Winter's Exile

Guy Winter Mysteries Book 3

By: James Philip

Narrated by: Melanie Fraser

In Winter's Exile the Mystery Man is exiled to the country to recover and recuperate from his injuries. Inevitably, there is no escaping the war. When the son of the local Squire is found dying within hours of a German bomber crashing in a nearby field Guy Winter is suddenly back in his element. However, what initially looks to be a an open and shut, tame whodunit, soon takes on new and sinister proportions as the Mystery Man finds himself in the middle of what seems like a long-running family feud in a rural backwater that, despite appearances, is anything but divorced from the brutal realities of the war.

©2015 James P. Coldham (P)2017 James P. Coldham

Life in aristocricy England

What did you like best about Winter's Exile? What did you like least?

Learning of daily life in their times. Didn't like the snooty class distinction.

Would you be willing to try another book from James Philip? Why or why not?

No, too bland.

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

No. I like listening to an English accent.

Could you see Winter's Exile being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No, not enough action and content.

Any additional comments?

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review”.

This series is getting better!

I wasn't very fond of the first two books in this series, but this 3rd book held my attention, although it's still not one of my favorite series. The story was better this time and I was more connected to the characters, as I felt I got to know them better.

This is definitely a very well-written series and the author knows exactly what he's doing - for that, I will have to give 4 stars. However, sometimes a setting just doesn't feel right for everybody, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't feel right for you.

I love Melanie Fraser as a narrator and as usual she did an excellent job. She has the perfect voice for this genre, sounding very majestic and aristocratic. 5 stars to Melanie!

Good wartime detective story

Book 3 is another classic detective story.
Guy Winters continues his work and tries to rebiuld his life, and others do their own thing in "service" of the state.
A good tale well written with strong well defined characters and a storyline that is believable and a page turner.
Narration is excellent -
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A top class listen or read.

A mysterious murder in the times of war...

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

I'd recommend the book to a friend of mine who likes classic detective stories set in the English countryside. The book has this distinctive feel of Agatha Christie type of crime novels mixed with the Foyle's War films, taking the best from both... We have a small group of characters here who at first sight have nothing in common with each other and then there is the crime, and suddenly nothing is what it seemed to be... Add to it some German pilots crashing almost in the middle of the village, suspisions of them being the murderers, an almost-lynch situation and Inspector Winter in the middle of it all... and you have a great detective story here:)

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked a lot of characters in the book, so it's really difficult to choose just one... I liked Emily Winter, Guy Winter's 15-year-old daughter a lot - she is lively, intelligent and turns out to be a good observer and a great judge of people's characters. And although she is a kind of background character in the story, she stands out from the crowd and at times she is the one whose actions and ideas move the plot forward.

Which character – as performed by Melanie Fraser – was your favorite?

Again, a tough choice...:) I don't think I can choose between Elspeth and Emily (the wife and the daughter of the main character's) - both are given great "voices" and really come to life in Ms Fraser's interpretation. Elspeth is warm, loving, really caring both for her husband and her stepdaughter; her emotions and fears carried out expertly by Ms Fraser... And Emily, as I already mentioned, comes out as this sweet teenage girl who is just about to turn into a young woman, tender but intelligent, brilliant at times, and on the verge of being in love for the first time - all these just spot on in this interpretation:)

Generally, I think Ms Fraser's interpretation of the book is very good - the "voices" of the characters quite match their personalities and the narrator is very good at showing emotions the characters feel. Also Ms Fraser has no problem with reading the male characters' parts of the story and differentiating the voices enough for the listener not to get confused as to who is speaking (and there are quite a few men in the book:)). I also like the fact that when Guy and Emily are supposedly speaking German, we can instantly hear it - the "German accent" is nicely done (at least to my ear, though I'm not an expert on accents, being only a Polish teacher of English, mind you:))

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Well, you may not have extreme reactions to this book (this is not a kind of "I love / I hate this" story), but generally it's a very good book to listen to if you like this type of detective/crime novels. There are some good twists and some "red herrings" of course, enough to make you curious of what will happen next... And the characters - most of them - are interesting enough to make you care what happens to them and why they do what they do...

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Nice!

Note: I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

I'm very late getting this review in, as I actually finished this months ago. :( Trying to get caught up on things now.

This entry in the Guy Winter series was an improvement over the first two. Not that I completely disliked the first two. WWII history is interesting to me, and this series takes place during that time. Also, it's a mystery/crime drama, which is another genre I like. And Melanie Fraser, the narrator does an excellent job of bringing these characters to life. But there were issues with the first two novels that kept me from marking it up as high as the marks for narrator performance (which I've already elaborated on in the previous reviews).

However, this book seems to have resolved some of those issues. I'm not sure if it's because of the change in setting, or if the author made changes to the writing that helped make it easier for a listener/reader to follow. Or ... maybe I'm just finally used to this series and the characters to the point that the previous issues don't matter anymore. Whatever it was, this particular book was easier to follow and I felt more engaged as a listener. I hope this trend continues because there's something about this series that keeps me coming back for more. :)

Recommended.

Not much content. Poor Narration.

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

Not really.

Has Winter's Exile turned you off from other books in this genre?

No. I like history drama / mystery stories. Just that this book was a disappointment.

What didn’t you like about Melanie Fraser’s performance?

From the sample, I was ready for some English accent. But as I kept listening to more of the book, it kept getting irritating. The narrator overdid the accent, imo. At places, it felt like I'm listening to old school disney cartoon film.

Any additional comments?

The content itself wasn't much to speak of. There's barely any action.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Winter's Exile: Guy Winter Mysteries Book 3

Winter's Exile: Guy Winter Mysteries Book 3
: James Philip

This is book three in the Guy Winter series, but it's the first for me. It was said to be a stand alone, but I'm thinking there is probably backstory in the first two that would make this more clear.

The setting is during the war, but focous is more on home guard. There is murder mystery, suspense, and a hint of romance all tied up within a long standing family feud.




The narration was well done. The characters were well portrayed by Melanie Fraser.

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Good Read

Any additional comments?

Winter's Exile by James Philip was a good read. This is the third book in the Guy Winters series. It's set in England during World War Two. I can't wait to read more by James Philip.

Best Book in WWII Series!

Any additional comments?

Winter’s Exile by James Philip is the 3rd book in the Guy Winter series featuring the Scotland Yard detective during WWII. Unlike the previous two books in the series, you could easily listen to this story without having read the previous two books or the prequel (it is also significantly shorter than the first two books). In fact, it’s the best book yet and it reads more like a cozy mystery rather than an espionage thriller.

Unlike the other books in the series, Winter’s Exile is set in Buckinghamshire rather than London. Resting and recuperating from multiple injuries sustained at the end of Winter’s Revenge, Guy Winter is on his honeymoon when he discovers a local man's dead body and a German airplane crashed nearby. Despite wanting some down time, Winter can’t resist the temptation of solving the murder.

Winter’s Exile held my attention more than the previous 3 books, if you count the prequel. There were not as many characters and you got more character development with those who were in it. In particular Winter’s 16-year old daughter, Emily, was great. Although shy, Emily is observant like her father, but a better judge of character. Winter’s wife Elspeth was also a joy because she knows when to listen to her husband and when to ignore him (it was refreshing having a wife from that era who was not a mere doormat).

Melanie Fraser did an outstanding job narrating this audiobook. She provided distinct and consistent voices for each character, including several German accents. Simply put, Melanie’s reading was very enjoyable and entertaining. Why is she not narrating for one of the large audiobook publishers yet?

Great narration as Guy Winter returns...

Interesting mystery during WW2. I like the narrators voice and how she speaks.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.