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  • Murder at Hawthorn Cottage

  • A Melissa Craig Mystery, Book 1
  • By: Betty Rowlands
  • Narrated by: Joan Walker
  • Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (78 ratings)

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Murder at Hawthorn Cottage

By: Betty Rowlands
Narrated by: Joan Walker
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Publisher's Summary

Meet Melissa: cat lover, caring mother… daring detective?

Melissa Craig is absolutely delighted with her new life in an old crumbling cottage, spending her days pruning the primroses and getting to know Binkie, the ginger cat next door. She only wishes she had made the move to the countryside sooner.

But when a knock at the door brings news of a shocking discovery, she suddenly finds herself thrown in to the middle of a baffling mystery: the bones of a young woman have been found in the woods just behind her new home.

Perhaps the little village of Upper Bembury is not as idyllic as it first seemed?

Strange phone calls in the night convince Melissa that the police are barking up completely the wrong tree, so she can’t resist doing a little digging of her own. From the bingo hall to the beauty salon and beyond, her search ruffles a few feathers and uncovers many of the village’s most scandalous secrets, but gets her no closer to finding the culprit.

The discovery of a tatty old photograph in a drawer is the final piece of the puzzle she needs, but as a newcomer in this close-knit community, does Melissa have what it takes to get to the bottom of this extraordinary murder mystery alone?

A joy to read! An absolutely unpausable whodunnit for fans of Agatha Christie, P.D. James and Faith Martin.

This book was previously published as A Little Gentle Sleuthing.

©2018 Betty Rowlands (P)2018 Bookouture

What listeners say about Murder at Hawthorn Cottage

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

The narrato does mot really reflect the character

I found that it was hard to follow at times and the narrator was a bit hard to understand.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Bel
  • 18-06-2021

So very judgemental

If you’re looking for a book where women are incredibly judgmental about other women’s sexual desires or sexual history while consistently rewarding or justifying the same behaviour in men the this is the book for you! However if you’re hoping for a puritanical take on women’s sexual behaviour (which you might be justified in expecting given it is a sex worker who has been murdered) then the fact that it’s also very pro-extramarital affairs will likely upset you greatly.

The attitudes of the women in this book depress me greatly. Women who enjoy being sexually active, women who enjoy pornography, and women who have no interest in sex are all healthy and deserve respect. Similarly sex-workers deserve respect regardless of their motivation. There is more judgment of the women in this book than: discussion of the murder, blame of the murderer or concern about the many abusive relationships that litter the book end to end.

That said, the structure of the murder mystery itself is interesting and well thought out and the narrator did well.

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

Great book.

Great story and could not stop listening. can't wait to read the next book in the series.

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

Cosy but deadly!

A great relaxing read which keeps the reader's attention but doesn't tax the brain too much! I enjoyed it and came back for more.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Narration was just awful - ruined a good plot

I liked the story but found the narration by Joan Walker absolutely dreadful. Every character (man or woman) except for Melissa had the same hideous forced accent that didn’t suit any of the characters - was hard to get through the book, but I persevered. Will definitely stay clear of any future books narrated by Jian Walker…

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

Couldn’t get past Chapter 3

I did not enjoy the narration and the flowery detail was too predictable. Returned without finishing.

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3 people found this helpful

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