Five Dead Herrings

Quest Investigations, Book 1

By: E.J. Russell

Narrated by: Greg Boudreaux

Length: 5 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Something’s definitely fishy about this case….

On my last stakeout for Quest Investigations, I nearly got clotheslined by a grove of angry dryads. I expected my bosses to reprimand me, but instead they handed me my first solo assignment. Me! Matt Steinitz, the only human on the Quest roster!

Okay, so the mission isn’t exactly demanding. Obviously, the bosses wanted to give me something they think I can’t screw up. I’m determined to show them what I can do, however, so I dive right in with no complaints.

At first glance, it looks as simple as baiting a hook: A selkie’s almost-ex-husband is vandalizing his boat with unwanted deliveries of deceased sea life. All I have to do is document the scene, tell the ex to cease and desist, and present the bill for property damages. Boom. Mission accomplished, another Quest success, and as a bonus, I get to keep my job.

But then things get…complicated. Suspicious undercurrents muddy up my oh-so-easy case. Nothing is as clear as it should be. And the biggest complication? My inappropriate attraction to the client, who may not be as blameless as he claims.

Turns out those dead herrings aren’t the only things that stink about this situation.

Dammit.

Five Dead Herrings is the first in the Quest Investigations M/M paranormal mystery series, a spinoff of E.J. Russell’s Mythmatched paranormal rom-com story world. It contains no on-page sex or violence, and although there is a romantic subplot, it is not a romance.

©2021 E.J. Russell (P)2022 E.J. Russell

Fun! Can’t wait for more!

4-4.5

It should be said, I didn’t realize this was a new series in a current world. But with having said that, this author did an excellent job making it known you missed things while also making it feel natural like “its okay I’ll go back at get their story”.

I loved this book. It was fun, funny, cute, SCOTTISH ACCENT, magical… I enjoyed the world and the characters and it made me just want to go back and binge the previous books while also continuing this one!

Definitely can’t wait to see more of Matt and Lachlan!

oh Greg boudreaux

if this was an hour longer I would of not been so angry at the cliff hanger

but Greg boudreaux's voice is heavenly

Good

I liked it. The Narrator did a great job. I was especially appreciative since I could not get through the last 2 books I purchased because of what I felt was terrible narration. The last book before this one I had really like in Kindle, but the narration in Audible was.....

This is not a genre I follow, but this book was so well done, I bought the 2nd in the series.

Such a fun story!

This is a fun story with refreshing characters and a pace that is just right- it sucks you in and keeps you guessing the whole way. I love Greg Boudreaux’s wonderful narration. His accents are fantastic and he has a way of ‘becoming’ each character. E.J. Russell has a truly unique way of writing, adding commentary for the reader, humor throughout, and a good, solid mystery on top of a fantastic world of supernaturals hiding in plain sight. This story is more a supernatural mystery than a romance, as Matt and Lachlan come to a great fondness for each other towards the end of the book, but are stymied by Lachlan’s inability to get a supe divorce. But it’s in the works, and their romance grows in the next few books.

Fun start to a series!

The narrator really sold me on this slightly wacky and over the top paranormal world, the only downside is that I need to wait for the rest of the books to be recorded, because I think I can only listen to the rest of these now I've started this way.

So good.

Quirky and funny fantasy world with plots and twists galore.

Amazing narrations.
Very enjoyable. Highly recommendable.

Five dead herrings

I had a lot of fun listening to this story. I’ve enjoyed all the other books in this world and love getting to see the characters from previous stories. It’s also really great to get to see Matt’s story also known as Hugh as in human. And Lachlan is a prickly fun character to get to know. I loved seeing Matt work in the supernatural world and how he handles this investigation. I’m curious to see how the relationships will progress. You don’t have to have read the other books set in this world but if you have you’ll love getting to see and hear about characters from before. I enjoyed the mystery and the magic. I’m excited to see Matt grow and gain more confidence in his investigating skills. And see how things will go with him and a certain selkie king.

More, please!

I've been waiting for Quest Investigations to come to audio! This book was everything I hoped it would be. Funny, fun, and well narrated.

The mystery was intriguing without being angsty. I love the side characters and I'm looking forward to seeing the company develope. Yay Jordan! I'm so glad he's in these.

Greg does a wonderful job narrating all the different characters and accents. He really brings the story to life.

Loved it

I Loved it, such a fun entertaining story. I haven't read many PNR books by this author, but now I am going to check all the other books. I liked the idea of paranormal detective agency owned and ran by various magical creatures that employ one Human, the photographer. This story was funny and sweet and magical, Matt the Human cracked me up, his infatuation with "unavailable" men and clever mind kept me on the edge of my seat through the entire mystery. Even though I kinda guessed who the bad guy was, I still enjoyed very much discovering all the details and reasons. Narrator was amazing as always. This was a perfect listening experience. Highly recommend.

Enjoyed it & can't wait to listen to the next one

I found this book extremely enjoyable. The mystery aspect is the center of the story, with Matt's continuing immersion in the "supe" world, and the changes going on in this world as a kind of backdrop. But although there are serious bits to it for sure, (there's mention of an abusive partner, but nothing graphic on page), it's very amusing, clever, and charming. It's fairly suspenseful and I did not find it terribly predictable, though some characters who have made appearances in other previous books in the world continue to get up to similar antics. (<cough> Jordan <cough>) This is a good thing though, because if you've liked the other books Russell's written in this world, you'll enjoy this one and seeing some old faces again.
It DOES have very little in the sex department - to say it's a slow burn would be putting it extremely mildly. But this is a series with the main characters remaining the same throughout, so we'll get to see a gradual development, rather than instant chemistry followed quickly by a sure HEA. This isn't a bad thing. I'm looking forward to seeing how things turn out.
It definitely helps to read the previous series in this world to truly appreciate all the characters and their backgrounds, as well as how the supe society works, but it's not 100% essential. That being said, I've loved all the books in this continuing series/world and recommend all of them. It can only enhance the experience of listening to/reading this one.
Greg's narration is fantastic - I'm so glad that he's continued to be the narrator for these books. He does such a great job with the growing and varied cast of characters. I can't wait until the next one comes out in audio.