Too much recall and verbosity

I am a fan of Mr Marsto and this is the one of this series. To.be fair it may be I chose the wrong story. But I gave in at chapter 12

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Bit confusing at times

I’ve enjoyed ‘cosy’ medieval murder books in the past. Recently I’ve been firmly in the 21st century of murder/crime books, so it took me a long time to readjust.

I found the characters really confusing to begin with and I restarted the book 3 times. Once I got them straight, I was hooked.

Good narrator. Very theatrical at times especially with the religious community voices; and not bad at women.

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not so keen

I wasnt so keen on this story but probably didn't listen to it quickly enough

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Great narrator

David Thorpe really makes this book come alive, he is a fantastic narrator , gods plot and storyline.

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1 person found this helpful

Easy listening at its best.

This is historical fiction at the shallow end of the history pool but not the worse for it. Edward Marston seems to have perfected the lightness of touch needed for cosy crime eleventh-century-style.The historical detail was enough to make the setting removed from reality yet earthy enough for enjoyment.

The characters were engaging and diverse, the plot was entertaining and interesting without any angst to trouble the reader, and the denouement satisfactory.

What more could we want? David Thorpe as a narrator, that's what. He gives as masterful a performance as ever.

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5 people found this helpful

Great medieval detail

Mardton’s two principal characters, Ralph and Jervase, are a wonderful contrast and each plays a specific role in this medieval mystery. The plot twists and turns but I did work it out, thus the 4 stars, but for the first in a series I am hopeful the others will surpass it. The writing evokes the period, with lots of detail, but wound through the story, never delivered in a lecturing way.
At first I found the narration a bit OTT but it soon settled down and the different characters were delivered very well and gave an individual voice to each one. Throughly enjoyed it, off to buy the next one.

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1 person found this helpful

Enjoyable Historic Fiction

well conceived with a good twist and excellent delivery by the story teller David Thorpe.

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1 person found this helpful

Interesting read

Interesting details about life and state of the country post Norman Conquest and compiling the Doomsday book. Good murder mystery too.

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fantastic

I love everything about these books the people are so real the story brilliant
it's like you were there watching it all unfold before you

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Great story brilliantly read

I do like a medieval mystery and fell on these books through my own stupidity. Searching for books narrated by another (Stephen Thorne) who I really enjoyed, I mistook David Thorpe (yes I admit they are not even similar and I blame old age!), so downloaded the first of the series.
The stories are brilliant not overly complex which I enjoy as I listen to them to relax but have a great range of humour and intrigue.
David’s ability to bring the characters to life is amazing you can easily immerse yourself into the conversations and feel the emotions of the characters.
If you enjoy this book as much as I have the next one in the series “The ravens of Blackwater” will not disappoint. I have never laughed so much, with the antics of Ralph Delchard.

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4 people found this helpful