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    The Murder Stone
    The Murder Stone
    The Murder Stone
    Audiobook13 hours

    The Murder Stone

    Written by Charles Todd

    Narrated by Imogen Church

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    “A stunner, exquisitely plotted and characterized, with Todd’s trademark meticulous backdrop of World War I-era England.”—Strand Magazine

    The Great War is still raging when Francesca Hatton’s adored grandfather dies on his estate in England’s isolated Exe Valley. She is his sole heir, for her five cousins are dead now on the battlefields of France. Among his effects, Francesca is stunned to find a letter cursing the Hattons. And at the funeral, a stranger publicly accuses Hatton of murder. Who was her grandfather? The kind man who raised her—or a secretive killer? For in the back garden where she and her cousins once played, there is a white stone they always called the Murder Stone.  Alone, with no one to help her, Francesca is determined to clear Hatton’s good name. But when a series of ominous “accidents” occur, she realizes that in her pursuit of the truth, she has crossed the path of someone who won’t be satisfied until all the Hattons are dead. 

     

    Praise for The Murder Stone

    “Todd’s mysteries are among the most intelligent and affecting being written these days.”—Washington Post Book World

    “Seamless . . . a compelling insight into the home front during 1916.”—Chicago Tribune

    “A gripping novel of family secrets set against the tragedy of World War I.”—Mystery Lovers Bookshop News

    “Many twists and turns, angst-ridden characters, and an evocative historical setting. A gripping read.”—Library Journal

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateFeb 11, 2020
    ISBN9780062955128
    The Murder Stone
    Author

    Charles Todd

    Charles Todd is the New York Times bestselling author of the Inspector Ian Rutledge mysteries, the Bess Crawford mysteries, and two stand-alone novels. A mother-and-son writing team, Caroline passed away in August 2021 and Charles lives in Florida.

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    Reviews for The Murder Stone

    3.5/5

    130 ratings12 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Wonderful read, I described it as a melodrama, loved it, beautifully read.
    • 3/5
      Title: The Murder StoneAuthor: Charles ToddPages: 377Year: 2003Publisher: Bantam DellThis story is set in 1916 in the English countryside in a remote valley. Francesca Hatton has just buried her grandfather after he suffered a stroke and weeks of being bedridden and unable or unwilling to communicate. She grew up with her grandfather in the role of her father as her own parents were killed when she was just two years old. She had no other relatives, so her grandfather took her in. She was raised with her five male cousins who had also lost their parents. As grown men, each of them had enlisted in the Great War and all of them had been killed. Now Francesca is the only surviving member of her family and the vultures begin to descend, wanting things from her. She has no idea what these people want or what they are talking about. Her grandfather kept her very shielded.As she asks more questions and gets no definite answers, she begins to think she never really knew her grandfather, the one she grew up adoring. Richard Leighton shows up accusing her grandfather of killing his mother years ago. He wants to find out for sure what happened, but makes no bones about it that he holds her grandfather responsible. Francesca staunchly defends her grandfather and so the two quarrel often. More information is unearthed, but is it the truth? Who can Francesca trust? Who will tell her the truth about her grandfather and about herself?This story contains many turns of the plot with distractions to keep readers guessing as to the outcome. I didn’t care for the ending of the story. There was no real resolution of who was related to whom and if the captured soldier was indeed one of Francesca’s cousins. I didn’t even like Francesca as she proved too capable at killing, even though she justified or rationalized the reasons to herself. Although I could empathize with her searching for answers to the questions various people raised and constantly being met with lies or silence. I have read the Inspector Rutledge series and the Bess Crawford series and enjoyed those stories very much, but this one just didn’t connect with me.My rating is 3 stars.Disclosure of Material Connection: I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
    • 3/5
      First off, I am a huge fan of Charles Tofd’s books. I have listened to Wings at least 8’times! But this book just didn’t cut it. It was way to long and drawn out. Full of innuendos that never led anywhere. Also, they replaced Simón Preble (the narrator in many of his audiobooks) with Imogen Church. There is nothing wrong with her voice, but for this book, her voice was distracting. She was great narrating the Ruth Ware mysteries, but she is much better suited to creepy gothic type mysteries, or melloncholy (sp?) tales. I gave up with about 5 hours left after waiting hours and hours for something exciting to happen.
    • 2/5
      Recoding had heaps of problems. Bits cut out. Jumping around. Ruined an otherwise great book!
    • 4/5
      Not a Rutledge but set in the same era with the overwhelming angst of WW1 coloring everything. Lots of mysteries to be discovered and resolved before the heroine creates an ironic solution that escapes the past and creates a future for her self.
    • 4/5
      Synopsis: Francesca and her four male cousins live with their grandfather on an estate in rural England. They have an idyllic childhood, playing all sorts of rough and tumble games. The oldest boy organizes historical battles around the 'Murder Stone' that has occupied the garden for thousands of years. All of the boys are killed in World War I; the grandfather has a stroke and on his death-bed stammers out either victorious or Victoria, Francesca can't determine which. After her grandfather's death, a strange man appears at her door claiming that the grandfather is responsible for the death of his mother, Victoria. These occurrences, as well as the gathering of other human 'vultures', takes Francesca on a quest to determine if her grandfather was a humanitarian or a villain. Francesca must also decide if she loves the man accusing her grandfather of murder, or if he, too, could be a villain.Review: This is a haunting book that uses an 'unreliable narrator' to give the reader the feeling that nothing is what it seems.
    • 3/5
      Title: The Murder StoneAuthor: Charles ToddPages: 377Year: 2003Publisher: Bantam DellThis story is set in 1916 in the English countryside in a remote valley. Francesca Hatton has just buried her grandfather after he suffered a stroke and weeks of being bedridden and unable or unwilling to communicate. She grew up with her grandfather in the role of her father as her own parents were killed when she was just two years old. She had no other relatives, so her grandfather took her in. She was raised with her five male cousins who had also lost their parents. As grown men, each of them had enlisted in the Great War and all of them had been killed. Now Francesca is the only surviving member of her family and the vultures begin to descend, wanting things from her. She has no idea what these people want or what they are talking about. Her grandfather kept her very shielded.As she asks more questions and gets no definite answers, she begins to think she never really knew her grandfather, the one she grew up adoring. Richard Leighton shows up accusing her grandfather of killing his mother years ago. He wants to find out for sure what happened, but makes no bones about it that he holds her grandfather responsible. Francesca staunchly defends her grandfather and so the two quarrel often. More information is unearthed, but is it the truth? Who can Francesca trust? Who will tell her the truth about her grandfather and about herself?This story contains many turns of the plot with distractions to keep readers guessing as to the outcome. I didn’t care for the ending of the story. There was no real resolution of who was related to whom and if the captured soldier was indeed one of Francesca’s cousins. I didn’t even like Francesca as she proved too capable at killing, even though she justified or rationalized the reasons to herself. Although I could empathize with her searching for answers to the questions various people raised and constantly being met with lies or silence. I have read the Inspector Rutledge series and the Bess Crawford series and enjoyed those stories very much, but this one just didn’t connect with me.My rating is 3 stars.Disclosure of Material Connection: I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
    • 3/5
      So many details seemed familiar that I'm sure I've read this book before—yet other details were complete surprises. The book is well written, but (spoiler alert) the romance predictable. I'd read another Todd, nonetheless, before making a blanket judgement. Why do so many mysteries seem to fall back on the romance novel formula?
    • 5/5
      This is a stand-alone book by Charles Todd and is one of the best mystery (versus thriller) book which I think that I have ever read.My interest flagged a bit towards the end and I began to feel that perhaps it was a bit too long but I kept on reading - being an e-book I couldn't have a quick look at the last page - and I was very glad that I persisted; the whole puzzle is solved with the last line.That twist, if you like, came as a complete surprise to me and I had missed the clue which would have given it to me earlier.I have always enjoyed Charles Todd's books and I would thoroughly recommend this particular one.
    • 4/5
      Never having read Charles Todd I really didn't know what to expect. I was enthralled, not only by the historical setting but by the entangled love story that accompanied the mystery. I couldn't put it down, even though I was sure about one part of the mystery. There is a twist at the end but it doesn't detract from the story of young Francesca and her five male cousins. The epistolary chapters are an added dimension to the background of the invisible players and they flesh out the drive Francesca has to find the truth.
    • 4/5
      An excellent mystery crafted around the family patriarch, Francis Hatton. Told from the point of view of the last living member of the family, Francesca, family secrets are revealed as she tries to come to terms with the death of her grandfather and 5 male cousins. A stranger arrives at the services, Richard Leighton, looking for his mother who has been missing since he was 8. Throughout the story the Murder Stone plays an important part to each turn. The stone is in the back garden of the family estate serves as a reminder to Francesca of both past events and secrets left untold.The twists and turns make this a wonderful read and I will recommend to my book group for next years list.
    • 4/5
      I recommend this to fans of Charles Todd's style, who will probably find this compelling on those familiar grounds. But, the ending is weird and not entirely satisfying, so I don't recommend it for a more general reader.