Murder in the Dark

Mydworth Mysteries #12

by Matthew Costello, Neil Richards, Nathaniel Parker (Narrator)

Harry and Kat take the sleeper train to the Scottish Highlands for a New Year’s weekend, guests of an American movie mogul who’s bought himself a ‘real live castle’. But when a massive blizzard leaves them isolated, it soon becomes clear that the other guests who've made it through the snow all have secrets. And after an 'accident' that is clearly no accident, our two heroes wonder...could murder be ringing in the New Year? Can they discover - in time - who is in mortal danger, here in the snow-covered mountains, and most importantly...why?

Genres: Mystery, Audiobook, Historical Fiction, Crime, British Literature, Historical, Cozy Mystery

Audiobook

Published February 3, 2023

Reviews

[Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dieser 12. Band der Reihe hat bisher auf jeden Fall mein Lieblingscover. Das hell erleuchtete Schloss in verschneiter Landschaft wirkt auf mich sehr anziehend und passt auch sehr gut zum Inhalt der Geschichte.
Kat und Harry feiern Silvester in Schottland. Ein amerikanischer Filmmogul hat die beiden auf sein Schloss eingeladen. Natürlich bekommen Lord und Lady Mortimer wieder etwas zu tun, denn es geschieht ein seltsamer Unfall...
💕 Ich mag die Reihe, und dieser Band hatte eine schöne Atmosphäre. Ich habe mich wieder sehr gut unterhalten gefühlt.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sir Harry Mortimer and his American wife Kat Reilly head to the Scottish Highlands as the guest of an American movie mogul, Jack Garner, for New Year’s Eve. The couple, plus a few unlucky others who manage to arrive before a fierce winter storm, become trapped at Garner’s castle. While Murder in the Dark isn’t as satisfying as the usual Mydworth Mysteries, a bad day with Kat and Sir Harry is better than some other writers’ best work. Definitely worth a listen.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

This books aren’t long but they are jammed packed with all you need for a good mystery. This one in particular had a great stetting and an intense plot that had you guessing until the end.

[ShanDizzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder at a Scottish castle on New Year’s night

“Harry,” she said, “do you think Lavinia knew what was going on up here before she passed on the invitation?” Harry laughed. “You know – I’ve been asking myself that very same question.” “And did you get an answer?” “I didn’t,” he said. “Not a definitive one, anyway. But I’ve a feeling she suspected her old friend was in trouble, and thought perhaps to send us up ‘cold’, as it were. To see... what we might see.”

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Och, our wee heroes travel to the Highlands for Hogmanay.

[Malin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sir Harry och hans fru Kat har fått ta över faster Lavinias inbjudan till Hogmanay-firande hos en amerikansk filmmogul i de skotska högländerna.
Firandet blir inte lika välbesökt som det var tänkt pga en snöstorm, men det blir desto mer spännande.
Efter ett mordförsök under en kurragömmalek försöker paret komma fram till vem som låg bakom det hela - när en annan person hittas död...
***
Ännu en klurig, spännande och trevlig pusseldeckare. Med bästa Nathaniel Parker som uppläsare... 😍

[Barbara Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Series: Mydworth Mysteries #12
Publication Date: 9/30/22
Period: 1929 – Interwar Period
Number of Pages: 143

Kat and Harry are looking forward to bringing in the new year in a real Scottish castle with all of the Scottish traditions. They happily board the train ‘The Highlandman’ and notice the flakes of snow falling. By the time the train reaches its destination, the highlands are covered in a sparkling blanket of snow.

Upon their arrival, their loud, brash American host greets them at the door and ushers them into a castle that looks as if it belongs in a fairy tale. Unfortunately, few of the guests were able to make it to the castle because of the weather – and the few who are there are quite a strange lot. They all seem to know each other – not like each other – yet claim they are barely acquainted. One thing is sure, none of them like their host, yet they all covet his money and power. Not even the staff likes Jack Garner.

The only reason Kat and Harry are there is that Jack is married to their aunt’s good friend and she wanted them to check in with her to assure all is well. While their aunt’s friend has become fond of imbibing, she is otherwise well. So, now all they need to do is enjoy the festivities.

Jack is not a pleasant man and treats everyone deplorably, but since everyone wants something from him, they have to tolerate him. But then, he turns up dead. Since all communication has been cut off because of the storm, Kat and Harry must handle the inquiries. Is the obvious suspect the correct one? Maybe. Maybe not.

I hope you’ll enjoy the story as much as I did.

[Connie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read both the Cherringham Mysteries and the Mydworth Mysteries by this writing duo. Either series is, generally speaking, entertaining light reading. All of these books are short, although the Mydworth novels seem even shorter than the Cherringham novels. This reflects the backgrounds of these writers as television script writers. Their work is not high art by any stretch of the imagination.

Nevertheless, a cozy mystery, even in novelette form, ought to have some reason for being. It ought to entertain. It ought to have some elegance of style or some nuance in characterisation. There ought not to be too many cliches. Certainly, to merit publication, a cozy novel must possess something to distinguish it from the endless parade of similar novels. Perhaps I am asking too much. Perhaps the delight of cozy fiction is its predictability. Perhaps if the setting is a Scottish country house in winter, we OUGHT to expect the characters to be snowbound and the police unavailable to search out the murderer.

'Murder in the Dark" did not meet my expectations for a cozy escape. I only finished it because it was short. I probably won't purchase another in this series.

[Tania Rook · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is nothing worse than being snowed in with strangers during Hogmanay. Especially at a party you weren't even invited to where someone is taking the game Murder in the Dark much too seriously. But everyone's favourite landed gentry, the Mortimers, are positively allergic to time spent alone together, and must be out poking about in other people's business to even know they are alive. So when a mystery comes along with the snow and the Hogmanay, off to work they go. Which is probably just as well, as everyone else at the party subscribes to the A=A philosophy where if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it probably committed the crime it stands accused of.

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do want to visit Scotland, but after reading this episode in the series, I don’t want to go in the winter. I felt a little chilled just reading about the snow. Usually in these stories I find some bit characters to like but that really was not the case in this one. Even those that were not guilty of murder were guilty of something. There were so many characters and sometime they were referred to by their last names and sometimes by their first names so I did get a little confused just trying to keep all the people straight.

[Caridad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love a mystery in an old castle…

I’ve read all twelve books in the series and have not been disappointed. The characters keep getting better as we learn more about them.
There are typos and missed words but not enough to distract from the story. Publishers, editors and proofreaders are human. Even after rigorous reviews, mistakes happen.
I will continue to read more of this series.

[Kim Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another murder for Kat and Harry to solve

And just like their previous 'cases', Kat and Harry have to put on their thinking caps, for lined ones this time, to solve this murder in double quick time. Though given the amount of snow that had fallen I'm not sure they would have been able to leave as soon as they did; and on New Years Day too!

[Leni K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unterhaltsamer Kurz-Krimi, in einem klassischen Setting. Ein eingeschneiter Landsitz, Telefonleitung tot, ein Mord, eine überschaubare Anzahl Verdächtiger und mittendrin: Sir Harry und Lady Kat.
Kurzweilig mit einer unerwarteten Wendung, dann im Ergebnis ein bisschen vorhersehbar, aber trotzdem sehr unterhaltsam.

[Kristyn Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another well-told story, even if it doesn’t have the “spark” of previous installments. I enjoyed the cast of characters, but some could have been better developed: They really danced around some characters’ “picadillos” (sp?) without really giving an explanation. Still enjoyable, but not quite as engaging as others.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got Cold Just Reading This

I love the Mydworth Mysteries series. Kat and Harry are a fine pair of sleuths with wonderful talents. Wasn't too hard to figure out who was going to die. Just a matter of who done it. Well done.

[Kaija · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lukijana Nathaniel Parker.
Miellyttävää kuunneltavaa parilla kävelylenkillä ja loppuun ruuanlaiton taustalla. Mukavaa ajankuvaa ja kuvausta tällä kertaa Skotlannin Ylämailta, jossa Kat ja Harry viettivät uutta vuotta.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do love how every book has a different setting and that the characters keep growing and get better as we learn more about them.

Love Aunt Lavinia.
To be honest though, I really liked the murderer here, he gave me a mysterious feeling and got me intrigued.

[Bells Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Number 12 of the series finds Kat and Harry on an overnight train headed to a castle party in Scotland. Snow starts to fall and eventually they are stranded in the castle w/the party. Perfect setting for a closed room murder. Quite enjoyed listening to this short but very period piece mystery.

[Jayne]

Audiobook

[Caren · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Dona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still love reading the light cozy mysteries.

[Neely Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harry and Kat go to the Scottish Highlands to bring in the New Year. As always, murder doesn’t miss a celebration.

[Nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. This feels repetitive, but they are just too short! The setting and idea is great, but the length is always a hindrance.

[Kataklicik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook : Spotify.

This one was a little slow for me.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I continue to love all of the Mydworth Mysteries!

[ilse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read. Have enjoyed the series as it keeps me entertained.

[Stephanie Curran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Excellent Installment

The perfect snowed in adventure and mystery in a Scottish castle on New Year’s Eve. Kat and Harry never disappoint.