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Preview
  • Murder in Merrywell

  • Violet Brewster, Book 1
  • By: Jane Bettany
  • Narrated by: Hannah Parker
  • Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (16 ratings)

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Murder in Merrywell

By: Jane Bettany
Narrated by: Hannah Parker
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Summary

Welcome to Merrywell. Population: small. Secrets: aplenty.

Murder in Merrywell is an entertaining and engaging cozy mystery set against a beautiful backdrop.’ – Clare Chase

Ex-journalist Violet Brewster is keen to make a good first impression in her new community, having just moved to the small village of Merrywell. When Violet hears about the mystery of Helen Slingsby, who disappeared from the village forty years earlier, she decides to help uncover what happened. But despite Violet’s best efforts, she can find no trace of the missing woman.

As Violet talks to the other residents, it becomes apparent that something sinister is lurking beneath the village’s idyllic exterior.

When a villager is found dead in their home, Violet becomes convinced that the murder is connected to Helen. Did Helen ever really leave Merrywell? Who in the village is hiding something? And can Violet finally solve this forty-year-old mystery before someone else gets hurt?

An utterly gripping and page-turning English cozy mystery, perfect for fans of Clare Chase, Frances Evesham and Betty Rowlands.

©2023 Jane Bettany (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
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Critic reviews

"Murder in Merrywell is an entertaining and engaging cozy mystery set against a beautiful backdrop." (Clare Chase)

What listeners say about Murder in Merrywell

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  • Overall
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Lovely murder mystery

Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book, great story and narration. A happy few hours. Will definitely be listening to the next book.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fab Cosy Crime

Fab, cosy crime, excellent narrator. really enjoyed it and hope there will be more books to come.

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Excellent

Well narrated...really enjoyed this story. Hope there will be more to come in the series.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Incredible narration and storytelling

The narrator reads this so beautifully. Would recommend for fans of cosy, rural murder mysteries!

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

A bit drawn out ...

Although I agree with other reviewers that it was a good enough story for the cosy crime genre and the narration was good, I did find myself thinking "Oh, get on with it" sometimes; the story, not the narration..
Also, I'm afraid I found that the main protagonist, our 'heroine', was extremely annoying. I couldn't decide whether she was enormously arrogant or stupid. On reflection I think she was both. New to the community, she thoughtlessly and tactlessly blundered into people's lives and feelings in her (in the end) self-appointed pursuit of 'solving the mystery'.
Subtle, she was not. She broke confidences and seemed to feel entitled to do so.
Of course, this was the plot device to move the story along, but I just found her conceit irritating (she was right and the emotional wreckage she left in her wake was unimportant); it made her a very unsympathetic character.
I believe that we who enjoy cosy mysteries enjoy them because we are in sympathy and like the main protagonist/sleuth. Despite the narrative, I doubt that her character has learnt any lessons and would act just the same in the future.
I only stuck this story out to see if my guess about 'whodunnit' was correct.
If this turns out to be a series, I doubt that I shall be bothering Audible for Book 2, unless the inhabitants of Merrywell decide to bump off Violet Brewster for her overweening ways. I'd listen to that one!

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Was this written by ChatGPT?

Competent narration of almost pleasurably awful book, which appeared to have been written entirely out of cliches. I became enthralled but not in a good way…

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