Down and Out in Kathmandu: A Backpacker Mystery

Adventures of Zelda Richardson, Volume 1

By: Jennifer S. Alderson

Narrated by: Renee Dodd

Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Zelda wants to teach children English and “find herself” in Kathmandu. Ian wants to get stoned and trek the Himalayas. Tommy wants to get rich by smuggling diamonds. How their stories collide will leave you on the edge of your seat!

Travel from the dusty, tout-filled streets and holy sites of Nepal to the sultry metropolises and picture-perfect beaches of Thailand, as Zelda and Ian try to outsmart the smugglers and escape Asia alive.

This fast-paced, thrilling travel mystery set in Nepal and Thailand is sure to captivate listeners thirsty for some armchair adventure. Down and Out in Kathmandu is the perfect book for lovers of dark comedy, backpacker fiction, and (mis)adventure novels.

This novel is a prequel to the art history mysteries Zelda Richardson gets involved with later in this series. All four mysteries in the Adventures of Zelda Richardson series are stand-alone novels and can be listened to in any order.

©2015 Jennifer S. Alderson (P)2019 Jennifer S. Alderson

Good read

adventure, Nepal, volunteers, smuggling****

Too bad Zelda is such a whiny git who did little to prepare for volunteering in a place so completely different from her experiences. The story was well plotted and entertaining.
Renee Dodd did a fine job with everyone except the Asians.

An edge-of-your-seat read

Down and Out in Kathmandu (Zelda Richardson Mystery #0), my first enjoyable mystery/suspense read from author Jennifer S. Alderson. Well-written with captivating & intriguing characters. Sometimes a book is just enjoyable, wait no spoilers here, buy the book, read & review the book. "I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." I look forward to Holiday Gone Wrong (Zelda Richardson Mystery #.5). I'll definitely be reading more from this author. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

Down and Out in Kathmandu

I had to check the genre tags a few times while listening to this book. This wasn't a mystery, there was nothing mysterious going on. Nothing to unravel. 80% of the book was Zelda complaining about the volunteer teaching situation she was in and the people she was surrounded by and Ian smoking up. The only suspenseful piece was at the very end of the book and that lasted a few pages.

This book was more a journey of a couple of people in a poor foreign country for a couple of months who talk about their experiences. Then-something-happens-the-end.

The writing was good... I didn't hate this book, but it was not what I expected when reading the synopsis and some reviews. I was really confused for a while, I kept expecting something to happen and it never really did. There was nothing fast-paced about this book. If you want a cozy mystery without the mystery then this might be a good book for you.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Dark Humor in Exotic Location

Down and Out in Kathmandu by Jennifer S Alderson is an original story, I like the character of Zelda, but had trouble getting into this book. The references to all of the drugs and usage turned me off. The author did a great job with the imagery and painted a great picture for my imagination. Renee Dodd did a great job with the various character voices. I could hear who was speaking. I requested this review copy audiobook and have voluntarily written this review.