• Murder of a Chocolate-Covered Cherry

  • A Scumble River Mystery
  • By: Denise Swanson
  • Narrated by: Christine Leto
  • Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (451 ratings)

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Murder of a Chocolate-Covered Cherry  By  cover art

Murder of a Chocolate-Covered Cherry

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

Grandma Sal's Soup-to-Nuts Cooking Challenge is coming to town, and Skye Denison is entering. And though she can't solve the mystery of the perfect mousse, murder is another story. Because a cocky contestant has been found delectably drowned in a chocolate fountain....

©2008 Denise Swanson Stybr (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The best traditional mystery series being written today." (CrimeSpree magazine)
"I enjoy every minute of every book of this series." (Charlaine Harris)

What listeners say about Murder of a Chocolate-Covered Cherry

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I keep re-listening to the Scumble River Series

Where does Murder of a Chocolate-Covered Cherry rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This whole series is great, characters you like, mysteries that keep you guessing . I wish the first books in the series had an audible version.

What about Christine Leto’s performance did you like?

Solid performance again and again.

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7 people found this helpful

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

And Skye bit her lip.

I like the story and overall I believe it is written well, but at least 3 to 4 times a chapter I hear, And Skye bit her lip. It must be bleeding by this time because she is biting her lip or cheek all the time. Other than that I am really enjoying the story and like the series. This is only the second one I have listened to, but I intend to buy more of them on Audible.

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6 people found this helpful

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

Sandra Brown Meets Encyclopedia Brown

The narration was just fine, but I found that the story was an awkward mix of young adult, mystery, and modern romance. None of these genres was pulled off successfully, and I found the transitions from whodunit to high school melodrama to button-popping romance unintentionally comical.

The characters weren't unlikable, just a little one dimensional. The mystery was short-story-worthy at best. It reminded me of the "Encyclopedia Brown" books of my youth, only with murder instead of missing pets and whatnot and sex instead of...well, something else. Either way, a disturbing combination.

There was also a lot of filler. Sentences like (paraphrasing) "[Character X] brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear" or "[Character Y] stared into space for 14 minutes" occurred frequently, without adding to the characters or moving the plot forward in any way; they seemed like literary tics, as if the writer were saying, "Um..." between sentences.

When I bought this book, I didn't realize it was in the middle of a series I hadn't read. I can't say, though, that that contributed much to how little I enjoyed it..

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5 people found this helpful

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

Addictive Story Line

Would you listen to Murder of a Chocolate-Covered Cherry again? Why?

Yes, I liked the reader's voice and the pace of the story. She differentiated between the voices of various characters very well.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot kept me guessing till the end as to who the murder was and what were their motivations.

Which character ??? as performed by Christine Leto ??? was your favorite?

I like her as Skye, Ms. Leto's voice hit just the right note for the 34 year old school psychologist.

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

I love the way that Wally relates to Skye, he knows how to treat a woman properly.

Any additional comments?

I loved this book so much that I've bought the rest of the available series on Audible and the earlier books on Kindle. I'll be listening/reading it again and again.

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2 people found this helpful

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

Good Enough Cozy for Scumble Fans

In the last book the narrator suddenly changed the voices of two characters which was really annoying. In this book, one of them, Skye's mother May, sounds normal again. Thank goodness for that since she has a prominent role in this book. In fact I would say there is way too much May in this book. Bunny still doesn't sound right. The book centers around a cooking contest, which gives us that good small town atmosphere. As usual the victim is a snooty, insulting woman. There is a secondary mystery of a missing teen. I enjoyed the mysteries well enough but I have to say that some of the characters were not strongly drawn enough that I necessarily could tell them apart. That was inconvenient when some of them were suspects. I was very happy to see more maturity from Skye in this book, she was less reckless and at one point I was sure she was going to do something very stupid, and she didn't do it! So I was all around satisfied with this installment and ready for the next.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Enjoyable mystery

Light and entertaining...with multiple strands to the plot, this story has good characterizations and plenty of interest.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Unexpectedly delightful.

Where does Murder of a Chocolate-Covered Cherry rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Murder of a chaocolate-Covered Cherry ranks high and matches the quirkiness of books I've read by Janet Evanvich (Stephanie Plum) or Deborah Coonts(Lucky O'tool). It was well written and I could see it play out in my mind. I would read other books by Denise Swanson that are similar to this.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I really didn't know who did it until just a page or so before it was reveled. I don't think I'm a push over either.

Which character – as performed by Christine Leto – was your favorite?

I think most were good. I really couldn't pick one.

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

I didn't laugh as hard or much as I do with some of the other books but I did find myself yelling for heroine not to go back into the building.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Heroine is very immature

Would you try another book from Denise Swanson and/or Christine Leto?

CHristine Leto yes

Would you be willing to try another book from Denise Swanson? Why or why not?

I found a heroine who can't take care of feeding herself and figuring out her personal life a bit trying and uninteresting.

Have you listened to any of Christine Leto???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

DOn't know

Do you think Murder of a Chocolate-Covered Cherry needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Not really

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1 person found this helpful

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

love the series

loved it and all the other books but there's a different person for bunny her voice is different and I prefer the other one. Margaret

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

Thoroughly enjoyed this story

Recently discovered this series. Thoroughly enjoyed every book so far. Skye Dennison delivers every time.

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