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Winter's Pearl is set in London in the first months of the Second World War during the period of the so-called 'Phoney War'. It draws us into the complex world of Scotland Yard's most famous detective Guy Winter; the Mystery Man. So named because no other living detective has ever solved as many mysteries as Winter of the Yard. However, the great detective's fame and triumphs have come at a high cost. Who needs enemies when your friends are on somebody else's side?
The first audiobook which appeared in Georges Simenon's famous Maigret series, in a gripping new translation by David Bellos.Inevitably Maigret was a hostile presence in the Majestic. He constituted a kind of foreign body that the hotel's atmosphere could not assimilate. Not that he looked like a cartoon policeman. He didn't have a moustache and he didn't wear heavy boots. His clothes were well cut and made of fairly light worsted. He shaved every day and looked after his hands. But his frame was proletarian. He was a big, bony man.
In Full Dark House, Christopher Fowler tells the story of both the first and last case of an unlikely pair of crime fighters - and how along the way they changed the face of detection. A present-day bombing rips through London and claims the life of 80-year-old detective Arthur Bryant. For his partner John May, it means the end of a partnership that lasted over half a century and an eerie echo back to the Blitz of World War II when they first met. Desperately searching for clues, May finds his friend’s notes of their first case....
The British Embassy in Bonn is up in arms. Her Majesty's financially troubled government is seeking admission to Europe's Common Market just as anti-British factions are rising to power in Germany. Rioters are demanding reunification, and the last thing the Crown can afford is a scandal. Then Leo Harting - an embassy nobody - goes missing with a case full of confidential files. London sends Alan Turner to control the damage, but he soon realises that neither side really wants Leo found - alive.
It's DS Logan McRae's first day back on the job after a year off on the sick, and it couldn't get much worse. Three-year-old David Reid's body is discovered in a ditch: strangled, mutilated and a long time dead. And he's only the first. There's a serial killer stalking the Granite City, and the local media are baying for blood. Soon the dead are piling up in the morgue almost as fast as the snow on the streets, and Logan knows time is running out. More children are going missing. More are going to die.
When a young boy discovers the body of a woman beneath a thick sheet of ice in a South London park, Detective Erika Foster is called in to lead the murder investigation. The victim, a beautiful young socialite, appeared to have the perfect life. Yet when Erika begins to dig deeper, she starts to connect the dots between the murder and the killings of three prostitutes, all found strangled, hands bound, and dumped in water around London.
Winter's Pearl is set in London in the first months of the Second World War during the period of the so-called 'Phoney War'. It draws us into the complex world of Scotland Yard's most famous detective Guy Winter; the Mystery Man. So named because no other living detective has ever solved as many mysteries as Winter of the Yard. However, the great detective's fame and triumphs have come at a high cost. Who needs enemies when your friends are on somebody else's side?
The first audiobook which appeared in Georges Simenon's famous Maigret series, in a gripping new translation by David Bellos.Inevitably Maigret was a hostile presence in the Majestic. He constituted a kind of foreign body that the hotel's atmosphere could not assimilate. Not that he looked like a cartoon policeman. He didn't have a moustache and he didn't wear heavy boots. His clothes were well cut and made of fairly light worsted. He shaved every day and looked after his hands. But his frame was proletarian. He was a big, bony man.
In Full Dark House, Christopher Fowler tells the story of both the first and last case of an unlikely pair of crime fighters - and how along the way they changed the face of detection. A present-day bombing rips through London and claims the life of 80-year-old detective Arthur Bryant. For his partner John May, it means the end of a partnership that lasted over half a century and an eerie echo back to the Blitz of World War II when they first met. Desperately searching for clues, May finds his friend’s notes of their first case....
The British Embassy in Bonn is up in arms. Her Majesty's financially troubled government is seeking admission to Europe's Common Market just as anti-British factions are rising to power in Germany. Rioters are demanding reunification, and the last thing the Crown can afford is a scandal. Then Leo Harting - an embassy nobody - goes missing with a case full of confidential files. London sends Alan Turner to control the damage, but he soon realises that neither side really wants Leo found - alive.
It's DS Logan McRae's first day back on the job after a year off on the sick, and it couldn't get much worse. Three-year-old David Reid's body is discovered in a ditch: strangled, mutilated and a long time dead. And he's only the first. There's a serial killer stalking the Granite City, and the local media are baying for blood. Soon the dead are piling up in the morgue almost as fast as the snow on the streets, and Logan knows time is running out. More children are going missing. More are going to die.
When a young boy discovers the body of a woman beneath a thick sheet of ice in a South London park, Detective Erika Foster is called in to lead the murder investigation. The victim, a beautiful young socialite, appeared to have the perfect life. Yet when Erika begins to dig deeper, she starts to connect the dots between the murder and the killings of three prostitutes, all found strangled, hands bound, and dumped in water around London.
A wealthy woman strangled six hours after she's arranged her own funeral. A very private detective uncovering secrets but hiding his own. A reluctant author drawn into a story he can’t control. What do they have in common? Unexpected death, an unsolved mystery and a trail of bloody clues lie at the heart of Anthony Horowitz's new thriller. Spread the word. The word is murder.
Welcome to the Misfit Mob... It's where Police Scotland dumps the officers it can't get rid of but wants to: the outcasts, the troublemakers, the compromised. Officers like DC Callum MacGregor, lumbered with all the boring go-nowhere cases. So when an ancient mummy turns up at the Oldcastle tip, it's his job to find out which museum it's been stolen from. But then Callum uncovers links between his ancient corpse and three missing young men, and life starts to get a lot more interesting.
Amos Decker is a former professional football player whose career was ended by a terrible hit. Now a police detective, Amos is still haunted by a side effect from the accident he can never forget. One night Decker comes home from a stakeout to find his wife, young daughter, and brother-in-law horrifically murdered. Obviously scarred and nearly broken, Decker has to use his skills as a detective and his unusual brain capacity to try to catch the monster who killed his family.
On a freezing morning four drunken students stumble upon the body of a woman in the snow. Rosie has been raped, stabbed and left for dead in a cemetery. The only suspects are the four young men now stained with her blood. Twenty-five years later the police mount a cold-case review of Rosie’s unsolved murder, and the four are still suspects. But when two of them die in suspicious circumstances, it seems that someone is pursuing their own brand of justice....
It looks like a regular advent calendar. Until DC Becky Greene starts opening doors...and discovers a crime scene behind almost every one. The police hope it's a prank. Because if it isn't, a murderer has just surfaced - someone who's been killing for 20 years. But why now? And why has he sent it to this police station? As the country relaxes into festive cheer, Greene and DS Eddie Carmine must race against time to catch the killer. Because there are four doors left, and four murders will fill them....
When editor Susan Ryeland is given the tattered manuscript of Alan Conway's latest novel, she has little idea it will change her life. She's worked with the revered crime writer for years, and his detective, Atticus Pund, is renowned for solving crimes in the sleepy English villages of the 1950s. As Susan knows only too well, vintage crime sells handsomely. It's just a shame that it means dealing with an author like Alan Conway.... But Conway's latest tale of murder at Pye Hall is not quite what it seems.
The murder of any journalist is bound to whip the media into a frenzy. So when ex-BBC correspondent Ed Stonax is found dead, the last thing Detective Inspector Bill Slider needs to complicate his life is the reappearance of an old enemy issuing death threats. Trevor Bates, aka The Needle, is on the loose and trying to kill him. Along with that and a high-profile murder to solve, he must try to find a spare moment to marry Joanna before their baby is born.
Eleanor Trewynn is a widow of some years living in Port Mabyn, a small fishing village in Cornwall, England. In her younger days, she traveled the exotic parts of the world with her husband. These days, she's retired and founded the local charity shop. Her niece, Megan Pencarrow, transferred nearby and was recently promoted to the rank of Detective Sergeant.
Max Tudor has adapted well to his post as vicar of St. Edwold's in the idyllic village of Nether Monkslip. The quiet village seems the perfect home for Max, who has fled a harrowing past as an MI5 agent. But this new-found serenity is quickly shattered when the highly vocal and unpopular president of the Women's Institute turns up dead at the Harvest Fayre. The death looks like an accident, but Max's training as a former agent kicks in, and before long he suspects foul play.
Guy Winter and his faithful sergeant, George Ransom, are heading for the English Midlands, where on a country estate a few miles south of Coventry, Helen Chase, the nation's most famous actress, has been grievously wounded in an apparent orgy of mindless violence that has claimed several other lives in the most bizarre and gruesome of circumstances.
As head of Edinburgh’s CID, Detective Chief Superintendent Bob Skinner has seen it all…but even he is shocked by the savagely mutilated corpse discovered in a dark alleyway. The victim is identified as a successful young lawyer, and the motive for the brutal death remains a mystery. Then further seemingly random killings in the city begin to suggest a vicious serial killer on the rampage. But when the lawyer’s fiancée is also murdered, Skinner realises that someone is in deadly earnest.
Nestled in the hills of the Cotswolds, the village of Duntisbourne Abbots is a well-kept secret. When Joel Jennison is found slaughtered in the same field where his brother’s corpse had lain ten weeks previously, a whole community falls under suspicion. Was it a family feud? An act of revenge?
Winter's War is the first full length Guy Winter mystery. It is set in England in the Second World War at the time of the Battle of Britain and the start of the London Blitz.
August 1940 - Chief Inspector Guy Winter has been Fleet Street's favorite detective for over a decade. Dubbed the "Mystery Man" by his friends and enemies alike, for all his fame he cuts a lonely figure at Scotland Yard, where every newspaper story is fresh grist to an already tired mill. Laid low by personal tragedy, there are many who suspect that the great detective's career is over.
Guy Winter, still in mourning the death of his wife in a tragic traffic accident the year before is summoned back to Scotland Yard to hunt for a psychopathic killer who is retracing Jack the Ripper's 52-year-old bloody trail of terror through London's East End.
Evil stalks the London blackout at the height of the Battle of Britain as a madman sets out to sow panic in the streets. But nothing is quite what it seems. As the threat of invasion looms ever larger and great aerial dogfights rage in the skies over southern England, as air raid sirens wail in the night, searchlights play across the face of the heavens and the first bombs fall, old scores are being settled and we discover that Guy Winter has been living a double life more mysterious than anybody ever suspected.
Now that double life has returned to haunt him. Now he no longer knows whom to call friend or foe.
What has impressed itself on me is how, even though its not a subject I would normally read (a war story) I'm totally enjoyed this book. I love it when that happens and I am taken by surprise as to how this author and his narrator have pulled me into their story and kept me there.
Included in this book is a detailed history on 'New Scotland Yard' which I found to be very interesting not having known that information before. Just a bit of trivia to educate and paint the correct picture pertaining to the book.
The story itself is gripping and entertaining and Guy Winter's fascination with Jack the Ripper and the way he ties his current murder cases in with those of the Ripper is brilliant.
In this story we have the beginning of the love affair with Guy and his 'housekeeper'. Yay!
The narration is excellent as usual and being a South African myself, I was highly amused by the Afrikaans/English accent. It has a sound that only an Afrikaner can produce and it brings a smile to my face when I recall it.
All together I can safely say that this is a book and a series I am quite willing to recommend.
I received a free audiobook from the Narrator, and this is my unbiased review.
I enjoy audiobooks set in London during world war 2. This is a very good example.
Excellent storyline with lots of twists the occasional cad and steamy love and crime under the cover of the blackout.
Good narration is at least half of a good audiobook. Melanie Philips does an excellent job in Winters War bringing the contrasts of a chaotic wartime to London to life. In the future I will take a gamble on new books simply because she is the narrator.
Ok I am off to download the rest in the series.
Please note that this audiobook was reviewed through the Good Reads reviewer programme.
Bill Scott
Edinburgh
September 2016
What did you like most about Winter's War?
The premise of the story i.e. a Jack the Ripper inspired murder mystery set in London during the blitz, really appealed to me. The element of espionage added a layer of complexity and mystery to the story. The story line was very intriguing and the mystery had me hooked while twists and turns kept me guessing. There were plenty of suspects and conspiracy theories as Guy Winters discovered who his friends and enemies really were. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Who was your favorite character and why?
I liked Guy Winters; a complex and clever, albeit flawed, character with a skewed moral compass. There is never a dull moment as he flits from one woman to the next while investigating a string of gruesome murders.
I also liked Sergeant George Ransom who made a very likeable sidekick.
Have you listened to any of Melanie Fraser’s other performances? How does this one compare?
As always Melanie Fraser gives a flawless performance and The Guy Winters series is now one of my favourites. Her accent lends itself very well to the time period and the upper class characters portrayed in the novel. Their old fashioned phrases were in tune with the era and because Melanie voiced them with her RP accent I really felt like I was transported back in time.
Any additional comments?
I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.
4 stars for the story
5 stars for the narration
4 1/2 stars total
This book is set in England, deep into the dark days of WWII. In this first full book of the series, Guy Winter has returned to intelligence work in London following time off to come to terms with the sudden death of his wife. First off, he delves into finding a serial killer, one whose murders are mimicking Jack the Ripper’s as the half-century mark of that slayer’s deeds approaches. Winter discovers a common thread among the victims: all are, or were, working as undercover intelligence agents, gathering information from clients to help the war effort. In addition to stalking this killer, Winter and other members of his circle, provide information on the status of Britain at war. As readers and listeners, we are allowed to listen in on some private conversations that help set the stage for what might happen next. We learn how thinly stretched are the staff of Scotland Yard and the intelligence services of MI5 and MI6, and see how information is tightly controlled, hoarded, by each service.
This is the second book in the series, following Winter’s Pearl. While Winter’s Pearl helped me to sort out the characters, I don’t’ think it’s necessary to read or listen to it in order to enjoy Winter’s War. I enjoyed this second book more than the prequel because it had more action and a more intricate and involved storyline. Both books are bogged down by too much detail, which makes the happenings hard to follow as they get lost in all that minutia. As I listened to this audiobook, I’d find my attention wandering as descriptions and chatter droned on, and then I’d realize that I had missed something important. I would need to rewind and re-listen, which made this book take an extra hour or two to get through.
Other than the main character, Guy Winter, the characters come across flat and stereotypical, but they keep the story moving along. Despite the excellent narration, I often had time keeping the characters sorted. Each had a distinct voice, but their names and positions constantly kept me guessing as to who was who. At times, characters that hadn’t been mentions in many chapters, or since the sequel, are brought back without reintroduction, which made it hard to sort out who they were or how they fit in. Over detailed descriptions and out-of-the-blue characters are, I think, the biggest problems with the writing. I did wonder at the sudden acceleration of the relationship between Guy Winter and his neighbor/housekeeper. It seemed to go from zero to sixty in a very short time, and that didn’t seem to fit either character’s . . . well, character.
There’s a very noir feeling to the book, perfect for war-torn England under siege from constant air attacks. Gas masks, dark streets, sirens wailing, they all add to the atmosphere and provide the perfect backdrop for a Jack the Ripper copycat. The one attack that happens on the street is very well done and demonstrates, without too much detail, how horrific the final minutes of the victims’ lives were. There are a lot of twists and turns built into this book, and they come when you least expect them, especially the surprise near the end. As for the end, I found it a tad out of place. Somehow, the reading of a police report didn’t seem to work with the rest of the book. It very much felt tagged on, as if some editor told the author that he needed some device to tie everything together. This wasn’t the best way to do that.
The narration is excellent, and voices are well defined and well differentiated, male and female. Melanie Fraser narrates with feeling and care, and her voice is a delight for the ears.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It takes some time to get into, but once it picks up speed, it keeps going.
I received a copy of this audiobook for free from the narrator. Opinions expressed in this review are my true reaction to the book and are not influenced by her generosity.
Any additional comments?
Winter’s War by James Philip is the first full length book in the Guy Winter series featuring a WWII Scotland Yard detective at the height of the Battle of Britain. I recommend this audiobook to anyone who enjoys listening to historical espionage thrillers.
The story begins with Guy Winter returning to London after a year’s absence following the unexpected death of his wife. Being an expert in Jack the Ripper lore, Scotland Yard needs Winter to find a serial killer who is mimicking Jack the Ripper’s murders that occurred more than 50 years ago. He soon uncovers a link between the victims that the original Jack the Ripper murders did not possess – the current victims were all "Pearls" of WWI (female spies for British intelligence). My favorite character by far is Sergeant George Ransom who is underappreciated, perceptive, and extremely loyal to Winter.
The author points out that this series is meant to be read and listened to as "coherent, linked episodes," which might explain why the book just ends without any real conclusion. Thankfully, I listened to the next two books as well.
Melanie Fraser narrated this audiobook wonderfully, like she did the other books in the series. Her crisp British accent and soft refined tones were perfect for this audio and definitely contributed to my enjoyment of this book. Melanie really brought the characters to life, using a variety of accents and giving each character their own distinct voice.
Would you listen to Winter's War again? Why?
Yes. I enjoy the historic era represented
What does Melanie Fraser bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Did not read the printed version. Melanie Fraser's narration was brilliant. She speaks impeccably
Any additional comments?
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review
Would you consider the audio edition of Winter's War to be better than the print version?
I would have to read the print version which I would like to do
What did you like best about this story?
I liked the style of writing; the author reminds me of Elizabeth George and PD James, etc.
Which scene was your favorite?
I quite enjoyed the developing relationship between Winter and Ransom as they learn to work together and trust each other
Any additional comments?
I enjoyed this enough that I would pick up more in the series
Winter's War was a good story. The author paid great attention to detail but I had a hard time following along. It may have had too many small details for me to keep up with the larger picture. I think it was more drama than anything. It was good yet overwhelming.
Melanie Fraser's narration was brilliant. She speaks impeccably and I love her voice. She's proven to be an amazing voice actor no matter what she applies herself to.
Overall, this was a decent audiobook. Maybe too much for me but I think James Philip is a wonderful author doing wonderful things.
After listening to the prequel, I had high expectations to this novel. I was somehow disappointed with long boring passages and the actual plot. The story jumps around from character to character and it's not easy to figure out who is who. I think listening to the prologue - Winter's Pearl - before this one, helped a great deal, but for those who hasn't, it can be quite confusing.
The book also contains long boring passages, where I thought 'please, move on!' However, I'm sure many would enjoy it anyway and it could just be my personal preference. The book is well-written, but I was annoyed with the plot, where the author wanted to show us a Jack the Ripper copycat - been there, done that. Why not have given us a different story? I felt the author wanted to tell the actual Jack the Ripper story, just set in another time. I didn't really get attached to any of the characters either.
Melanie Fraser narrated this story very authentic and she has become one of my favorite British narrators. A wonderful and clear British voice will get you through this story and she was the reason I kept listening. The story came to life in an oll' times British environment, as we all know when we watch British period dramas.
*This book was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review.
Winter's War is the first full novel in James Philip's Guy Winter series. If you’ve read the previous novella, Winter's Pearl, some of the seeds that were planted there start to sprout. You need not worry if you haven’t read Winter's Pearl, because the roots beneath those sprouts are clearly visible. The story continues while the Battle of Britain rages but before the onslaught of the Blitz. This provides the backdrop for the hunt for a serial killer while offering insight into the workings of British Intelligence as it tries to manage its expanding role. James Philip's characters tend to provide us with a view of the war as seen from the elevated heights of the British aristocracy. Your belonging to the right club is just as important as holding your commission in the right regiment. Philip also exposes, through this cast of characters, the underside of this venerated class. A crime, a plot, and a war; all skillfully put together by the author.
I received this as a free Audible download in return for an honest review. The narrator, Melanie Fraser, was excellent. She very much added to my enjoyment of the novel.
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
Winter's War is about British inspector Guy Winter who has been taxed to solve a serial killer crime. His personal tradgey is intermingled in the story, which makes for an interesting storyline, but the story is curiously flat.
How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
I think I would have interspersed some more narrative in the story and distinguished the character voices more. I might also have included more inflection, or maybe music to make the story more dramatic.
Which scene was your favorite?
I really liked the surprise ending.
Do you think Winter's War needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
Perhaps, if the story writing could be more lively.
Any additional comments?
I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Note: In exchange for an unbiased review, the author, publisher, and/or narrator were kind enough to provide an audio version of this book at no charge via AudiobookBoom.
This was a decent enough book, but the writing style took a bit to get used to. It often felt like the narration jumped around or it was just assumed straightaway that the listener/reader would know who or what the characters were talking about. So it took me a while to piece together who was who and what was going on with regard to the spy ring. [SPOILER]Also, unless I missed something, the killer/killers of the women was never revealed, which was rather ... odd.[/SPOILER] And the ending felt very abrupt. All of a sudden it was just over, with a paltry "Epilogue" to tie some things up at the end in the form of a police report. The characters weren't hugely appealing, with the exception of Guy Winter's neighbor, who seemed like the only decent one of the bunch. Perhaps by the end, Winter himself turned out to be an alright guy, but the abrupt ending never revealed this to us for sure. Maybe in the next book we'll see a bit more of the new and improved Guy. The narrator did a great job (I just love English accents); it was a female narrating a book primarily from a man's perspective and she carried it off well, so she gets 4-5 stars. I was impressed. Overall, though, I'd have to give this a rating of about three stars for the reasons listed above. Still, it was a decent read and others may find it more enjoyable than I did in general.
I liked this book, especially its atmospheric quality. It is dark and historical, with the main character trying to track down a Jack-the-Ripper copycat. It was interesting to see how prostitutes were used to gain secrets for the Intelligence. I read this book before reading the "Prologue" to the series, but I wish I had done it the other way around, as the prologue really sets the stage and gives more background to the important characters. I found it hard to really like the main character on all levels, which is probably why the book isn't rated higher, but the story is still very interesting and enjoyable. I listened to the Audible audio version of the book narrated by Melanie Fraser and I LOVED her narration. Her voice really adds to the atmosphere of the book, she does a great job of giving each character a unique voice, and she does both female and male voices well. I've listened to three books she has narrated and will definitely check out more that she's done. Overall, if you like highly atmospheric, WWII mystery/spy/espionage books, this is one to check out.