Sharpe Note: Sour Grapes of Wrath

Maycroft Mysteries, Book 7

By: Lisa B. Thomas

Narrated by: Kelley Hazen

Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

You’re never too old for a midlife crisis!

As Deena and Gary Sharpe celebrate their anniversary, things are not all wine and roses. Gary is restless at his job while Deena just wishes she still had one.

To make matters worse, one of Gary’s clients, a local vineyard owner, commits suicide. However, the victim’s sister thinks he was murdered, and her suspicions lead Deena and Gary to team up to unearth the truth.

Can Deena impress the local newspaper editor enough to get her old job back? Will Gary quit his firm and risk everything he’s worked for on a new business venture?

The stakes are high in Sharpe Note, book seven in the Maycroft Mysteries series. This traditional mystery will put listeners’ investigative chops to the test.

Listen and snoop for clues along with your favorite amateur sleuth, Deena Sharpe.

©2018 Lisa B. Thomas (P)2019 Lisa B. Thomas

A Great Listen

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the narrator and found it very entertaining. How much trouble can a small time journalist get herself into? The adventure never stops in this small Texan town for retire school teacher turned jounalist, Deena Sharpe. Deena finds herself in the middle of another murder investigation when one of her husband's clients die. Caught between her editor and the police, Deena uses all her skills to solve yet another mystery. I enjoyed very much. Well worth the listen.

One of the best in the series yet

In Sharpe Note by Lisa B. Thomas, Deena Sharpe is not very thrilled to be spending her 36th anniversary at a funeral. She hardly even knew Andrew Granger, who killed himself at the age of 33, but he was a friend and client of Deena’s husband, Gary. Then, Deena goes back to work as an investigator for a defense attorney after taking a leave of absence, only to be told that her boss can’t afford to keep her on his payroll. But before he has a chance to talk to her, Deena already went to a meeting with Edwina Granger, the sister of Andrew. Edwina thinks that Andrew’s wife has killed him and staged a suicide, which gives Deena a story to pursue when she gets hired back onto the local newspaper that fired her earlier. Things get spicy at the will reading when a second woman shows up, also claiming to be Andrew’s sister. That, plus a shoddy police investigation of the suicide, gives Deena a lot to look into for the paper, if she can just do so without getting hurt herself.

I have enjoyed all the books on this series, and I think they keep getting better as they go. Sharpe Note has interesting twists to the plot, with an ending that was a big surprise but didn’t come across as completely out of the blue. I enjoyed being reunited with characters I’ve gotten to know over the course of the series. I appreciated the discussions and soul-searching of Deena about her role as a journalist in contrast to what it was in her position of investigator for the defense attorney. When is her duty to share the story with the world and when is it to hold back for the purposes of bringing a killer to justice?

The audiobook is performed by Kelley Hazen, who has a really enjoyable voice and creates voices for the characters that seem to suit each one. With good expression and timing, Hazen makes the books a real pleasure to enjoy.

I appreciated getting to listen to Sharpe Note, a book that I really enjoyed. I had a lot of fun listening to this book and recommend it to others. I give this book five stars.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free for review purposes, but that had no effect on the content of my review.

Deena never slows down...:)

It's already book seven in the Maycroft Mysteries series and you still don't have enough of it; again, it's sheer entertainment:)
Deena never slows down, even when she loses the job she loves and tries to get to grips with her new old one:) Which of her two sides will prevail this time: investigator or journalist?

As always with Deena, you don't know where her inquisitive, curious mind will take her, how she will interprete the pieces of information she gathers here and there, and what impact meetings with new people will have on her (and vice versa:)); all we know is that it's going to be fun, relaxing and definitely entertaining. The plot, as in all the previous books, is fast paced, the humour a bit crazy, and the new characters either amiable or repelling:) And as endings go, this one is a good one, with the solution to the crime logically following the clues and a bit of a tease for the next book in the series:)

Narration by Ms Hazen, like in all the previous books in the series, is fantastic. The pace is good, the interpretation of the characters' personalities faultless, and emotions ring true.

DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Sharpe Note

Another great cozy mystery where amateur sleuth Deena Sharpe pulls on her experience and resources to help solve the latest mystery to hit her small town. Was it murder or suicide?

This series just keeps getting better and better. I feel like I really have gotten to know the characters, and I find myself wondering what they will get up to next. I hope we don’t need to wait too long for the next book in the series... fantastic writing and narration!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

I LOL'd repeatedly with this one!

I first picked up this series on a whim - I love a good cozy mystery for falling asleep at night (much to my husband's chagrin). There's just something so soothing about a zany cast of characters getting themselves into kooky situations with just a sprinkling of murder mystery thrown in....the combination lulls me right off to dreamland. My library was out my usual fix (Diane Mott Davidson's sleuthing caterer Goldy Schulz) and I had recently signed up with audiobookboom.com when I noticed the first book in this series. With it's fun cover art and intriguing titles the Maycroft Mysteries are naturally eye-catching. But once you get past the cover page you're in until you reach the end of the book with this fast-paced, clever series. There is really never a dull moment with these characters and I honestly have no idea how these books are not yet dominating the cozy mysteries market - they need to go main stream where more readers can fall in love with Deena Sharpe the way I have. I have faithfully made my way through this entire series and cannot wait for Ms. Thomas to write more! And part of what makes this series so great is the audiobooks narrated by the incredibly talented Kelley Hazan who absolutely brings the characters to life. This book - Sharpe Note - in particular was just so much fun. I don't want to spoil the plot for you but I nearly fell out of bed laughing at the part where the identity of the real "Queen" was revealed. Goodness gracious, too funny. Don't take my word for it - if you love a solid cozy mystery series you're going to love the Maycroft Mysteries books. Thank you to Lisa B. Thomas, Kelley Hazan, and audiobookboom.com for the complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

Maycroft Mysteries Sharpe Note

Sharpe Note by Lisa B Thomas pulled me in immediately. I love the Maycroft Mysteries series, and add wine, its an automatic winner. The author is very clever and witty like the character of Deena Sharpe. The descriptions made it so easy to visualize so many details. Kelley Hazen was magical bringing the characters to life, She gives them distinguishable voices, so its easy to hear exactly who is speaking. Deena and Gary shared more of this investigation, and I loved the twists and turns. Was it Murder or Suicide? Listen and find out. I requested this review copy audiobook and have voluntarily written this review, I will definitely listen to more books by this author and narrator.

Enjoyable and Entertaining

This is one of my favorite series. I really enjoy Deena Sharpe's character and how she solves mysteries. Every time I listen to a book in this series I can imagine all of the characters and the town in which they live. Lisa B Thomas is a talented writer and I look forward to the next book in this series.

Another great in this series

I was not expecting Gary to take a more active role in his wife's investigations. Murder, mystery, and a lover! Who could ask for more. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Fun Series

I enjoyed listening to this fun lighthearted at times funny mystery, Deena is a retire teacher and wannabe investigator and main character who is offered job as crime reporter and trying to solve the murder of one of Gary’s client (accountant and her husband) Andrew Granger who was classified as suicide. There are some twists and turns as 2 women claim to be his sister trying to claim the fortune. Gary is going thru a crisis wanting to change his job due to boredom. This may not been her best but still enjoyable. Narrator does great with the characters and recommend to anyone who enjoys a fun, easy mystery with twists and older women. I was this free review copy audiobook by Storyteller and have voluntarily left this review. Thank you

Great Read

Sharpe Note: Sour Grapes of Wrath was another great read by Lisa B. Thomas. Deena and Gary seem to be going through midlife crisis' while celebrating their anniversary. Gary seems restless at work while she had a job to go to. Gary and Deena team up to find out who killed one of his clients although the police think it was a suicide. I really enjoyed reading this seventh installment in the Maycroft Mysteries series. I can't wait to read more by Lisa B. Thomas.