Reviews with content warning for Violence - The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp

'The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp' by Leonie Swann is a cozy murder mystery centered on the older adults in a small English town in the countryside.
The housemates of Sunset Hall are dealing with the death of one of their own when they learn that a murder has been committed at the house next door. Though this murder provides the perfect cover for the death of their housemate it also stirs up concern. Who would kill in their small town? The group of older adults band together to find the killer and return peace of mind to Sunset Hall.
Swann has written another really enjoyable murder mystery. This story is filled with a full cast of engaging, complex characters that are mostly all older adults. I loved getting to see the dynamics between the different housemates and how they each try in their own way to solve the murder. The titular Agnes Sharp is given the most time, which makes sense. As Agnes attempts to unravel the mystery, she also begins to unravel her own past and some memories that she has kept hidden. All in all, an incredibly enjoyable murder mystery with a great cast of characters. There are two wonderful animal characters in this book as well, one dog and one tortoise. The tortoise even gets some chapters told through her own perspective. I believe this is a series, which I am excited for since I cannot wait to see what this group gets up to next.

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foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I was expecting this one to be a lighthearted, banter-filled book, as I’d expect from a European cozy mystery. While it did deliver on whimsy, such as chapters told from the perspective of Hettie the House Tortoise, and bubbly side characters, this was much darker than I expected. It dealt with a lot of hard issues including: ageism, dealing with chronic pain, the impacts of getting older, and what it means to choose, to direct the life you want. Which was good, but maybe not exactly what I was looking for as a mood reader.

That being said, overall, I liked this one, and I would recommend this book to read who enjoy

Darker cozy mysteries
A large cast of characters
Grumpy, curmudgeonly main characters
Unreliable narrators
The Thursday Murder Club series

A note on the format: I did listen to this one on audio and very much enjoyed the narrator, Moira Quirk, especially with the distinct voice choices during scenes of dialogue. Also, this book was translated to English from its original German, and had a narrator with an English accent, so I had to keep reminding myself that this is set in Germany, not the UK.

Thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for this advanced listening copy. I’m not sure that I’ll continue on with the series, but I did enjoy my experience with this audiobook.

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someonelikeblue's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

2.75

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