• A Curious Woman

  • By: Jess Lea
  • Narrated by: Cat Gould
  • Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (104 ratings)

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A Curious Woman  By  cover art

A Curious Woman

By: Jess Lea
Narrated by: Cat Gould
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Publisher's summary

A funny, fabulous, cozy mystery filled with quirkiness and a sweet serve of lesbian romance. 

Bess Campbell has escaped to the windswept Australian coastal town of Port Bannir, determined to begin her life again. She is loving her fresh start, thanks to her fun job running a hip gallery, her territorial chickens, and a lot of self-help books to find her new, better self. 

Port Bannir local Margaret Gale runs an austere maritime museum, and rules her staff with an iron fist. She has no time for that crazy modern gallery or upbeat, earnest Bess sweeping around town on her hipster bicycle. 

After a heated dispute over an antique collectible dildo, there's little hope Margaret and Bess will ever see eye to eye. But when Port Bannir is rocked by a senseless murder, both women find themselves implicated. Can they work together to expose the truth - or will the truth prove far too dangerous? 

Contains mature themes.

©2019 Jess Lea (P)2019 Tantor
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: LGBTQ+

What listeners say about A Curious Woman

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favorite read/listen

I read a lot of lesbian books and novel and this novel is a relief from the stupid formula of breaking up for some stupid reason and getting back together! I loved going to Australia with the author and narrator.

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5 people found this helpful

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Great story!

I really enjoyed listening to this book. The deadpan humor was awesome! I loved Bess and Margaret's interactions. It was cool to "see" them grow and develop into the strong women they are. The supporting characters gave the story more depth and were also easy to like (especially the HAGs :-) ). I was also impressed with the narration. The characters, narration and the mystery made this a must listen!

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4 people found this helpful

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A Curious Woman!

I just finished A Curious Woman and it was absolutely fantastic. Cat Gould does a fabulous job as always. I loved the story, the twists and turns and Genghis the rooster. It really makes you wanna keep listening.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Two Wounded Souls

Bess Campbell moves to a remote Australian coastal town to restore her soul and find her better self. Margaret Gale runs the local Maritime Museum. Bess runs the crazy Cabinet of Curiosities. When murder rocks the small town they are drawn together to find the killer. Will their lives give them a second chance at healing and romance. Great performance and story. Recommend.

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2 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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sigh

I had a hard time with this and the ending is just eh. good writing style though. I'd certainly listen/ read more books by this site author but this was hard to get into all the way to the end.

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1 person found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Well, it was Ok

I had some credits so at least it didn’t cost me money... the story was OK and narration didn’t help it much, I loved the accent but it seemed as Cat Gould was bored reading this book and so was I.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Hilarious murder mystery caper!

I will absolutely listen to anything Cat Gould narrates! The story was amazing, and I can't wait to read the next one! The witches and Chuks were a wonderful addition to the story. Brava!

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Couldn’t finish

I am almost OCD about finishing audiobooks since I won’t return them if I don’t like them. I just couldn’t get through this one.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Fantastic mystery with romance

This is a fantastic murder mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat and guessing until the end. The romance is a slow burn and the MC’s development parallels the story arc perfectly. Cat Gould delivers the narration with her delicious, resonant, sultry tones.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Over the Top .

Sorry not to pass asparagus, but what the heck is a vegetarian sushi plate? really.

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  • Aj
  • 09-25-19

Simply stunning

An outstanding novel that is narrated to perfection by Cat Gould. Highly recommended and unmissable.

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3 people found this helpful

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  • M. A. Mccormack
  • 08-23-20

A real find

I really liked this book. The internal monologues, the language, clever asides. Really loved it. The story is excellent. Did not guess the baddie AT ALL.

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2 people found this helpful

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  • wends
  • 01-29-22

Really enjoyable.

Great story full of suspense & a little humour. I loved the characters & rounded of with terrific narration.

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1 person found this helpful

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  • Angela
  • 08-29-23

Australian quirkiness

After listening to a number of American based novels it took a little time to get into this book but once I did I couldn’t help but enjoy the ins and outs of this murder mystery. The characters are diverse and interesting and I recommend this book.

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  • Lady Stark
  • 06-26-23

Hmmm

Before anything else, I would like to commend the narrator of this story. The differentiation in Australian accents is so authentic, it was breathtaking. Thank you Cat Gould.

I don’t care for the negative reviews of this book, I’ve decided. This book is about a typical small town in Australia with a murder mystery and quirky main characters. I cannot begin to gush over the ice queen. I could listen to her commentary for days on end. She has haute and sarcasm down to a T! Tilda Swinton written all over it.

Describing Australian nature scene as a backdrop especially in small towns was weirdly calming and satisfying, as if I could smell the eucalyptus trees from the pages. I guess just one of the charms this book holds.

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  • Makcat
  • 02-01-23

Absolutely worth a read

Great authentic Aussie accents - thank you, thank you, thank you - Cat Gould

The characters- frustratingly endearing, quirky & edgy.

A droll, laconic Aussie take on small town life as it collides, reels & resists the fast paced, big city corporate & artsy wheeling & dealing, trying to bring progress to its parochial ways. And all set against a simmering local backdrop of intergenerational angst & deadly secrets.

And it’s an intriguing who-done-it to boot.

I’m that dammed last-page-first reader - but still the plot reads as true as it slowly reveals itself through all its twists, turns & hiccups, and I avidly read towards its known resolution.

So where to next with the hapless heroines & their eccentric but tech savvy sidekicks?

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  • Darcy V
  • 11-19-21

Wonderful cosy mystery

A Curious Woman hits all the right notes for a page-turning cosy mystery. The plot is rich but not over complicated and I had no idea whodunnit until the reveal! The romantic elements were lovely I really enjoyed Bess and Margaret’s slow burn.
Excellent narration too - I can’t get Margaret’s voice out of my head!

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  • Ange Elson
  • 11-06-20

Small town Australian murder mystery and a dash of romance.

A book doesn’t capture a more lovely and nuanced view of small town life and how history does often play out than this little gem of a book.

A book filled with lovely tension between the unexpected love interests and a compelling mystery with interesting twists and turns. Very funny in places.

Not my usual taste, but I found I could not stop listening.

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