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The Murders in Great Diddling

Audiobook
2 of 4 copies available
2 of 4 copies available

The best stories are the ones we didn't know needed to be told.

The small, rundown village of Great Diddling is full of stories?author Berit Gardner can feel it. The way the villagers avoid outsiders, the furtive stares and whispers in the presence of newcomers... Berit can sense the edge of a story waiting to be unraveled, and she's just the person to do it. In fact, with a book deadline looming over her and no manuscript (not even the idea for a manuscript, truth be told), Berit doesn't just want this story. She needs it.

Then, while attending a village tea party, Berit becomes part of the action herself. An explosion in the library of the village's grand manor kills a local man, and the resulting investigation and influx of outsiders sends the quiet, rundown community into chaos. The residents of Great Diddling, each one more eccentric and interesting than any character Berit could have invented, rewrite their own narrative and transform the death of one of their own from a tragedy into a new beginning. Taking advantage of Great Diddling's new notoriety, the villagers band together to start a book and murder festival designed to bring desperately needed tourists to their town. What they couldn't have predicted is how the new story they've begun to tell will change all their lives forever.

Uplifting, charming, and laugh-out-loud funny, The Murders in Great Diddling by New York Times bestselling author Katarina Bivald is a celebration of the life-changing magic of books and the people who love them.

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    • AudioFile Magazine
      Helen Lloyd provides an excellent portrayal of Berit Gardner, the author turned sleuth who is the heroine in this new Swedish mystery series. Berit is only one of a cast of eccentric characters in the rundown village of Great Diddling. After an explosion in the library of a manor house kills a local man, Berit ends up taking part in running a book-and-murder festival designed to bring tourists--and an influx of revenue--to the village. As each local's story is revealed, the festival takes on a madcap tone, resulting in fun and mayhem for all. Lloyd's voices and inflections bring life to each of the quirky characters, providing a thoroughly enjoyable listening experience. C.F. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      December 6, 2024

      Swedish novelist Bivald (The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend) fills this cozy mystery, the first in a series, with unabashed bibliophilia. The village of Great Diddling seems idyllic to Berit Gardner, an expat Swedish writer with several modest literary hits to her name and a London agent pressuring her for the next book, just as her inspiration has fled. Though Great Diddling lacks the seaside vistas that attract visitors to the rest of Cornwall, it's overflowing with characters, from the suspiciously overqualified head of the tourism board to the lady of the local manor whose every room is carpeted in books that Berit is sure will ignite her own creativity. First, though, she's got to figure out who lit the fuse in a most unidyllic--and lethal--explosion. As Berit investigates, audiobook narrator Helen Lloyd captures her motivations: justice for the villagers she's come to know, combined with a craftswoman's interest in stories. Lloyd also produces accents (including Cornish), and distinct voices of every age, gender, and disposition for an engrossing listen to match the text. VERDICT An absorbing audiobook perfect for fans of Anthony Horowitz's Susan Ryeland mysteries. Highly recommended.--Lauren Kage

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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  • English

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