• Murder of a Barbie and Ken

  • A Scumble River Mystery, Book 5
  • By: Denise Swanson
  • Narrated by: Christine Leto
  • Length: 8 hrs
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (307 ratings)

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Murder of a Barbie and Ken  By  cover art

Murder of a Barbie and Ken

By: Denise Swanson
Narrated by: Christine Leto
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Publisher's summary

In search of a social life in Scumble River, Skye Denison has recently joined the GUMBettes - the ladies auxiliary of the men's Grand Union of the Mighty Bulls. Now she and her boyfriend Simon hobnob with the upwardly mobile professionals in town. But when a seemingly perfect couple is murdered, Skye discovers that success doesn't equal survival....

©2003 Denise Swanson Stybr (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Featured Article: It's a Barbie World—We're Just Listening in It


This summer, there's one thing on our minds, and it isn't a beachfront vacation with a fresh listen. No, this season, we're all about Barbie. Thanks to Greta Gerwig's film, the world's most iconic doll is getting a thoroughly modern new appraisal. The Barbiecore aesthetic, which celebrates everything pink and feminine with a cheeky self-awareness, is seeping from fashion and interiors right into our earphones! Here are 10 listens to usher in the summer of Barbie.

What listeners say about Murder of a Barbie and Ken

Average customer ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Good the second time

My husband and I are listening to the complete series for the second time. It is still just as good as the first time and since it has been several years, it's like listening to it for the first time. We decided to do this since the Return to Scumble River books have a different reader and we are having trouble enjoying it since we are used to Christine Leto and identify her as Skye.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

4 stars

This is my least favorite book. Although the mystery is interesting Bunny, Frannie and Justin get on my nerves.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

MURDER OF A BARBIE AND KEN

Good and fun and cute fast and sweet voice funny handsome and ulgy thank you

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

good easy to listen to story

this series is a fun and flows easily. an easy way to pass the time

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Unexpected

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

Yes I would, I would recommend this whole series to a friend. these series are really good. this book had me really lost on who was the killer. I honestly thought that the main target was Barbie and not Ken which I was right on that but who did the murders I was wrong on that..

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character this time is Simon and Bunny, I do like Sky, but in this story the mother and son combination was a whole other story in itself.

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

I like how she brings animation to each character, she changes her voice for each character and it is pretty cool, sometimes i forget that it is just her reading the story and no one else but she has soo many different pitches, tones, and accents that she performs that makes the stories much better.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The ending epilogue when they were all in the bowling ally it was touching.

Any additional comments?

None

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Love this series!

Where does Murder of a Barbie and Ken rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I love this series. The first book I read on my Kindle but I am knitting a shawl now and enjoy listening to a book while I knit. Christine Leto is the perfect narrator for this book. She captures the accents and tone of voice of each character so well I can almost see them.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Love the series, This one not my favorite

I always enjoy a Scumble River mystery. I enjoyed this one as well, but it wasn't my favorite for a few reasons. In this book, Skye and Simon are trying to blend in with other classy couples. The people they end up with aren't the most pleasant pleasant characters and the book takes us to some aspects of life in this small town that definitely turned me off. (I don't want to give anything away, but some people you just don't even want to imagine naked.) We also have the introduction of the character of Simon's mother Bunny, who is especially annoyiong on audio and who brings out two qualities in Skye that are not my favorites either - (1) her wimpiness or is that small town hospitality? and (2) her preachiness - for example, I think it is perfectly ok for someone who had been betrayed and abandoned as a child not to pursue a relationship with that parent. Overall it was one of the more forgettable plots (it took me a few minutes just now to even remember who did it), but I will keep on with the series.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A cozy mystery

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

I would recommend this book to a friend. A good mystery, an easy read. Interesting who-dun-it.

What other book might you compare Murder of a Barbie and Ken to and why?

It is along the same lines as other Scumble river mysteries, not unlike the Joanne Fluke mysteries.

What about Christine Leto’s performance did you like?

She has a great, non-distracting voice

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

I could have listened to this book in one sitting.

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