Preview
  • Death in the Off-Season

  • A Merry Folger Nantucket Mystery, Book 1
  • By: Francine Mathews
  • Narrated by: Madeleine Maby
  • Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (81 ratings)

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.

Death in the Off-Season

By: Francine Mathews
Narrated by: Madeleine Maby
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $21.49

Buy for $21.49

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

When Rusty Mason, scion of one of Nantucket's oldest and wealthiest families, is found dead in a flooded cranberry bog one foggy fall night, 32-year-old detective Meredith Folger is faced with her first murder case.

Merry is the daughter of the local police chief and granddaughter of his predecessor; her father is a strict boss and Merry feels pressure to go the extra mile to prove her promotion to detective isn't just nepotism. But the Mason murder is a demanding first test.

Merry's investigation brings to light all the tensions that plague the tiny community of Nantucket: the decades-old grudges; the skyrocketing real estate that only wealthy weekenders can afford; the resentments of the old Nantucket families who are barely keeping their homes and heritage fishing businesses alive. But Merry knows the island and its politics in a way only a local can.

©1994, 2016 Francine Matthews (P)2016 Recorded Books
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about Death in the Off-Season

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    32
  • 4 Stars
    21
  • 3 Stars
    21
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    24
  • 4 Stars
    21
  • 3 Stars
    16
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    8
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    29
  • 4 Stars
    27
  • 3 Stars
    15
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good story, unnatural narration

I really enjoy this series but not so much the reader. The cadence to the reading seems slow. The dialog is extremely stilted and unnatural. I found it distracting to the story line.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Very well written, and the plot twist are wonderful. The narrator I thought was very good. It was a bit stilted, but it fit the Chandra of the story. Thank you.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Nasty Doings on Nantucket

This book offers a good sense of place, and how that place helps create and define character. Nantucket in the off season is really a village, where one’s lineage is readily known to all, and the sins of the fathers are often paid for by the children. The narration was adequate but annoying due to subtle errors. NO ONE on the island say “Sia’sconset”. It’s always “‘Sconset”. (Even the famous “bluff walk” is named ‘Sconset Bluff Walk.) The narrator’s intrusion of an hysteria overtone whenever something bad occurs or is about to happen in the story was off putting and unnecessary. The tension between Merry and her father seemed contrived, and all the romances were forced.
The female characters were far better realized than the men, many of whom blurred together.
There’s only so much a faded plaid shirt can do to delineate character! Overall, the Audio version was only adequate. I’d suggest reading this title visually in book or Kindle format instead.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved the Nantucket References!

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed all the Nantucket references. They made me feel like I was really on the island. The murder mystery was very good and it kept me guessing till the end. The end (not the ending) was a problem... too abrupt, needed more story to tie up some loose ends. It left you wondering about too many things. If this was a series then that would be OK, but I don't think it is.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

engaging

good story. set up so reader can sleuth the culprit.
the narration is difficult but...
pro tip: listen in 1.2

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

An excellent book for a relaxing weekend.

A compelling story, it held my interest. I recommend it. Perhaps not a masterpiece, but very good. I will definitely listen to the next book in the series, and hope for more in the future.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Refreshing

Well read and surprising from the get go, this modern thriller did not stop keeping me on tenterhooks right up to the end.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Don’t bother

I read on Audible almost exclusively. This Narrator was horrible and that in and of itself can make or break a book on audIo. I couldn’t even make it to the end of the first chapter.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful