The Monks Hood Murders

 

by Karen Baugh Menuhin (read by Sam Dewhurst-Phillips)

Book 5: Heathcliff Lennox

 

 

 

 

Dying words, an Abbey and the Yorkshire moors

Each book gets better and better! Maybe before I tackle Book 6, I will have a marathon re-read of the first five. Major Heathcliff Lennox is a hoot but honestly, it is his butler, Greggs, who steals the scene every time.  With each book, we are learning more and more about Lennox and about his experience as a pilot in World War I -- in other words, with each book, he is becoming less a Sir Peter Wimsey and more an Ian Rutledge.

Fours stars

Death in Damascus

 

By Karen Baugh Menuhin (read by Sam Dewhurst-Phillips)

 

This is book 4 in the Heathcliff Lennox series.

Wow, I enjoyed this so much better than I did book three -- but you can't really skip book three because it sets up book four. Fun story, fast paced and Lennox is back in character -- a 30-year old prude, shy/clumsy around women and very much an introvert who is much happier at home but oh so good at getting murders to reveal themselves in the "round up all of the suspects in the lounge for the denouement" scene.

Which brings me to my problem with the narrator: Sam Dewhurst-Phillips has a deep gravelly voice; he makes Lennox sound 60, not 30. How many 30 year olds have gravelly voices?

So, solid three stars for this one. 

 

P.S. I love the cover art.

 

The Curse of Braeburn Castle

 

by Karen Baugh Menuhin (read by Sam Dewhurst-Phillips)

 

I was so looking forward to the next installment in the the Heathcliff Lennox series and was so disappointed when I finally got there. Something was missing; the story didn't gel. It wasn't a terrible story but it wasn't as good as the first two. The attempt at making this an eerie Halloween mystery with ancient curses, hidden treasures, seances, murders and a clairvoyant yet uninvited guest never came together.

Just a bit below 3 stars.