The Blackout Murders
A Homefront Sleuths Mystery (The Homefront Sleuths Cozy Mystery Series, Book 1)
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The Blackout Murders
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Narrated by:
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Iona Campbell
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Written by:
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Anna Elliott
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Charles Veley
About this listen
Five friends, one sleepy village, and a mystery brimming with dark secrets.
England, 1941. The tranquil village of Crofter’s Green seems like a haven from the chaos of wartime. But when a local air raid warden is found dead in the village churchyard, five villagers--some getting on in years and none of them policemen--decide they need to uncover the truth.
Introducing the Homefront Sleuths:
- Evie Harris, a newly arrived tea shop owner, seeking a fresh start after losing her husband.
- Alice Greenleaf, the village herbalist, who has her own quiet strength and wisdom.
- Blake Collins, a war-wounded schoolteacher, struggling with the scars of battle.
- Harry Jenkins, a sharp-eyed retired detective from London, who thought his sleuthing days were over.
- Dotty Baker, a resourceful young mother, juggling the demands of wartime life.
Together, they will form a close-knit circle, a found family in a world turned upside down. As they dig into the village’s secrets, they uncover more than just the identity of a killer—they discover the power of friendship and community in the face of adversity. But can they solve the mystery before the shadows of war claim another victim, and will Evie discover her inner culinary capabilities?
The Blackout Murders is a heartwarming, suspenseful tale perfect for fans of cozy mysteries and wartime intrigue. This first installment of the *Homefront Sleuths* Series offers a rich tapestry of characters, historical detail, and the enduring strength of human connection. If you enjoy The Marlow Murder Club or cozy mysteries by Rhys Bowen, T.E. Kinsey, Jacqueline Winspear, or Susan Elia MacNeal we're sure you'll enjoy this series.
Scroll up, grab your copy, and join the Homefront Sleuths as they embark on their first case!
©2024 Charles Veley and Anna Elliott (P)2024 Charles Veley and Anna ElliottWhat listeners say about The Blackout Murders
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- T-in-a-dash
- 2025-04-16
Could have been shorter
I’ll admit, I was annoyed by this book and really didn’t like it for the first 30% and it wasn’t the story that I didn’t like. It was one, the multitude of POV‘s that exists in this book and two, the length of the book.
If you are like me where you like a duo point of view in a romance or situation where there’s two main characters and a single point of view in murder mysteries where the sleuth takes on more of the deduction work, you will be like me and find this book confusing for the first part Because until I realized what was happening and why it was happening I didn’t like the multiple point of views.
In this book, you have the POV of Evie, who is new to town and the granddaughter of the deceased tea shop owner, you have Alice, who is an old lady who owns an apothecary, you have Dorothy, who is a bartender and young mother, also known as Dottie, who is a little scaredy-cat, you have Blake, who is an injured army colonel, you have Harry, who is a retired London cop, and finally you have Nigel, who is Harry’s nephew and a current country cop.
You cycle between the POV of Harry, Evie, Alice, Dottie, and Blake. These five make up the sleuths that come together in order to solve the crime and the mystery and so you see incidents involving them from their POV. Great to a certain extent, annoying to another extent.
Great to some, because then you can look at the incidents from a first person POV and think of the mystery, but for me, it makes the book longer, more boring and more tedious because not only are you just seeing the incidents that are occurring that deal with the mystery, but you have the internal ruminations of each person, all their little fears and all their inner thoughts, as well as all the little inconsequential things that I really don’t care about and have nothing to do with the mystery. I could have gotten by with just Harry’s POV, or Alice and Harry’s.
If you are one that thrives on the detail and the in depth knowledge about each character, this is great for you, me? when I read a cosy mystery, my focus is on the mystery. I want the action. I wanna know the progress and yes some small character information, but all their inner thoughts about their lost or absent loved ones, I couldn’t care less. It has NOTHING to do with the murder. We know, or have read about the horrors of the war and about the blackouts, we don’t constantly need the reminder with each POV. We don’t constantly need the reminder of all the lost souls and the unnecessary violence.
I just did a review on a cosy mystery novella written by J. Wells, and in that book, reviewers speak of the lack of detail, the lack of information about the characters, how short it was even though it’s a novella, but I loved the book because they focussed on the mystery and the action and the progress to solve said mystery. There was a little bit of information about the characters, but not enough to distract from the focus. it’s a cosy mystery. It’s supposed to be short. Complete opposite of this book. This book is like having an episode of Midsomer murders and it’s seven hours long.
I will say that once I got over the annoyance with the multiple POV‘s and the constant internal ruminations I enjoyed the book.
The narrator did an OK job, however, it would’ve been better if you could immediately differentiate between the characters and two, with the five POV‘s, even the narrator forgot what voice she set aside for Harry and Nigel, and halfway through she started using the voice she previously used for Nigel for Harry as well.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Erica
- 2025-03-30
easy listen, good characters
this was a nice, easy listen. Generally interesting to keep my attention but i wasn't on the edge of my seat. I liked the historical aspects and glimpse into normal people's lives during WW2. The narrator has a nice voice and does a good job of storytelling. I found the "americanism" in her accent for the one character not particularly realistic but it wasn't annoying enough for me to put down the book. I suspect most listeners will like it. I bought the next book in the series.
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