The Affliction audiobook

3.5 stars, rounded up. This was a solid follow up to the first book in this series, DEATH AT BREAKFAST. Maggie and Hope are back and we get to know them even better, and I think I even liked this one a little bit more. It's cozy without feeling cozy (I tend to prefer darker and grittier stuff and read very little cozy but I enjoy these). The cover doesn't feel like the right fit at all (even though girls and pools play a role in the plot), this is the kind of mystery you can read with your mom.This book takes us into the turf where Maggie is most comfortable, a private girls' school in suburban Connecticut. Very little is from the teenage girls' point of view, so if that's a pain point don't worry. You spend almost all your time with Maggie and Hope, who are almost impossibly charming to follow. There are a lot of characters to follow here, but for the most part I was able to keep everyone straight. I enjoyed how the different characters' lives opened up, if you enjoy books where we discover everyone's secrets, this is a good one.The biggest flaw by far is the ending, which in many ways is perfect, but which leaves so many threads left unaddressed. Normally I don't mind that so much, but we got to know so many of these characters and then it's over without finding out what happened to them. I read on Kindle, where it's a lot easier to be abruptly shocked by a sudden ending since you may not realize you're at 99% until suddenly you click to turn the page and there's nothing there.

This was a fun read for me – similar to an Agatha Christie cozy mystery – but with a modern-day sensibility. The setting is cozy – an upper-crust private school for girls – and the two amateur detectives – a retired school head and her carefree socialite friend- were pretty typical too. The fun for me was watching them be so funny and smart and sarcastic together, even though their being allowed to stick their noses into crime-solving a murder was not very realistic. As someone who loves book covers, I have to add that the cover – and book title – make this seem like a thriller and it definitely is not. Neither fit the mood of the story.

I like the writing on this one, but I'm kind of torn as far as how many stars I really want to give it. I'm going with four because of how much I enjoyed reading it as a cozy mystery, but I'm not sure how I feel about the ending.Random note before I get into the spoilers: a friend pointed out that the cover definitely does not say "cozy mystery." I agree! It looks more like a Gone Girl-esque thriller. I mean, a girl or woman in a swimming pool is an image relevant to the plot, so I guess it kind of fits? Still, not quite a match for the book's tone, I think.***spoilers ahead***We never find out for SURE who the murderer is or how they did it. It feels like it's probably Hugo, and he's certainly a slimy human being regardless, so I found the last chapter, where his rich wife ditches him and cuts him off, very satisfying. But I feel like there still needed to be one more chapter in which the killer is clearly identified and caught. To me, the promise of a mystery novel is that we will find out whodunnit. So part of me finds the unusual ending admirably creative, but part of me feels like it's cheating. Like, could the author just not think of a way to have the killer caught?Also, I feel like there are some loose ends. I'm not clear on why Jesse tried to shoot Ellie, specifically, when it seems like he just kind of hates everyone.But I am glad that Avis and Angus are going to the costume ball together. That's cute.

This was a solid three star read for me until the last five chapters, which pushed it up to a four for me and I am already looking forward to another mystery with Maggie and Hope.This time the setting is a private school for girls that have Maggie in to evaluate their future viability. As this is the worst time for the murder of a faculty member, it happens and Maggie is drawn into the investigation with Hope glad to join in (she's looking to flee the responsibilities of her book club & Silas Marner). Many mysteries unfurl over the course of this book because just about everyone has a secret to keep, some worse than others. Maggie and Hope (who are still fancast in my head as Rosemary Boxer & Laura Thyme) have even better friend chem and humour than they did in the first book and that quite stood out to me. Additionally, I have to give credit to the author, the whole Goldsmith family thread had elements that reminded me of the Lanza family and I wondered if this was a coincidence or not. It added to the foreboding and creepiness factor for sure. Recommended for fans of cozy fans. This is one that even though part of a series may be read first or as a standalone.

Lovely neat little murder mystery set at a boarding school in New York State. I'm not sure everyone fully appreciates how firmly Gutcheon has set her finger on independent schools- the students, the teachers, the administrators, and the trustees. She's also got a nice twist on a certain class of New Yorker. Never does she condescend but she sure does twist the knife a bit. Very cool. This second novel featuring Maggie and her side kick Hope find the two of them trying to solve the murder of a teacher who was, because of her constant chattering, called "the affliction" by some of her colleagues. Did her husband do it? What about the neighbor boy with mental health issues? One of the girls? What's the deal with one of the trustees? Each character, large or small, is someone I recognized- from the riding instructor to the poor kid whose hair fell out. I liked that the local police were also a part of this (not always the case in the genre). There's a well done connection to the art world. This one kept me guessing, if only because I wasn't sure not only who but why Floro died. AND, how she ended up in the pool. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. I've been a Gutcheon fan for years because of her keen observations and wonderful writing. Try this one for a good read that is more than just a mystery.

Murder at an all-girls school? A social comedy at a picturesque private school campus in New York City? A continuation of a series of murder mysteries by a New York Times bestselling author? THE AFFLICTION is all of the above and so much more. With a keen eye and a penchant for suspense, Beth Gutcheon brings us the second in a series of dark-hearted murder stories that surely will continue her place on the list of books you have to read right now.THE AFFLICTION begins with the retirement of the headmaster of the Rye Manor School for Girls, a school with a fabled past that is now perhaps beyond its prime. Unfortunately, this Hudson River landmark is trying desperately to stay alive. In the changing climate of a fast-paced world, Rye Manor may not fit in the same way it used to as top educators of young women from good backgrounds.Maggie Detweiler has retired, but is made the erstwhile top dog on a committee dedicated to discovering whether or not the school has a future and how to ensure it, if that’s even possible. Florence Meagher, a lifelong dedicated teacher at Rye Manor, has one fault, an affliction --- she talks too much about everything to everyone. Well loved at the school, Florence recently told her sister that her marriage is on tenterhooks and that, if anything happens to her, “don’t assume it’s an accident.” Maggie shows up one day to observe Florence’s classes and is told that she is missing. Her husband is annoyed rather than alarmed, and her sister is completely distraught. Maggie is worried about the impact her disappearance will have on the school proceedings.And then Florence is found dead in a swimming pool. On campus. Maggie agrees to stay on campus to help the new headmaster wade through this horrible crisis, but Maggie, unbeknownst to the school, is also an amateur detective. She solved a crime in Maine the previous year, and her friend, Hope, joins her investigation. The two ladies use their very unorthodox but clever wiles to figure out what is going on. Will the school be saved? Who killed Florence? Will her death be vindicated? Will Hope ever read SILAS MARNER? All questions will be answered for the stealthy reader who can keep up with the twists and turns that make THE AFFLICTION a whole lot of fun.Gutcheon has admitted that her love for Charles Dickens drove her to create this series. Combining comedy with tragedy and intrigue was Dickens’ hallmark, and Gutcheon does a great job of reviving this time-tested combination in an exciting and hilarious way. No subject is too dire for her sharp and witty commentator-protagonists, and this is a fun and well-crafted story.Even though it’s still snowing, it’s spring break, and for those of you waiting for flights to sunnier climes, do yourself a favor and pick up this book. Before you know it, you’ll be engrossed, and the craziness of Gutcheon’s world will surpass the craziness of the world we’re all engulfed in these days. THE AFFLICTION is a must read.Reviewed by Jana Siciliano

Since retiring as head of a famous New York City private school, Maggie Detweiler is busier than ever. Chairing a team to evaluate the faltering Rye Manor School for girls, she will determine whether, in spite of its fabled past, the school has a future at all. With so much on the line for so many, tensions on campus are at an excruciating pitch, and Maggie expects to be as welcome as a case of Ebola virus.At a reception for the faculty and trustees to "welcome" Maggie’s team, no one seems more keen for all to go well than Florence Meagher, a star teacher who is loved and respected in spite of her affliction—that she can never stop talking.Florence is one of those dedicated teachers for whom the school is her life, and yet the next morning, when Maggie arrives to observe her teaching, Florence is missing. Florence’s husband, Ray, an auxiliary policeman in the village, seems more annoyed than alarmed at her disappearance. But Florence’s sister is distraught. There have been tensions in the marriage, and at their last visit, Florence had warned, "If anything happens to me, don’t assume it’s an accident."Two days later, Florence’s body is found in the campus swimming pool.Maggie is asked to stay on to coach the very young and inexperienced head of Rye Manor through the crisis. Maggie obviously knows schools, but she also knows something about investigating murder, having solved a mysterious death in Maine the previous year when the police went after the wrong suspect. She is soon joined by her madcap socialite friend Hope, who is jonesing for an excuse to ditch her book club anyway, before she has to actually read Silas Marner.My Thoughts: When I see a book authored by Beth Gutcheon, I am all in. I wasn’t sure about the boarding school aspect, but the great characters and the wonderful writing kept me turning the pages. Soon I was lost in the story and the discoveries along the way.The sheer number of possible suspects kept me guessing, but by the time I had settled on the who and the why of the most likely suspect’s actions, I was lost in the fascination of the various routes that Maggie and Hope took to try to find some proof. The police were quite diligent, too, which is always a good thing in small town crime. But a suspect connected to important people cannot be hauled in on circumstantial evidence. By the end, all seemed hopeless. But then, seemingly out of nowhere, an astonishing series of actions taken by an unexpected individual turned everything into a certain kind of justice. 5 stars

I should probably preface my review with the observation that I have read everything by Beth Gutcheon from "The New Girls" (which is one of my favorite books ever) to the present day. This includes "More Than You Know", an absolutely gutting love story that I also highly recommend.This is the second book in what I guess is going to be a mystery series starring two ladies of retirement age who go around solving crimes where the police have got the wrong end of the stick. Maggie Detweiler is a retired head of a tony private school; Hope Babbin is a former parent at the school who lives on the proceeds of her divorce from a finance guy. Their personalities and skill sets complement each other. They seem to spend time in settings -- institutions -- they're intimately familiar with and in milieus where they belong.In "The Affliction", Maggie is working on the re-accreditation of a private girls' school that's staggering toward oblivion, not helped by dissension among its trustees and the more-than-vague hints that it's worth more dead and sold off for parts than alive. When a much-loved teacher disappears and turns up dead in a swimming pool, Maggie and Hope believe there's more to the story than a nasty and long-suffering spouse and they set out to prove it.And they do, sort of. Shout-out to Gutcheon for the nerve to go with an ambiguous ending and for the Miss Pratt's reference by a student at the school. Reading some of the other Goodreads reviews of this one, I can see how people might be underwhelmed but as a fan of her other work I welcome anything new by Beth Gutcheon and I'll probably keep right on reading her.

This murder mystery definitely kept me turning the pages long past my bedtime. Intriguing with enough plot twists to maintain the element of suspense. I had not realized this as the second in a series about two middle-aged women turned self-styled detectives. (Have since requested Death at Breakfast from the local library to remedy the situation.) Nonetheless, my understanding was not at all lessened. The central characters were described throughly. Especially fond of Hope, what a terrific character! One thing I did find odd, although this may be corrected after some additional editing as the copy I read is an ARC, was the narration. The story is told from third person point of view. However, it seems to randomly focus on one or two characters thoughts and experiences then, at times, switch focus and abruptly interrupt this with a short passage about another character. A bit jarring but it did not detract from my overall positive rating.

Despite a title that sounds as though it belongs to a medical thriller, this is a straight detective story (and a good one) plus a novel of manners. Retired private school head Maggie Detweiler is head of small committee evaluating a private school on the Hudson. During their visit, a popular teacher disappears, only to be found dead later in the swimming pool. Maggie's friend Hope joins her when she stays on to coach the inexperienced head through the crisis. The women--and the police--focus on the victim's boorish husband, but a difficult loner whom the teacher befriended is also a suspect. Maggie's and Hope's connections, however, convince them that there's another suspect, but there seems to be no evidence against their chosen perp, even when they persuade the police to investigate. There are punishments other than those of the law, we learn.

The setting is a prestigious school looking to improve it's image to stay open. A murder occurs to someone who is accused of having an affliction, (talking too much). As the story unfolds and the investigation continues, one begins to see that each of the characters has their own type of "affliction." An entertaining read, one I highly recommend.

A little hard to follow the cast of characters at first, but stick with it. The story blooms from underneath the reader. The author is excitedly descriptive in her micro details. The antics and general banter between Maggie and Hope come across as only true friends with life at their feet. Enjoy!