Down Home Murder

Laura Fleming, Book 1

By: Toni L. P. Kelner

Narrated by: Gayle Hendrix

Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

When a tragic family accident brings Laura Fleming back home to Byerly, North Carolina, the sleuth discovers that her beloved grampaw's fatal fall from a ladder in the old mill was not an accident.

©1993 Toni L. P. Kelner (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Don't bother

Narrator was dreadful. Accent exaggerated. Storyline improbable. I could not finish it. I purchased quite a while ago. I do hope I didn't spend a full credit.

ATROCIOUS!!

I suffered through three chapters of this story before I decided I could not take it anymore. At first, I thought it was the narrator who had the worst accent ever. Clearly, she had never been to NC. I am from NC and have never heard an accent like hers (not even sure where I would hear one like hers). But after suffering through another couple of chapters, I realized that I hated the story as well. It was far too negative and offensive for me. Never seen people so very back woods!!! Atrocious!

Racist

I only got to the second chapter, and no I'm not African American, but I was offended.

Too many words too little plot

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

A lot less stereotyped characters
A lot less padding
A believable set of accents

What do you think your next listen will be?

Murder and Mendelsohn by Kerry Underwood

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Her accent was way off, too unbelievably "folksy".

What character would you cut from Down Home Murder?

Quit the book after two hours.

My favorite cousin is a nice young boy in the KKK!

What disappointed you about Down Home Murder?

It was a listing of terribly unhealthy fast food consumed by a very large family. The narrator felt so very sympathetic towards her cousin, a new member of the KKK.

What was most disappointing about Toni L. P. Kelner’s story?

I will never fall for a "deal of the day" again without doing much more investigation. This "mystery" was a disaster for me. None of the characters had any character except a love for fast food. The narrator cum "detective" is mainly memorable because she loved sausage biscuits. Having moved to Boston, she evidently could find nary a sausage nor a biscuit. Is this book an advertisement for Hardee's and McDonald's?

What didn’t you like about Gayle Hendrix’s performance?

Too much Southern, too much lightness--I really did not like her drawls and wondered seriously if the speed on my iPod was off. It was not.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I was angry and disappointed. I did not like the trite treatment of race; I did not like the huge cast of greedy characters who cared more about the menu than the death among them.

Any additional comments?

I won't be fooled again. This is most certainly the worst "read" I have had on audible.com.

Got what I paid for

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Anyone who get free reads with their Kindle readers.

Has Down Home Murder turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, I got on Daily Deal and paid $4 so that what it worth. Will not buy anything off Daily Deals.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

She did best one she could with the material she had.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Just some disappointment, it just wasn't what I expected but I did finish the book.

Only lasted a half our.

What disappointed you about Down Home Murder?

As noted, I didn't listen to very much of this, but there were uncomfortable statements regarding African American hospital patients and the narrator seemed like she was just trying to get the hang of narrating.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Naughty in Nice - the next book in the Royal Spyness Series.

What didn’t you like about Gayle Hendrix’s performance?

She was very hesitant in her reading. Like she was just reading it aloud for the first time. Sentences that were definitive weren't spoken definitively.

Glad this book was on sale!

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Better narration, primarily. I don't think this narrator was "bad", just not suited for this story. I had a hard time telling her characters apart, and was especially bothered that the main character and her aunt sounded to be almost the same age.

What was most disappointing about Toni L. P. Kelner’s story?

I'm only about an hour into it, and I'm very turned off by the overt racism. As other reviews have stated - this book was written and seems to be set in the 90's, not in the 50's. Granted, the main character expresses her dismay at her relative's comments, but that doesn't excuse the fact that they are there to begin with.

Would you be willing to try another one of Gayle Hendrix’s performances?

Perhaps, depending on the story.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

So far, not so much. If I ever listen to the rest of it and change my mind, I will come back and edit my review.

Horrible

What would have made Down Home Murder better?

I don't think anything could help.

What could Toni L. P. Kelner have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

This book is offensive. Remove the prejudice.

What didn’t you like about Gayle Hendrix’s performance?

The voices sounded all the same.

What character would you cut from Down Home Murder?

I would cut the entire book.

Any additional comments?

I am amazed this book is offered at all. I will ask to have it removed from my library.

Rednecks on Parade!

What disappointed you about Down Home Murder?

The poor overly-stereotypical characterization of small town southern culture.

Would you ever listen to anything by Toni L. P. Kelner again?

No!

What didn’t you like about Gayle Hendrix’s performance?

Her southern accent.

Any additional comments?

Seriously?? People actually LIKED this book? I can't even make it halfway through. I know...let's take every stereotype there ever was regarding small town southern culture, and write them into a story that reads more like a soap opera, with poorly developed, overly-stereotypical redneck characters! The whole storyline reads like something done for a high school English project back in the 1970's...not the 1990's. My husband is from a very small town in North Carolina and while his family definitely has a different culture than those from (eh-hem) The Big City, I found this book extraordinarily offensive and simple. Has Toni Kelner ever *been* to a small town in North Carolina? I see from her website she lives in Charlotte...CHARLOTTE! You know...a big city. Like I said, there's no way I can ever make it through the rest of this book. Glad I bought this on sale and didn't waste a whole credit on it.