Audible Plus – Carol's Notebook

Dead in the Water by Agatha Frost and Evelyn Amber

August 28, 2026August 28, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

For the most part, I enjoyed Dead in the Water. Liz, a retired detective, has moved to a small fishing village to open an arts and crafts shop. When a local fisherman is discovered dead, Liz has some doubts when it's thought to be an accident. Of course, she's right and she can't help herself from poking around. I want to like Liz. She's taking a chance and starting over and doing a good job at it. The people in town are appropriately quirky, even though I wish some of them had been a bit more three-dimensional. Of course, the town is full of gossip and Liz, happily, meets several people she gets along with well. Then comes the end, and the competent, capable Liz almost just gives up. And then she's saved by a lucky coincidence. We had several suspects and clues throughout the book, but I wish the whole reveal had been rewritten. I will probably listen to the...

Mistletoe Murders 4 by Ken Cuperus

December 16, 2025December 16, 2025 by Carol2 Comments

Emily is back in town, and of course back to solving murders. She's been gone a year and some things have changed - Sam has a new girlfriend, Violet is at college, and some things haven't- like the diner's black coffee. Each audiobook has three separate novellas and each one is fun and has a bit of suspense. The mysteries are (mostly)self-contained but there is an over-arching storyline that deals with Emily's past. We of course end on a cliff-hanger, which I do find annoying. I will listen to the next one - I don't need a cliff-hanger to guarantee it. Actually, by the time next December rolls around, I'll probably need reminded what was going on anyway....

A High-End Finish by Kate Carlisle

July 11, 2025July 11, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

I've read at least one other Fixer-Upper mystery and watched the Hallmark shows, but I was looking for something free to listen to and found this one. I didn't love it to be honest. Shannon goes out on a blind date that ends badly, with her kneeing him and threatening to kill him - in front of a beach of witnesses. Of course, the guy later turns up dead - in one of the houses her company is remodeling, killed with one of her distinctive pink tools. She is, of course, a suspect and decides she needs to clear her name. Unfortunately, most of the other suspects are women too. The guy was jerk. I like Shannon in the tv show, but here she seems young. She doesn't learn and continues to threaten to kill people throughout the book (because doesn't everyone) but then is dismayed when they end up murdered, or almost murdered. She still has some kind...

Witches Get Stuff Done by Molly Harper

July 3, 2025July 3, 2025 by CarolNo Comments

I don't read a lot of romances - I get annoyed with miscommunications that almost seem purposeful, ridiculous grudges, and love triangles. Witches Get Stuff Done was fun, though. After a rather disastrous ferry ride, Riley arrives on Starfall Point Island. She’s expecting to meet her long lost aunt, but instead learns of her aunt’s death and finds herself caretaker to a house full of ghosts. The love interest is a cute, intelligent librarian, Edison. Yes, their first meeting is a bit yucky and maybe they fall in love a little too quickly, but they made me smile. They both have some baggage from past relationships, but don't let it overwhelm the present. They talk to each other honestly and share things. Most of the tension comes from the ghosts and the mysteries surrounding the house. t's fun to watch Riley find her circle of friends. She's new in town and her aunt always kept pretty aloof from the...

Summer of ’49 by David Halberstam

June 6, 2025June 6, 2025 by Carol2 Comments

I love going to baseball games. I'm a Pirates fan, though, which means I can sit back and have fun but don't really expect too much. Not like the people watching the Red Sox and Yankees in 1949. Summer of ‘49 is in theory about the 1949 pennant race between the Yankees and the Red Sox. We know the Yankees ended up beating the Red Sox and going on to bee the Dodgers in the World Series, but really the book is about the people - the players, managers, press. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of numbers - hits, games back, percentages, salaries, it's what baseball boils down to after all, but the fun part is hearing about the people - who they are, where they came from. We get stories of how they interact with each other and how they view the game. Some are people I've heard of, but most weren't. This is definitely a nostalgic...

The Diva Runs Out of Thyme by Krista Davis

November 26, 2024November 26, 2024 by CarolNo Comments

I was looking for a Thanksgiving cozy and ran across The Diva Runs Out of Thyme free with Audible Plus. I've read a couple others in the series, but had never gotten to this first one. "The Diva Runs Out of Thyme" is a fun read and pulls in plenty of holiday touches. W were introduced to a lot of characters in this book - Sophie and her family, the neighbors, her ex-husband and his family and girlfriend, and the stuffing competition judges and participants, but they each had their own personality and quirks. I listened to the audio and the narrator did a good job keeping everyone distinct. The mystery itself was fine, even if some of the characters' actions were questionable. I was surprised by who the killer turned out to be. Overall I enjoyed it....