Death of a Cozy Writer

A St. Just Mystery

By: G. M. Malliet

Narrated by: Davina Porter

From deep in the heart of his 18th century English manor, millionaire Sir Adrian Beauclerk-Fisk writes mystery novels and torments his four spoiled children with threats of disinheritance. Gathering them all together for a family dinner, he announces his latest blow - a secret elopement. Within hours, eldest son and appointed heir Ruthven is found cleaved to death by a medieval mace. And soon Sir Adrian himself is found slumped over his writing desk - an ornate knife thrust into his heart.

Trapped amid leering gargoyles and stone walls, every member of the family is a likely suspect. Using a little Cornish brusqueness and brawn, can St. Just find the killer before the next-in-line to the family fortune ends up dead?

©2008 G.M. Malliet (P)2012 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Critic reviews

"Malliet's debut combines devices from Christie and Clue to keep you guessing until the dramatic denouement." ( Kirkus Reviews)

"Fans of English detective work will welcome Malliet's droll debut, the first in a new series." ( Publishers Weekly)

"In her series debut, Malliet, who won a Malice Domestic Grant to write this novel, lays the foundation for an Agatha Christie-like murder mystery." ( Library Journal)

Ok story

Davina Porter has to be the best narrator I've ever listened to. The story was pretty good but she made it great.

Good writing, narration not so much

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The book as authored by Malliet was very enjoyable.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Davina Porter has a talent for rendering different voices and dialects, but she reads with an emotive, overemphasized style that detracts from the story by drawing attention too much to herself. She would be a great narrator if she could tone it down.

A Cozy about a Cozy Writer

Published in 2008, Death of a Cozy Writer is the first in a series featuring Detective Chief Inspector St. Just. All of the elements of a classic golden age mystery are present: a large country mansion, a gathering of all the members of a wealthy family, servants with varying degrees of loyalty to their employers, seething rancor and hatred among family members, a patriarch who is cruel and hatedul to all, and finally, murder. DCI St. Just and his Constable arrive toi nvestigate.

This is a well -written mystery, with well developed characters, an intriguing twist or two in the plot, and the atmosphere of a golden age detective story spiced by a few 21st century devices. In St. Just, Malliet has created a likeable and capable investigator with a sense of humor as well as common sense. All in all, a very enjoyable read, although I must say that I prefer Malliet's other series, the Max Tudor mysteries.

Delightful light who dunnit

What made the experience of listening to Death of a Cozy Writer the most enjoyable?

Anything by G. M. Malliet is generally a treat. She's cornered the market at instilling a modern sensibility on the standard cozy. Enter greed, sex, and old wounds revisited, and well, who doesn't like a dysfunctional family to make all ours seem perfectly normal...

What about Davina Porter’s performance did you like?

Ms. Porter shines! She pulls out the stops, and even the over-the-top seems just quite right after all.

Any additional comments?

If you like a well done mystery in a cozy setting, with a sense of the sublimely satiric thrown in, this should definitely please.

Go for it

Sometimes I experience book doldrums and I search for books that are narrated by one of my favorites. I'm a Davina Porter fan, so I searched on her name and came up with this series. I don't think I've read any bad books that she has narrated. This one was fun and a good mystery. It held my attention, so I would recommend it if you like historical novel types. I'm looking forward to the other two books in the Death series.

A Complex & Satisfying Mystery

Wanting a change from my preferred genre, I found Ms. Malliet's 2008 prize-winning debut of a Cozy Mystery set in modern times, captivating. I've always enjoyed some Agatha Christie, but find this G. M. Malliet mystery even more to my liking.

There are so many characters it's hard to keep up with them all. In the beginning I found it helped to write down the main characters names, to keep from getting confused.
There's the Patriarch: Sir Adrian
His eldest son: Ruthven (called Riven) and his wife Lillian
His second son: George and his girl friend Natassia
His third son: Albert
His Daughter: Sarah
His Ex-Wife: Cloe
Detective Chief Inspector St. Just and Detective Sergeant Fear

Other characters of Sir Adrian's household are:
Housekeeper: Mrs. Romano and her son Paolo
Butler: Waters
Literature Secretary: Jeffery (an American, trying to act like an Englishman)
and others who were questioned after MURDER at the house party in the Cambridgeshire mansion.

There's many twists and turns, and the identity of the murderer is quite a surprise.

I don't like to give too much away, because I do not like to have a book ruined by someone wanting to do a summary of the entire book, but hope to make your listening more pleasurable by having the characters in mind.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to "Death of a Cozy Writer" performed by undoubtedly one of the best narrators I've listen to.

I highly recommend it-- if you like Agatha Christie type books, you'll enjoy listening to this one.

WOW!!!

That was a well told story!!! HURRAY to the narrator, she made me able to see each of the characters in my minds eye. Well done!!

A modern day classic mystery!

Death of a Cozy Writer won numerous mystery book awards when it came out in 2008. I could tell way before I had gotten very far into the story that the awards were most justified!!

The English countryside and home of mystery writer and millionaire, Sir Adrian Beauclerk-Fisk is the center for this character driven , police procedural murder mystery. Everyone seems to have motive and no one seems particularly honest with their answers. But worst of all, murder seems more of an inconvenience for the family and staff, non of whom are particularly saddened by the deaths of family members.

The mystery had the necessary turns and twists, with building clues. The descriptions and metaphors were terrific and sometimes quit funny too!! This is the first book in Malliet's DCI St. Just series. I decided to read it because I fell in love with her newest Father Max Tutor series. Now I can't decide which one I enjoyed more. G M Malliet if definitely a modern day Agatha Christie,---or perhaps I'd say that Christie's books ALMOST live up to Ms Malliet's writing----yes, Malliet is that great!! It you like classic mysteries with a modern day twist, this book is definitely for you!!!

A Fun Read

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, if my friend enjoys a good British mystery, I would recommend it. It was very entertaining, well written.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Death of a Cozy Writer?

When the killer was revealed, it was a surprise, I had picked someone else!

Have you listened to any of Davina Porter’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

She is an excellent narrator, always enjoy her work.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Families: Everybody has them!

Malliet strikes gold

I love this writer's previous books. He has done it again...surprised me totally. I can only hope this is part of a series. Narrator was smooth. She didn't imitate voices but changed subtlety. Yay for Malliet!