Imogene in New Orleans

By: Hunter Murphy

Narrated by: Lee Ann Howlett

Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's Summary

At the ripe age of 73, Imogene Deal McGregor has a penchant for following her own instincts, as well as more grit and spunk than her hypochondriac son, Billy McGregor, and Billy's impulsive partner Jackson can handle. The boys take Imogene to New Orleans with their devilishly handsome English bulldog Goose, hoping to visit friends and attend a second line parade, but moments after arriving in the French Quarter, they find their friend Glenway Gilbert murdered in his art gallery. Immediately, Imogene and the boys run into a temperamental and ethically-challenged lieutenant who appears hell-bent on neglecting the crime, compelling them to seek answers themselves. As they delve into Glenway Gilbert's murder, Imogene and the boys realize the deceased artist was surrounded by suspicious friends and lovers. With Goose the bulldog by their side, Jackson and Billy seek answers among old friends and new enemies, while Imogene follows her own ideas on the case. But the sooner they solve the murder, the sooner they can get back to catching beads and eating pralines.

©2014 Hunter Murphy (P)2016 Hunter Murphy

Mayhem and madness

Well written fun story with a boatload of quirky characters who quickly become real to the reader. The characters truly make the book both interesting and memorable. Nothing wrong with the plot, I just focused more on the characters.
It also felt like a nice visit back to NOLA because of the clear descriptions of the area.
I was fortunate to be able to listen/read, and I feel that Lee Ann Howlett did a fine job as narrator. Some might quibble about her minimal southern accent, but I feel that it is an blessing for those of us whose ears cannot entangle a deep drawl unless facing the speaker.
I was gifted with this book at my request in exchange for an honest review via AudioBookBOOM.

So many characters, but enjoyable!

There are a LOT of characters introduced almost right off the bat & most scenes in the first 4 chapters had 5-7 characters in it at once, which was confusing and hard to keep up with. It was tough to discern who was talking when Alan, Neil, Glenway, Jackson, Billy, Goose, Imogene & Lt. Rodgers were all in one scene & I wasn't yet familiar with who was who. These were brand new characters to me, so that made it a bumpy start. However, once I understood the dynamics it became a little easier.

Imogene is a sassy & spunky senior and she's easily the best character of all! I could feel her personality through the wonderful narration & her dry humor was the best. The cast of characters are fun and all well narrated. The story & mystery is interesting, and the ending was satisfying. This has all the bones of a good cozy, but I still think it tries to juggle a few too many characters. This book was gifted to me in exchange of my honest review.

Lots of personality but hard to follow

Any additional comments?

I liked that this story opened with action, but I felt like the author failed to "orient" me to the story and characters. There are five named individuals in the first few paragraphs and I got distracted from the story trying to figure out who was who. The POV also seemed to jump around, which added to the confusion. I actually viewed chapter one on Amazon's preview feature to figure out who was who.

I found it difficult to follow the story through additional chapters, but enjoyed the description and colorful characters as narrated by Lee Ann Howlett.

Because I often listen to audiobooks while driving, cleaning or multitasking, this confusion was distracting and kept me from becoming engaged by the story. While I did not enjoy the audio version of the story, I was curious enough to download the ebook.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com.

A cozy southern mystery

Imogene, her son Billy and his partner Jackson are on an adventure to New Orleans to visit some friends. When they get there though their vacation is turned on its end with the death of a friend of theirs. A crooked cop and more suspects then they can count, Jackson and Billy are on the hunt for the killer. Imogene has her own way of finding clues and before long the mystery is solved.

This is a nice cozy mystery with little violence and no sex. I recommend this book for those ages 15+. This is a book where the fact that many of the main characters are gay doesn't matter one bit. Its a mystery first with gay characters being secondary.

Lee Ann Howlett is a marvelous narrator and she makes this book even more of a pleasure. I have always enjoyed her work.


I was given a copy of this book free of charge by the author in exchange for an honest review through Audiobookboom.

Southern, scandalous, and side-splitting!

Would you consider the audio edition of Imogene in New Orleans to be better than the print version?

The print version is marvelous on its own, if for no other reason than because it allows you to interpret the characters specific to how you see them in your mind's eye. The southern nature of this book is sure to bring out the creative side in any reader; nevertheless, those who find it difficult to develop cognitive imagery on their own will certainly appreciate the audio version. Lee Ann Howlett did a great job of portraying each of the characters as she told the well-written tale contained in this book.

What did you like best about this story?

There was a little bit of everything that I love in this book. Southern charm rolled up into a scandal and served with side-splitting humor... What's not to love?

Have you listened to any of Lee Ann Howlett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the first book that I've listened to that she's narrated, so I can't offer a comparison. I would definitely listen to other audio books that feature her voice, because she did a great job of audibly illustrating this book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Constant, side-splitting laughter!

Imogene

This was a fun romp through hypochondria,murder and mayhem seen through the eyes of a 73 year old woman ,her son and his boyfriend.Lee Ann Howlett was perfect for the narration.“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher

Good Listening

Good story line and characters and fun to listen to. Kept me intrigued right through to the end. I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook

Fun and entertaining cozy mystery!

What made the experience of listening to Imogene in New Orleans the most enjoyable?

This reminded me of the screwball comedies of the past I loved, with many twists and turns, clues and dead ends. But underneath the fun and imaginative characters is an intelligently written plot. I bought the book but was given a copy of the audio book for my review.

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

It was more like a fun ride, like a roller coaster. I read for entertainment and this was entertaining as all get-out.

Which scene was your favorite?

Hard to pick just one, I loved all the scenes with Imogene, and I LOVED the ending.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me laugh. Imogene is a pistol! I also really liked the sense of place with the descriptions of the Big Easy.

Any additional comments?

I loved that Imogene managed to stay one step ahead of the bumbling law enforcement. Her common sense and penchant for knowing what to do with the clues she gathers makes her a force to be reckoned with.

The narrator, Lee Ann Howlett, does such a great job with the character of Imogene. I felt like I knew her. I could just picture everything she did. All her characterizations were wonderful but Imogene was the best!

Mystery with fun characters

I liked this book and its characters. The main character, Imogene, reminds me of a wild and crazy Southern grandmother. I loved the setting of New Orleans. Though I've never been there before, I've always been fascinated with the area and absolutely absorbed the descriptions of the city. It was fun to see the different directions the investigation took and all the people who were suspects. I listened to the Audible Audio version narrated by Lee Ann Howlett and thought her narration was spot on for how the characters were described. I've listened to a few of the other books she has narrated, so it was fun to listen to her doing an Alabama accent. Overall, if you like mysteries and fun characters, this is a great book to check out.

Favorite Book!

I absolutely loved this book and can't recommend it highly enough! Couldn't put it down!

Great New Orleans setting and quirky characters

What made the experience of listening to Imogene in New Orleans the most enjoyable?

The main character Imogene is fun and the story is face paced with great descriptions of New Orleans.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It's an entertaining read.