Bats and Bones

The Frannie Shoemaker Campground Mysteries

By: Karen Musser Nortman

Narrated by: Rebecca Roberts

Length: 5 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Bats and Bones is a B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree. Frannie and Larry Shoemaker are retirees who enjoy weekend camping with their friends in state parks in this new cozy mystery series. They anticipate the usual hiking, campfires, good food, and interesting side trips among the bluffs of beautiful Bat Cave State Park for the long Fourth of July weekend - until a dead body turns up. Confined in the campground and surrounded by strangers, Frannie is drawn into the investigation. Frannie's persistence and curiosity helps authorities sort through the possible suspects and motives, but almost ends her new sleuth career - and her life.

©2012 Karen Musser Nortman (P)2016 Karen Musser Nortman

A wonderful cozy mystery.

What made the experience of listening to Bats and Bones the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed the book very much. I have read the book and the Audible reading just enhanced the way I am able to enjoy the story. I found the performance very good.

Campground adventure

I honestly thought this book was going to be about old bony people being loony as bats. Frannie is a great crime solving person. And that recipe about smashed potatoes and sausage gravy one more recipe to add my own camping adventure this year.

Twists and turns!

What made the experience of listening to Bats and Bones the most enjoyable?

It flowed along quickly and smoothly. Kept my attention throughout.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Frannie was spunky, curious, caring and brave.

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

Great diction. Knows the characters well. Good cadence.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Watch for wild things in the wilderness.

Any additional comments?

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."

Fun, cozy mystery

This is the first book I've read by this author, and I'll certainly be looking forward to hearing more about Frannie and friends in upcoming stories. The narrator did a great job telling the story and modulating her voice to fit all the characters. We all know someone who is a busybody like Frannie. I'm surprised the police didn't lock her up! I received this book for free, in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyable cozy mystery

This book was a quick, enjoyable cozy mystery. I found the characters interesting and would read more by Karen Nortman. This series promises to be a good light mystery, perfect for breaks between heavier reads. Rebecca Roberts does a fantastic job narrating. I enjoyed listening to her bring the characters and story to life.

Bats and Bones

This was a really good first book in the series.Of course I am reading them out of order.lol Frannie and Larry have a big camper and go to State parks with Frannies briother and wife.On this first adventure they find a body and live through a tornado! Larry being an ex cop lends a hand with the investigation.The characters are likable and fleshed out nicely.Rebecca Roberts does a fine job narrating.“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

great book

very enjoyable, just a sit back and relax kind of book, not too many details to get lost in. just a fun entertaining and enjoyable book. narration was fabulous!

First in Series

Where does Bats and Bones rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Bats and Bones is the first book in the Frannie Shoemaker Mystery series. Frannie and her husband, Larry, along with two other couples go camping for the 4th of July weekend at Bat Cave State Park. Also staying at the campground is a group of 6 men (1st time campers), a woman and her young son, and another married couple that arrived on motorcycles as well as a very strict campground host and her husband. When the group decides to go hiking, Larry finds a body in a small cave off the trail. With the murder being investigated the police close the park and no one is allowed in or out. Frannie, who is grieving the recent death of her mother, is having a hard time handling them finding a dead body so with nothing else to do she starts to people watch and observes some suspicious behaviors. She and Larry who is a retired police officer, gets pulled into the investigation. Can Frannie and her friends solve the murder before someone else dies?

I really enjoyed this book. This is the 2nd book I have read by author Karen Musser Nortman, I actually read book 4 first. I really enjoyed this book, and having read a later book in the series first, I got to how the characters have grown over the series. Bats and Bones shows a realistic view of the group of friends being confined in hot temperatures with much togetherness and boredom, sometimes there is friction but things seem to work out in the end. This is a well written, steady paced book, with enough twist and turns to keep you guessing right along with Frannie on who is the murderer until the very end. No bad language, sex or graphic violence.

I listened to the audio version of this book. The narrator Rebecca Roberts is clearly spoken and does good job with the storytelling, this book however is the only book in the series she narrates. I prefer the narrator of the later books. I am not sure if it is because I heard someone else’s vision of how the characters should sound first but to me something about Mrs. Roberts’s accents for some of the charters do not really seem to fit the character or maybe it doesn’t fit the dialect of the region the characters are from.

I voluntarily reviewed this book provided by the author for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Another fun cozy mystery series

Karen Musser Nortman wrote a great cozy mystery. There were plenty of twists and turns. The characters were well developed and likable. Rebecca Roberts did a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life.

Clean book

As a new cozy listener, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with this book. It was ok…good but not great. The narrator did a decent job, but the story was a bit weak in my opinion.
Being a lifelong camper, I found parts of the camping , cooking, etc interesting, but the rest of the book was a bit watered down.
The end which gives camper tips and recipes was the best part.