

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Nice Cozy Mystery

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

Reviewed: 03-23-24

I've been listening to a lot of books from the "domestic thriller" type of genre, so this served as a welcome departure from the dark intensity of those. The "cozy mystery" type of novel certainly has a place in my listening menu. I enjoyed this one. It took me a while to "get into" the storyline, and I did begin to lose interest a little toward the end, but I still listened to the book in its entirety. Didn't regret it. I don't know that I would pay full price for them since this isn't my usual kind of listen, but I will definitely keep an eye out for when the Lady Hardcastle mysteries are on sale on Audible. I have already purchased another one of them that was on sale.

Some of the expressions/exclamations struck me as so cliché and "on the nose" that I wondered whether the author is actually English (I eventually checked his bio, and he is) . But that was okay, and it might have been his intention.

As always, Elizabeth Knowelden's voice was captivating, and it truly enhanced this experience. I don't know how accurate any of her accents were because I am not from England, but I thoroughly enjoyed them regardless.

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Good but Not Her Best

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

Reviewed: 02-05-24

I enjoyed listening to this, but not as much as "Those People," also by Louise Candlish, which I listened to just prior to this one. The storyline was fairly compelling, with a few unexpected turns. However, I found this a bit hard to follow at times, and my mind wandered sometimes, causing me to need to rewind many passages. I suppose I had set the bar higher for this author based on my previous listen. I do still plan to listen to more of her books here on Audible, and thus far, I think she is a talented storyteller.

The narration was very good, and I do appreciate multiple narrators for one book. I think Elizabeth Knowelden has a wonderful voice, but my only problem is that she generally speaks in a whispering tone, which can make it a challenge to hear what she is saying. I think the responsibility for this falls to the audio production, which I feel should be adjusted accordingly. I have excellent hearing and still had trouble hearing this with the volume turned up all the way. If I'm consistently straining to hear what is being said, something is not quite right... Other than this, I really did enjoy listening to both narrators.

EDITED TO ADD: The problem is definitely with the sound production and not the narrator herself. Just started listening to another book by a different author, also narrated by Elizabeth Knowelden. I can hear her perfectly in this one!

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New Louise Candlish Fan!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-14-23

I've listened to numerous books in this genre on Audible, and I would place this in my top 10 or maybe even my top 5 to date. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this from beginning to end. Although the many twists and turns seemed a bit much near the end, I still mostly appreciated them and felt that the author did a great job overall. I'm a new fan of hers, for sure! I have already purchased more titles by Louise Candlish as a result of listening to this book.

I also very much enjoyed the multiple narrators. I wish this was done more often with the books I've been listening to on Audible. The multiple voices added to the experience. All of the narrators did a wonderful job.

5 stars all around for this one!

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Very Good Listen

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-06-23

I enjoyed listening to this very much. The plot was compelling, and the character development was interesting. I think this is the second book by this author I have listened to, and I will certainly listen to more of his books here on Audible.

I also enjoyed the narration. I definitely appreciated all of the narrators. Just a noticeable (but small) "flaw" for each performance by the two main narrators. I would have given 4 1/2 stars for narration if Audible made this possible for reviews, but I don't think the two tiny issues merited only 4 stars overall for narration.

When the narrator for Pete spoke in Maddie's voice, it made me cringe for some reason. This didn't happen when he spoke in other female characters' voices, only for the Maddie character. Maybe this had something to do with the Maddie character being Australian, I'm not sure. But it wasn't intolerable, just sounded a bit icky to me. Obviously, this is primarily a matter of personal preference, and apart from it, I think the narrator did a great job. Would like to listen to more of him in the future.

Also, the narrator who voiced the Maddie character would periodically sniff (not very loudly) throughout the performance, as though she was suffering from allergies. It happened enough times that I wondered whether she could not re-read the lines when it happened, or perhaps she wasn't aware of it. I also wondered whether this could not have been edited out, but maybe that wouldn't be cost effective. I would still gladly listen to this narrator again though.

Overall, well done by all! This book flew by for me.

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Stuck With It, Ending Was Better Than Expected

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 10-14-23

Well... I will say that I don't necessarily regret sticking with this.

I didn't care much for the character development. I don't need all or most of the characters in a story to be likable. However, it helps if the protagonist has some redeeming qualities, at least something to root for throughout the journey. This protagonist and most of the supporting characters were so unlikable (and hateful) that it was difficult for me to care about the outcome. I believe the hateful quality of some of the other characters was intended to be mostly projection on the part of the protagonist, but still... ugh.

The ending (sort of) made it worth the listen. I thought I had it figured out, and then the twist at the end really surprised me. I do like that in a suspenseful drama, so the ending saved it for me.

The narrator was not bad, but I felt irritated by the forceful defiance she employed during much of her narration. It just seemed over the top and a bit childish, lacking nuance. I would listen to more of this narrator though, mostly to see if this is something she always does or only did for this book. I believe she is British, so maybe some nuance was "lost in the translation" of performing with an American accent.

I believe I received this title for free as part of the Audible library/membership, and I'm glad about that. I'm not sure that after listening to this book, I would seek out other titles by Natalie Barelli, but for some reason, I seem to already have other titles of hers in my library (I probably purchased them when they were the deal of the day or part of a big sale). I will certainly listen with an open mind to the ones I already own.

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Wish I Could Give This 4.5 Stars! Enjoyed It!

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-30-23

I really wish we could give half ratings, like 4 1/2 stars, 3 1/2 stars, etc. here on Audible. I would definitely have given this 4 1/2 stars overall, and the same for performance and story.

This was a very easy listen, and I found it easy to lose myself in the storyline. The time really flew by as I became more engrossed in the plot. Good plot development and character development. And I agree with what at least one other reviewer stated, that characters aren't necessarily meant to be likable in fiction, and particularly, in novels of drama and suspense! In fact, if you find yourself loathing one or more characters, the author is likely doing her or his job well. ;-)

One thing I appreciate about every Sue Watson book (that I've listened to thus far) is that she always throws in a few surprising twists near the end. Even when I sort of guess "whodunit," she still adds a twist or two that I don't see coming. And I loved how this ended!

Very much enjoyed the narrator, Diana Croft. I would absolutely like to listen to more of her narration in the future.

At times, I did notice a strange voice transition/difference in sound quality from the end of one chapter to the beginning of the next. But this was clearly a production issue, and I don't think it was anything within the narrator's control.

I give a solid 4 1/2 stars all around for this!!

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Enjoyable Enough

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

Reviewed: 09-07-23

Overall, I enjoyed listening to this. If I could have given 3.5 instead of 3 stars overall, I would have. I found it a bit challenging to get into the storyline at first, but I was pretty hooked after a few chapters.

I wasn’t expecting or looking for the (relatively mild) “bodice ripper” segments that were occasionally included, lol. That type of material isn't generally my cup of tea (not that I find it offensive, just a bit silly), but overall, there weren't many of those passages.

One detail that bothered me was that the protagonist kept saying “Ryan and me,” “Phoebe and me,” etc. It was done enough to be distracting to me, and it me wonder whether, as a professional writer, the author actually thinks this is the correct grammar or whether the protagonist is supposed to think this (although she attended university and received a degree, if I remember correctly..?). It was just noticeable to me as no one I know says this, and my family/friends and I are certainly not elitist or overeducated...

The plot was enjoyable enough and kept me listening, but it did seem a bit unbelievable in some places and dragged on in others. As another reviewer stated, it's probably best to wait until this one is on sale.

As she generally is, this narrator was good, and she matched the tone of the story.

I do not regret spending time listening to this, and I will certainly listen to more from this author and narrator here on Audible.

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Had Its Moments...

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 08-10-23

Overall, I don't regret the time spent listening to this.

The narrator was very good, but the fact that she pretty much whispered the entire novel was frustrating. I have good hearing, but I had to strain to listen to this at full volume many times. Almost abandoned it near the beginning for this reason. I'm not sure whether this was a performance error on her part or a production/audio oversight or if maybe she was directed to perform it like that..?

The storyline was good enough, but some of the physical violence seemed a bit gratuitous and cringeworthy, like those formulaic scenes in blockbuster movies that make me yawn. The plot had its moments, but parts of it felt a bit contrived to me.

I'm not sorry I listened to this, but the whispering was maddening. I would listen to more books by this author, and I would absolutely listen to this narrator again (but if she did the whispering thing throughout again and I had to strain to hear it, I might have to stop and request a refund!!).

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