Ghostly Paws

Mystic Notch Cozy Mystery Series, Book 1

By: Leighann Dobbs

Narrated by: Elisabeth Rodgers

Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Middle age can be murder.... At least that's how it seems to former crime journalist Wilhelmina Chance, whose near-fatal accident has given her a strange side effect: She sees ghosts. After a messy divorce sends her fleeing back to her hometown of Mystic Notch, nestled in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Willa finds herself haunted by the tenacious ghost of the town librarian, who insists Willa solve her murder. Luckily she has lots of help, including a quirky cast of small-town characters, the cat she's inherited from her grandmother, and her best friend, Pepper, who claims her herbal teas can work magic.

But just when Willa thinks she's discovered who the killer is, she finds out that things are not what they seem in Mystic Notch, and the case takes a strange turn that has Willa adding even some of her longtime friends to her suspect list. Can Willa find the real killer in time to keep the magical balance in Mystic Notch on the side of good, or will evil prevail?

©2014 Leighann Dobbs (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Surprisingly good

If you could sum up Ghostly Paws in three words, what would they be?

I was pleasantly surprised.

What other book might you compare Ghostly Paws to and why?

I rarely read cozy mysteries, so I can't say.

What does Elisabeth Rodgers bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Rodgers did a good job of narrating. She sounded like she'd already read the book and so made the appropriate choices. She sounded believable.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No. It's a mystery novel. What's there to move?

Any additional comments?

Work was stressing me out and I wanted a brainless, simple book that required no thinking. I tried another cozy mystery and was sorely disappointed. (I returned it within an hour of buying it; I love audible's no fuss return policy btw.) Because of my previous experience that day, I started this with some trepidation but was pleasantly surprised by the narration and main character. The author revealed what I needed to know when I needed to know it and didn't stoop to ending every chapter with the cheap "she thought everything would be alright but did she turn out to be wrong" trick.

When Dobbs exposed Chance to the romantic "lead" she did so in ways that I found unexpected and entertaining. There was no bodice thrusting or breath heaving. It was so normal. I truly appreciated it.

Frankly, I was surprised I like this book because I tend toward more serious police procedurals. I will certainly listen to the next book in the series.

Chsrming story with cat brigade

Middle-aged Wilhemina returns to her New England hometown and opens a bookstore. She gets involved in the murder of the librarian. Growing up she liked to think her town was a magical place. The town's cats have their own network. Ms. Dobbs obviously knows cats well.

The story is charming and we meet characters who I imagine appear in future books. Wilhemina disappointed me at times when she had proof of the extraordinary in front of her, but remained skeptical. Time and again she did this. I wanted to shake her & tell her she's smarter than this.

It's a sweet cozy mystery and hopefully future books improve. Ms. Roger's narration was too slow for my taste, though her cat meows were excellent.

I might get more audiobooks in the series but not at full price. They are a bit pricey for less than 6 hours listening time.

Good read/listen

Can't wait to read/listen to more
The narrator has a great diverse range of voices and is fantastic at all of them.
Great story too
Keep these coming!!!

1st time audiblest

loved it. not too long, not too short. listened at work for one week. Great story!

Must love anmals❣

Very cute, easy listen. Cats and magic always make for interesting mischief. Main character could be a it more fleshed out but hopefully that will continue in subsequent stories. I will be following Mystic Notch!

Good read

always hard for me to start a new series. this was a little strange starting off but I really enjoyed it. well performed.

Silly but entertaining

Would read again and more like this . Ghost stories..
Love them#
Great job! I'm going 2 expect more by this. Author.

Entertains on vacation

This was a nice listen. BUT I could completely do without the meowing. I found that distracting and LOUD,

Great book

This is a very good book. I would definitely recommend it especially if you like cats and mysteries.

Cozy with Cats

This is one of my favorite series with cats, mystery, and best of all--ghosts! Lots of ghosts!!!