Murder in the Manor (A Lacey Doyle Cozy Mystery—Book 1)

Fiona Grace

Nov 2019 · A Lacey Doyle Cozy Mystery Book 1 · Fiona Grace

About this audiobook

MURDER IN THE MANOR (A LACEY DOYLE COZY MYSTERY—BOOK 1) is the debut novel in a charming new cozy mystery series by Fiona Grace. <p><p>Lacey Doyle, 39 years old and freshly divorced, needs a drastic change. She needs to quit her job, leave her horrendous boss and New York City, and walk away from the fast life. Making good on her childhood promise to herself, she decides to walk away from it all, and to relive a beloved childhood vacation in the quaint English seaside town of Wilfordshire.<p><p>Wilfordshire is exactly as Lacey remembers it, with its ageless architecture, cobblestone streets, and with nature at its doorstep. Lacey doesn’t want to go back home—and spontaneously, she decides to stay, and to give her childhood dream a try: she will open her own antique shop.<p><p>Lacey finally feels that her life is taking a step in the right direction—until her new star customer turns up dead.<p><p>As the newcomer in town, all eyes are on Lacey, and it’s up to her to clear her own name.<p><p>With a business to run, a next-door neighbor turned nemesis, a flirty baker across the street, and a crime to solve – is this new life all that Lacey thought it would be?<p><p>Book #2 in the series—DEATH AND A DOG—is also available for preorder!

Ratings and reviews

A very enjoyable read! Twists and turns kept me guessing throughout, without feeling contrived. The story was engaging, I found the characters to be multifaceted and vibrant, and the main character was very likeable and relatable. Plus, her budding story arc DEFINITELY makes me want to continue on in the series. I also want to give a nod to the narrator/reader, who had a lovely voice, and whose narration was delightful and expressive, without being saccharine or melodramatic (or just weird, as some can be). My only complaint is that the audio version does contain a few repetitions and false starts - I actually thought my app was glitching, a few times - but that obviously comes down to editing on the audio side, and is no fault of the author's...

This was my first audio book and it was a pleasant distraction from the trying times we find ourselves in now. The writing is quite nice and cozy, indeed, and the narration by Mary Sarah made it all very enjoyable. It all reminded me of a Hallmark mystery movie. There was a loose end or two but the characters were people I would like to revisit so I will download the second in the series.

I enjoyed this audio book. A fun story that got more intriguing as it went on. I noted that some previous reviews complained about the narrator, but I found her quite easy to listen to, and she spoke very clearly. I hate it when a narrator mumbles, and you either can't make out what they are saying, or have to strain to catch every word. Thanks.

About the author

Debut author Fiona Grace is author of the LACEY DOYLE COZY MYSTERY series which includes MURDER IN THE MANOR (Book #1), DEATH AND A DOG (Book #2) and CRIME IN THE CAFE (Book #3). Fiona would love to hear from you, so please visit www.fionagraceauthor.com to receive free ebooks, hear the latest news, and stay in touch.