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The Hawkshead Hostage

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The Hawkshead Hostage

By: Rebecca Tope
Narrated by: Julia Franklin
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About this listen

Summer has come to Windermere, where Persimmon "Simmy" Brown runs her own florist shop. But the shop is struggling for money, so a contract to provide floral displays for a hotel in Hawkshead couldn't have arrived at a better moment. However Simmy's association with the hotel soon turns sinister when she finds a body in the lake. To make matters worse, her friend, Ben Harkness, is now missing and thought to be kidnapped. With many suspicious characters bustling in and out of the hotel, while simultaneously trying to cope with her father's encroaching dementia, solving the puzzle seems a gruelling challenge, but Simmy is compelled to uncover the truth....

©2016 Rebecca Tope (P)2017 Soundings Crime Fiction Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Crime
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I ordered two of this series of books after becoming addicted to the antics of persimmon brown in earlier books which I had been borrowing from the library, so much that when they dried up I followed the Cotswold series also. I had credits so this was a way to ‘read’ the remaining books of the series as the full price of the physical books was prohibitive.
I really cannot stand the narration and it makes simmi sound like a ninny, very aunt sally and Ben is too gruff and sounds like a dim wit. Really detestable, it’s been a struggle to get through a single chapter and I have had the books for months and avoided them. It was only that I’ve been on holiday that I’ve eventually got through them as the beginning and middle of the book was so boring it would be an effective way to drop off to sleep, within minutes, managing to skip large chunks since many chapters are so long. It only got going in the last hour when the pieces of the jigsaw begin to fit together ( as seems to be the recipe with these books) as the other faff and terrible accents was too much to bear especially since they are nothing like the characters that I’d previously envisaged. So, the last hour was okay and it explained everything. I think I’ll leave the next book until I have trouble sleeping again or better still wait until I can get it in the library and resurrect the characters to their former glory. We’ve been listening to the how to train your dragon books narrated by David Tennant, now they are genius and the characters so believable and consistent- poles apart!! Kept the whole family spellbound for many hours in the car!

Disappointed

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Another enjoyable murder mystery set in the Lakes. The focus of the Hawkeshead Hostage was on the new character Bonnie and Simmie took second place in the story. This was an interesting diversion to the usual plot. Good, light listening.

An interesting diversion

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Really enjoyed this book very good story and made me want to keep listening was a good reader to

Good story

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What was most disappointing about Rebecca Tope’s story?

The characters have nothing new to offer I am afraid. I have all the books in the series and this will be the last I purchase.

What about Julia Franklin’s performance did you like?

As in all of the Hawkshead series the narration is first class.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I was disappointed by this book.

This series has run its course

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