Cozies and slightly scary stories are on the menu this week.
Murder on Black Swan Lane
Andrea Penrose; read by James Cameron Stewart
HighBridge Audio, 10 CDs, 12 hours, $34.99/www.audible.com download, $24.49
This first entry into the Wexford & Sloane mystery series is an unexpected delight. Set in Regency England, Penrose conjures up everything but the smell, yet never bogs us down in detail. The Earl of Wexford is brusque and scientific, while Charlotte Sloane is an artist with somewhat more emotional tendencies. The two of them are thrown together when Wexford is blamed for the death of a clergyman. Intriguing characters and a solid mystery are enhanced by narrator Stewart, who moves easily among various British accents and class distinctions. His pacing is quick and his diction is nothing less than perfection. Grade: A
Death of a Ghost
M.C. Beaton; read by Graeme Malcolm
Hachette Audio, five CDs, five hours and 30 minutes, $30/www.audible.com download, $28.50
This is the 32nd in the Hamish Macbeth series penned by Beaton, aka Marion Chesney. Character-driven and hard to turn off, this most surprises the listener for easily standing alone. While listening to the past entries may enhance the experience, this never felt lacking in detail. Scottish police sergeant Macbeth is an odd duck with a wonderful sense of justice and very firm opinions. While solving the purported haunting of a castle, he discovers a body that soon disappears. Malcolm, who has been the voice of Macbeth for years, reads with vigor and assurance. He easily conjures up regional accents and voices so that each person is clearly identifiable. Wonderful fun! Grade: A
Frankenstein Dreams: A Connoisseur’s Collection of Victorian Science Fiction
Michael Sims; read by Tim Campbell
HighBridge Audio, 11 CDs, 13 hours and 30 minutes, $34.99/www.audible.com download, $24.49
This one may leave you on the fence. The stories are not the usual fodder for an anthology so one has the chance to hear some true Victorian literature, but the prologue and introduction to each story may be too academic for the casual audiophile. Authors include Edgar Allan Poe, Thomas Hardy, Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle, Rudyard Kipling and many others. Campbell has a deep voice and manages a dramatic tone without overdoing it. He seamlessly conjures up accents and understands the dramatic timing necessary for these early additions to the genre. Grade: B
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder
Joanne Fluke; read by Suzanne Toren
Recorded Books, nine hours and 35 minutes, www.audible.com download, $29.37
Fluke’s 25th book in this series, “The Chocolate Cream Pie Murder,” was released in February, but if you want to start at the beginning, download this mystery. Light and easy, it is entertaining without taxing your brain and offers an array of recipes. The characters are likeable, especially Hanna Swensen, a nosy baker who is smarter and a better detective than her brother-in-law policeman. Hanna is surrounded by quirky friends and customers while plagued with a matchmaking mother. The problem, and it is a big one, is narrator Toren, who can’t manage various accents or voices without sounding amateurish. Her performance will put you off an otherwise tasty little cozy. Grade: C-plus
