An Invitation to Murder

The Oldminster Series, Book 1

By: Norman Russell

Narrated by: Antony Ferguson

Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Welcome to Oldminster, a quaint little town where there’s always a mystery to be solved.

Frank Renfield, Baron of Renfield Hall, will stop at nothing to save himself from ruin. Even if that means marrying his daughter off to a rich American. Unfortunately for him, she is already in love with a penniless nobody named Alan Lavender—to the glee of Alan’s greedy uncle Guy. He’s been nosing into the Renfields’ murky past, and he says he’s uncovered a secret. Something so shocking it casts a shadow over Frank’s entire legacy.

Tensions run high at the hall, until Guy Lavender turns up dead. A convenient coincidence for Frank? Detectives French and Edwards are on the case. But in a town full of secrets, the truth can be hard to find. And Guy’s won’t be the only body to fall before their work is done … Who will be next to die under the Renfields’ roof?

©2021 Norman Russell (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing

Interesting enough story but terrible reader

The story was interesting enough but the reader made it unbearable to listen to and I ultimately ended up reading it myself in the end. The reader made everyone sound the same and very stuffy. There was no variation at all and frankly I just couldn’t sort out when a different character was meant to be speaking. Really disappointing. I hope it’s a different reader for the second book.

Imaginative and contemporary story but with classic elements of an English mystery.

Refreshing to have a mystery only! No main character wasting time in a romantic entanglement. All the characters were center stage in turn and were interesting and well developed. A contemporary view of the classic Great House and Titled Family story. No boring little village and no trite Grand Reveal. Instead, an interesting solution.

Good mystery

This was a good book, although I think I would have enjoyed reading more than listening to it because the narrator's voice was so two-dimensional. He spoke with such an unusual cadence, as though cold-reading the material off a teleprompter, and there wasn't enough difference in the voices for me to keep track of who was speaking.

Better than expected

This is an audible plus book, thank you audible. I notice previous reviewers are not entirely pleased with Antony Ferguson, however, I have listened to him read another series so knew what to expect, and have learned to enjoy his style. The book is interesting and I do so much enjoy a happy ending.