Murder in a Wish-Book House by Wayne Zurl Narrator: David Colacci
Series: Sam Jenkins
Published by Mind Wings Audio on August 10, 2011
Genres: Mystery
Length: 1 hr 14 mins
Format: Audiobook
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Chief Sam Jenkins investigates the murder of a Tennessee school teacher. All the facts point to a simple conclusion, the man's wife, an escaped mental patient, killed her husband to gain custody of their small daughter. With the help of his usual cadre of friends and co-workers, Sam devises a plan to lure the obsessed woman into a trap when she tries to kidnap the child from the foster parents caring for the girl.
Murder in a Wish-Book House is a novella that’s heavy on plot, light on character, but is definitely enjoyable and a good little mystery. Sam Jenkins is a police chief in small town Tennessee, but he used to be a New York detective so he’s got plenty of experience, friends on call and a bit of an attitude – all of which help him out here. The narrator does a great job with Sam, giving him a bit of that New York accent.
At first the mystery seems simple enough, but there’s a bit of a twist that worked well. Sam is used to knowing what’s going on, he’s good at reading people and tough to fool, but this time around someone gets the better of him.
There’s action, blood, some good dialogue. A lot’s crammed into this hour of audio. It’s available on the Audible mystery channel, free for members. I think it makes a nice introduction to the series, even though you don’t get to learn much about Sam’s cohorts.
About Wayne Zurl
Wayne Zurl grew up on Long Island and retired after twenty years with the Suffolk County Police Department, one of the largest municipal law enforcement agencies in New York and the nation. For thirteen of those years he served as a section commander supervising investigators.
He is a graduate of SUNY, Empire State College and served on active duty in the US Army during the Vietnam War and later in the reserves.
Zurl left New York to live in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee with his wife, Barbara—not far from Prospect PD.
Action and blood sounds good