Title: Moonlighting in Vermont (Bree MacGowan Mystery #1)
Author: Kate George
Read by: Sara Mackie
Category: Mystery
Audio published: January 21, 2013 (first published 2009)
Rating: 2½ out of 5 stars
Add: Goodreads
Rumor has it that nothing ever happens in small-town Vermont, but for Bella Bree MacGowan, there is no shortage of excitement. She becomes the prime suspect when she finds her boss dead in a pool of blood and can’t convince the officer in charge, hunky Lt. Miles Brooks, that she isn’t capable of murder.
Lt. Brooks believes two things: The first is that everyone is capable of murder, and the second is that the simplest solution is usually correct. So when it appears that Bree MacGowan has both motive and opportunity, he’s confident he’s found his killer.
Meg Maverick owns the local paper, and Bree’s been her paste-up tech and friend from the beginning. She has no doubt of Bree’s innocence, but she’s worried. If her husband Tom, the captain-in-chief at the local state police barracks, insists on sticking up for Bree, he could end up ruining his reputation.
Then there’s Beaux Maverick, Tom’s younger brother, who has been waiting 15 years for his chance to ask Bree MacGowan out on a date. He doesn’t give a rat’s ass if the whole town thinks Bree is guilty. He’d be the happiest guy alive—if only she’d stay out of trouble.
Moonlighting in Vermont was an uneven book for me. It’s told from Bree’s point of view and I really did like her. She a trouble-magnet, but she’s fun and tries to be optimistic. She loves her animals and seems to more or less work to make money to take care of them. She’s not afraid to get dirty, but the mud fight with her best friend was a little unbelievable. She’s loyal and honest. And all the guys in town seem to be attracted to her – from the cop to the mechanic to her best friend’s brother-in-law. I just wish I could pick her up and put her in a different book.
I went into this expecting a mystery, but about halfway through this was my thought:
Is a book still a mystery if there’s more sex than clues?
— Carol (@carolsnotebook) March 11, 2014
And the sex scenes were a little bland, at least compared to the other book I was reading at the time.
The mystery portion picked up a little after that, and I think the series has potential. Moonlighting was not outstanding- I had a pretty good idea who the killer was and I was a little annoyed by an odd kidnapping- but I liked the characters and with a stronger plot I could really have enjoyed it, as romantic suspense, not necessarily cozy mystery.
Sara Mackie did a good job as the narrator. the story was told by Bree and she sounded like I though she should, if that makes sense. The audio production though was jarring. It was kind of like the difference between talking to someone on the phone and talking to someone on the speaker phone. I don’t what was wrong exactly, but I had to get used to it all over again each time I turned it on. It was even worse when I switched from one audio book back to this one. I guess it just wasn’t quite the quality I’m used to.
I received my copy for review from the author and enjoyed it. I’m not sure I would have wanted to spend an audible credit on it though.
Bree MacGowan Mysteries
- Moonlighting in Vermont
- California Schemin’
- Crazy Little Thing Called Dead
I wonder what was up with all the sex scenes? It seems that every mystery series features a character who’s a “trouble magnet.”
And it’s usually a cute woman who’s the “trouble magnet.”
Hmmm…never heard of this one but even with just a few stars…it sort of looks good! Lol…
I really do think the audio production threw off my rating. It would probably have been a solid 3 or 3 1/2 if I had red it, but I don’t separate ratings for story and presentation.
Good question…yeah still a mystery
A shame that this didn’t lived up to all your hopes. I had hoped it would be a good read as I really liked the cover.
I didn’t notice the blurb comparing it to Stephanie Plum until today. I’ve never been a fan of the Plum series.
Bummer. I’d love to Moonlight in Vermont, but maybe not with this book.