At the Bottom of the Garden

Teddy Books, Volume 4

By: Amanda Glenn

Narrated by: Cecelia Specht

Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Marrianne finds a body at the bottom of Teddy's garden and a second body appears in the same spot.

The sheriff says murder by kite and blames Connie the kite flyer.

Teddy isn't buying it.

The media gets pushy, the public gets intrigued, and the bears come calling.

©2011 Amanda Glenn (P)2022 Amanda Glenn

A twisty murder path

Amanda Glenn crafts an enjoyable mystery with Teddy Stanley, a sixty-something retired waitress, and her luscious garden as the focal point. The flowers and pathways wind down her beachfront property on the Oregon coast. Teddy reluctantly agreed to include her showplace in the local floral tour as the next to the last stop. On the final day, Marianne rushes uphill to tell Teddy a man is bleeding in her garden. When she verifies the story, she places a call to the authorities. They arrive and on their heels is the local news reporter. This is not the first murder for Teddy, just the first in her garden.

Life on the beach includes people who walk along the water’s edge, fly kites, and maneuver small airplane kits with a backdrop of beautiful sunsets. One of the kite flyers, Connie, is on the beach most days with her colorful creations. Three bodies later, police suspect Connie may have a motive. All the deaths include severe head wounds. Though Teddy had nothing to do with the deaths, the bodies’ location makes the town folk, media, and her family both worried and curious.

This mystery contains an interesting plot, good characters, and excellent descriptions of the surrounding areas. One can almost smell the homemade cookies; Teddy makes nonstop when she is nervous or working out the whodunnit. The scenes and conversation are believable and might make a listener want to visit this area.

The quality of the audiobook was good. The narration by Cecelia Specht, though technically correct, sounded stiff in places with limited intonations, which would improve the listening experience. The heroine’s voice was clear, as was the police chief Sonny, but some of the other characters’ voices were not distinctive enough. The pace might have been a little faster, in line with the genre. The story is a good book that stands