The Monastery Murders Audiobook By E.M. Powell cover art

The Monastery Murders

A Stanton and Barling Mystery, Book 2

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The Monastery Murders

By: E.M. Powell
Narrated by: James Langton
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Their lives are ones of quiet contemplation—and brutal murder.

Christmas Eve, 1176. Brother Maurice, monk of Fairmore Abbey, awaits the night prayer bell. But there is only silence. Cursing his fellow brother Cuthbert’s idleness, he seeks him out—and in the darkness, finds him brutally murdered.

Summoned from London to the isolated monastery on the Yorkshire Moors, Aelred Barling, clerk to the King’s justices, and his messenger Hugo Stanton, set about investigating the horrific crime. They quickly discover that this is far from a quiet monastic house. Instead, it seethes with bitter feuds, rivalries and resentments. But no sooner do they arrive than the killer strikes again—and again.

When Barling discovers a pattern to these atrocities, it becomes apparent that the murderer’s rampage is far from over. With everyone, including the investigators, now fearing for their lives, can Barling and Stanton unmask the culprit before more blood is spilled?

©2018 E.M. Powell (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Crime Historical Murder Mystery Thriller & Suspense Fiction England

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Engaging Mystery • Excellent Narration • Well-developed Story • Historical Authenticity • Immersive Performance
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This is the second book with Stanton and Barling. Due to a direct request for their services, they end up looking into a murder that took place at a monastery. Soon many interesting things happen leaving your mind to work on the "Who-Done-It" and why. The author brings in a variety of characters that enhance the story. The scenery is well described and the narration was excellent. I loved this book and can hardly wait to read Book #3.

A well thought out mystery.

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I enjoyed the story. The narrator is one of my favorites. I look forward to the next.

Great series!

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I need more books about Stanton and Barling. I enjoyed both books in this series, and I'm going back to listen to previous books before this series - hope they're just as good!

Write faster!

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An enjoyable mystery that furthers the story of Stanton and Barling from The King’s Justice. Also gives good insights into the monastic life of the Cistercian brothers from the 12th Century in England. Good story development that engages the reader and keeps things moving. It is always challenging for me to see how someone pledged to the good is capable of rank evil, but it illustrates the truth that we are at heart both saint and sinner, and will be as long as we are in the flesh. Barling’s revelation at the end is also challenging and modern, but it does help to explain many of his character quirks.

Another great period mystery by Powell

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Good solid historical mystery set in a monastery. Likable protagonists, great dialogue, understandable ending. Enjoy if you like straightforward historical mysteries.

The narration

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After giving the second book a chance to change my mind about this series, I’ve given up. It’s not a bad mystery or a badly written story, but it just didn’t catch me. Also, the body count is prodigious and the methods of the killings are gruesome, which never interests me. There are so many other historical mysteries set during this fascinating time period that I’ve enjoyed more.

The audiobook narrator, James Langton, did an excellent job, and I have no complaints about the production.

Finally, the addition of homosexuality into the story just reeks of political correctness, c2020, and that was the nail in the coffin for me. It was totally unnecessary to the story and really took the ending of the book to a low point.

Contains violence and murder, no foul language, gruesome descriptions, and some sexual references

The buck (and my reading of it) stops here

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Enjoyed the banter, the character development, the growing relationship between Barking and Stanton. Very interesting.

A good read

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Powell rings another murder mystery for Barling and Stanton to solve. Excellent performance by Langton, which I enjoyed immensely.

A Devil In A Religious House

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No one is safe from heinous murders in holy ground. Well written and performed for the audio book listeners.

A good mystery...

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I thoroughly enjoyed the narration by James Langton. He gave each character a voice of his or her own. Langton puts the listener in the midst of the story.

Excellent Naration

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