Lane

A Case For Willows And Lane, Book 1

By: Peter Grainger

Narrated by: Henrietta Meire

"So I thought I might take up paragliding. You know, buy one on eBay and just jump off the cliff one morning."

Emily Willows is middle-aged, widowed, wealthy, and bored. When she makes those flippant remarks to her son over coffee one Friday, she has no inkling that within a few hours she will be facing the most terrifying situation of her life. Nor could she have guessed that she will be confronting it with the enigmatic young woman who moved in next door a few months ago and who has hardly spoken a word to her since. And neither of them has realized yet that after this meeting, their lives will never be the same again.

©2017 Peter Grainger (P)2018 Tantor

A great beginning to a new series

What fabulous characters! I'm a loyal fan of the author's D.C. Smith series and Grainger has a knack for creating interesting characters. Well done with Willows and Lane. The story is detailed elsewhere but suffice it to say this was one that I couldn't put down. The narration was also top-notch. The end was abrupt and leaves much more to explore in several (I hope) sequels. Bravo, Peter Grainger!

Great Listen

Relaxing and thrilling all in one. Story is easy to following and performed with skill. Worth a listen.

I stuck with it, but...it was touch & go.

This one moved a little too slowly for me. Narrator was great, but, by the end I felt like I still barely knew the characters.

Mrs. Pollifax and Emma Peel join Forces!

Two strong, capable women face danger with sense and courage. Thank you, Peter Granger, for Mrs. Willows and Miss Lane! The protagonists are realistic, have quirks that make them human, and we see the beginnings of two complex characters I hope to hear more of. And I’d like to see this novel faithfully translated to film.

Narration was very good with the protagonists - from deadpan to frightened to reflective.

Not quite up there

The plot is weak. More a not so interesting car chase than anything else, but then Grainger’s DCSmith was always more about character, British charm and understated humor than plot, so my expectations was not high on that account. The charm, however, just was not there. Nor the humor. And then the narrator did not help, making the old lady into a whining bore, not the almost Miss Marple that Grainger almost has written. (Listen to the words instead of the performance.) As for Miss S Lane, she did not quite live up to the potential in her CV, and the chemistry and respect between the two women was not felt as much as stated. Hopefully that is worked on in the rest of the series. I will give the next book a try, since DCSmith was so entertaining. This was hopefully just a bad book day for Grainger.

A new Grainger Favorite

The characters in this book are very interesting, never acting outside expectations. The plot is brilliant and the pace of the story was breathtaking at times. I can’t wait to listen to Book 2 in this series.

An exhilarating listen!

Quick review. Fabulous book. I am off to listen to the second book in the series!

Great Grainger

love Peter Grainger 's books! Love the humor and the characters and the English tea!

A decent listen

I was hesitant to purchase this book as I was unsure how different it would be from the popular DC Smith series.
It is not the same and that, in my opinion, is great.
The story is well thought through and the only issue I had were the few bits of humour which in some instances detracted from the moment.
No over the top Hollywood movie style heroic scenes, just a really good story.

A deep character study thinly disguised as a chase

I have just finished listening to “Lane” all the way through for the third time in less than a year. It’s that good. I have read the next 2 in the series and enjoyed them almost as much. I have always found the chase themes in books and movies very dull. I skim through the book or check out of the movies until the story starts up again. Not with this one.