Admit to Mayhem

By: D. J. Adamson

Narrated by: Jan Kennedy

Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's Summary

What happens in Iowa doesn't necessary stay out of the news.

This Midwestern state is the setting for the Lillian Dove Mystery Series. My family roots have grown deep in Iowa since the 1860s. The protagonist of the series Lillian Dove is a recovering alcoholic, but her addition is not the major theme of the series. Lillian is attempting to learn what she and life may have looked like before her first drink:

"There is no graduation from alcoholism. Or life, for that matter. I am also addicted to Pepsi, chocolate, men, being afraid, being afraid of not being afraid, men - again - and my independence, co-dependence, and unsettling ability to fail no matter my attempt. There are other compulsions and bad habits, but I can't think of them right now. Memory loss, see? And I obsess on how much I forget if I remember. Giving up alcohol turned out to be easier than changing some of my other behaviors.

Especially my bad judgment when it comes to men. The type of man I'm most attracted to is like a tall, Tom Collins on a sweltering, summer day: gin, a little lemon - but not too sour - with sweet syrup and bubbly soda. It's hard to resist, even if I know it's not good for me.

I've pledged a Tom-Collins-abstinence."

While Admit to Mayhem has a sliver of romance, it is an amateur sleuth, woman protagonist, Midwest noir novel.

©2015 D. J. Adamson (P)2016 D. J. Adamson

Who started the fire

This was a pretty good story. I enjoyed the the twist and turns in finding out done it. The narration was great. I look forward to more in in this series. I received this book as a gift in exchange for a honest review.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Good!

Enjoyable cozy mystery with great narration!


I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. The fact that I was gifted this book had no influence over my opinion of it

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Good Debut

I enjoyed listening to Admit To Mayhem. Lillian Dove is a well developed and realistic character. The story is includes a wide variety of characters that makes the story interesting and engaging. I would give it 5 stars but, Lillian spent so much doubting herself that it seemed as if she was gas lighting her self. I wanted to shake her and tell her. Other than that I enjoyed the book and will listen to the next book.

I received this book for free in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

very enjoyable

I enjoyed it the stories very much it was a very enjoyable listen to have great mystery
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Great mystery

I love a good mystery and this one was a great one I enjoyed it very much and the narrator did a great job also
Thank you

An alright lazy read cozy mystery

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

This book is mostly suited for a beach read or a lazy evening read. As the genre "Cozy Mystery" implies, you don't get terribly excited about "omg, what happened here. WhoDidIt", but the chapters keep you interested in knowing what happens next. You can stop at any chapter and pick it up hours or days later. (i.e. not un-putdown-able). If that's the kind of book you are looking for, this will fit the bill.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The main protagonist sounded pretty vain to me. It lacked depth and her relationship too was mostly insignificant. Being the central character, I would've hoped more from her.

What three words best describe Jan Kennedy’s voice?

Soothing. Appropriate. Well paced.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No. Even though such stories are ok for a lazy read, I don't like movies in that genre.

Any additional comments?

I received this audiobook for free from the author / narrator / publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

Kept Me Interested The Whole Time

Would you consider the audio edition of Admit to Mayhem to be better than the print version?

*I received this audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review*

Hmmm, that is a difficult question. I really liked the narrator, I feel that she brought the characters to life.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lillian Dove of course! In spite of being a recovering alcoholic she lives her life day by day, doing her best to stick to her sobriety. She is a strong woman with a lot of backbone in spite of being essentially alone in the world.
She is like a dog with a bone as she connects all the dots and starts to work out who lit the fire.

Which character – as performed by Jan Kennedy – was your favorite?

My favourite character as performed by Jan Kennedy was Lillian. She really brought the character to life.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not really. I liked getting a break in between a few chapters.

A great story

I wasn't too sure about this book in the beginning as it got a little explicit which is the very last thing I want in a book. I gave it a chance and stuck it out. I was really surprised at how much I did end up liking the book. The narrator was great at giving the characters their own personalities. This book had humor mixed throughout the mystery which I really love being able to have a good chuckle admist the chaos. It was really sad when the older woman that lived in the house before died. I wasn't expecting that nor whom the perp turned out to be. This was a great start to what seems will be a great series. I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

Well written!

If you could sum up Admit to Mayhem in three words, what would they be?

an alcoholic's mystery

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

The twists and turns held my attention throughout.

What does Jan Kennedy bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her sensitivity brought Lillian to life.

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

When Lillian thought that maybe her mom had done the best that she could do with the knowledge that she had at the time.

Any additional comments?

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