Felony Fruitcake

When the Fat Ladies Sing, Book 5

By: Linda Kozar

Narrated by: Michelle Babb

When Sue Jan and the gals at the Crown of Glory Beauty Salon and Boutique set out the egg nog and fruitcake at their annual Christmas soiree, they have no idea the town's senior citizen playboy, Bubba Bustalet, will be hit on the noggin with the fruitcake before the night is over.

Sue Jan goes solo solving the mystery. She is soon at her wit's end between Wachita's know-it-all new sheriff, Bubba's senior-rita fan club, and all the tempting holiday food threatening to ruin her diet. Will Sue Jan find the felonious fruitcake felon before the church choir sings the last fa-la-la?

©2014 Linda Kozar (P)2015 Linda Kozar

A short cozy mystery

I received a copy of this book in audio format from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.

This is a short Christmas story. Lovita is abroad with Hudson, and Sue Jan is in charge of organizing the Christmas get together at the salon. But things cannot be too quiet in Wachita, and just after leaving the party, Bubba Bustalet, the senior citizen playboy of town, is suddenly attacked. Sue Jan finds him laying on the ground beside the weapon thrown at Bubba's head, a fruitcake.

We face again an uncanny mystery in the small town of Wachita. In this case Sue Jan will not have the assistance of Lovita, but she will count with Sharla and some of her clients. I missed Lovita, but Sue Jan's personality is enough to sustain the story, and it is also nice to have a story told from her point of view. There are a lot of hilarious moments and out of place comments from Sue Jan, as usual, and even though the book is very short, there is a generous amount of diverse characters, all well defined, and with great lines.

And the best part is the narration of the book. Michelle Babb is great at impersonating characters and helping the author at making them unique. She captures really well the humor in the book and delivers it to the listener multiplied by ten. She is a top notch narrator, one of the best I had the pleasure of listening to.

If there is something I should complain about is the length of this book. Lovita and Sue Jan's stories are among my favorites to listen to and relax, and I never seem to get enough of them. This book is just under an hour and a half, so it makes for a very quick listen. It just left me hungry for more.

Who Stole the Fruit Cake?

Oh man be ready to laugh with this one. Who stole thee fruitcake is the main question and to find out who Lovita and Sue Jan jump through hoops to find out. They will have you laughing and then crying and then laughing again. These Ladies will become like best friends to you!

A good Novella

Have you listened to any of Michelle Babb’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes and I love this narrators style.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes due to it being so short I had no problem.

Any additional comments?

I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

Good but short

This was a great storyline and should have been lengthened to completely tell the story. Sue Jan should have waited on Lovetta or corralled Jolene to be a forensic female.

LOL funny!

I am a northerner living in south Alabama. This authored and narrator nailed the southern ethos in this short, charming cozy LOL mystery.

Favorite lines:
"ancient spinster sisters and cousins, don't ask..."
"I need deliverance from the chip demon"
"Cake...yeah! Fruit..yeah! Fruitcake..Blah!"
"Ever seen fruitcake on a restaurant menu? 'Noughsaid."
"Let me heat some coffee for you. I just made it this week."

This book is available as of June 22, 2022 as a free audiobook for reviewers.