In the lean years following World War I, brash American adventuress Beryl Halliwell and prim and proper Brit Edwina Davenport form a private inquiry agency to make ends meet, hoping that crime does indeed pay . . . The latest occurrence to disturb the peace in the quaint English village of Walmsley Parva hits rather too close to home-in fact, the prime suspect has taken up residence in Edwina's potting shed. Her elderly gardener Simpkins has been secretly sleeping there after a row with his disreputable brother-in-law and housemate, Hector Lomax. When Hector is found murdered in the local churchyard, Constable Gibbs comes looking for Simpkins, who was last seen arguing with his kin in the pub the night before. Based on the sad state of her garden, Edwina has grave doubts that the shiftless Simpkins could muster the effort to murder anyone. The two sleuths throw themselves into weeding out suspects and rooting out the real killer. But this is no garden variety murder. The discovery of a valuable ring, a surprise connection to Colonel Kimberly's Condiment Company, and a second homicide all force Beryl and Edwina to play catch-up as they relish the chance to contain the culprit . . .
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“In a stellar performance by narrator Barbara Rosenblat…[she] ingeniously shifts among the staid, proper Edwina, the adventurously flamboyant Beryl, and the many residents of Walmsly Parva. In addition to depicting the personalities of each character, Rosenblat clearly communicates their social statuses. This audiobook is tremendously enhanced by Rosenblat’s narration. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile
“A heaping helping of period English country charm.”
— Kirkus Reviews“Witty prose, distinctive characters, and an enchanting setting all make for a winner.”
— Publishers WeeklyBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Jessica Ellicott is the author of three novels in the Beryl & Edwina historical mystery series. She lives in northern New England where she obsessively knits wool socks and enthusiastically speaks Portuguese with a shocking disregard for the rules of grammar.
Barbara Rosenblat, one of the most awarded narrators in the business, was selected by AudioFile magazine as one of the Golden Voices of the Twentieth Century. She has received the prestigious Audie Award multiple times and has earned more than fifty AudioFile Earphones Awards. She has also appeared in film, television, and theater, both in London’s West End and on Broadway.