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  • A Very English Murder

  • A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery, Book 1
  • By: Verity Bright
  • Narrated by: Karen Cass
  • Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (324 ratings)

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A Very English Murder

By: Verity Bright
Narrated by: Karen Cass
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Summary

An absolutely gripping cozy murder mystery

Move over Miss Marple, there’s a new sleuth in town! Meet Eleanor Swift: distinguished adventurer, dog lover, dignified lady…daring detective?

England, 1920. Eleanor Swift has spent the last few years travelling the world: taking tea in China, tasting alligators in Peru, escaping bandits in Persia and she has just arrived in England after a chaotic 45-day flight from South Africa. Chipstone is about the sleepiest town you could have the misfortune to meet. And to add to these indignities - she’s now a Lady.

Lady Eleanor, as she would prefer not to be known, reluctantly returns to her uncle’s home, Henley Hall. Now Lord Henley is gone, she is the owner of the cold and musty manor. What’s a girl to do? Well, befriend the household dog, Gladstone, for a start, and head straight out for a walk in the English countryside, even though a storm is brewing....

But then, from the edge of a quarry, through the driving rain, Eleanor is shocked to see a man shot and killed in the distance. Before she can climb down to the spot, the villain is gone and the body has vanished. With no victim and the local police convinced she’s stirring up trouble, Eleanor vows to solve this affair by herself. And when her brakes are mysteriously cut, one thing seems sure: someone in this quiet country town has Lady Eleanor Swift in their murderous sights....

If you enjoy witty dialogue, glamorous intrigue, and the very best of Golden Age mysteries, then you will adore Verity Bright’s whodunit, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T E Kinsey, and Downton Abbey!

©2020 Verity Bright (P)2020 Bookouture
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What listeners say about A Very English Murder

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A very good listen

A very good listen, easy to pick up the thread again after a break. A good story line, with an interesting twist. Looking forward to the next book. Definitely recommend.

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

Gentle easy to get in to.

Gentle and easy to get in to story sometimes it felt a bit long though. I like the main characters and it kept me guessing.

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

Deliciously thrilling

So refreshing to have an unconventional lady and self assigned sleuth. Fascinating plot with plenty of twists and turns. Eagerly awaiting the next book.

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

An ok book

This is a pleasant listen. The narration was very good. The story is a standard cosy murder mystery set in the 1920s and stuffed with many of the expected clichés. The mystery is a bit of a washout as the culprit is immediately obvious and Lady Swift's soppiness in the face of the hunk is a bit overdone but despite that it's an ok book. I just found myself drifting a bit at times and that is why it's a three star listen.

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

Some serious historical errors

So many basic facts wrong, eg the mayor would only address a titled lady as 'my dear' if he was an elderly friend of the family or trying to insult her. Misogyny was rife but even so a middle class man would rarely dare to insult the titled head of one of the large county homes in this way. And set in 1920? When England had barely begun to recover from a 4 year war, the Great War, in which around 700,000 men from the British Isles died and many more were permanently injured, from a population of less than 20 million men. Every family was affected. Pin oaks – not common in England during this period, so would warrant more than a brief comment. Much more likely to have rows of cypress or English conifers along the drive. Otherwise English oak, beech etc. And heifer of a man? To describe a butcher? Never, it was and is used as an insulting way to refer to a woman. Clothing, shocking for a woman of class to be out without gloves or a hat. Before eating the staff would expect grace, usually said by the butler in the staff area and the man of the house in the upstairs dining room – not “Dive in”. Half a shilling – no, would be called sixpence, a common coin in circulation until 1980 (after decimalisation in 1971 it was officially 2.5 ‘new pence’ but still often called sixpence).

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3 people found this helpful

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

A Very English Murder.....

Just finished this book after completing Helen Dixon series. Verity Bright is another author who has written these books really well. They have that lovely innocence that's hard to find in books at the moment. Karen Cass is a 1st rate narrator/story teller, and I'm looking forward to getting to know the characters - without a change of narrator!

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

Fantastic, really enjoyed this story

Liked the plot, the narrator and the main characters. Was not sure what to expect because I have been listening to a couple of other cosy mystery series recently. I wanted to hear more.

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

Delightful cosy mystery

Sometimes I fancy a gentle old fashioned mystery and this fit the bill perfectly with fun story and engaging characters

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20 people found this helpful

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

Excellent first book can't wait for the next

Great story reminiscent of Dorothy L Sayers. If you love murder and romance then definitely read this

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7 people found this helpful

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

So many twists...and twisted characters.

You are transported to shire life in the 1920s.
A cast of real characters.
Murder or suicide? Who can be trusted?
Even some humour in the banter.
Just so enjoyable.

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