Family Secrets

A Whispering Pines Mystery

By: Shawn McGuire

Narrated by: Sandra Murphy

Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's Summary

Sixteen years after a family feud drove her from the cozy Northwoods village of Whispering Pines, Wisconsin, former detective Jayne O'Shea returns to prepare her grandparents' lake house for sale. Once there, not only does she find that the house has been trashed, her dog discovers a dead body in the backyard.

Jayne intends to stay out of it, but when it becomes obvious the sheriff isn't interested in investigating the death, Jayne can't stop herself. Her list of suspects grows faster than the plants in the commons' pentacle garden. Could it be the local Wiccan green witch with her stash of deadly plants? The shopkeeper who slips into trances and foretells death? The visitor determined to practice black magic?

What Jayne knows for sure is that the closer she gets to solving this crime, the more the sheriff wants her to back off. And when a local fortune teller provides a crucial clue, Jayne knows it's up to her to solve this murder.

©2017 Shawn McGuire (P)2017 Shawn McGuire

Magical mystery fun!

I loved this cozy mystery! Jane moves to her late grandmothers estate in northern Wisconsin to clean and sell. As soon as she arrives she finds a dead body and weirdness ensues. Magic, a dog, and a potential romance make this a fun surprising mystery. Looking forward to the next book! I received a free review copy of this book at my request in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!

Boy this town has a lot of secrets.

this was a good, fun read. Loved the characters and all the twist and turns that kept me guessing through the entire book who done it. It started when Jane came to clean out her grandmothers house to sell. Found a dead body the first day on her property and then the mystery began. The narration was great. I received this audio book free for an honest review. Look forward to more in this series.

Had me hooked right from the beginning

Any additional comments?

I'm so glad this is a series book. Jayne, Mica, and Tripp are going to be an amazing trio in this series. Among the murder and break in at her Grandmothers home Jayne has got a lot on her plate. She has a great sense of right and wrong and her consciousness causes her to go off beat to do what she knows is right. I love that she has Mica a retired K9 because they really have a connection and Mica helps her with her emotional struggles. Tripp has finally found a community he wants to call his own and being a misfit in his own right he and Jayne have started a great friendship allowing him to finally be employed. I'm glad that Jayne's mother is a side character because she has a real negatitive attitude toward the village of Whispering Pines. The narrator did a great job pulling the listener in and keeping you focused so much on the storyline it was hard to set the book aside. I think she'll do great with the rest of this series. I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

Easy read/listen

This book was not at all what I expected. I thought it was a mystery/thriller type, but it seems more like a cozy mystery, IMO. Still, it was a fun, easy listen that kept my attention from beginning to end. The narration was great! The narrator did an excellent job giving each character a unique voice. If you are looking for a light read, you won't be disappointed. I received a free review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Love the book...narration not so much.

I liked this book very much. However the narration was severely lacking and boring. The narrator is a good reader...which is what it sounds like.

Dead bodies and witches make a great mystery!

All the twists and turns held my interest throughout the story. Well written and narrated.
Would recommend it to everyone. Thank you for not swearing, using graphic sex or vivid violence!

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

Can't wait for more!

Family Secrets hooked me in right from the start. I finished listening to this a week ago, and it’s still replaying in my mind—a sign of a memorable story. Jayne is a relatable character with heart and smarts, and I enjoyed seeing the world from her curious and observant detective perspective. I was definitely rooting for Jayne as she navigated this case while grappling with her inner demons. Shawn McGuire does an exceptional job writing the details of this cozy, quirky town and its diverse cast of full-dimensional characters. I wanted hang out with Morgan and visit her shop, and it was fun to learn about Wicca. My only disappointment is that it seems we’ll have to wait to find out if anything develops between Tripp and Jayne (fingers crossed)…but it just makes me more eager for the next Whispering Pines mystery.

Totally Unexpected and Awesome!

Any additional comments?

'Family Secrets' grabbed me right from the start. I could very much relate to protagonist detective Jayne O'Shea and was rooting for her from top to bottom. This is a story about a broken family, torn apart by differing religious/paranormal ideas. There's something afoot in Whispering Pines, and the only one who can figure it all out is Jayne O'Shea. If you enjoy a juicy mystery, witches, Wiccan or anything of the like, then this book is definitely for you. I throughly enjoyed both the writing and the narration! 10/10

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Couldn't stop listening

I enjoyed the listening and finished the book in a day. I was hoping there would be more at the end. I was a bit surprised when the book was finished.

I loved the narrator's voice and how she was able to distinguish each character.

A waste of time

While I respect the fact that an author uses the narrator to tell the background storyline. This author literally had the narrator do this at least every other paragraph.
This combined with used the same tired premise of the main character returning years later to the scene of a personal tragedy. Along with the protagonist being traumatized after emotionally unstable by her current life choices the storyline was stupid. I gave it about 2-3 hours of my time and gave up.

Don't get involved in small town politics.

Any additional comments?

Whispering Pines is a small town, established in 1966, on Jane's grandmother's land. Ex police sergeant Jane hasn't been back since she was 10, some sixteen years before. But now she is returning to sort out the old house, ready for sale, following her grandmother's death three months previously. But what Jane didn't expect was to find the house vandalised and a body in the grounds.

This cozy mystery is full of atmosphere and character. Some lovely touches, too, like the sound of the wind in the trees which gives name to the small town. The story line is convoluted and leads the listener into various suppositions which are probably incorrect, with the final reveal being dramatic. Yet the way is left open for this interesting 'witchy' series to continue. (No, it's not one of those paranormal events type books, honestly!).

The narration is good, clear and well paced. Sandra Murphy has a pleasant, well modulated voice and, whilst her renditions of the individual protagonists vocalisations are not greatly differentiated, this in no way detracts from her overall performance.

A fast action, fun read with passions riding high in small touristy town Whispering Pines which boasts a bakery with the name 'Treat me Sweetly'. Now who can resist a visit there? But watch out: strange things can happen at night when there are no streetlights around. My only complaint was the sudden ending which, hopefully means that there is more to come from this attractive little town. I received a complementary copy of Family Secrets from the rights holder, at my request, via Audiobook Boom. Thank you so much..

Family secrets are murder

I started this series on book five and enjoyed it so much I had to start at the beginning. Glad I did, this book was just as good. The books are stand alone but having gone back to the start things make a lot much scene, so I would suggest you start with this book. The characters are fun and I like the way the main character isn't very sure of herself but can still take charge when needed, it will be fun to listen to her grow in confidence with each book. The police dog (a westie) sounds cute and I hope she gets more confidence so she can join in on the cases too. I also like all the Wicca goings on, as it adds an interesting twist to just a normal murder mystery and it isn't in your face spell casting and turning people into frogs, the story is much more grown up and focuses more on the spiritual side with the use of herbs.
Jayne returns to her home town to settle her Grandmother's affairs and sell the house on behave of the rest of the family. Before she can even set foot in the house her Westie and ex police dog finds a body on the property. Jayne's training kicks in and she secures the crime scene, only for the sheriff seem to be more worried about the influx of tourists about to hit the town than investigating a murder. Jayne is out of work and her stay of only a couple of weeks seems optimistic as her Gran's house has been vandalised and In no condition to sell. So she jumps at the chance of working as a patrol officer when the sheriff asks for help but only with the tourists. Jayne is dismayed when she see virtual evidence just left laying around and can't help herself but go against orders and investigate. But she is in more than even she suspects because the sleepy town of Whispering Pines is anything but sleepy.
I really like the narrator and think she helps build up the atmosphere and tension in this delightful mystery. I hope she sticks with this series because with the author and narrator this is a winning series. I am off to start book two.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.