A Man of Some Repute

Pretty good "pseudo" golden age mystery

I enjoy the English "Golden Age" mystery, and have read Sayers and Marsh and Heyer and Wentworth and Christie, etc. For an author who grew up outside of England and is modern rather than someone born before WWI, I think Elizabeth Edmondson does a pretty good job of creating a pseudo Golden Age mystery. I don't know enough about upper class Catholics in England during an just after WWII to know if she got those details right, but otherwise I was pretty satisfied with her period detail. Bonus points for remembering that food and other items were still rationed in England for some years after WWII ended.

The mystery itself was good, plenty of red herrings, the actual killer not telegraphed too early, but not appearing out of thin air either. And good, competent writing.

The thing I disliked the most about the story is the pretty obvious set up for the next book. I like a series, but I tend to prefer that each book stand alone. In this case many loose ends have been left, basicly getting ready for the next book, which will really be mainly a continuation of this book, with more family secrets coming to light. If she ties things up in A Question of Inheritance, which comes out soon, I will be satisfied. If she strings things on and on, I think it will get old.

The reader does a good job making an interesting read, and distinguishing the characters well enough so one knows who is speaking.

Over all, a good listen

92 of 96 people found this review helpful

Amusing cozy mystery with a twist

This book would be a traditional cozy mystery, set in an English village in 1953, except for the twist that it's also a spy novel. The characters are well drawn, if stereotypical; the dialogue is sharp, and there's just enough of a cliffhanger--or maybe two--to hint at a satisfying series to come. I recommend this for cozy fans who are getting a bit tired of the standard whodunit murder puzzle.

53 of 55 people found this review helpful

Intriguing Plot & Characters Become Talking Heads

I finished listening to this book because I liked the characters and wanted to know whodunit. That said, the book often becomes long scenes with talking heads. Narrative description, setting, and period detail are almost completely missing. In scenes with only two characters, the author uses no taglines, an affectation that can be taken too far. Long stretches of dialogue with no narrative or setting breaks leave the reader floating; much more grounding is required, While I applaud the author for making sure the reader can always tell who is speaking on a page, Michael Page's transitions between characters sometimes make it difficult to tell when a voice changes. I have still given the narrator four stars because I think the issue is often due to the lack of taglines and the writer.

The ending was a bit annoying because a new story line that could change important features of the story is introduced. I don't mind knowing a book is part of a series but cliffhangers on the final pages bother me.

74 of 80 people found this review helpful

Definitely lives up to its subtitle

With interesting and believable characters that represent a cross-section of post WW2 England country life, the story kept my interest right up to the final pages. The characters were likable and the plot complicated without being contrived. The narrator did an excellent job of portraying individuals! I am amazed that one person could sound like so many different people-- both male and female. Highly recommended to English mystery fans!

25 of 27 people found this review helpful

A great start to a new English murder series.

All the ingredients of a good series such as an old castle, a disappeared relative, mysterious death and hints of World War II espionage enhanced by a great fleet of characters all done with superb narration made this a most enjoyable story experience. Please put me down for the next in the series!

33 of 37 people found this review helpful

I loved this despite myself

What made the experience of listening to A Man of Some Repute the most enjoyable?

expected the same old same old in post war mysteries. Even though I thought I knew what would happen next, I had to keep listening, just in case the thread was a furphy. Nice to have the little known consequences of the war highlighted, in the orphaned child, the loss of continuity, and the fear continued to be experienced by tenants. What next please!

If you’ve listened to books by Elizabeth Edmondson before, how does this one compare?

I have never listened to this author before, but will be looking her up asap. I now have high expectations of what else she may have written

Have you listened to any of Michael Page’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The narrator was new to me, I always listen to the preview before I buy as the narrator is such an important part of the experience

Any additional comments?

more please

25 of 28 people found this review helpful

Fantastic

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Great story, well developed, likable chaeacters. I hated to leave. Will be watching for the next one.

28 of 32 people found this review helpful

A "Vintage-Style" British Mystery

If you are fan of Agatha Christie style mysteries you will probably really enjoy this book. I was a bit disappointed because I thought it was a "real" vintage mystery--not just vintage style. At times I thought the characters were too flat and undeveloped. I also felt that it was over the top in places when it came to the "vintage" concept.

I will say that I listened at the same time that several friends were listening too. We had the same divide in opinions as those here in the on site reviews. Some loved it, and the rest of us were lukewarm to cool about the story and narration. The reading/voicing made following the characters difficult at times because they all sounded very alike.

I know that the author, Elizabeth Edmondson died in January so as far as I know there are only two more books in the series. Book one ends with a cliff hanger that left us all saying oh no! Really it was more like OH NO!! if I'm being completely honest. Book two is set at Christmas time--so if I continue with the series it won't be until December rolls around again.

Recommended if you enjoy 1950's "very English" mysteries. Pretty good.

35 of 41 people found this review helpful

Amateurish Bordering on Ridiculous

As a fan of historical fiction mysteries such as those by Laurie King and Imogen Robertson, I was looking forward to another series that I might delve into and thus chose A Man of Some Repute. Unfortunately, aside from fair character development, this book was generally ridiculous. At times I felt I was listening to a Scooby Doo or Murder She Wrote transcript. So many instances of a character just happening to stumble on a vital clue in a preposterous manner left me rolling my eyes more times than I can recall with any book. I nearly laughed out loud at what I will call the equus ex machina Moment (without giving anything away). The narrator was excellent and is likely the only reason I stayed with it. Don't waste your money or time on this book. If you haven't already, check out the series by Laurie R King or Imogen Robertson to find out how truly gifted professionals write.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

More, please!!

Thoroughly enjoyed this new cozy! Interesting, likeable characters. There are indications that there will be more episodes to follow. Nothing objectionable here - no sexual situations, no vulgar language. I'll be looking for the next one, for sure!! Michael Page's narration was very good!!

19 of 23 people found this review helpful