Death in the Spires

De: KJ Charles

Narrado por: Tom Lawrence

Duración: 9 h y 8 m

Resumen del Editor

The newspapers called us the Seven Wonders. We were a group of friends, that’s all, and then Toby died. Was killed. Murdered.

1905. A decade after the grisly murder of Oxford student Toby Feynsham, the case remains hauntingly unsolved. For Jeremy Kite, the crime not only stole his best friend, it destroyed his whole life. When an anonymous letter lands on his desk, accusing him of having killed Toby, Jem becomes obsessed with finally uncovering the truth.

Jem begins to track down the people who were there the night Toby died – a close circle of friends once known as the ‘Seven Wonders’ for their charm and talent – only to find them as tormented and broken as himself. All of them knew and loved Toby at Oxford. Could one of them really be his killer?

As Jem grows closer to uncovering what happened that night, his pursuer grows bolder, making increasingly terrifying attempts to silence him for good. Will exposing Toby's killer put to rest the shadows that have darkened Jem’s life for so long? Or will the gruesome truth only put him in more danger?

Some secrets are better left buried…

From the bestselling, acclaimed author of The Magpie Lord and The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen comes a chilling historical mystery with a sting in the tail. You won’t be able to put this gripping story down!

©2024 KJ Charles (P)2024 Storm Publishing

A mystery is afoot!

This new offering from KJ Charles is a head-scratching murder mystery, and it is a humdinger! I never figured it out!
Jem Kite sets out to solve the decade-old murder of one of his best friends at Oxford University. Jem and his six closest friends were called the Seven Wonders for their all-around excellence, arriving at Oxford from different backgrounds and becoming fast friends despite their differences. When one of their own is murdered before the finals of their last year, they know (because reasons) that one of them did it.
We follow Jem as he sets out to find the killer, and as told in flashbacks, we learn how the Seven Wonders became close, and how they ultimately almost destroyed themselves.
I found this book riveting, with a cast of fascinating characters we’ve come to expect from KJ Charles! Tom Lawrence’s performance for the audiobook is perfect! Brava!

the good parts of the relationships

I wish the person who was the killer wasn't the killer but it was now wasn't it

worth reading

I wasn't sure I liked the narration at first, but in the end he was great. I thought I knew who the killer was and was getting bored it was taking so long, but then I was wrong (twice) and the story twisted again. It tied together well. Everything fit. Whenever I'm a little skeptical in KJ Charles' books, she ends up being right in the end. Have faith.
One poor review mentioned intimate scenes being "lacking." They are "fade to black" scenes, not detailed and not like her other romance novels but she was clear - this is a murder mystery, not a romance novel. Still, they added to the story. I can appreciate subtlety. I liked Jem leaving his stocking on in chapter 9, and taking it off in chaper 14.

Narrator is excellent

Jeremy can't be really bright and naive at the same time. Impossible to be so unworldly.

A good mystery but lackluster performance

I’m a huge KJ Charles fan so I was excited for a new book from her in a different genre. The story itself was compelling and interesting, but it felt like it could have used a little more editing and tightening up at points. It was overall very good just not quite as polished as her previous work.

The narrator didn’t hit the mark with this one. His voice did not match the emotions of the characters at all, and he mixed up character voices in several places. At one point he used the wrong name for a character. I may be biased because I love the narrator who does all of Kj Charles earlier works (Cornell Collins - I could listen to him read the phone book), but I felt the narration was too distracting and didn’t add anything to the story.

Couldn't put it down

Such a different vibe from anything I've read from KJ before bit holy shit I am floored. Chef's kisses all around, the character, the mystery, the pun at the end. So. Frickin. Good.

Clever and meaningful page turner

I loved this book. Complex and character driven plot with interesting specificity. All the elements unfolded so naturally because KJ Charles grounds her writing in character. The mystery was great and the romance elements were perfect in tone for the story.

Fantastic book and performance

This is a fantastic murder mystery, well written (as all KJ Charles books are) and well read.

Timely

On her website, KJ Charles has an essay called “characters, politics, fish, and you“ in which she gives tips to writers about building characters and worlds in historical fiction by paying attention to the backdrop of the times.

“Consider the water your fish swim in. Then you can decide how clear or turbulent you want it to be.”

In Death In The Spires, Charles paints her world and characters with tremendous skill. Not only does she place the events of the book within a vivid historical context, she does so in such an easy, digestible, transparent way that you never feel confused or jarred by period details,

In addition, many of the themes in this book are very timely for those of us living now and watching the news. I can’t say more without spoilers, but, be prepared to have events from 1905 resonate with the world of 2024 in a resounding way.

This author is hands-down the best writer of historical romantic suspense on my bookshelves. If this is your first book by her, get ready to enjoy yourself.

Couldn’t Put Down

Another A+ from KJ Charles, and I liked that she branched out into a different era in time for the setting.