Wicked Autumn

A Max Tudor Novel

By: G. M. Malliet

Narrated by: Michael Page

Max Tudor has adapted well to his post as vicar of St. Edwold's in the idyllic village of Nether Monkslip. The quiet village seems the perfect home for Max, who has fled a harrowing past as an MI5 agent. But this new-found serenity is quickly shattered when the highly vocal and unpopular president of the Women's Institute turns up dead at the Harvest Fayre. The death looks like an accident, but Max's training as a former agent kicks in, and before long he suspects foul play. As the investigation unfolds, Max becomes more intricately involved. Memories he'd rather not revisit are stirred, evoking the demons from the past which led him to Nether Monkslip.

©2011 G.M. Malliet (P)2011 Dreamscape Media

Critic reviews

"Agatha Award-winning author Malliet (Death of a Cozy Writer) debuts a superb new series.... You’ll marvel at the author’s low-key humor and crystal-clear depictions of small-town life...Malliet, like Louise Penny, brings a contemporary freshness to the traditional mystery." (Library Journal)

"Malliet has mastered the delights of the cozy mystery so completely that she seems to be channeling Agatha Christie...with a hero who adds sex appeal to the mix...includes snippets of ironic humor...making the story even more delicious...winning." (Booklist)

"[A]n authentic village mystery that also pokes fun at the conventions...Malliet deftly juggles all of her characters...the murder plot here is quite devious and the motive quite evil.... The author provides a story that works on several levels, including the pleasure of a visit to a traditional English village." (January magazine)

Good story, wrong narrator

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed the book, despite the poor choice of narrator. The narrator has a wonderful voice, and I'll look for other books read by him, but he was a mismatch with this story.

Interesting leading man

Where does Wicked Autumn rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Wicked Autumn ranks among the top half of all the audiobooks to which I have listened.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the feel of being amongst the inhabitants of a small English village.

Which character – as performed by Michael Page – was your favorite?

I found Max Tudor to be the most compelling character of the story as well as my favorite narration of a character by Michael Page.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did not listen to this book all in one sitting. I spread it out over a few exercise sessions.

Any additional comments?

Waiting impatiently for the release of the second book in this series.

wanted to like it, but....

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I was prepared to like this book, as I love classic cozies, but I was disappointed in the story. The performance was fine, but there weren't enough twists and turns. The main character didn't grab my sympathy or curiosity.

Would you ever listen to anything by G. M. Malliet again?

I had hoped that this would be a series I'd like, but I'm not interested in trying any of the others in this series just now. (sad face)

Great for Louise Penny fans!

There's a very good reason this book has a cast of characters at the beginning. There are a ton of them and many of the women's names are hard to keep straight. Also, though he did a nice job, I found the narrator a bit high-fallutin' for this particular series.

Even so, I really have enjoyed the first two books in this series and plan to continue.
Father Max is a wonderful lead and his little village is full of colorful characters.

charming village mystery

Enjoyable take on the "village mystery" cozy genre. Nothing heavyweight, interesting characters, some excellent tongue-in-cheek humorous bits. Homage to Agatha et al.

Got this one on sale -- definitely worth it. I've been listening to some more serious books lately, so this was a nice change of pace.

Quite a cast of characters (delineated in the beginning) and the village names are a hoot, particularly if you've ever wandered through England's byways.

Michael Page does the exceptional job at narrating that I have come to expect from him in the Thomas Pitt series (Anne Perry). I couldn't place his voice until he voiced a haughty older woman who sounded for all the world like Aunt Vespasia!

A Classic Cozy English Village Mystery

I really enjoyed this first book in the Max Tudor mystery series for its dry, witty sense of humor. The writing is subtle, urbane and insightful. The whole story is full of small insular village flavor with a cast of wacky and often strange characters.

Be aware that to me this is a full blown cozy. So don't expect edge of your seat suspense and over the top violence. What you will find is a comfortable (within the limits that this is a murder mystery) listen that easily engages and entertains. Very like Agatha Christie comes to the modern world as a Anglican Priest.

I am looking forward to continuing the series with book two as a winter listen.

Fun, Easy and Entertaining Listen

I am always on the look out for a good series in which I can lose myself for countless listening hours. Malliet's first novel in the Tudor series passed all of the "tests" I apply when determining whether or not I will be able to immerse myself into the author's world. Wicked Autumn provides an entertaining cozy-style novel featuring the witty, attractive Max Tudor. Tudor is the single, charming village Vicar with an above-average mystery-solving ability due to his previous career. Malliet throws in a steady stream of funny and sardonic comments, quips and observations, which only added to my enjoyment. The narrator (which, as fellow listeners know, can make or break the listening experience) is, in my opinion, fantastic and is now on my list of top favorites. His ability to narrate female voices, particularly the elderly women, is quite entertaining...he has an uncanny ability to sound like a frumpy older English woman. Overall, it was a fun, easy, and entertaining introduction to a series which I can only hope extends beyond the fourth novel, which presumably will be set in summer. My only "complaint" was that it was shorter than many of the novels to which I'm used to listening, and accordingly it was finished fairly quickly. Oh well...on to "A Fatal Winter"!

I'm glad I bought this book

I loved it, especially the narrator. I plan on acquiring more from this author very soon.

promising start to series, but wordy

a propos nothing, she said heavy-handedly, as it were...

Listening to this, I suspect the prose will be better in future instalments - Malliet has other novels under her belt. And the humour in this village cozy-spoof warrants a download of the next novel in the series. If, however, you're choosing between print and audio format for this first Max Tutor outing, I think print would be better: Narration draws attention to the wordiness.

Page is not a favourite narrator with me, but he is OK here, and he gets the tone just right for this one, including the inside-cozy jokes.

I Love This Author, BUT!

Would you try another book from G. M. Malliet and/or Michael Page?

I am a huge fan of G.M. Malliet. I would definitely try another book. Have greatly enjoyed the ones I have read.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Totally switched. Falling Glass. Adrian McKinty. Gerard Doyle a perfect voice for the story.

Would you be willing to try another one of Michael Page’s performances?

He has a lovely voice, just not suitable for this book. Lovely and too plummy! Seems to miss highlights of humor which this author is good at.

Do you think Wicked Autumn needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Not sure the main character is interesting enough.

Any additional comments?

I am sorry that the initial book on Audible from this author is a disappointment. I am a fan of her other books and am hoping that there will be more on Audible. A more suitable performer who could emphasize the humor and the spitefulness of some of her characters would be recommended.