At least fifteen years August’s senior, he had a kind of James Bond quality about him, exuding a seductive confidence with his every move she couldn’t ignore, in spite of her irritation.
Brenda Whiteside
A Legacy of Love and Murder
Format:
Audible.
Publisher’s Synopsis:
In Austria to meet her great-grandfather and explore his castle estate filled with priceless art, August Myer arrives to find he’s died suspiciously. As one of the heirs, her life is in danger, turning this fairytale Alpine adventure into a nightmare of veiled threats, unexplained accidents, and murder.
Inspector Tobias Wolf splits his time between his profession and fighting the spread of neo-Nazism. But when the beautiful, intriguing American crosses his path during a murder investigation, ensuring her safety challenges his priorities…and his heart.
When August learns the handsome inspector is concealing a personal involvement, and the death of her great-grandfather is somehow connected, she takes the investigation into her own hands. The outcome could be the death of both of them.
Point of view:
3rd Person. Alternating perspectives, not always by chapter, but it’s clearly defined. The majority of the book is either from Tobias or August’s perspective. There are several scenes from from secondary characters.
Rellim’s Thoughts:
I’ve already listened to and enjoyed the first two books in this series. I’ll admit I’m a fan of May/December trope, so I was looking forward to this one. August joins her mother, Lacey (from book 1, Art of Love & Murder) in Austria to meet her great-grandfather and learn more about their family’s history. They arrive to find that he’s been murdered and they’ve been thrust into the center of a mystery. Investigating the case is the older Tobias Wolf. While initially they clash, eventually Wolf & August work together to solve all of the strange occurrences at the castle.
At times, I found it difficult to connect with August. Partially, because her “backstory” was a little illogical ~ she’s only 23, yet has a college degree, owns a successful gallery, and just recently divorced. While I know this is possible, it’s seems like a lot of “life” for someone so young and the whole divorce thing could have been left out because it didn’t seem to serve any purpose. Additionally, her attitude/actions during the story are often immature. While I think the point may have been independent or strong it felt more belligerent and unreasonably hostile.
I did enjoy Wolf and eventually warmed to his blossoming relationship with August. Since we’re privy to the antagonists POVs, it’s not a “true” mystery ~ but there is a lot of action/suspense to be enjoyed. While there is romance, it doesn’t dominate the story. Listeners who don’t want explicit sex scenes will especially appreciate Whiteside’s approach.
Narration:
Holly Holt’s narration was pleasant. The Austrian German felt a little off. While she did catch many of the superficial pronunciation differences, she was missing that “back of the throat” origin and hard endings for words. Listeners who haven’t spent time around native speakers might not notice and it wasn’t awful or cartoonish, so I was fine.
I received a free copy of this audiobook and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
My Favorite Quotes
He had a kind of James Bond quality about him, exuding a seductive confidence with his every move she couldn’t ignore. – A Legacy of Love & Murder @brendawhitesed2 #RomanticSuspense #Audiobook
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