Unsatisfying Mystery/Suspense

AudioBook Review:
The eponymous Poppy Redfern is a young filmmaker sent to make a 15-minute video of the young women of the Air Transport Auxiliary during World War II, known as the Attagirls. These female pilots transported planes around England, delivering them where they needed to be for the male pilots who would then use the planes on missions domestically and abroad. What should be a relatively simple assignment for Poppy turns out to be much more as the young women start dying in plane crashes that should not happen given their skill, the plane’s mechanics, and flying conditions.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story, and I think listening to the excellent narrator made the story seem better than it was. I had no trouble staying interested as things kept happening to these poor young women, but at points, I wondered where the story was going. At the book’s end, I found the resolution/reveal completely unsatisfying. This book is a mystery/suspense: what or who is behind these fatal crashes? The author didn't leave a trail of clues nor were there a lot of suspects. I felt like the villain simply appeared out of thin air at the book’s end, as the character made little impression on me earlier in the book. Not recommended.

Tessa Arlen is one of my favorite mystery writers m, and this did not disappoint! The mystery is light and simple. However, it is well-written! The narrator does a splendid job! This is a must listen for mystery fans!

This book is an absolute delight! The mystery kept me guessing, the context kept me interested, and the characters kept me invested. I can’t wait for the next installment!

It took a bit to get in to this book, and honestly the accent kind of almost made me give up. I understand it’s British but it was just too much for me. The story was fine and the mystery was a little easy to solve for me but I still enjoyed the book.

I really enjoyed this audiobook--it made my commute more enjoyable. Poppy Redfern has her first script-writing assignment working on a film about the women pilots of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), only to witness the fatal crash of the film's "star." Poppy--assisted by the American pilot, Griff--takes it upon herself to investigate who would want the aviatrix dead. While part of the motive was apparent to me early on, the entire web was more convoluted than I had expected. Nice period piece!

Thanks to Dreamscape Media for access to an ALC via NetGalley.

While making a propaganda film about female pilots, Poppy and Griff solve a series of murders that may be closer to home than they realize. Really enjoyed the narrator. Tessa Arlen's mastery of characterization made this a delightful listen.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Not bad for what i would consider a cozy mystery but usually i like to binge those and i had to take breaks from this book when i got bored :l

I decided to go into this story blindly not knowing what to expect and I was delighted and happy to listen to such a fun and engaging WW II suspense mystery. It was based on the Air Transport Auxiliary, known as "Attagirls" which were actually a group of young lady civilians who were trained during World War II to fly manufactured airplanes from factories to military airfields all over Britain. (This was actually a true fact, these ladies actually existed and did this.) But from this, Tessa Allen, was able to write a wonderful fictional suspense mystery where a couple of the girls end up dying under somewhat suspicious circumstances.

Poppy Redfern and her boyfriend Griff decide they want to secretly try to solve this mystery case. Poppy is actually a scriptwriter, in a new job at the London Crown Film Unit, which produces short films featuring British civilians who perform acts of valor and heroism in wartime, and is on her first solo project. She is there to do a 15-minute film about and starring the Attagirls, with actual footage of them flying so they can promote the job and try to recruit more of them to their squad. All the girls had interesting personalities to add to the storyline.

What a upbeat fun person Miss Poppy Redfern turned out to be! I had a lot of fun listening to this audiobook. It was an engaging mystery that kept me guessing all the way to the end. Also Poppy and her boyfriend Griff made a great team along with her cute little Corgi dog, Bess. The narrator did a superb job with the audiobook and I enjoyed her upbeat nature.This was such a fun read and I gave it 5 stars. There are more Poppy Redfern books to read as well, if you loved this one!

I would like to thank #NetGalley and the publisher #DreamScapeMedia, for an audioARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I've already read this novel, but I was curious to hear it as an audiobook. The narration is perfect! The narrator really brings the characters to life, and the portrayal of Poppy is spot on.

Poppy Redfern is an aspiring scriptwriter, working to cover a group of lady flyers during WWII. Things start to get interesting when one flyer dies in a suspicious crash.

Didn’t know this is a sequel, but it stood on its own pretty well. Poppy is a curious and charming character with an adorable dog. The mystery has many twists and turns, a few too many, it got a little complicated by the end, but everything got resolved.

And the historical research that went into this was mind blowing. I always really love fiction books that make me want to go and research something more in depth. And I will definitely be looking up the first book in this series.

The Narration: Madeleine Leslay has such a clear and easy to understand voice. She made Poppy come to life and sounded how I imagined Poppy would sound like. I didn’t care for the performance of Griff’s American accent, but it improved at a higher playback speed.

The Story
This is another wonderfully told historical mystery from Tessa Arlen. She seamlessly weaves in interesting historical details with elements of the mystery. I loved hearing about the ATA girls in this story.

The mystery itself is interesting and complex enough that I didn’t figure it out until the end. I thought it was brave to kill off the villain early on in the book.

I am so glad characters from the first book feature in this one, including Griff. Griff’s technical knowledge as a pilot comes in handy in this book. Personally, I wish Poppy and Griff’s relationship would progress at a faster pace.

A good WWII fictional story about Poppy who is a scriptwriter for a film company sent to interview the Attagirls.
While there a couple of air crashes occur but Poppy and her boyfriend Griff have their doubts. They set out to fine the answers.
Good mystery,suspense, characters, and a little romance.
Enjoyed listening to.
Narration was good.
Voluntarily Reviewed.

Poppy Redfern and the Fatal Flyers is the second installment of Tess Arlen's A Woman of WWII mystery series. I have the audiobook of the first one, Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders, but have not yet had the opportunity to listen to it. I was happy to learn this one stood alone and I didn't get confused by a few references to the former story. This book was narrated by Madeleine Leslay.

Poppy Redfern is a young Englishwoman who is newly working as a scriptwriter in the autumn of 1942. She works for the London Crown Film Unit, which makes propaganda films for the war effort. Her first solo effort at writing a script shines the spotlight on the Air Transport Auxiliary, also known as the Attagirls, women pilots who ferry aircraft from factories to military airfields throughout Great Britain. Poppy is thrilled with this assignment, until a very talented pilot dies in an accident. This was tragic enough, but when another Attagirl dies in a crash, Poppy begins to suspect murder. She and Griff, her American fighter-pilot boyfriend, begin to investigate. Who, and why, is someone murdering these brave female pilots?

This was a fun - and occasionally irritating - book to listen to. Poppy is a budding writer with a quick mind, doing what she can to help the war effort and get more practice at her craft. She is a brave young woman and a good writer who, unfortunately, has the habit of listening in her head to "Illona", a fictional character about whom she writes. She admired the pilots who died and wanted justice for them. Griff, her sorta-boyfriend, helps her investigate, but apparently he has secret investigations of his own. Poppy was a bit standoffish with him at times; I hope their relationship deepens in future books. I loved adorable Bess, Poppy's little dog. The mystery was entertaining, though it became a bit convoluted at the end. The main stars of the story, however, were the brave Attagirls. Ms. Arlen apparently did her historical homework concerning these women pilots and brought them to life for me. Madeleine Leslay did a fine job with narration, except for Griff, but I loved her voice for Poppy. I would definitely like to listen to the next book in the series and follow Poppy's growth.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I really enjoyed Poppy Redfern and the Fatal Flyers, the second book in what I hope will be a series starring Poppy Redfern. The books are set in England during the Second World War. They are a blend of interesting historical novel mixed with an English village mystery. They are based on real events and give a good feel for life during those trying times.

Poppy Redfern and the Fatal Flyers is an interesting look at the ups and downs of the life of British female pilots in WWII. I enjoyed following Poppy through her adventures of the making of a British morale video and exploring the airfield and all those who work there. Tessa Arlen had many twists in the story that I never expected, all the way to the end. I appreciate her intensive research into the historical facts about these women and what their life would have been like. It made the story feel so realistic. She made what could be a boring repetitive job each day seem interesting and always new. This was a new author for me but I fell in love with her writing and will absolutely read more of her books. I listened to this on audio and would like to also compliment the narrator for a job well done. Her voices and inflections made it easy to listen to and follow the story. A fun read/listen that kept my interest and never felt heavy and forced.

Poppy Redfern and the Fatal Flyers is the second title in this historical mystery series by Tessa Arlen. I am quite hopeful that there will be a book three and a book four….and so on. It was an engaging listen and an involving story. Readers do not have to have read the first book to enjoy this one although they may want to go back just to spend more time with Poppy.

In this novel, Poppy has been assigned to a group of women flyers during WWII. I had recently read The Paris Secret which also featured this group of brave women. Poppy is helping to make a documentary film about these “atta girls.” However, all is not well as pilots are dying. Why? Who is behind this? Readers can be certain that the intrepid Poppy will find out. She is ably assisted by her American air force pilot boyfriend Griff as she sleuths.

This book looked at an interesting bit of WWII history, had characters that readers will enjoy spending time with and offers up a bit of romance. All in all, a book that I recommend.

A note on the narration: I very much enjoyed listening to this title. The narrator really inhabited Poppy’s voice and those of the other characters. She was able to portray the characters with a variety of accents and did this well.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

#DreamscapeMedia #NetGalley

I always enjoy a cozy historical mystery and was curious to see what adventure Poppy Redfern would get into next. This second book in the series finds Poppy working for London Crown Films and on a project that pairs her up with the female pilots of the Air Transport Auxiliary. Of course murder, mystery and a dash of romance follows.

A strong outing for Poppy as I felt we got to know her better. I also loved that the story centered around the Atta girls and the role they played in the British war effort. What wasn’t surprising was The Who behind the mystery. I had a pretty strong inkling early on, however it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story.

I listened to the audiobook and really appreciated the narrator. A narrator can make or break the book and this one really brought the story to life! Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for ALC.

Popoy Redfern returns in a story highlighting a little known aspect of World War II; the role of women aviators.
Poppy's film unit is assgned to interview a group of women pilots to boost moral in war beseiged Britain.
The women are charged with ferrying plans to different airfields all over Britain. The tight knit group, bound together by common experience and danger, soon reveal cracks, as one of the group is involved in a mysterious accident.
Poppy and her American pilot navigate romantic hurdles while they investigate the incident. The book contains an impressive amount of areonautical detail without being didactic. The mystery intrigues, as the reader discovers clues with the intrepid pair.
Entertaining second book in the series.

England, 1940s, pilots, World War-2, women, murder, murder-investigation, historical-novel, historical-places-events, historical-figures, historical-research, historical-setting

Was it really pilot error that killed the skilled woman performing aerials for the camera? Poppy, the script writer and more, really doubts it. Surprisingly, her American airman friend (and more) isn't too sure either. These women pilots are part of an elite squadron who ferry planes from one location to another and are highly skilled. Poppy has spent days getting to know them and more. I know it's repetitious, but want to avoid details and possible spoilers. The sleuthing begins and so do the red herrings and misdirections, but it is all very well done in this historical cosy. These events are fiction, but the service was real and meticulously researched to show readers that not all women stayed in place.
Madeleine Leslay has a remarkable talent for mimicry and delineates the characters very well.
I requested and received a free audio copy from Dreamscape Media/Berkley via NetGalley. Thank you!

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. Even thought this was the second book in a series, and I didn't read the first one, I don't think I missed out on too much by not reading the first one. But, I would like to read it. I loved Poppy and her story. I thought this book was very interesting and had a good mystery. I would buy it as a title for our high school library. If students are interested in historical fiction and WW2, I would highly recommend Poppy Redfern and the Fatal Flyers.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.