Despite those quibbles, I found myself looking for more opportunities to listen to the book rather than read my physical one. I got home from work one evening and immediately cleaned the kitchen! The story was engaging and of course, Kristen Atherton’s excellent narration helped. I was listening to it through my library’s digital loans app, and it was the first time in a long time I didn’t need to extend a loan beyond the initial 14-day period. MY THOUGHTS: A Murder of Crows is a nice cosy mystery with a twist - Lady Eleanor Ward-Beaumont, heiress, to a few select people; Dr Nell Ward, ecologist, to everyone else. You did?' An exhale puffed down the line. 'I'm so relieved you told them. So now they'll realise you may be in danger. Offer some protection instead of treating you like a . . .' I liked that "Murder of Crows" was a short but impactful story. The characters weren't super dimensional, but Tig, Wyn, Abuela, and Noel were. I liked the idea of the plot line and for the most part, it was executed well, but there were multiple potential clues that could've given the plot more depth. The poems, for example, didn't really say much for the relaitonship between Noel and Sofia, except for that they were likely in a WLW relationship. I wish that it would've been looked into further as to why Noel and Sofia chose the specific poems they did. Also, Wyatt's death was incredibly uncharacteristic, even though the audience met him briefly -- it wasn't ever explained what specifically happened to him. We had the chance to get an explanation, but the chapel went up in flames along with Franklin, so we'll never know. The pacing, however, was very well suited for the plot. It kept my attention while going between the main plot and its subplots, like the romantic storyline between Wyn and Tig. The imagery and sensory detail was just enough to describe the real setting without taking away the reader's imagination, so I really appreciated that. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A Murder of Crows: A thrilling new cosy crime series perfect A Murder of Crows: A thrilling new cosy crime series perfect

I loved that it switched between all the various viewpoints because it gives the reader a chance to understand the motivations and mindsets of each of the characters, which were each complicated and intense. The writing is incredible, really allowing you to feel what the characters were feeling - like Alice, who has dementia. You could feel her confusion and frustration very clearly.

Multibuys

My biggest gripe is that this felt like a load of red herrings were thrown into the plot to disguise the obvious nature of the murder. The victim felt very much like the second Mrs De Winter in Rebecca, Nell seemed a little like Temperance Brennan in Kathy Reichs' books (without the social awkwardness) and I'm not sure how this is going to develop into a series, I mean how many murders in a small town would require an ecologist to shed light on the scene? Other than those few things I did enjoy this book and though it might not have made an impression that I will remember a few years from now, it easily brought me out of a huge reading slump.

Murder of Crows: A Dunderdale Mystery A Christmas Murder of Crows: A Dunderdale Mystery

This was pretty good for a first effort, good enough that I am going to give the second book in the series a try. But it was a bit uneven. I was not sure which of the main characters the reader was supposed to be bonding with on a more emotional level until the very end. I was not even sure who the hero of the book actually was. I identified the murderer very early on, and I don't know if the author intended that or if she slipped up. A murmuration of starlings shapes the sky at dusk, near the town of Gretna in the south of Scotland. The corruption extended all the way up through the ranks into the Queen’s Court. The maneuvering for power, for the favor of the Queen, along with the necessary fending off of those courtiers who would supplant any Royal in the way of advancement was constant. For another look inside this society, read any of Shakespeare’s plays, especially the history plays and the tragedies.I feel that the inclusion of Shakespeare and Marlowe as minor characters only distracts from the story. I dislike their characterizations here.