Real Actors, Not People

The Frannie Shoemaker Campground Mysteries, Book 8

By: Karen Musser Nortman

Narrated by: Michelle Babb

Length: 4 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Frannie Shoemaker and her friends go camping to get away from the real world. So, they are surprised and dismayed to find their wilderness campground the production site of a new "reality" show - Celebrity Campout. Reality intrudes on their week in the form of accidents, nature, and even murder. They handle the situation with their usual humor, compassion, and mystery solving, because...camping can be murder.

©2018 Karen Musser Nortman (P)2019 Karen Musser Nortman

Excitement to the end!

This is the 8th book in the Frannie Shoemaker cozy mystery series and once again the story does not disappoint. Each book has it’s own twists and turns, comical moments and lots of adventure. It’s nice to have the stories center around a retired couple and their friends for a change of pace, it makes for an atypical foundation to how the plots play out.
The reader, as always, did an excellent job of the voices and by this book, the regular characters are like friends. It is read at a good pace with plenty of voice variations to differentiate characters easily to follow along while listening. This series has been a pleasure to spend time camping with the Shoemakers and friends!

Love this series

The Shoemakers and friends take a camping trip to get rid of the real world for a bit only to find they are shooting a reality TV show in the campground. But when the accidents start than a death it all gets very real.

I love these Frannie Shoemaker audios. Narrator Michelle Babb has become the voice of Frannie and she is wonderful. I love the action and suspense in these mysteries and how Frannie can stumble upon dead people. I also like the real life going ons in the campgrounds, people not prepared or even have a clue what they are doing, to the seasoned pros. These are just plain wonderful books or if you are like me audios, and I can't wait for more.

The Shoemakers & friends take on reality tv

Frannie and Larry Shoemaker are out RVing with their friends again, this time in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. They settle in to their campground, the day before a parade of RVs show up, soon to be followed by a tour bus full of has-been celebrities. A reality tv show is going to film there for the next four days.

The actors, of course, had no idea what they were getting themselves into. The assistant producer thought that she was going to be able to ban the other guests from leaving their campers for the entire four days of the filming. There are a variety of conflicts among the former stars--and they are not at all happy when they discover that they'll be required to actually camp, in tents, that they have set up themselves. When Frannie takes a tour in the glass-bottom boat to see the wrecks in Lake Superior, and sees the face of the head producer looking up at her from the water, clearly deceased, well, at least this time she didn't find the body while alone or with only her friends.

The actors, the production crew, and the campground hosts range from cantankerous to friendly, and Frannie and her friends have learned to not do anything obviously dangerous.

Not obviously dangerous.

When the police have arrested a suspect, even if Frannie thinks it's the wrong one, and she and her friends are ready to move on to their next destination, going outside early on the morning of their departure day to get everything picked up and stowed, doesn't seem dangerous. It's not Frannie's fault that the real killer decides to hijack her and her truck and camper in order to get away.

This is another light, fun, enjoyable visit with the Shoemakers and their friends. We continue to learn more about them, as they learn more about themselves and each other. The bonds of family and yeas of friendship are warm and satisfying, and add to the enjoyment of the story.

Michelle Babb is, as always, an excellent narrator.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the narrator, and am reviewing it voluntarily.

Good read!

UP-Michigan, cozy-mystery, television, camping, murder

Even if you've never read any of these Campground Mysteries, you won't feel out of the loop. This time the group of friends are vacationing in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan when they encounter cold wet weather, an invasive television crew, and murder, followed by even worse weather and. .. almost did a spoiler! Anyway, it is a good read made even better by having Michelle Babb to bring the characters to life with her narration.

An action packed whodunnit

In a return to the form of earlier books we are presented with a thorny mystery to solve alongside our favorite sleuth. The drama is high, as one would expect when there’s a reality show in the mix.

Once again, Frankie risks all to bring a murderer to justice.

If you pull into a campground one day snd see this group of seniors... move one fast, murder seems to haunt them!!

I received this audiobook for free in exchange for a review

Another fun Frannie story!

This was so much fun to listen to! I always know I’m in for a treat when Frannie is around. The author, Karen, did a great job keeping me guessing until the end. Loved the setting of the story and the premise. The narrator did a fab job, too! Highly recommend this series.

Real Actors, Not People Book 8

Frannie and Larry Shoemaker and their friends are on yet another adventure which will be exciting for sure. Let’s bring on a group of “has been actors” for a reality camping show with not so nice producers. What could go wrong? Everything apparently. Let’s say, storms, near death attempts and murder for good measure. Frannie is on the case when they find a body on their, see through bottom boat tour.
Excellent narration by Michelle Babb.

"Reality" Cozy Mystery

I enjoyed book 8 of "The Frannie Shoemaker Campground Mysteries". Frannie and her friends meet up with a group of almost forgotten actors who have agreed to be a part of a "reality show" that involved camping. The story had moments of humor as this group had little experience with what camping entails. Michelle Babb's narration was entertaining, and her performance added to the tale as her varied voices bring life to the different characters. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.

Frannie and friends are back!

I listened to the audio version of this book. I really love this series. It's not what I usually go for, but Frannie and her friends and their camping really appeal to me for some reason. I love the whole concept of preparing meals and eating together and just being out in nature and exploring.
Of course, where Frannie is, a dead body shows up. This time it's someone involved with the reality TV show that is filming in the campground Frannie and her friends are staying. Frannie is on it!
I was trying to figure out what was different about this story and decided maybe it was that Frannie wasn't as "involved" with the police officers investigating. I'm not real sure, but there just didn't seem to be as much involvement in this story.
I enjoyed Ms. Babb's narration, as usual.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

A mystery with a side of celebrities

Well written book with a side of drama. I loved the quirky characters and storyline. The who done it was definitely a mystery because of so many possible suspects. I highly recommend this book and series. I received this book at my request and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review.