The Bookseller's Tale

Oxford Medieval Mysteries, Book 1

By: Ann Swinfen

Narrated by: Philip Battley

Oxford, Spring 1353. When young bookseller Nicholas Elyot discovers the body of student William Farringdon floating in the river Cherwell, it looks like a drowning. Soon, however, Nicholas finds evidence of murder. Who could have wanted to kill this promising student? As Nicholas and his scholar friend Jordain try to unravel what lies behind William's death, they learn that he was innocently caught up in a criminal plot. When their investigations begin to involve town, university, and abbey, Nicholas takes a risky gamble - and puts his family in terrible danger.

©2016 Ann Swinfen (P)2017 Ann Swinfen

Held my interest, excellent historical background

This is my kind of book. The story depended on a well-drawn world of a medieval bookseller and his relationship with Oxford instructors and students. I liked the family members, too. The murder mystery unfolded at a reasonable pace and wasn't predictable. The narrator did a great job. I hope audible releases the second book in this series, The Novice's Tale, with the same narrator. I downloaded the first book from audible of Swinfen's Christopher Alvarez series, but I haven't listened to it yet - now I'll definitely give that series a listen.

Not much of a mystery

Would you try another book from Ann Swinfen and/or Philip Battley?

Yes

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Knew it long before the end

Could you see The Bookseller's Tale being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Yes, it might make a better movie than a book

Any additional comments?

The atmosphere of the period was good but the mystery was a little weak - the perpetrator obvious early on. A more compelling story in the same setting would welcome. After all the other rave reviews, I found myself rather disappointed by the book itself.

A good tale

Tightly written with a great reader. Fits the main character perfectly. Interesting to learn a little about medieval Oxford.

Really fun story, but with uneven narration

Very enjoyable historical mystery set in 14th-century Oxford. Great characters and excellent descriptions, a good mystery, and fine pacing. The narration of the audiobook by Philip Battley was uneven, however, with many strange pauses and pacing. His accents were fine, though.

Solid writing

Great characters, solid story. A little odd to hear a first person narrator in the medieval genre, but it worked. Frequently jarring shifts in past and present tense tripped me up.

I liked this story and narrator.

Nothing like solving a murder and surviving the plague!! Love the characters and can’t wait for the next book. Will the artist nun escape the convent? Lol! Fun romp.

The Booksellers Tale

What must be appreciated in this volume is the obvious proof of the author's time and energy in researching the era. Also combining suspense and comedy is most enjoyable, making her characters very believable. It is easy to imagine the scenes at home as she so vividly describes them. This is, perhaps, one of my favorites. I am an avid Sherlock Holmes fan, therefore the deductions and reasonings were a special delght. Bravo! I'm looking forward to many more volumes.

Immersive and entertaining!

I had a hard time stopping to go back to reality. The narrator acts it well, and in emotional parts I even found myself tearing up... he has a smooth, pleasant voice, perfect to convey the quaint atmosphere of medieval Oxford.

Loved the story. Can’t wait to read the next one

I thoroughly enjoyed the story. It seems well researched. The medieval music was a nice touch. The story kept my interest the whole time.

Great performance, very good story

Loved the narrator. The story was a bit predictable but I loved all the historical details