The Religious Body

How can you not like a detective named Christopher Dennis "Seedy" Sloan? He is with the Berebury CID in West Calleshire, England:

You would think a 1966 novel on murder committed at a Roman Catholic convent in the English countryside would be dated. Not so! You'll find the mystery of the murder of Sister Anne to be cleverly plotted -- as is the novel. You'll grow to love Detective Inspector Sloan, despite his impatience and gruff exterior, and sympathize with the dim-witted but long-suffering Sergeant Crosby. I never guessed who the murderer was. I also loved the detail of life in a pre-Vatican II convent, which was much less austere than I would have expected. I highly recommend The Religious Body, and I promise you won't be able to wait to the read the other books in this series from the prolific Catherine Aird.

Robin Bailey is laconic. I generally prefer quicker--or perhaps I should say, lighter--readers (Ian Carmichael, Rosemary Leach) but there is something hypnotically pleasant about listening to Robin Bailey's deep voice. You can picture him raising his eyebrows over some of Sloan's dialog. In typical Aird fashion, the dialog is often quite cryptic and the mystery is somewhat thin. If you like mysteries for the clues, the red herrings, the complex puzzle building, Aird is not for you. If, however, you enjoy irony and the fine sketches of various personalities (in the context, of course, of a murder), Aird is a good choice. Recommendation: I'm a firm believer that readers make all the difference in the enjoyment of an audiotape. If you've never heard Robin Bailey before, check one of his audios out of the library first.

Catherine Aird's first book, from 1966, is a good, sold cosy. Up until the 1990s, when her narratives became meandering and precious, Aird figured as one of the best post-WW2 English cosy writers.