A Dark and Stormy Murder

Writer’s Apprentice Mystery Series, Book 1

By: Julia Buckley

Narrated by: Rebecca Mitchell

Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

Lena London's literary dreams are coming true - as long as she can avoid any real - life villains....

Camilla Graham's best-selling suspense novels inspired Lena London to become a writer, so when she lands a job as Camilla's new assistant, she can't believe her luck. Not only will she help her idol craft an enchanting new mystery, she'll get to live rent-free in Camilla's gorgeous Victorian home in the quaint town of Blue Lake, Indiana.

But Lena's fortune soon changes for the worse. First, she lands in the center of small town gossip for befriending the local recluse. Then, she stumbles across one thing that a Camilla Graham novel is never without - a dead body, found on her new boss's lakefront property.

Now Lena must take a page out of one of Camilla's books to hunt down clues in a real crime that seems to be connected to the novelist's mysterious estate - before the killer writes them both out of the story for good....

©2016 Julia Buckley (P)2018 Tantor

Human or computer reading?

The story could have kept me interested — but the narrator distracted me! It was the worst ever! She sounded like a computer reading it. Never again will I listen to this person!

I hated this book -

boring plot, weird unbelievable characters, really bad. I can usually find something to enjoy in a book - not this one

Good book but distracting narrator

The story was cute and not something done 1000 times already but the narrator was very distracting from the story. She is very monotone and didnt change up the character voices at all.

Like an old time mystery---Fun flash back

This is the first time I have read / listened to a Julia Buckley's story. At first I was unsure. The story moves slower then what I am used to reading now. But it took me back to the mysteries I grew up on. Some Authors that came to mind are Agatha Christie, H. R. F. Keating, Carolyn Keene.

After you give the pace its rightful dues, you will enjoy the story as it develops. And now I want to move on to book 2 to see the next steps to be taken in this type of writing.
This story is set in the north during a time of the chill moving into the area. A small town by Blue Lake, Indiana. The timely hiring of Lena London as an assistant to her favorite writer, is the beginning of the novel. Things go wrong for this main character from the first day she moves into town. Friends are gained and treats are defined with the simply life goings on of this small town.

I liked the story. The narrator is not perfect for this book.

I am going to move on to book 2 .

Too mechanical.

I enjoyed the story but not the narrator. She sounded too mechanical for my liking. I started to listen 3 times before I decided to just giving it a chance. I feel that she could be good because her narration of the females were good with exception of the main character.

Plusses and negatives.

Loved the characters and story line, got tired of hearing the cats name by the second chapter, and didn't like the constant quotes from another book.

A bit uneven

Overall, entertaining but with two mysteries being told at once and one left unresolved, it was not as satisfying as it might have been. The plot is also unnecessarily recapped several times during the course of the book, which distracts from rather than enhances any suspense.

Fun and challenging plot

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and look forward to more in the series. Thank you!

Wonderful!

i loved this first book! Can't wait for the second one. Hope it is very soon in coming.

A favorite

This is about the best cozy mystery I have read this year. I like the main character, Lena London. The writing is descriptive and drew me into the narrative. I love the idea of getting to work for a favorite author and the mysteries that spring up in small town Blue Lake
The story is smooth. There aren't discordant notes like characters that don't fit or who are annoying. I really like it and how the story flows and works to its conclusion.

March 2023 - I listened to the audiobook. I enjoyed the narrator and still like the story even years later. Lena London and her favorite author Camilla are a great fictional pairing.