Murder at Primrose Cottage: A Flora Steele Mystery, Book 3 Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Merryn Allingham (Author), Charlie Norfolk (Narrator), Hachette UK - Bookouture (Publisher)

1,423 ratings

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Kindle Edition

"Please retry"

₹249.00

—

Audible Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

₹0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Paperback, Import

"Please retry"

₹968.00

Kindle Edition
₹0.00 This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited ₹249.00 to buy
Audiobook
₹0.00 Free with your Audible trial
Paperback
₹968.00

4 New from ₹968.00

Join Flora Steele - bookshop owner, bicycle-rider, daydreamer, and amateur detective - in her quest to solve a brand-new murder mystery!

Cornwall, 1956: When Flora Steele sets off for a peaceful vacation with crime writer Jack Carrington in his little red Austin, the last thing she expects to find is a body at their pretty rental cottage!

Shocked by the discovery, inquisitive Flora joins forces with handsome Jack to find out how the poor man came to such an untimely end in the overgrown orchard of Primrose Cottage. They discover Roger Gifford was a man with plenty of friends, and the villagers seem devastated by his sudden death....

So why was he murdered? And who has blood on their hands? His estranged wife, Beatrice, his wayward younger brother, Lionel, or the suspicious newcomer, Mercy Dearlove?

The baffling case gets even more complicated when a second man is found dead, and a set of puzzling clues leads them to an intriguing wartime mystery, connected to Jack’s estranged father.

As old secrets emerge and Jack receives an unsettling letter, it seems the crime writer is in danger of a fate befitting his fictional characters.

Will Flora be able to crack the case and save Jack? Or will this be one murder too many for Flora Steele?

Listening Length

7 hours and 44 minutes
Author

Merryn Allingham
Narrator

Charlie Norfolk
Audible release date

18 March 2022
Language

English
Publisher

Hachette UK - Bookouture
ASIN

B09TRVF3HT
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
See all details

Limited time offer: 2 months free trial
1 credit a month to use on any title of your choice—yours to keep
Listen all you want to the Plus Catalogue—thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and Audible Originals
No commitment—cancel anytime
After 2 months Audible is ₹199/month

Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company

By completing your purchase you agree to Audible’s Conditions Of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our

Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company

People who bought this also bought

Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1

Product details

Listening Length	7 hours and 44 minutes
Author	Merryn Allingham
Narrator	Charlie Norfolk
Audible.in Release Date	18 March 2022
Publisher	Hachette UK - Bookouture
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B09TRVF3HT
Best Sellers Rank	#6,712 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #14 in Cosy Mysteries #30 in Women Sleuth Mysteries #36 in Amateur Sleuth Mysteries

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

1,423 global ratings

5 star		56%
4 star		29%
3 star		11%
2 star		3%
1 star		1%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from India

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Srivalli R

works well as a breather between heavy reads

Reviewed in India 🇮🇳 on 18 March 2022

My Observations:
• It’s a small book (268 pages) and has a steady pace throughout. Moreover, it reads well as a standalone (and there isn’t too much information dump about the previous books).
• The writing in this one felt a little different (I found way too many adverbs), though the tone hasn’t changed.
• The characters are pretty much black and white. If you want layered and complex characters, this is not the book. But if you want something that adheres to the cozy mystery checklist, pick this book.
• The descriptions of places in Cornwall were beautiful. I enjoyed the scenic beauty of the locations.
• The mystery is neither strong nor weak. I guessed the killer more on instinct, though the clues confirmed my guess soon enough.
• There are no unexpected twists, no melodrama, or heavy stuff. There’s some progress in the personal track, but it’s limited to one character.
• The book ends with a sort of bait to keep the reader guessing about what the next book will be about, which I rather liked. The current case is complete, and the new one will start fresh in the next one.
To Sum up, Murder at Primrose Cottage is a good continuation of the series and works well as a breather between heavy reads. Pick it up if you want a cozy mystery that doesn’t require too much effort to read.
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Helpful

Great Setting in this Instalment of Flora and Jack's Adventures

Reviewed in India 🇮🇳 on 26 March 2022

Murder in Primrose Cottage is the third in the Flora Steele series of cosy mysteries by Merryn Allingham, which I have been following from the start. While this can be read as a standalone as the mystery is complete and we get enough background on the characters to follow their story as well, there are spoilers in terms of the victims in the previous books.

The series, set in 1950s England follows twenty-five-year-old Flora Steele who runs a bookshop which she inherited from her aunt, in the small Sussex village of Abbeymead. Also living in the village is Jack Carrington, a former reporter, and now writer of mystery novels, who is a recluse but emerges in the first book (and discovers a body) when his errand boy falls ill. The two have become good friends (and partners in solving crime) but while they are interested in each other, they don’t wish to take things further just yet, because of past heartbreaks. At the end of the previous book, Flora who hasn’t taken a holiday in ages had decided to accompany Jack to Cornwall where he is to do research for the first of a series of books he has undertaken to write. There they are to rent Primrose cottage, arrangements for which have been made by Jack’s agent.

They arrive at the cottage and meet Roger Gifford, their landlord who also lends them his housekeeper, Jessie Bolitho who is to keep house and cook for them. But the next morning when Flora goes out to explore the orchard behind the cottage, she finds Roger’s body, his throat slit. While Roger was generally a well-liked man, there were some who bore him grudges—his estranged wife and younger wastrel brother among them; also according to Jessie, he had an argument with the local ‘witch’ or peller Mercy Dearlove. The police have found Roger’s broken watch so believe it to be the work of a mugger, but Flora thinks otherwise. Meanwhile Flora and Jack also begin to visit different places in Cornwall, both of historical interest and those related to the war (which was more recent past in terms of when our book is set) in search of locations and background for Jack’s book, while he also deals with writer’s block of sorts, scrapping plots and tearing things up. But their trips and investigations into Roger’s death are clearly making the murderer nervous for they get targeted repeatedly. Will they manage to identify the killer before he gets them?

This was a fun instalment in this series, and I think my favourite of the books so far. What I loved about this book the most was its setting and the war background. The setting in Cornwall comes through really well in the book with all the locations that they explore including Helston where Flora Day is celebrated every year (a spring festival); Tintagel and its Arthurian Castle; Henry the VII’s Pendennis Castle and the Lizard (and also the numerous pasties they eat; Jessie provides some delicious fare as well). I also kept looking up these sites online as I was reading. Then, there was also the historical background of the war and Signals units in Cornwall to which part of their mystery relates, a part which also links back to Flora’s village (not a spoiler since we know this from the start). I enjoyed exploring Cornwall with Flora and Jack, and also learning about its role in the war, about which like Flora and Jack I didn’t know much (or rather anything).

The mystery itself was interesting, but more than suspects (which we do have a handful), it is the motivations that keep one guessing—is it something to do with Roger’s personal life and problems or his research (which focused on the war efforts in Cornwall); once one makes up one’s mind as to that though, then the whodunit wasn’t so much of a surprise since we did get hints, and one is able to somewhat work out what happened (though not all). But nonetheless, it was fun reading and seeing if one was thinking correctly.

Flora and Jack are likeable characters, and in this book, we get more of a look into Jack’s past—his estrangement with his parents—as we meet his father. The police I am beginning to accept in this series, as being the kind that only appears at the last minute, and invariably is on the wrong track in solving the murders they are faced with. Back in Abbeymead too there are some developments which connect up with events of the past books, and the effects of which I think we will see in subsequent books, as we have a new character introduced in the form of Sally, the niece of Alice who was cook at the Priory (the manor-house-turned-hotel). There was also a fun reference to Enid Blyton, the second time one has come up in this series which I enjoyed being a fan of Blyton.

A fun read overall, in which I very much enjoyed the setting and historical background.

3.9 stars rounded up to 4.

(review copy received from Bookouture via NetGalley)

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

T. Wood

Ever Improving Series

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 18 March 2022

Verified Purchase

Cornwall in the 1950s is a beautiful county with wild moors, stunning beaches, and friendly locals. At least that's what Flora Steele and Jack Carrington thought as they began a working holiday to fulfil a writing assignment many miles away from their home village of Abbeymead. The countryside is as both imagined but finding a body in the orchard of the rented picturesque Primrose Cottage makes them look closely at their new neighbours.

With Jack needing to travel the county to gain a realistic background for his troublesome new novel Flora finds herself in a position to investigate why the victim met their unenviable fate. Both are intrigued by the tentative links to a wartime mystery but as danger stalks them through the narrow lanes and deserted landscape can they discover who is planning to add them to the list of victims and why?

This is the third Flora Steele novel and although I have enjoyed the previous two this is the one which moves it into the ranks of eagerly anticipated cosy crime series. Set in Cornwall during the late spring of 1956 it is an atmospheric and beautifully written piece that I enjoyed thoroughly. Jack and Flora are familiar enough now to reader and writer alike that they boss a storyline which was fascinating both from a fictional and factual standpoint. I hadn't realised how vital Cornwall was to the war effort and found the research included by the author as fascinating as Jack!

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. This is a lovely book but with a few spoilers included I would recommend enjoying the first two as well if you can.

2 people found this helpful

Ian M

Get the 50s facts right

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 4 July 2022

Verified Purchase

I have enjoyed previous novels in this series, but I found this one annoying. Witches in a detective story? But mainly, in a novel which is concerned to get the 50s atmosphere right, facts need to be checked. This was not a minor one, either. Bletchley Park was not known to most people until 1974, and would not have been mentioned by those who were there - official secrets act. There would have been no casual references.

Amazon Customer

Another mystery

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 25 March 2022

Verified Purchase

Enjoyed the book like trying to work out who did it before Flora and Jack do. Can understand Jack's feelings towards Flora when she blatantly takes no notice of his advice and puts herself needlessly in the killers firing line and thinks she knows better than Jack and everyone else can be annoying but in the end it all pays off. Have all the books so far and look forward to the next one. Will reread as you find bits you have missed first time round

Lyn

A really cozy mystery

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 22 March 2022

Verified Purchase

Interesting mystery going back twelve years to the preparation of D-Day in the Cornish countryside. Aided by the growing intimacy between Flora and her crime author friend, Jack, the story is absorbing.

One person found this helpful

Mary B

enjoyable read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 1 May 2022

Verified Purchase

I have enjoyed all of this series so far, I did correctly guess the murderer half way through, as I did on the previous book, but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment and was pleased to discover I was correct :) .Easy read with no gore and likeable main characters with recurring regular characters that you get to know a bit more with each book

See all reviews

AbeBooks Books, art & collectibles	Amazon Web Services Scalable Cloud Computing Services	Audible Download Audio Books	DPReview Digital Photography	IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities

Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands	Amazon Business Everything For Your Business	Prime Now 2-Hour Delivery on Everyday Items	Amazon Prime Music 90 million songs, ad-free Over 15 million podcast episodes

Murder at Primrose Cottage: A Flora Steele Mystery, Book 3 Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Free with Audible trial ₹0.00₹0.00

Buy now ₹668.00₹668.00

People who bought this also bought

Product details

Customer reviews

Top reviews from India

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Free with Audible trial

₹0.00

Buy now

₹668.00