Wonderful to listen on audiobook especially while attempting (and failing) to catch up on my homework. This was my first ever audiobook actually and it's been a pretty decent experience

This book really caught me by surprise. I hadn't heard of Slayton before so I wasn't sure what to expect but I was impressed by his writing ability and the sneaky twists in the story. I also really liked the pacing of the book and thought he did a great job in having well-defined characters. 3.5 stars

If I hadn't listened to the audiobook, I don't think I would have finished this story. Knowing it was set in the 20's with an affluent family helped me get past some of the writing, but I would only recommend to readers who are fans of this genre. And if you are, definitely go with the audiobook!

2 stars for story
4 stars for the narrator

I really appreciate the opportunity to be able to read (listen) to this book in advance. It was a very good story although I got a little bogged down in the middle somewhere. Mr. Quayle makes me think of some of the classic detectives such as Albert Campion. And I was pretty certain who the murderer was about halfway through. I will enjoy recommending this book to some of our customers.

Great classic mystery storytelling. Narrator was perfect. Would definitely recommend to others as it was a well crafted story.

I’m interested in this Mr. Quayle. This is the first book of the series and I’m hoping to learn more about Mr. Quayle and his ability to solve murders. He is trustworthy and he knows how to crack the facade that most of the people hide behind.

Quayle is the secretary of a powerful lord who has a great estate and no heir. This lord loves his niece as if she is his own daughter (and he possibly wants to announce her as his heir). On her 18th birthday party, a woman was found dead in the gardens of the estate. No one knew who she was and how she managed to get in. Lord cared about his family and his reputation thus he deployed Quayle, one of them, to protect those while keeping an eye on police.

So who was this woman who died? When police started to dig, would they find some secrets? Was this family telling the truth? It is a good story thy reminds me Christie’s stories. Quayle could become the new Poirot

I read the print version of the Arc of this book a few months ago and enjoyed it very much. When the Arc of the audiobook version became available on NetGalley I decided to give it a try to see how it panned out. Long story short, I enjoyed listening to the audiobook version of the book as much as I enjoyed reading the print version. Rafe Beckley did a great job with the narration!

My thanks to NetGalley, the audiobook publisher BooksGoSocial Audio and the author for the audio Arc of the book.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

A MOST EFFICIENT MURDER by Anthony Slayton read by Rafe Beckley is a solid first installment of the Mr. Quayle Mysteries.

A clever 1920's Country House whodunit that places Mr. Quayle as the personal secretary to Lord Statham, who is hosting a party for his niece, Fanny. The entire family is present, less for Fanny but rather to hear the announcement of Lord Statham's heir. On the night of the party, a body is found that no one is saying they know. Mr. Quayle is tasked by Lord Statham to conduct his own investigation alongside the police and uncovers layers of secrets as bodies keep adding up.

I will admit I have read the digital book, but really enjoyed it and wanted to listen to the audio! I feel like it was very well worth the second go around and thoroughly enjoyed the narration. The voices were changed enough to easily keep track of who was who, and the tight accents were a delight.

A clever story that in the 6 months since I read it, I had forgotten a few things, so it felt familiar yet still surprised me! I will be sure to keep my eye out for the next story of the clever Mr. Quayle!

Thank you to @NetGalley and Ink and Dagger Press for the delightful opportunity to listen to this audio! All opinions are my own and this audio is available now!!

First of all, my deepest thanks to Anthony Slayton (author), the publishers BooksGoSocial Audio, and NetGalley, for providing me with an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

This cozy series is set 1920s England tells the story of a wealthy aristocrat where a mysterious stranger is found dead in the garden. Through the telling, it weaves in elements of a long-lost relative, loyal household staff, a missing family heirloom/enigmatic riddle. There are plenty of characters to keep the reader engaged and guessing until the end. It soon becomes clear that the Unsworth family has its fair share of secrets and that not everyone nor everything may be what they seem. Although it's been some time since I've read an Agatha Christie novel, at times A Most Efficient Murder reminded me of some of her novels. However, the one thing about this novel that I got tired of was the trope of so many characters' having a secret and it taking some time to eventually reveal.

It was a fun read, especially with the narrator, Rafe Beckley, who helped bring each different character to life. That's why I'm giving this 4 stars. For the story itself, I'd probably just give it 3.5 stars. It would have been nice to have felt a little closer to the characters; especially Mr. Quayle, who I felt could have possibly been developed a little deeper than he was.

An old fashioned period mystery with unbelievable characters. A lot of fun despite the gruesome subject (murder!). Lots of mystery, even the corpse is unknown for ages, and a great sleuth character in My Quayle. I was slightly disappointed in the final chapters which seemed both at times drawn out and rushed. Here the writing could do with a revise. However overall an acceptable 'who dunnit' novel.

A big thank-you to Anthony Slayton, Rafe Beckley, BooksGoSocial, and NetGalley for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review.*
A delightful immersion into the world of aristocrats, and not only them, in the early 1920s England. An array of characters with their secrets and unique characteristics. A young woman is found dead in the garden of the last of an ancient English family when the manor is full of guests. The investigation, in the good old classic Agatha Christie style begins which unravels what lied under the well-polished venier.
It was an enjoyable listen, with terrific narration by Mr Beckley, and I hope to read next instalments. No doubts how to rate it!

In a traditional cozy mystery, the mystery-solver is a “civilian”—that is, not a detective by profession. In A Most Efficient Murder, we have a bit of a hybrid: Lord Unsworth's secretary, Mr. Quayle, serves as the unofficial detective, “assisting” the official detective. [A more senior detective is present as well, though he tries to let the assigned detective take the lead.] Because Mr. Quayle served in the military with Lord Unsworth's beloved son (deceased), there's a great deal of mutual respect, trust, and loyalty between the two. The lead detective served with both Unsworth's son and Mr. Quayle, though not at the same time, if I remember correctly. There are several other relationship connections in the book that add interest to the story, but I won't spoil more.
The story opens on the night that Unsworth is hosting a grand birthday party for his favorite niece, Fanny. The close relationship between uncle and niece is a source of consternation for other members of the family who feel that they should be granted certain title and property instead of Fanny. In addition to the family and Mr. Quayle, several friends and household/grounds staff are potential suspects.

There is a fair bit of humor in the book. Too, Quayle is more personable and diplomatic than his counterparts in mysteries along the same vein (for instance, Agatha Christie's Poirot). This makes for a more charming and generally delightful read for a murder mystery, however strange those descriptors may be for the genre. There is a second installment planned for publication in 2023. I'm looking forward to it!

Thank you, Netgalley, Ink and Dagger Press, and BooksGoSocial Audio, for allowing me to read the audio ARC of the book in the grace period between publication (September 15) and NetGalley archive in exchange for an honest review.

[3.66 stars]

Mr. Quayle, the recently appointed secretary, is tasked to try and solve a murder that's occurred on the castle grounds. The kicker is, no one knows who the victim is.

There are a few compelling reveals and characters but unfortunately this book is 300 pages of plot with absolutely zero depth. Maybe this is a purposeful decision from Slayton as this is intended to be a series but the first book should be good enough as a standalone and this definitely falls short.

The cast is generally interesting but the main characters, Quayle and Wintle, have absolutely zero personality. Quayle in particular is just dry and capable in all situations, yeah a lot of detectives can be annoying but the only emotions he expresses are when people are being mean to him. Supposedly there's some fascinating backstory about the war here, but Slayton only gives tiny crumbs so I have no investment in learning more. The worst part is that there is basically zero actual detective work beyond questioning suspects. It's just back to back conversations with the detectives going "someone told me information that proves you lied" and the accused saying "damn you got me but i didn't kill anyone!" I don't know why every single instance of Quayle or Wintle doing research or calling in favors is skipped. It's not even funny!

The la croix of mystery novels - some bubbles with a hint of flavor that some people drink every day because it's there and completely forgettable.

Beckley does a solid job on the narration, interesting but a little tame.

A slow paced mystery read. Very reminiscent of an Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot or Clue “who done it” guessing game throughout the book.

Easy read if you like a slow burn.

I listened via NetGalley on audio book.

Narrated by Rafe Beckley ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Author Anthony Slayton ⭐⭐⭐
I found this quite enjoyable! This is my first timing trying this author and he's done a brilliant job with this job. It was very engaging the whole way through and was a great whodoneit
Would definitely buy a further book from Anthony Slayton

I enjoyed the setting and the characters. Elements of the story were easy to guess. However, I was still surprised in the end, in a nice way. The most feel good murder story there was!

Narration was good, possibly not my favourite part but it was easy to distinguish the difference between the people talking. It just wasn’t the most soothing voice.

I would listen to another book by this author or narrator though.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this audio ARC.

*4.24 stars*

1925. The body of a young woman has been found in the garden of The Earl of Unsworth's estate. Mr. Quayle, the lordships loyal secretary, is tasked with helping the police (Inspector Wintle) solve the crime. Guests and family members who were attending the party at the vast estate, claim to not know the dead woman. None of them are eager to help the police and seemingly all have things to hide.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Rafe Beckley and it was phenomenal to listen to! Clocking in at 8 hours and 20 minutes you’d imagine lots of intrigues and characters which could easily become confusing, but not at all! Rafe Beckley made it was incredibly easy to picture what the estate looked like and who was who with the multitude of voices he did for each single character. From a quivery-voice for old Butler Perkins to very dominating vocals of Lady Constance, Beckley made sure each character sounded exactly as they should. I’m really hopeful he’ll narrate future stories within this series (and many more outside as well please!)

Now, about the book itself: I really liked Mr. Quayle as a character. I felt he was perfect for the role of amateur detective and he didn’t make it look as if it was super easy work for a man who had never done such a thing (like some characters in other mystery novels). I’m really glad there’ll be a book 2 (please use the same narrator!) so that we can see Mr. Quayle on a new adventure.
Mystery wise I was also content with the story. It follows the standard mystery book mould, but still somehow managed to surprise me with each plot twist. I really enjoyed it!

Thank you BooksGoSocial Audio, NetGalley, and the author for this ARC.

In 1920s England, a young woman is found murdered on the grounds of Unsworth Castle. This is highly inconvenient for the proper Lord Unsworth and his family, especially when the police step in. Lord Unsworth appoints his secretary, Mr. Quayle, as his representative during the investigation, and Quayle tries to walk a fine line between finding the truth and staying loyal to his employer. What makes it doubly difficult is that nobody is telling him the whole truth.

This is an absolutely entertaining audiobook, written by Anthony Slayton and narrated by Rafe Beckley. The mystery is loaded with suspects and red herrings, and it will keep the reader guessing. The personalities of all the characters shine through. The lives and possible motives of the suspects are explored, often adding just a tiny hint of humor and very slight mocking of the entitled. The castle itself has as many dead ends and hidden secrets as the murder investigation. It becomes almost a character of its own.

All of this is brought to life by the talented Rafe Beckley. As the narrator, he tells a riveting story while retaining that hint of humor. Each character comes to life in their own distinct way. It is beyond a five-star performance and is one of the best audiobook performances I've heard.

This was an entertaining audiobook from beginning to end. I highly recommend this to fans of historical mysteries.

I really enjoyed this audio book - it was well narrated and the characters were given depth and life.

The plot is an interesting one - wealthy families, inheritance and hidden treasure. I liked that the outcome was not clearly obvious there were clues and I guessed but ultimately I didn’t have the whole answer before it was revealed.

I would like to listen to another story in this series and I hope that there will be more.

I absolutely loved this mystery. I loved the post-war, Agatha Christie and Jeeves elements. I couldn’t guess the end. I was surprised, on the hook, absolutely loved it. Definitely recommending to my audience. Love the narrator. Excellent.