A Picture of Murder Audiobook
By: T E Kinsey
Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden
Brilliance Audio 10/22/2018
Lady Hardcastle Series #4
9 hrs and 08 mins
A Picture of Murder Audiobook Sample
A Picture of Murder Audiobook
3.5 Hearts
In the autumn of 1909, Ghosts and witches and things that go bump in the night have the whole village in a dither right as the film festival gets underway featuring a spooky moving picture about a vengeful witch. Lady Hardcastle and her ladies maid, Flo Armstrong, have their hands full as murders staged just like scenes from the movie leave them with another mystery to solve.
I enjoy the Lady Hardcastle mysteries for the fun turn of the century historical setting, for the lively, quirky characters of the eccentric lady and her maid who are a retired British spy team, and for the lively way the mysteries are presented in a blend of historical and cozy mystery.
Each book has Lady Hardcastle with a new hobby enthusiasm. In this case, she is practicing using her camera to make stop-action movies and hosting an early era moving picture film company of actors in her home for the village festival. I chuckled often at the quirky local villagers and the banter between Lady Hardcastle and Flo.
The plot took its time with daily life in Lady Hardcastle’s home, the village, and the goings on at the cinematic festival with the murders and their investigation coming along slowly. Inspector Sutherland is back as are Skins and his bandmate from earlier books A past issue from their espionage days comes up, but is left open to tease the reader a bit of what is to come of that.
There are several times when I caught things repeating themselves each time someone new came along and the characters can make the same exclamation like ‘right you are’ or the housekeeper calling everyone ‘lover’. Just little niggles, but distracting.
The mystery kept me guessing until near the end and still, I didn’t have the entire thing figured out right so got a surprise at the big reveal.
All in all, it was another wonderful outing with a fun, eccentric pair of amateur detectives. The mystery had a great twist and I loved the seasonal theme that gave a light spooky feel at times without being scary. Those who enjoy cozy mysteries and early twentieth century England should give these a go.
A Picture of Murder Audiobook Narration
4.5 Hearts
The narrator, Elizabeth Knowelden is a repeat favorite and a splendid match for this series. She voices Lady H and Flo exceptionally well, but does a great job with class accents, both genders, and the pace and tone of the story. She captures a bit of sparkle to her voice that makes me think if I saw her characters it would be the equivalent of a twinkle in the eye.
Tim Kinsey was born in England in the 1960s when everything was groovy. He grew up in London in the ’70s when everything was brown and mostly made of corduroy. He went to university in Bristol in the 1980s when hair was big and spectacles bigger. He worked in magazines in the ’90s when Britannia was cool. In the early-2000s, when the millennium was new and the possibilities boundless, he helped the Internet to boom by working on one of its most famous sites.
And now he writes murder mysteries.
Lady Hardcastle first appeared in October 2014 in four short stories gathered together in a self-published version of A Quiet Life in the Country. In July 2015 four more stories appeared as The Spirit Is Willing. At the end of that year, he signed a publishing deal with Thomas & Mercer.
Elizabeth Knowelden is a British actress who’s passion for truthful story-telling has led her to work with some of the best in the business, with a loyal fan base across the UK and America.
After training in London at the Webber Douglas Academy where she received recognition from the Sir Laurence Olivier board, she went straight into the theatre – spending time at the Old Vic Theatre as part of Kevin Spacey’s term as artistic director; working with the likes of RSC director Samuel West with the Theatre Royal Haymarket and Laurence Olivier winning director Tom Hunsinger. As a singer, she has worked in musicals and performed as a soloist at the Royal Albert Hall.
On moving to America, BAFTA honored Elizabeth by recognizing her work and welcoming her as “BAFTA : Newcomer in LA” :”It’s a true honour to be given a pat on the back by such a remarkable organisation, especially when you are so passionate about doing good work. It’s incredible.”
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