Caffeinated Reviewer

Dead Matters by Eva MacLean is the first audiobook in the Detective Miranda Murphy series. Narrated by Clare Staniforth, the author delivered a procedural murder-mystery involving a wealthy, dysfunctional family with a dark secret at its core.

Some family secrets are written in blood.

A fairytale marriage. A wealthy family. A strange mother-in-law.

Maybe it was always going to end in murder.

Effie Watson thought she had it made when she married Hugo Fincham. He was rich and good-looking with an exclusive central London home. But marriage to Hugo has drawn her into the orbit of a wealthy, dysfunctional family with a dark secret at its core.

When Effie confides to her best friends that Hugo is trying to kill her, no one believes her.

As bodies begin to pile up, Detective Inspector Miranda Murphy must unravel a decade-old mystery before the Fincham family claims another victim. But in a world where money buys silence, the truth has a price.

Dead Matters is the first installment in the Detective Miranda Murphy Series, a must-read for fans of police procedurals and murder mysteries.

Dead Matters began slowly as we got to know two college friends and watched them get their first jobs, marry and have children. When one of them ends up dead, Detective Miranda Murphy unravels not one but three murder mysteries.

In 2009, Effie and Olivia began university and became best friends. Effie was outgoing and Olivia more shy, but the two became fast friends. Fast-forward and both are married with their first child when Effie confides to Olivia that Hugo (Effie’s husband) is trying to kill her and no one believes her.

When Effie ends up dead, the story truly takes off, as we find ourselves not only trying to solve Effie’s murder but looking into events that happened at the Fincham estate a decade ago. Hugo’s family comes from power and money. Can Detective Miranda Murphy unravel the murder-mystery?

While the story started off slow and I wasn’t at all sure where it was going, once Effie ends up dead, I could not set this down. The author delivered suspense, twists and secrets. I recommend sticking with it despite the tedious start. In the end, I found it clever.

Clare Staniforth gives voice to Oliva and Detective Murphy. She helped set the tone and enhanced my overall enjoyment of the tale. I recommend listening.

Amazon* | Audible | Libro.fm

About Eva Maclean

Eva Maclean read her first Agatha Christie (Death in the Clouds) at age ten and has been obsessed with detective fiction and writing ever since. After a past life as an accountant, she is finally doing what she wanted to do in the first place. Eva lives in London with her husband and two cats, her children having grown up and made good their escape. Her favourite living authors are Kate Atkinson, Donna Leon and Mick Herron. The dead are too many to count.

Website

About Clare Staniforth

Clare Staniforth has a BA in live performance and has worked as a voice-over artist for over a decade. Her passion for teaching led her to become a drama teacher, as well as an executive voice and speech coach. She narrates books in a variety of genres, including mindfulness and meditation, biography, fiction, children's literature, and fantasy.

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2025 Audiobook Challenge

About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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