The Art of Lying

Tea? Coffee? Murder! 1

By: Ellen Barksdale

Narrated by: Jessica Whittaker

There are only two possibilities: either lovely old Miss Beresford from Earlsraven is suffering from dementia or there's something fishy going on at her house! But what has Nathalie got to do with it? The young woman has just moved from Liverpool to tranquil Earlsraven to take up her aunt's legacy: the Black Feather pub. But when Miss Beresford discovers a dead body in her garden, Nathalie and her cook Louise begin to investigate.

About the series: There was nothing in the will about this... Cottages, English roses and rolling hills: that's Earlsraven. In the middle of it all: the "Black Feather". Not only does young Nathalie Ames unexpectedly inherit this cosy inn from her aunt, she also falls heir to her aunt's secret double life! She solved criminal cases together with her cook Louise, a former agent of the British Crown. And while Nathalie is still trying to warm up to the quirky villagers, she discovers that sleuthing runs in the family.

Ellen Barksdale was born in the English seaside resort of Brighton, where her parents ran a small boarding house. From childhood she was a bookworm, and from a young age was interested in crime novels. Her first experience of crime fiction was with the Maigret novels by Georges Simenon. After years of reading crime fiction, she recently decided to take up writing herself. Tea? Coffee? Murder! is her first mystery series. The author lives near Swansea with her partner Ian and their three mongrels Billy, Bobby and Libby.

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nice light listen

I did not like the chapter starts. I don't need it summed up in a sentence. why listen if that is the case.

Lovely, but very short

All the characters are great. But I hate how short they are. Good listen though.

Slow start, but great fun in the last third if the story. Great narration too. Would like to read more.

An awful lot about statistics and two people’s rather boring lives. Good set up and intro to characters, but it could have been two chapters shorter for that part. I almost stopped listening, but the little clue drops kept me going, almost against my will! But loved the crime and wrap up.

Suspend disbelief, and enjoy the ride

I just finished all five of the stories currently offered. There is no way the crimes could be handled this casually in the real world. Sometimes, it just seems ridiculous. However, I gave it five stars for enjoyment. If you are in to critical thinking, you won't like this pleasant little series.

Great production values!

That intro and concluding music signals great entertainment. So pleased to find this after completing most of the Cherringham series