The Green Remains

The Nora Tierney Mysteries Book 2

By: Mami Graff

Narrated by: Nano Nagle

Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

American writer Nora Tierney is living at Ramsey Lodge in England's glorious Lake District, anticipating two life-changing events: the publication of her first children's book and the birth of her first child. Choosing a name for her son and checking proof pages with her illustrator, Simon Ramsey, fill her days - until a morning stroll along the shore of UK's largest lake, Windermere, leads her to discover the corpse of the heir to Clarendon Hall. When Simon is implicated in the death, Nora dives headfirst into the murder investigation to discover the real killer. As the body count rises, Nora and her unborn child will face risks and perils she could never anticipate in this second in a series of Nora Tierney mysteries.

©2012 Marnette Kathleen Graff (P)2015 Marnette K. Graff

A delightful mystery

What did you like best about this story?

I absolutely love Nora Tierney, the protagonist. Like #1 in the series, it is a really fun listen. Tierney is such a likeable amateur sleuth-- such a perfectly flawed character. The story took some unexpected twists and turns, and once again, Graff plants just enough clues so that the reader can figure it out. I'm already onto #3 in the series!

Any additional comments?

I look forward to Graff's other series as well.

If you love all things British...

Th Green Remains tells a great story and mystery adventure. At the same time it describes the English countryside and colloquialisms in a very visual way, making the listener feel like an invisible presence with the characters.

Great second book!

Book 2 sees Nora living in the beautiful lake district and waiting on the arrival of her baby and her book. She goes for a walk one day only to uncover a body. The body turns out to be the Heir to the Clarendon Hall and his manner of death was poison. Thing is that the thing that poisoned him is a rare plant that can only be found in Clarendon Hall, but Simon borrowed the plant from there to paint in a picture and now he is the number one suspect in the crime. Nora is once again trying to prove her friends innocence. Can she uncover the truth?

We are thrown into the mystery right from the start and brought on a rollercoaster of "who done it". With a lot of shady characters there is a delicious sense of trying to unravel the mystery along with Nora. This time it's Simon who is implicated and the investigating officer is non other than Simon's soon to be brother in law. Nora definitely has her work cut out for her in this one as she has to delve into the secrets of the great Clarendon hall and it's inhabitants. She also has to deal with her impending pregnancy, Simon's feelings for her and her own feelings for Detective Barnes!! All this adds up to another awesome installment in the Nora Tierney mysteries.

I enjoyed this a lot more than the first as I think Nora is really getting into her stride. I like the fact that she isn't a detective, she is just a good friend who loves mysteries and has a good nose for them. I also found the plot a lot faster and more gripping than the first. The setting is another plus for this as it picture perfect!

In all, this is a great second book that delves deeper into the characters and their feelings. It really upped the stakes in the series and I'm looking forward to the next one, though I do hope we see more of Declan in the next one!!

Again, I had the same problem with the narration as the last time. Nano Nagle makes a good Nora but she keeps taking breaths in the middle of a sentence and it's really off putting. She also repeated words and sentences. She does have a good voice but I think she needs to work on her breathing.

Wonderful stroll

This work is a wonderful stroll through some British living and countryside of characters. The narrator’s accent puts you right into the ‘proper’ mood. I loved how she did Cook’s voice and personality. Nora Tierney is expecting, but doesn’t expect to keep discovering dead bodies! As any good heroine would, she wants to protect those around her from the fallout of a murder. Can the breakup of a romantic couple be avoided? Will she unearth the true culprit before the baby is born?

I really did enjoy listening to every minute of this novel. Though I have to say it has a very leisurely pace compared to other mystery novels I enjoy. It’s as if the novel is about Nora picking a baby name, deciding what to do about her romantic entanglements and then a murder mystery is layered on top of that. Somehow there doesn’t seem to be a sense of urgency about finding the killer.

This is the second work in the series. However, you can enjoy it as a standalone. I hadn’t read the first one, but had no problems understanding where everyone was coming from. It’s a lovely listen/ read. If you enjoy British and cozies, you might relax with this good book with a fire in the fireplace.

I was provided an audio version of this work at no charge, so that I could listen to it and write an honest review. This did not influence my opinions about the product.