The pioneer of romantic suspense, Mary Stewart, leads listeners on a thrilling journey through a dangerous and deadly Provence in this tale perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Barbara Pym.

It sounds idyllic: a leisurely drive through the sun-drenched landscape of Provence. But Charity's dream holiday turns into a nightmare when she becomes embroiled in a sinister plot to kidnap a young boy. She soon finds herself in a deadly pursuit and must uncover whom to trust...and whom to fall for.

Whenever I look back now on the strange and terrifying events of that holiday in Southern France, I remember the minutes I spent gazing at the golden arches of the Roman aqueduct over the Gardon...the last brief lull before the thunder.

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Product details

Listening Length	9 hours and 6 minutes
Author	Mary Stewart
Narrator	Emilia Fox
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com.au Release Date	01 November 2018
Publisher	Hodder & Stoughton
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B07GC1Y9WF
Best Sellers Rank	34,684 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) 370 in Historical Mysteries (Audible Books & Originals) 439 in Cosy Mysteries (Audible Books & Originals) 677 in Women Sleuth Mysteries (Audible Books & Originals)

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5 star		66%
4 star		22%
3 star		7%
2 star		2%
1 star		3%

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Top reviews from Australia

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S. Henley

The atmosphere of south eastern France drenched with sun and the tension of the chase.

Reviewed in Australia on 19 August 2017

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A woman rising out of grief, and a man baffled by familial and marital treachery, intersect via a stoically terrified child. They independently and together try to thread their ways though the baffling outcomes and actions that the motives of others have subjected them to.
Such a good book. I have read this quite a few times since I first came across it and it never ceases to make my spine tingle and raise the odd goosebump with the ratcheting tension. Such a good romantic thriller. Mary Stewart is the master of this style of story.

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Aussielee

Fox's narration is superb

Reviewed in Australia on 20 July 2019

Anyone thinking of writing a romantic suspense book, take note, this is how you do it.

Actually Mary Stewart didn’t just write romantic suspense, she’s been credited with inventing the genre. Unbelievably, after skimming through reviews of this book, most are of the opinion that this, her 1955 debut, is Stewart’s weakest and least polished book. Unbelievable because it’s seriously good.

The book is set after WW2 which left our heroine, Charity, a widow. Charity travels to France for a holiday and, whilst staying in an Avignon resort, she gets to know one of the guests, a young boy, David. Charity’s natural maternal instinct kicks in and she soon becomes protective of, and friendly with, David. However, this puts her in danger when she and David are being pursued by David’s father, a man who has recently been charged with murdering his wife's lover.

It’s difficult to write suspenseful action scenes but Stewart does it with ease. Her cat and mouse chases, in particular, are spectacularly written. She also made me believe wholeheartedly in the romance. There was a real chemistry between Charity and her romantic lead. At times the air just crackled between them.

I love Alfred Hitchcock movies and this book is basically like reading a book version of one of his movies. I immediately cast Cary Grant and Grace Kelly whilst reading this. In fact, I struggle to understand why no one ever made it into a movie.

Given the age of the book I assumed there would be parts full of political incorrectness and just generally old fashioned views. I was pleasantly surprised that, for the most, this isn’t the case. There are a few parts which have scenes showing men bullying women but they’re not as grating as I feared. Actually, if anything, my fears were unfounded when it came to Charity. She was a strong independent woman who pretty much managed to get herself out of the many sticky situations she landed in throughout - usually without the help of a man. Okay, at times she gets a little help from males (even in a roundabout way she is helped by her late husband) but a lot of the time, it’s her own ingenuity that saves her.

The constant smoking of the characters is probably the most noticeable difference in the eras! Cigarettes are lit up for every occasion! LOL

I listened to this in audio version and it was read by Emilia Fox who proved acting royalty can be handy when it comes to classy narration. Fox is easily one of the best narrators I’ve come across in audio-land thus far. I highly recommend this version.

I really loved this book, I’m looking forward to some serious binge reading of Stewart's other works.

Easily a 5/5

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Samrosie

Mary Stewart's first suspense novel

Reviewed in Australia on 15 April 2015

Good mystery
Sweet romance
A great intro to Mary Stewart , you're in for a treat

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Top reviews from other countries

Louise Marley

Madam, Will You Talk?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 November 2017

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My grandmother was a huge fan of romantic suspense and I had a lovely time working my way through her bookshelves when I was about 12 or 13. I remember that Mary Stewart was one of my favourites but I couldn't remember anything much about the plots, so I was thrilled to see a selection on Kindle for just 99p. Would they be as good as I remembered? Yes, and no.

Mary Stewart probably invented the romantic suspense genre - more recently reinvented as domestic suspense: independent heroine falls in love with a man who might be a killer. In this particular story, Charity and her friend Louise(!) are on holiday in France. Charity is determined to visit all the historical sites. Louise would rather sit in the shade and drink grape juice. So Charity takes a young boy called David on her sight-seeing trips. David and his stunningly beautiful step-mother are in France hiding from his father - recently on trial for murder. When Charity realises David's father has finally tracked his family down, she tries to lead him away on a false trail. Will she succeed?

Madam, Will You Talk? was written in 1955 and unfortunately it shows, particularly in the way anyone who is not white, British, and middle-class is described. And I really wish someone had thought to edit out the (one occurrence) of the g-word. Having said that, Madam, Will You Talk? is an enjoyable, escapist 'romp' and I did enjoy it. There are lots of lush descriptions of France and thrilling car chases. The romance is glossed over - the hero meets the heroine all of twice before he falls madly in love with her. There are no sex scenes and only very mild violence.

Would suit fans of old-school romantic suspense and authors such as Anne Stuart. Fans of vintage cosy crime, such as Agatha Christie, will probably find there is not enough of a mystery to get their teeth into.

13 people found this helpful

E. Smith

Pleasant Read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 October 2019

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I fancied reading a book set in the south of France and this came up in the search. It's about a well-to-do Englishwoman holidaying in Avignon, when she gets caught up in a mystery involving a young boy and a murderer.

By modern standards, it's pretty tame, but it's still a very pleasant and easy read, nevertheless. You get a sense of simpler times, when a woman driving a fast car was something of note, and when most people are unfailingly polite and respectful, with no gore or hanky-panky getting in the way of the story.

It was a pleasant enough read to inspire me to read more from this author.

4 people found this helpful

Angie W

Enid Blyton for adults

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 September 2020

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This is the first book I have read by this author. Would I read another? Probably.

It's light-hearted (most of it anyway) and an easy read, a mystery story with a sprinkling of romance. I'm not a fan of romantic or love stories, so I was pleased that there wasn't much, just a sideline of the main story. Set in the 1950's, it's often quaint and amusing in our enlightened times - the expectations of how women (ladies?!) should behave may well put a wry grin on your face.

Charity and Louise are on holiday in the South of France together, and Charity explores the local area by herself (Louise prefers to sit by the pool and read a book), which gets her involved with something shady going on. Charity is not one to sit back, and throws herself into protecting a young boy from his father who got away with supposedly murdering someone, and is now looking for him.

The story is quite fast paced, and the book is well-written and easy to read.

I haven't read Enid Blyton since I was a child, but this book brought to mind the Famouse Five and the Secret Seven books - a dash of mystery and suspense and some fun, all written in an engaging way that invites the reader to turn the page again and again until the end is reached.

One person found this helpful

A. L. Addams

Madame will you just keep talking and tell us more. Fabulous darling!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 May 2019

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Another rich, inviting and almost tangible description and sense tingling episode almost. Athough all the characters differ between books, i find the heroine (1950's style) in each to follow a pattern, perhaps the alter-ego of the writer and indeed the reader. They could easily be put together and create a modern day version for tv series. Madame Will You Talk feels like another warm and comforting chapter following our stong female lead, fast cars, secret rendevous, a family with hidden issues which on the surface appear quite normal, and yet...stage left we have our well timed arrival to become entwined and follow the intrigue through its inevitable twists and turns. All the time you are treated to the exceptional and spectacular description of the scenery, the heat/chill, food, light/dark and a romantic dalliance often tinged with danger. Mary Sterwart will, after one of her books, capture your sensibility and ensnare it with her charming creative writing ability and you will be captivated, of that there is little doubt.

2 people found this helpful

Blue Dolphin

Surprising how good this is

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 October 2012

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This is Lady Stewart's début novel and, having read fifteen of her other works, I came to this book with fairly low expectations. What a happy surprise to find an absolutely excellent story which, way back in 1955, deservedly catapulted the author into best-selling status. If you are familiar with Stewart's later work, you will spot here and there places where the more mature word-smith would have done something even slicker, but this is a minor quibble and it seemed to me that the narrative improved as it went along and the slightly awkward bits are all near the start. These stories are representative of their time and offer some fascinating glimpses into behaviours that we now find surprising. Cigarette smoking, for example, was such an ubiquitous activity that here it is even used as a plot device.

The action takes place over a period of a few days in the South of France, in the aftermath of WW2 when its bleak spectre is still casting a pall over Europe. Charity, a young war-widow, and her friend Louise, an art teacher, have just driven from the UK to Avignon for a much-anticipated holiday. A chance encounter with a boy and his dog affect Charity deeply because she senses in the youngster a painful maturity at odds with his naturally ebullient personality. Very soon she finds herself enmeshed in a web of danger and deception, as a suspected murderer scours the countryside looking for the boy David.

On top of some masterfully fleshed out characters, an unusually prominent role is played by the touring car of the 40's, represented by a selection of the best: Riley, Mercedes and Bentley. Even if classic cars are not your thing, the narrative is compelling and the chase sequences particularly vivid. The descriptive powers for which Mary Stewart became so well known, are employed here with effective restraint while the fast action drives the book to a very satisfactory conclusion. Personally, I like it when all the loose ends are tied up and this story is wrapped up to perfection. For some reason as I was reading, I imagined a film version featuring the young Grace Kelly and Sean Connery ... wonderfully vintage.

15 people found this helpful

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