• Deadly Summer

  • Darling Investigations, Book 1
  • By: Denise Grover Swank
  • Narrated by: Megan Tusing
  • Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (1,103 ratings)

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Deadly Summer  By  cover art

Deadly Summer

By: Denise Grover Swank
Narrated by: Megan Tusing
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Publisher's summary

New York Times bestselling author Denise Grover Swank gives a former TV star one more shot at fame - and it proves to be a killer comeback...

Ten years ago, Summer Butler was television's most popular teenage sleuth. Since then, she's hit - what gossip sites just love to call - the gutter. Nearly bankrupt, betrayed, estranged from her greedy mother, and just about unemployable, she's coaxed into that desperate haven for has-beens: reality TV.

Winging it as a faux PI, she'll solve off-the-cuff mysteries in her hometown of Sweet Briar, Alabama. For added drama, there's police chief Luke Montgomery, inconveniently Summer's first and only love.

It's when Summer stumbles upon a very real corpse that Darling Investigations takes an unexpected twist. The growing list of suspects is a big draw to viewers, but the reality is that Summer doesn't know whom she can trust. Someone has written this killer new scene especially for her, and unless Summer gives the role everything she's got, it could be her last...

©2018 Denise Grover Swank (P)2017 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

What listeners say about Deadly Summer

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    559
  • 4 Stars
    351
  • 3 Stars
    136
  • 2 Stars
    37
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    20
Performance
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    21
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Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
    279
  • 3 Stars
    143
  • 2 Stars
    36
  • 1 Stars
    25

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Meh..typical "modern" cozy

I must be getting old. I remember back in the day when even cozy mysteries attempted to create interesting, original characters and took a stab at being a real, well plotted mystery.

Of late too many new cozies are just cookie cutter mediocre books. This one is no exception. It basically just ticked off the cozy tropes and called it a day.

Female detective with either no spine or no brains? check.
Stereotype love interest (usually the cop)? check
Juvenile romance with "sparks" and "electricity up the spine" comments? check
Painfully obvious murderer easily detected by chapter 5? check
Some catchy "something" to try to look original (character was child star/reality show") check

I would have rated this lower save for a couple of actually interesting characters and the fact that the first third of the book wasn't completely dreadful. It just went downhill from there. I finally gave up about 3/4 of the way through and just jumped to the end to confirm my solution was correct (it was).

I won't be reading more from the series.

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it!!

Denise Grover Swank has done it again!! I was completely absorbed in Summer’s world from the beginning of the book. A page turner, filled with drama, comedy, and suspense. I absolutely LOVE this series and cannot wait for Blazing Summer!! So anxious to read it and see what kind of trouble Summer and Dixie can get into.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Very entertaining.

My first time trying this author. Story was good with twists, turns and humor. Action, sass, and a strong female lead. Add an old flame to the mix, sans gratuitous sex, and a mean ol' mother you just want to pie. What's not to like? I've already purchased the next book in the series.

Narrator was spot on too. She really kept the story moving.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Naughty!

Enough naughty in the first five minutes to get me to shut this OFF! What a waste of good money!

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Cute, fun listen

This is a cute and fun series so far! Easy listen for summertime - I hope there are more coming!

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Like listening to the text of a product manual

I have tried and tried to get though this:.traveling on my day job, listening while doing PT exercises, etc., and I JUST CAN'T FINISH THIS BOOK! The performer was good. The story though...I didn't find the story believable and I didn't find the main character likable. I have just got to the part where she is sitting down to the dinner table with Mee Maw; Oh, I can't go any farther.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Good start then lots of disappointments

The villain is over obvious. The dialogue between romantic leads is clunky. The heroine is another intellectually slow female PI, and the action scenes are bad. Sorry, I was disappointed.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Sassy!

I picked this book thinking it would be a nice story to listen to, easy read kind of book. Holy cow was I wrong. It got me hook line and sinker! I can not wait to see what the second book has in store!

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Delayed homecoming for Summer

Financially, Summer has almost hit bottom. The commitment to pay for the family farm, a promise she made with her grandfather before he died accidentally has consumed her meager earnings. In desperation, she agrees to star in a reality show as a detective.

Returning to her hometown, fraught with anxiety and dread, she runs into her old boyfriend, the Chief of Police. Throw in 2 murders, a bag of cash, and a bully for a series director and her life becomes only more complicated.

The book has a fairly complex storyline with many well developed characters. The mystery element was fast-paced and fun to listen to. The book was NOT naughty, as described by a previous review. No sexual scenes or descriptions, just intention and wishful thinking.

Narrator Megan Tusing was good, but will improve with more differentiation of voices between characters.

Easy, fun listen.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not exactly a ‘page turner’

This book was cute enough, and the premise seemed original. Although the narrator was amazing, the story didn’t keep my interest. I love starting the first book in a series and immediately buying the next book, but I didn’t even care to read what it was about. #tagsgiving #sweepstakes,

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2 people found this helpful

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  • Anonymous User
  • 07-20-19

great book

as always you fb mail t ol disappoint us as readers I was hooked from the get go thank you so much

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Zeu
  • 05-30-19

Another page turner from D G Swank

Yet a another series of Denise Grover Swank that I love. Thank you. Starting the 2nd book now!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Elisabeth
  • 11-15-18

A perfect who done it mystery

Ticked all my boxes. Narrator was excellent, really brought the characters to life. And the story had that perfect who done it mystery to it. A great start to a new series. Looking now for the next one.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Laila
  • 06-24-18

Incredibly good

Another fantastic book done in audible, Amazing storyline and perfect narrator's performance . I really enjoyed it and loved!

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  • Bron D
  • 05-31-21

The Heading isn't (optional)

An enjoyable murder mystery with Alabama accents and small town flair. When Summer agrees to be a Private Investigator for a reality TV series she doesn't realise she'll be headed home to her slightly chaotic family. I don't enjoy the film crew aspect but I'll put up with it for the rest of Summer's great life experiences.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Katie W.
  • 09-27-18

Another awesome series by DGS

I would love to recommend this book to all my fellow mums! Light, funny, action packed with just enough romance to make a fantastic read.

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