Murder in the Boonies

The Sleuth Sisters Mysteries, Volume 3

By: Maggie Pill

Narrated by: Anne Jacques, Judy Blue, Laura Bednarski

Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

The abrupt disappearance of the renters at the Sleuth Sisters' family farm presents Faye with the chance to do something she's always dreamed of: start a draft horse rescue. The circumstances surrounding the move are strange, though, and Faye, Barb, and Retta begin to suspect that at least some of the family members didn't leave voluntarily. Balancing a menagerie of animals with tracking down clues as to where the man, woman, and three daughters might have gone, the sleuths uncover a series of surprises that lead to dangers they never anticipated. As those dangers grow, the sisters - and everyone around them - are plunged into deadly peril.

©2015 Maggie Pill (P)2015 Maggie Pill

Savy mystery story

This cozy mystery takes place in Mackinac Island, on the sleuth sisters’ family farm. The three sisters, Faye, Barb, and Reta grew up on this lovely farm that they were renting out to a very quiet and godly man Ben McAdams. Ben had taken up with a single mother of three, and moved them in with him. One day the sisters receive a letter from McAdams stating that he and the ladies moved, left town, so sorry to not give a notice of departure. Right then and there the Smart Detective Agency side of the sisters raised a red flag! When the sisters go to the farm to prepare it for new renters, they uncover a ghastly secret! With nowhere to go but forward, the sleuth sisters on are on the case!

The story was very relaxed and comfortable with the pacing. I am new to this series, never having read books one or two, but I did not feel like it was hard to follow. Reta, Barb and Faye all had unique qualities about them that meshed well with each other, and I appreciated their relationships. During the investigation, I was introduced to three new characters; Pansy, Iris, and Daisy, three very young sisters who were scared and alone, while Barb, Reta, and Faye tried to find their mother.

The plot of the story was pretty disturbing at times, considering the nature of the men involved and the belief systems that they had. The book was written through the point of view of each sister, which made for some interesting narrator choices for the audiobook. I do appreciate the threesome point of view though, because I was able to learn more details about each character more intimately. The mystery had a scary reality to it, but the story was written in a way to soften the blows, and focus more on the relationships.

The Sleuth Sisters Mysteries was a nice change of pace for me as far as mysteries go (my first cozy mystery) and I look forward to reading more from this series.

Narrator Review

Laura Bednarski as Faye
Judy Blue as Reta
Anne Jacques as Barb

Considering the book was written through the point of view of all three sisters, it makes sense that the audiobook is narrated by three different women. Each woman's voice put a soul to the character being read for. I really enjoyed Judy and Anne for the sisters they were chosen for, the exception was Laura Bednarski as Faye. Laura narrated as if she had never read the book beforehand, and had stopped short many, many times while reading, then pausing where there shouldn't have been a break in what she was saying, then finishing the sentence. It was very difficult to follow when she read because she continued like that through the whole book. Her voice rose and put emphasis on the wrong part of the sentence, which was funny at first, but then quickly irritating when I discovered that wasn't a one-time thing. Laura has a fitting voice for Faye, and would have been fantastic if it weren't for her fumbling through the read. Unfortunately this faux pas has brought the overall rating of the book down from a lovely 4 stars I felt it had potential for, down to 3 stars.
**Audiobook provided by the author for an honest review**

Great Book!

Any additional comments?

This is a great book; this is the third book in The Sleuth Sisters Mysteries series written by Maggie Pill and narrated by Anne Jacques, Judy Blue, and Laura Bednarski. Faye, Barb, and Reta are three sisters who grew up on farm. They have been renting the farm out to Ben McAdams, his girlfriend Rose, and her three daughters. When Ben and his family abruptly leave the farm, the three sisters are stuck caring for a menagerie of animals and the mystery of what happened to Ben and the ladies. Faye, Barb, and Reta put their sleuthing skills to the test to find out what really happened to them.

The narrators Anne, Judy, and Laura did a great job with this book, and was very easy to listen to. They did a great job with the different voices of each character in this book. It was very easy to listen to in one sitting and I didn’t want to stop listening until the end.

If you are looking for a great mystery, with humor and great characters then you need to listen to this book. I am looking forward to listening to the next book by this author and narrators.

A Review copy was provided to me in exchange for a fair and honest review. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

Better as it progresses!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I'd recommend it but not to everyone. I like mysteries with women detectives but not everyone does. This series grew on me. I purchased the first one because it was on sale and enjoyed it though I thought the characters were a bit stereotypical. But by the third book, the author had fleshed out the sisters very well, defining them as real people with some history and points of view. The plots themselves are not predictable and they were solved with intelligence. I also enjoy the addition of new characters and animals.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

The narration was mostly okay, sometimes uneven but okay.

Great story

This is the first third book in the series, and they get bettereach time. Maggie Pill is a wonderful storyteller and the three narrators so a great job of capturing the personalities and characteristics of the sisters.

Laughs and tears

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

A heart-warming story about three young girls and the three older ladies who help them.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Murder in the Boonies?

Tears of joy caused near the end. But I suppose the exciting boat sinking, rescue, explosion, etc. was quite exciting and memorable.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

That should read narrators' performances. I enjoyed listening to all three ladies. It helped keep the characters clear in my mind.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, it would be nice to do that, but who has that kind of time. I was eager to return and see how the mystery was solved.

Any additional comments?

Enjoyable series.

Another great book!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. It is a wonderful story of three sisters and there love of family.

Who was your favorite character and why?

No favorites. Love them all.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The difference in the three sisters. I like that the sisters have different voices. It really defines each character.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

At the end. Don't want to spoil, so you will have to listen to the book to find out why.

murder in the boonies

heartwarming although much sadness to get us there. another chapter in the lives of these three sisters and their families. i love how animals play a part of this story.