Americano

A Zion Sawyer Cozy Mystery, Book 5

By: M. L. Hamilton

Narrated by: Kelley Hazen

Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Now that spring has arrived and the snow has melted, Zion and Tate look forward to warmer weather, more customers, and time to explore the beautiful Sierras. Logan is doing well in his final year in school and Zion is about to open the coffee kiosk. Everything is running smoothly.

Until Lorenzo Whitefeather summons Tate to the Acorn Casino with a mysterious death he needs help solving before the federal government gets involved. Zion doesn’t like Tate entangling himself with the taciturn, intimidating casino boss, so she insists on helping him solve yet another mystery.

So much for leaving the mean streets of San Francisco for paradise.

©2019 M.L. Hamilton (P)2019 M.L. Hamilton

Death of a Drug Dealer

In Americano by M.L. Hamilton, things are going well in Sequoia until Tate, the hardware store owner and consulting deputy, gets summoned to the Acorn Casino by Lorenzo Whitefeather. "Enzo," as Tate insists on calling him, takes Tate, with Zion insisting on tagging along, to the kitchen, where a man sits on a chair in the walk-in freezer, frozen solid. Zion soon realizes that the dead man is Dr. Germ, who, according to the gravestone composed by the hippy barista Deimos, "was a healer, and was a drug dealer."

The case proves to be a particularly complex case, as every possible suspect seems to get ruled out quickly, and Dr. Germ kept his numerous files in code. Zion's hippy parents, who named their daughter after their honeymoon location, provide comic relief as they arrive in town with their new motorcycle gang, the Rusty Buckets. The relationship between Tate and Zion continues to progress, but it felt that they have too many "romantic interludes." It keeps the sex scenes behind closed doors, but we have the doors close on us all the time. That got tiresome after a while.

This book has a strong anti-drug message to it, though sometimes it feels like it gets too preachy about its message. The mayor is planning a new music festival and teaming up with an anti-drug advocate to plaster the festival with messages of, "Say nope to dope." The advocate becomes too aggressive, and then the message about Dr. Germ and his life becomes too blatant and pushy.

The audio edition is performed by Kelley Hazen, who continues doing a generally good job of bringing the book to life. I like the voice she uses for Deimos, the hippy barista with a heart of gold. I did think her voicing of Evie, a young woman who comes to work for Zion, sounds like she is mumbling, making the lines a little confusing to understand at times. However, overall I continued to enjoy the narration.

I enjoyed Americano, but this book was not as enjoyable as the previous four. I highly enjoyed seeing Tate and Zion track down the killer, a creative path. I just would have liked to see less physical passion and a softer message against drugs. I give this book four stars.

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

Lawman and Dream Girl

Americano by M.L. Hamilton is full of incredible imagery. The storyline is original, it has murder, mystery, humor, romance and some endearing characters. I love the nicknames of Lawman and Dream Girl for Tate and Zion. The author writes some great twists in the book. Kelley Hazen is perfect narrating this book. She brings the characters to life with her distinguishable voices for them. I can easily hear who is speaking, I requested this review copy audiobook and have voluntarily written this review. I will most definitely listen to more books by the author and narrator. I loved it!

Another win in the Zion series...

It's another book in the Zion Sawyer Cozy Mysteries series and it's another win. Although the beginning feels a bit slower than in the previous books (that's why I'd give the story 4.5 stars - rounded up to 5) and it takes us a bit more time to get to the "juicy' part (that is, the murder:)), the mystery itself is again intriguing and touching on an important issue. The new characters that appear in this part quickly become familiar and feel like they belong there and the background story of Zion's personal life is as funny and heart-warming as always.
Definitely a great addition to the series.

Narration by Ms Hazen is as good as ever, with the pace of her reading just about right, nice variation of voices, and perfect interpretation of the individual characters' feelings and emotions.

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

still a great series

note for author, I feel like the book should begin it's wrap up after the killer has been revealed instead of dragging it out. I love this series and how. the narrator does her part in bringing the book to life. just feels like it's never gonna end. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Americano

I’ve followed this series from the beginning and I love catching up with all the characters.

M.L. Hamilton continues to develop the characters that we’ve grown to know and love, while introducing new characters as the story progresses.

It amazes me how Kelley Hazen can voice so many different characters. Each has their own voice and personality and I never have any doubt as to which character is speaking.

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

Great Read

Americano (A Zion Sawyer Cozy Mystery Book 5) was another great read by M.L. Hamilton. Zion and Tate's relationship is as good as ever. Zion has opened the Half Caf and everything seems to be going well with her new shop. Lorenzo Whitefeather summons Tate to his casino to investigate a mysterious death. I enjoyed reading Tate and Zion's story about their investigation. This was another great read by M.L. Hamilton and I can't wait to read more by the author.

Characters of Sequoia

I totally enjoy all the characters (they are like family) of Sequoia in this mystery series especially with the narration. In this book the main characters are Zion Sawyer, Tate, Logan, Deimos, and Jaguar .There are new characters such as Evie, hired to work the Half Café. Logan turns 18 and Tate want to get him something and to go to the prom. Joe and Gabi (Zion’s parents) are so such fun and good hearted. Lorenzo (casino boss) ask Tate to investigate the death of Dr.Germs (drug dealer) found frozen in the freezer. Recommend if you enjoy cozy mystery series but suggest you listen from the start to know the characters. Keep them coming. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Thank you

An Awesome Listen

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the narrator and found it very entertaining. The Half Caf should be the most exciting thing happening in Zion's life but as usual things keep happening. Tate gets a summons from the casino owner and once again Zion and Tate have a mystery to solve. With Zion's parents in town to help and hinder, there's never a dull moment. There's something for everyone in this mystery. Once again this is a perfect combination of writing skill and narration. Looking forward to the next one.

Love This Series

This is a really entertaining series. Zion and Tate are fun and smart. I enjoy the way they puzzle through the mysteries. I also enjoy the supporting cast. Zion's parents and friends add comedy and mayhem that keeps the story moving at a quick pace. I can't wait for the next book.

I have a business to run

Zion Sawyer has now been in Sequoya for almost a year: her inherited coffee shop is doing well and the Half Caf is about to open. Her best friend has established herself in the small town, too, and her relationship with David might be getting serious whilst Zion and Tate, ex policeman and owner of the local hardware store, grow ever closer. All is well - until Tate is summoned by casino boss, Lorenzo Whitefeather, who demands Tate take charge of the investigation of the body that had been found on Tribe land in his premises: and Lorenzo is not someone who takes no for an answer. Then Ziion's parents arrive, with friends, there's a new girl in town looking for work in the cafe, and Tate's foster son, Logan, seems to be acting strangely - not to mention Jaguar, Noah and Demos...

Another fun murder mystery set amidst the charismatic folks of a small town with fancy shop names. But it is the intertwining lives of those people which makes the book so enjoyable: M.L.Hamilton has created characters who really seem to have lives of their own and narrator Kelley Hazen reinforces this feeling as she draws on a cornucopia of voices to give individuality to every person there.

This is the fifth of a good cozy series, definitely a stand alone but enhanced if the characters have been met before in the earlier books. Reading one of the Zion Sawyer mysteries is like taking a brief vacation in a familiar holiday setting and catching up with old acquaintances..
Recommended

Laugh out loud funny!

As a reader, you don't expect to think that a murder mystery is going to be laugh out loud funny. But this audiobook surely is! If I could ask ML Hamilton a question, I would want to know how she comes up with these fantastic (albeit slightly mad) characters. For instance, Zion Sawyer's Mum's penchant for trying weird and wonderful hobbies that get wilder and more absurd with each subsequent book.

This book is fantastic with its complex layers. The characters deal with real issues (for instance, Logan in the foster care system, another character's experiences with domestic violence, and Tate with his PTSD). However, just when there is a risk of things to getting too heavy, ML Hamilton throws in a humourous lifeline. There is clearly an artful way of combining the serious with the silly that ML Hamilton has perfected!

The entire series is teeming with wonderful characters and Kelley Hazen is committed to narrating the book in such a way that, from the first sound of her voice, she manages to drop the audience straight back into Sequoia. I love how we get to meet with the wonderful characters again and again. And while Zion is the star of the series, Tate just keeps getting better and better. This time he is just so.... ooo la la! Wonderfully vulnerable, flawed and delicious. Can I have a scoop of him to go?

Personally for me the biggest plus in this fantastic book is the end. Just when I can feel myself getting sad that the story is coming to a close, Kelley Hazen informs us that there is another book on it's way. Hooray!! I am not ready to say goodbye to Sequoia just yet!

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Brilliant

I really love 💖 this series. Really hot and clean amazing characters and thrilling storyline. You really get into the characters life’s.
And Kelly Hazen’s awesome ability to bring the characters to life with her narration. 🥰 love it, love it, love it. ❤️😻😍