lorimichelekelley's review against another edition
3.0
Audible version: I have to agree with many of the reviewers here who say this isn't such a great series, but at the same time, it's perfect for my listening purposes at the moment - just pleasant noise in the background, just a reminder that somewhere in the world (even if just in imagination), there is a place where neighbors know one another and writer's clubs and book clubs still meet and there are people who get up in each other's business because they care. So while the mystery was just all solved and dumped at the end in a long boring story, I didn't care. I can never figure out any of the clues anyway!
staticdisplay's review against another edition
2.0
I kind of enjoyed the cozy elements, but I just didn't end up loving the overall story. the main character and his romantic interest were described primarily as having no flaws - so I know Max is handsome, but I don't know what he looks like. I know Awena is beautiful and voluptuous and good and kind (although when she's actually in the scene, she tends to sound rather judgmental and close-minded). I found the resolution to the mystery very weird (the psychological elements, not the historical part) and not exactly satisfactory. I was reading this because I found a list with some Easter cozies, but it also didn't have a ton of Easter elements. I guess it's a holiday that doesn't really lend itself to cozy mysteries exactly. this did remind me that I do enjoy these English village settings in cozies.
cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition
4.0
A 2013 staff fiction favorite recommended by Jane.
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Spagan%20spring%20malliet__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=pearl
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Spagan%20spring%20malliet__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=pearl
judyward's review against another edition
4.0
When you have a former government spy turned Anglican priest, you know that you are in for an interesting read. Especially when this priest has fallen in love with a woman in the small English village of Nether Monkship who practices Wicca and who owns a local herb/crystals/natural cooking shop. While Vicar Max Tudor is trying to concentrate on writing his Easter sermon, he becomes involved with a situation when a guest at a dinner party is found dead early the morning after. Complications abound putting that Easter sermon in jeopardy. The third installment in the Max Tudor series and I'm looking forward to the next book.
hammychop's review against another edition
3.0
I want to like this series more than I do. 2.5 rounded up.
henrismum's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Audiobook (All of my entries on The Story Graph are audiobooks.)
#3 in series
Will I read other installments?Probably Not Maybe Likely Most Likely Definitely This was book three in the series and now I have to decide whether I will add this to my permanent list. I probably will.
Comparison to others in series: BetterAbout the same Not as good Good, but it could have been better I liked it better than the last one. The basis of the story was sad, but the concept was good.
The narrator was Michael Page. He is a great voice for Max and cast.
#3 in series
Will I read other installments?
Comparison to others in series: Better
The narrator was Michael Page. He is a great voice for Max and cast.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Genocide, Eating disorder, and Infidelity
quietjenn's review against another edition
3.0
3 1/2? I like this series, but I want to like this series more. Or maybe just I like it more in theory than in reality? I don't know. Looking back at my response to the first two, I find that my response to this one sort of echoes my response to those. It's very literate and well-written. It's solid and I think a lot about the world Malliet has created is appealing. The mystery is okay and, even though the pacing sometimes felt uneven, I read through it very quickly.
However, I also find it pretty wordy and sometimes repetitive. But more, I am having lots of trouble buying - and tolerating - the romance that's coming to play a more and more central role in the story. I am not averse to romance in my mysteries, when well-handled, but I just don't think that it is here. Every time Max waxed rhapsodic about Awena, I found myself stifling an eye roll. It feels rushed and false and too much telling not showing.
I'll probably keep reading the series but it will probably keep irking me. As will the constant comparisons to Agatha Christie. (I am maybe being purist. I think very few people who get compared to Agatha Christie actually truly rival Agatha Christie. G.M. Malliet, for all her skills, does not. I think comparisons to contemporaries like Louise Penny and C.C. Benison are much more apt.)
However, I also find it pretty wordy and sometimes repetitive. But more, I am having lots of trouble buying - and tolerating - the romance that's coming to play a more and more central role in the story. I am not averse to romance in my mysteries, when well-handled, but I just don't think that it is here. Every time Max waxed rhapsodic about Awena, I found myself stifling an eye roll. It feels rushed and false and too much telling not showing.
I'll probably keep reading the series but it will probably keep irking me. As will the constant comparisons to Agatha Christie. (I am maybe being purist. I think very few people who get compared to Agatha Christie actually truly rival Agatha Christie. G.M. Malliet, for all her skills, does not. I think comparisons to contemporaries like Louise Penny and C.C. Benison are much more apt.)
nonna7's review against another edition
5.0
This is the third Max Tudor mystery, and I believe it is Malliet's best yet. Reading this is like reading an Agatha Christie. I love the slight tongue-in-cheek as the characters are introduced. The writing group, Writers' Squared is absolutely spot on. (And that apostrophe is VERY important.) Max is invited to dinner. The love of his life, Awena, New Age free spirit and owner of an herb/crystals/natural cooking business, is away doing a cooking class.
Of course everyone knows that Max and Awena are more than just friends despite Max's attempts to keep their romance on the down low. For Max is, after all, the local Anglican vicar. Talk about mixed marriages! So Awena is now at the dinner, but several newly arrived people are including an overbearing actor and a hairdresser who has recently moved to the town. She is cousin to Lucie, the hostess of the dinner. The overbearing actor manages to annoy everyone.
We also learn that he and his wife are not on the best of terms. Shortly after the dinner, the gentleman is found dead. His wife knocks on Max's door begging for his help. (Why call the police when you can call the Vicar, grumbles DI Cotton!) Max suspects foul play. He's correct.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable book by an author who truly is a throwback in many ways - and a thoroughly delightful one at that. I have read every one of her books including the two previous ones that were delightful standalones. Max is definitely one of my favorite fictional detectives.
Of course everyone knows that Max and Awena are more than just friends despite Max's attempts to keep their romance on the down low. For Max is, after all, the local Anglican vicar. Talk about mixed marriages! So Awena is now at the dinner, but several newly arrived people are including an overbearing actor and a hairdresser who has recently moved to the town. She is cousin to Lucie, the hostess of the dinner. The overbearing actor manages to annoy everyone.
We also learn that he and his wife are not on the best of terms. Shortly after the dinner, the gentleman is found dead. His wife knocks on Max's door begging for his help. (Why call the police when you can call the Vicar, grumbles DI Cotton!) Max suspects foul play. He's correct.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable book by an author who truly is a throwback in many ways - and a thoroughly delightful one at that. I have read every one of her books including the two previous ones that were delightful standalones. Max is definitely one of my favorite fictional detectives.
gawronma's review against another edition
4.0
I am not a big reader of traditional or cozy mysteries but I have come to enjoy this series. I am glad to see that Malliet has her characters grow and develop. The mystery was satisfying too.