Clara’s Verdict
Cosy mysteries set in the English countryside are hardly in short supply, but A Deadly Walk in Devon has an unusual hook that gives it genuine freshness: the detective is a retired gay American police investigator, still grieving his long-term partner, who finds himself drawn into a murder while on a walking holiday in Devon with a close friend. Nicholas George borrows freely from the Agatha Christie template — a quarrelsome group of strangers, a thoroughly unpleasant victim, a scenic backdrop that contrasts tidily with the violent doings — but adds enough character texture to prevent the whole thing from feeling purely formulaic. It is not without rough edges; one or two reviews flag problems with the English vernacular, and some of the dialogue rings false to British ears. But as the opening entry in the Walk Through England Mystery series, it establishes Chase as a compelling enough protagonist to justify the sequels.
The Devon setting, with its coastal paths and sea-battered cliffs, is put to effective use. And the structural conceit of the guided walking tour — a fixed group of people in a defined landscape, unable to easily disappear — makes for an elegant constraint on the mystery mechanics. Christie herself would have approved the setup, if not necessarily all of the execution.
About the Audiobook
A Deadly Walk in Devon is the first book in the A Walk Through England Mystery series. Rick « Chase » Chasen, a recently retired San Diego detective still processing the death of his long-time partner Doug, arrives in Devon with his friend Billie Mondreau for a seacoast walking holiday organised by a company called Wanderers. The tour group includes nine American tourists and one deeply problematic addition: Ronald Gretz, a wealthy and obnoxious entrepreneur who runs a chain of international nursing homes and who has been receiving threatening messages from someone calling themselves « An Avenger. » Gretz asks Chase to watch his back. Before long, Gretz is at the bottom of a cliff, and Chase’s investigative instincts — apparently impervious to retirement — take over.
The novel works on two levels simultaneously. On the surface it is a satisfying puzzle mystery: everyone in the group had reason to dislike Gretz, and the confined setting means that the pool of suspects is tightly controlled. Underneath, it is a quieter story about a man trying to reconstruct a sense of purpose after loss, and about the particular loneliness of grief when the person you have lost was the one you would have turned to for comfort. This emotional underpinning gives the book more weight than its cosy mystery framework might suggest.
At eight hours and thirty-eight minutes, it is a generous listen for the genre — longer than many cosy mysteries, and it uses that space for character development as much as plot mechanics. Lee Hollis’ endorsement, comparing Chase to « a modern day Hercule Poirot, » captures something real about the character’s combination of sharp observation and emotional intelligence.
The Narration
Donald Corren handles narration duties, and his performance is one of the audiobook’s genuine strengths. He brings natural distinction to the various voices in the walking group — managing both Chase’s world-weary California cadence and the British characters with evident care. The pacing is steady, perhaps occasionally unhurried in the middle sections, but it never drags badly. Corren has the instinct to let the quieter character moments breathe rather than rushing toward the next plot point, and it suits the reflective tone of Chasen’s narration well. For a debut series entry, the Recorded Books production quality is solid throughout.
What Readers Say
Responses are genuinely mixed, which is worth being transparent about. The audiobook holds a rating of 3.9 out of 5 from 345 listeners — respectable but not rapturous. Several readers found the premise charming and the Devon setting evocative; the description of Chase as « a modern day Hercule Poirot » clearly resonated with cosy mystery fans. One reader appreciated the book’s LGBTQ+ protagonist specifically, describing it as « retired gay American cop solves a murder while on a walking tour in England » with evident affection. The critical responses centred on uneven writing and, for UK readers, occasional inauthenticity in the English detail. The consensus seems to be that it is a pleasant, decent listen rather than a standout one — which may be enough if you are in the mood for something gentle and competently assembled.
Who Should Listen?
Fans of classic cosy mysteries who enjoy a different perspective will find Chase a companionable guide to Devon. This is a good fit for anyone who has worked through the Agatha Christie back catalogue and is looking for something in a similar register, or for listeners who appreciate LGBTQ+ protagonists written with genuine emotional depth rather than as a token inclusion. The Devon landscape will have particular appeal for those who know the county or who enjoy fiction rooted in specific British places. Available on Audible UK, Kobo, Scribd, and Storytel. Listen to A Deadly Walk in Devon on Audible UK — a solid, sympathetic start to what could become a dependable series.
