Guidebook to Murder

Tourist Trap Mystery Series, Book 1

By: Lynn Cahoon

Narrated by: Susan Boyce

Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's Summary

In the gentle coastal town of South Cove, California, all Jill Gardner wants is to keep her store - Coffee, Books, and More - open and running. So why is she caught up in the business of murder?

When Jill's elderly friend Miss Emily calls in a fit of pique, she already knows that the city council is trying to force Emily to sell her dilapidated old house. But Emily's gumption goes for naught when she dies unexpectedly and leaves the house to Jill, along with all of her problems...and her enemies. Convinced that her friend was murdered, Jill is finding the list of suspects longer than the list of repairs needed on the house. But Jill is determined to uncover the culprit - especially if it gets her closer to South Cove's finest, Detective Greg King. The problem is, the killer knows that she's on the case - and is determined to close the book on Jill permanently.

©2014 Lynn Cahoon (P)2014 Tantor

Very Whiny and Slow

What did you like best about Guidebook to Murder? What did you like least?

This book would have been good except that the protagonist was way too whiny and passive. I had to discontinue listening about half way through because I couldn't stand it anymore. Too bad, because the author is a good writer, just needs to be more realistic about a woman asking a man who is pursuing her if he is married or not. Simple. Protagonist appeared to be stupid about how city councils and appeals work. The lack of action about her friend who disappeared was ridiculous. Very frustrating.

Would you ever listen to anything by Lynn Cahoon again?

Never.

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

I haven't heard Susan Boyce before but she did as good a job as she could with the material she had.

Guidebook to Boredom

What would have made Guidebook to Murder better?

An author who doesn't think that women are helpless, stupid creatures who spend most of their time agonizing over if a man they speak to every day MIGHT be married, but are completely incapable of actually asking the question. Apparently, if a woman finds out a man she's attracted to is married, her whole life might fall apart. I understand it was just a plot device, but it is was a lazy, unnecessary one.
Also, a main character who has at least a drop of common sense, especially considering that she is apparently a lawyer.

What could Lynn Cahoon have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Write characters who have some personality and complexity.

Would you be willing to try another one of Susan Boyce’s performances?

No. Its not so much a performance as merely a reading, and it is very robotic. Also, she's the wrong narrator for the main character. Susan Boyce's voice makes the main character seem much older than I think is intended, and as a result, the main character comes across as a ridiculous cougar.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Annoyance.

Great clean PG murder mystery

I have not read anything by this author. I got it based on the title. This book was a great mystery. It would be a PG book and the bloody violence often present was not in this book. Neither was the explicit sexual content.
I enjoyed the book. It didn't drag alone, the characters were well defined and easy to understand and the book stayed in story and didn't jump from one environment or place to another nor did it jump periods of time. It moved along quickly and I never had to wonder how much longer I had to listen. Just a really simple book. I would allow my teens to listen to it. Refreshing. Now I am looking for others by the author.

Meh...

Has all the nuance and sophistication as an episode of Scooby Do.

Flat characters. Hackneyed plot. Ends with a whimper.

Stop using the word "got" instead of was or were

Would you consider the audio edition of Guidebook to Murder to be better than the print version?

Since I prefer to listen than to read the book, I was thrilled to find this series.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

It kept me guessing the hold time.

What about Susan Boyce’s performance did you like?

The narrator did a very nice job. She gets better as the series goes on.

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

Oh yes I did listen in one sitting. That is what I love about audiobooks is you can listen and do other things too.

Any additional comments?

This is a great series but the writer needs to have her characters stop saying the word got instead of was or were. These people are college graduates and saying "the shed got locked" instead of " was locked" sounds like they are 5 years old. Other than that, I am really loving the series.

Entertaining and compelling

Any additional comments?

This was such a cool audiobook. I really enjoyed the narrator’s portrayal of Jill, the main character. She was able to capture a broad range of emotion. On one hand Jill appears weak but you can hear and feel her growth as the book progresses. Jill’s friend Emily is murdered and leaves her property to Jill. The detective, Greg King, is working the case and becomes Jill’s love interest. Set in a small town there are many secrets that are uncovered throughout the course of the book. I enjoyed all of the characters, especially Aunt Jackie and the narrator did a great job playing all the parts. I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a murder/mystery. Can’t wait to check out the second part, “Mission to Murder”.

Cozy Mystery

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend this book to others. It requires no intense thinking. It is entertaining, and that's why I read books.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Greg. He was a "good guy".

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

No. I liked the performance of this reader. I'd buy audio books read by Susan Boyce without hesitation in the future.

Was Guidebook to Murder worth the listening time?

I think it was worth listening to. I liked the story and the characters. It always irritates me when the lead character is slow witted though.

Any additional comments?

I've already bought the next book in this series, so that says something. I see potential in the series. I hope I'm not disappointed.

Loved the Story but the narrtor is a bit slow.

I have read so many books in the past that called themselves murder mysteries where you knew almost from the very beginning who was murdered and who did it. Then the police or PI spend the rest of the book trying to prove who done it and how.

This book was a breath of fresh air for me in that you knew early on that Miss Emily was the victim but there was a long list of possible suspects, and in the end it was quite a surprise who the killer was.

The thing that I didn't really like was that the police (Greg) and the amateur sleuth (Jill) never quite figure out the killer was. How the murder was done is revealed about 2/3 of the way through the book using normal police procedures, but the actual killer reveals him/herself at the end in the next to last chapter. It would have been much more satisfying to have Jill and Greg figure out the killer was, but then that's just me.

The narrator, Susan Boyce, was not awful, but I thought she spoke a bit too slowly for my taste. I ended up have to use the speed button and up the speed to 1.25. That was a good listening speed for me. I was still able to follow the story easily and it picked up the pace just the right amount. I did like the tone of her voice. It was pleasant to listen to.

For the above stated reason regarding the killer I did not give this book 5 stars. I gave it 4 because I felt a little let down at the end. Still it was a very good book and I can't wait for the next book, "Mission to Murder". I will no doubt be listening to that one as well. Luckily I won't have to wait long since it too is available from Audible.

Very Entertaining

This was a thoroughly enjoyable book. I enjoyed the characters, setting and plot. I hope that the rest of this series will be made available soon.

Cover to Cover Interest Holder

This book was a pleasure to experience from the beginning to the end. The story kept me involved and the narrator did a top notch job with voices, timing, and inflection of emotions. I read a lot and there are few books that I have read that have kept my total attention from beginning to end as this one did. It had just enough suspense, just enough romance (not too steamy-I can even recommend it to my conservative sister...LOL), and tied all the various streams of the story line all together just right at the end. I look forward to more books by this author and narrator.

Enjoyed this book immensely

Great audio book. Narration excellent and what an adventure. Worth reading or listening to the series