Death on a Winter Stroll

Merry Folger Nantucket Mysteries, Book 7

By: Francine Mathews

Narrated by: Madeleine Maby

No-nonsense Nantucket detective Merry Folger grapples with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and two murders as the island is overtaken by Hollywood stars and DC suits.

Nantucket Police Chief Meredith Folger is acutely conscious of the stress COVID-19 has placed on the community she loves. Although the island has proved a refuge for many during the pandemic, the cost to Nantucket has been high. Merry hopes that the Christmas Stroll, one of Nantucket's favorite traditions, in which Main Street is transformed into a winter wonderland, will lift the island's spirits. But the arrival of a large-scale TV production, and the Secretary of State and her family, complicates matters significantly.

The TV shoot is plagued with problems from within, as a shady, power-hungry producer clashes with strong-willed actors. Across Nantucket, the Secretary's troubled stepson keeps shaking off his security detail to visit a dilapidated house near conservation land, where an intriguing recluse guards secrets of her own. With all parties overly conscious of spending too much time in the public eye and secrets swirling around both camps, it is difficult to parse what behavior is suspicious or not—until the bodies turn up.

Now, it's up to Merry and Detective Howie Seitz to find a connection between two seemingly unconnected murders and catch the killer. But when everyone has a motive, and half of the suspects are politicians and actors, how can Merry and Howie tell fact from fiction?

This latest installment in critically acclaimed author Francine Mathews's Merry Folger series is an immersive escape to festive Nantucket, a poignant exploration of grief as a result of parental absence, and a delicious new mystery to keep you guessing.

©2022 Francine Mathews (P)2022 Recorded Books

Terrible narrator.

The story was too predictable, but might have been tolerable if the narrator hadn’t been so awful.

Get on with it already!

I have loved this whole series, but this one is irritating the heck out of me. I'm 13 chapters in and still no murder. She keeps droning on and on about this crazy bird woman living in a house on Nantucket with no utilities. And then the juxtaposition of the rich Hollywood people, in the fancy house, with all their moods and weirdities. Well, the bird woman doesn't care, because she's happy taking pictures of her birds, and I don't need to know what kind of camera she used or film or whatever!
Please get on with the murder, and the solving of it.
Okay so I finished the book and I'm still irritated with this one. She moved on to the crazy Covid BS, (so obviously she has drank the Kool-Aid). Not only did she do that, but she magnified it by killing off her favorite grandfather in the series. Apparently she actually thinks that getting the Covid jab will keep you from getting Covid (which it doesn't). And she thinks that wearing a mask will also keep you from getting Covid, (which anybody with any sense knows it doesn't) so I really have no respect for this author anymore. Which is too bad since I really love Nantucket Island and stories that are set there.

Solid and enjoyable

Unlike other reviewers I didn’t mind at all the juxtaposition of an artsy, recovering type in a dilapidated house and the Uber wealthy with all the fancy stuff. That feels really true to life on the island where there are always houses falling to bits in this punishing climate, sitting on 20 million $ pieces of property due to some familial strife or disfunction, cheek by jowl with properties where every doorstop is by a named artist.
Only criticisms are sound travels far and a shotgun blast would be heard for miles. Setting time of death for murders would have been a cinch. Also in the US NO WILD GAME can ever be sold. So hunting season could NEVER affect the presence of a food on restaurant menus. All venison must come from abroad. What can happen on Nantucket is you can kill more deer than the limit allows if you gift them to the food pantry and they are processed by the one licensed meat processor into ground venison.

Good mystery

This was a good book but not spellbinding or riveting. I listened to it over a 2 week period and didn’t find myself thinking about it in between listens. Not sure how to rate it.

Could not get through it

I might purchase the book but could not finish the narrated version. The audio felt like a news reporter instead of a storyteller