The perfect cosy mystery to transport us elsewhere

A Shot in the Dark kicks off another charming mystery series from the authors of the best-selling Cherringham audiobooks. As I wait - rather impatiently - for new books in the Cherringham and Bunburry series' by this publisher, I took my first trip to Mydworth; where Harry Mortimer and his his wife, Kat, arrive with quite a splash. It's unusual to have a happily-married young couple as the amateur sleuths in a story like this, but they make such a good team that it was a very welcome change. Harry's unguarded devotion to his wife and the pride he took in her skills and successes was a delight, and made him far more likeable. As with all Lubbe productions, this audiobook featured their signature jangly musical intro - which I'm not especially fond of. Mydworth is another excellent cosy mystery series from Richards and Costello, and it was the perfect audiobook to take my mind off the tumult in the world right now. It's a short enough adventure that it didn't seem daunting to embark upon at a time when my attention is being pulled in 100 different directions at once, but it still packs a punch. The narrator, Nathaniel Parker, was a joy to listen to, as ever. He has the perfect classic, refined voice to bring out the best in aristocratic characters from the roaring 20s, and even manages Kat's American accent without it sounding too false or out of place in the English village. He has such a soothing voice that he makes a wonderful narrator for cosy mysteries, and I knew the story was in good hands from the start. I've already put book 2 on my wishlist, and I'd heartily recommend the Mydworth series to fans of Cherringham and Bunburry, but also to listeners who enjoy T. E. Kinsey's Lady Hardcastle series, which is set in a similar period.

10 people found this helpful

Great narrator, rubbish plot.

Well it's labelled a "cosy" mystery by which they seem to mean completely lacking in surprises and complexity. You'll know who did it and why 5 mins in...spend the next few hrs waiting for a twist only to find there isn't one.

3 people found this helpful

superb narration

The story/plot was OK but the points are for Nathaniel Parker's narration without which the whole thing would have been rather dull.

3 people found this helpful

Enjoyable

Nice little story and easy listening with the Narrator drawing you into this with each characters voice and descriptive plot. Was sorry when it finished.

2 people found this helpful

Silly childish drivel

Complete waste of two pounds twenty five , a load of childish drivel , almost like a fifteen minute per episode radio series for children. Audible scraping the barrel .

1 person found this helpful

too similar

to similar to the cherringham series, only the female is American and the man English.

1 person found this helpful

Super Start to a New Series

Really enjoyed listening to this lighthearted mystery. It’s just the right length with excellent narration. Look forward to the next in the series.

1 person found this helpful

manor house mystery, gentle, well read.

A genteel Brit and Yank wife go sleuthing in a grand Manor. She's mildly interesting.He's not. Laboured, nothing novel, still a charming listen, suitable for young readers. reminded me of Nancy Drew

Tommy & Tuppence vibe

As a fan of the Cherringham series, I thought this would be worth a listen. Pretty quickly I started having a pleasant familiar feeling and couldn't shake the Tommy and Tuppence vibe - 1920s, a newly married, capable young couple always ready for adventure. Nathaniel Parker is a great choice for the reader of the Mydworth Mysteries and switches smoothly between accents. Due to my impatience short stories suit me well, and having grown up on Agatha Christie, cosy mysteries tend to give me the warm fuzzies, a feeling greatly needed at the moment. If you like simple, well written, well read cosy mysteries with likeable main characters I highly recommend.

Frustratingly predictable

If you have never seen, read or heard a crime mystery before now, you may enjoy this. The characters are likeable to an extent. SPOILER ALERT: As soon as the robbery was committed, I assumed it was faked by the victims, because all the classic hallmarks were there. It took the supposedly clever main characters an annoyingly long time to consider this possibility. Even more irritating than that... Once they work out that the victim staged the crime, they assume it was staged by the husband. The wife is never considered and there’s no reason why she shouldn’t be, other than that she’s a woman. The main characters’ attitude that a woman wouldn’t or couldn’t commit the crime doesn’t make any sense, because one of them is a highly capable woman and the other is the admiring husband of a highly capable woman. There’s no plausible reason for our two detectives to underestimate a woman. This really irritates me. The reveal that the wife committed the crime is written as though it were a plot twist, as though she were the classic ‘least likely suspect’. But she’s not the least likely. She was just as a likely as her husband and more likely that anyone else. I’m disappointed and frustrated.