Audiobook – Page 27 – Carol's Notebook

A Trip with Trouble by Diane Kelly

August 15, 2023August 15, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

I like the basic setup here. Misty owns the Mountaintop Lodge and is hosting a group of women motorcyclists for the week. And one of the bikers ends up dead, killed while they were out on a ride. Misty is naturally observant and working around the lodge gives her the perfect opportunity to talk to the women and get a peek inside their rooms. I like Misty in a lot of ways. She's nice, relatable, and does a good job of sharing information with the police. I also like her relationship with her handyman, Rocky, but I don't like her "should I / what if?"s. She's a decisive, confident woman- otherwise she wouldn't own the lodge. I also don't understand, for someone who has never ridden a motorcycle, how she knows every make and model of the women's bikes as they pull into the lot. She also jumps to conclusions quickly. She's willing to admit when she's wrong and maybe it's...

Vinyl Resting Place by Olivia Blacke

August 14, 2023August 14, 2023 by Carol1 Comment

Vinyl Resting Place is the first in the Record Shop Mysteries. It's always nice to catch a new series at the beginning. Juni Jessup and her sisters, Tansy and Maggie, open Sip & Spin Records in Cedar River, Texas where they sell vinyl records and coffee. While the sisters are cleaning up after their grand opening party, Juni opens the supply to find a dead woman. The woman is murdered and the sisters' uncle, who is also their silent partner, seems to be the main suspect. Juni is a fun character, smart and a bit quirky. She's just moved back to town and is catching up with old friends and new gossip. Her sisters are good sidekicks. Her ex-boyfriend, Beau Russel, is investigating the case, leading to several awkward encounters. I'm not a fan of Beau. We're told he's a good guy, but he seems manipulative, bossy and underestimates Juni. He's romantic interest #1. We also have romantic interest #2, Teddy,...

Murder at the Pumpkin Pageant by Darci Hannah

August 8, 2023August 9, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

First of all, Murder at the Pumpkin Pageant has me craving fall baked goods - pumpkin donuts, pumpkin spice cheesecake, pumpkin scones. And apple dumplings, but those weren't in the book. Lindsey runs her bakery out of a remodeled lighthouse and lives in the keeper's section. It's Halloween and in addition to the town festivities, Lindsey's best friend, Kennedy, has invited the Ghost Guys to come to the lighthouse to film an episode for their show. Lindsey knows the lighthouse is haunted, which makes her even more nervous about the Guys showing up with all their equipment and tech gadgets. The whole things goes horribly awry when a local teacher is found dead, hanging from a tree just outside of the lighthouse. This is the third in the series I've read. I like Lindsey and her family and friends a lot. They're caring, loyal, and the appropriate amount of quirky. The mystery is well done with plenty of clues, suspects, and red...

False Truth by Helena Marchmont

July 25, 2023July 25, 2023 by Carol1 Comment

The Bunburry series is always fun. I always listen to the audios, Parker does a great job with the narration, and each is between 2 and 3 hours, which is a great length for when I can't quite decide what I want to listen to. This time around Bunburry is holding its Quincentenary Celebration, but something feels off. Dorothy from the post office starts doing a little digging on her own and ends up in a bit of trouble. The local historical society is involved too. It's a fun story, no one dies, and there's more love in the air than usual. I do enjoy these characters and their hijinks....

A Cryptic Clue by Victoria Gilbert

July 18, 2023July 18, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

Jane Hunter was forced to take early retirement from her job as a University librarian. Needing to occupy her time and supplement her pension, she takes on the job of cataloguing the mystery collection of wealthy collector Cameron Clewe. Cam is thirty-three and attractive, but does not have many social skills. He also deals with anxiety and is agoraphobic. It's not surprising that his romantic relationships rarely work out well. But, Ashely Allen is the first to end up dead in his library. Convinced he will be the main suspect in the murder investigation, Cam convinces Jane to help him do a little sleuthing, in addition to her regular duties. I liked Jane. She's 60 and having to start over, but she's doing it with grace and humor. The story is told from her viewpoint, but she is the sidekick. She's smart and good at talking to people and understanding body language, but it's Clewe who can put all...

Flop Dead Gorgeous by David Rosenfelt

July 11, 2023July 17, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

I have to admit that the reason I listen to the Andy Carpenter series is that Grover Gardner narrates them. He has such a distinctive voice and it works so well with Andy's sarcasm and humor. I've never read on of the series in print, and I have no desire to stray from the audio versions. This time around Andy is defending hometown girl turned Hollywood star, Jenny Nichols. And of course, Jenny has a dog, Mamie, who she adopted through Andy's rescue program. She is accused of killing her former boyfriend, current co-star, Ryan Griffin. Andy, of course, wants to get a "not guilty" verdict but the evidence is not in their favor. So he and his team get to work on trying to figure out who really killed Ryan and why. They uncover a lot in their digging including money laundering, organized crime, Interpol's most wanted, cybercrime, drug trafficking, and murders. Even with all the complications, I did manage to...