Crystal Clear Confusion

A Fiona Quinn Quick Mystery (Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries, Book 3)

De: C.S. McDonald

Narrado por: Maren Swenson Waxenberg

Yikes! Fiona’s been having a recurring nightmare and it’s driving her to distraction - so much so that she’s allowed her kooky neighbor, Astrid Dingle, to search for the answer through her crystal ball. What could be the cause of the dream, and what lengths will Fiona go to get to the crux of it all? You’ll be chasing dreams with Fiona, detective Landry, and Astrid in this fun quick mystery!

©2019 Cindy Mcdonald (P)2019 Cindy Mcdonald

Poor Fiona!

Rating: 3.5

It hurts me to rate a Fiona Quinn book lower than a solid 4 because I absolutely adore this series, both the full-length novels and the mini mysteries, but this one just fell a little flat. It was funny in a slapstick sort of way but it was more predictable than usual for any of McDonald's cozy mysteries and the plot really didn't feel like a mystery in general. Yes the plot asks and solves a question, but most plots in most genres do that. This one didn't feel like a sleuth was needed (and one wasn't, Fiona is a kindergarten teacher after all) and felt more like a light comedic interlude from the greater arc of the series with poor Fiona as the butt of the joke that was Astrid Dingle. It felt like there was a potential mystery building around the new janitor but the payoff wasn't a mystery level payoff.

This isn't to say this story was poorly written, and I might have given it a 4 anyway, but the story uses the word g*psy frequently and that was quite grating on me. That's a racial slur. It's not cute. This book is only 3 years old. I don't think anything was meant by it so I only let it take half a star off my evaluation and I'm rounding favourably on sites that don't allow half stars.

As for Maren's narration, it was as well-paced and easy to listen to as always. Reviewing 5 Fiona Quinn titles for the same blog tour stretch I feel like I'm just repeating myself with my praise of Maren's voice acting skills. The only thing I noticed this time around is that there may have been a slip with a character name. The new incoming vice principal Fiona is worried about has the surname Tisdale and I swear at some point she was referred to as Ashley. The vice principal is not Disney channel actress Ashley Tisdale. That made me chuckle!

I was granted complimentary access to Crystal Clear Confusion as part of my participation in a blog tour for the latest full-length Fiona Quinn title (Matrimony, Mahem, and Murder) with iRead Book Tours. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

Sometimes Dreams are just dreams...

Have you ever had a problem, and your irritating neighbor made it worse? Or muddied the waters? That’s this story. Fiona’s been having nightmares, her neighbor Astrid is more annoying than helpful, and in the end, Fiona finds her own way out. This story is about coworkers, anxiety about change, and cooperation; and while I’m not at all fond of Astrid as a character, I want to see more of the characters that Fiona works with at the school.