"The DeMondego Diamond: A Murder Mystery follows 6 college friends who are haunted by the ghost of their past as a result of losing one of their beloved friends and the “golden girl” of the group. At first you believe that she is this perfect friend, in the perfect friendship group, but as the story goes on you learn that there are many issues within group, resulting in toxic relationships, untold secrets, forbidden love, and profound longing and yearning.The story follows a dual timeline in the present and the past, with multiple POVs and a narrator. The author has produced a story with a very lyrical style using the tools of rhythm, musicality, vivid imagery, and emotional resonance, which is captured perfectly by each voice actor. The story leans into Romanticism, especially through characters who choose feeling over logic. The cinematic background audio adds a beautiful layer to the story, adding to the whole overall experience. I recommend wearing your headphones for the most immersive experience.I absolutely adored listening to this dark academia, murder mystery. It is hauntingly beautiful, and perfect in every way. A 5 star listening experience. I am so glad I requested the ALC as it provoked so many emotions and I genuinely wish I could listen to this again for the first time. There are so many plot twists in this story that I was hooked from episode 1 right through to the end!"

★★★★★

— Sharnye B. | NetGalley

"The DeMondego Diamond: A Murder Mystery completely drew me into its eerie, atmospheric world. Originally created as a ten-episode podcast and now available as an audiobook, this was such an immersive listening experience. It combines dark academia, murder, secrets, complicated friendships, obsession, romance, and a dual timeline in a way that kept me wondering what really happened right up until the end.At the center of the story is a group of six college friends whose lives become permanently changed after Daisy falls from the town's clock tower following a party. Was she pushed? Did she fall? Who had a reason to want her dead? And why do so many things about that night refuse to add up?The group itself is far from the perfect circle of friends they initially appear to be. Beau, Ben, and Daisy have been close since childhood, while Daisy and Caroline share a room. Nora eventually becomes part of their circle, and Ben and Nora are in a relationship. Beau and Caroline have their own complicated arrangement, while Ben, Beau, and Jasper live together upstairs in the same house.As the story unfolds, it's obvious that there are feelings beneath the surface that nobody is dealing with properly. Crushes aren't always returned, relationships aren't always what they seem, and some attachments become dangerously obsessive. The more I learned about these characters, the more I realized that Daisy's death couldn't simply be separated from the tangled relationships surrounding her.I especially enjoyed the way the narrative moves between the past and eight years later. The earlier timeline slowly gives us pieces of the friendships and events leading up to Daisy's death, while the present-day story brings everyone back together around a wedding. That structure worked beautifully because each timeline adds another layer to the mystery.The story also has a wonderfully haunting literary quality. There is a strong sense of Romanticism throughout, particularly in the way emotions, longing, passion, and obsession can overpower rational thinking. The writing feels almost musical at times, and the vivid descriptions created such a strong visual atmosphere that I could picture the settings and characters unfolding around me.The production was phenomenal.The full cast made this audiobook feel much more like a performed drama than a standard narration. Dave Greggs captured Beau's charming but privileged personality perfectly, while Sophie Terry brought warmth, determination, and vulnerability to Nora. Michael Brigant was wonderful as Ben, giving him a genuinely caring presence, and Sophia Radford made Daisy feel wonderfully innocent and approachable. Her Southern accent was especially well done.I also really enjoyed Isaac Trenton as Jasper, Cindy Xu as Caroline, and Sean Finnerty as Eben Wisp. Casey James gave Ms. Beaufort a fantastic Southern voice, while Lucius Po was excellent as the policeman and Nora’s father. Millie Telman was wonderful as young Daisy.And Greta Craig deserves so much credit for bringing the entire production together as writer, director, producer, sound designer, mixer, and narrator. The cinematic soundscape added another dimension to the story without overwhelming the performances. I would absolutely recommend listening with headphones because the additional audio details make the atmosphere even more effective.What I loved most was how the mystery isn't simply about discovering who caused Daisy's death. It's also about uncovering who these people really were beneath the surface. Friendships become toxic, secrets remain buried, forbidden feelings complicate everything, and the supposedly perfect "golden girl" turns out to have a much more complicated place within the group.By the time the story reaches the present-day timeline, I was just as invested in the characters and their unresolved history as I was in finding the truth behind Daisy's death.Dark, haunting, beautifully performed, and wonderfully atmospheric, The DeMondego Diamond: A Murder Mystery was a fantastic audiobook experience for me. The combination of the mystery, dual timeline, emotional complexity, dark academia setting, and exceptional multicast narration made this one incredibly easy to get lost in.Definitely one I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys atmospheric murder mysteries where the secrets surrounding the characters are just as important as the crime itself."

★★★★

— Faiza B. | NetGalley

"If you think that the real mystery is the first murder, think again... 🧐
The DeMondego Diamond by Greta Craig is a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ graphic audio series 💚💎🎧
Action starts when six college friends reunite at a wedding - eight years after one was convicted of murdering another. 😨 The dual timeline of this dark academia mystery jumps from a college campus in the American South to the wedding day on the DeMondego estate 8 years later. 🕰️
This story will make you question where do your sympathies lie - with the bubbly star of the show or her convicted murderer. 🤐
I genuinly devoured this audio. 🫠 Production quality is out of this world, VAs' work pulled me in even deeper into the story and I was finished before even realising. 💖"

★★★★★

— Gitana G. | NetGalley