In for a Penny

The Granny Series

By: Nancy Naigle, Kelsey Browning

Narrated by: Pam Dougherty

Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's Summary

Honey, these are not your momma's grannies....

When Lillian Summer Fairview's husband up and dies on her, it leaves the last living member of the most prestigious family in Summer Shoals, Georgia, in a hot mess. While Lil was busy being a proper Southern lady, Harlan squandered dang near the whole family fortune on lottery tickets. To keep her financial skeletons in the closet and give him a decent burial, Lil made a deal that has now landed her in prison.

Desperate to keep her troubles a secret and the family estate from falling down while she pays her debt to society, Lil entrusts Summer Haven's care to her best friend, Maggie, who recruits two more over-50 ladies to live at Summer Haven and help keep it afloat.

But when Maggie discovers that Lil's restitution is 10 times the amount she "borrowed" from the federal government, she's convinced Lil has taken the fall for someone else's crime. And these gals will use every trick in their little-old-lady bags to prove it.

©2013 Nancy Naigle and Kelsey Browning (P)2014 Nancy Naigle and Kelsey Browning

A witty surprise!

What made the experience of listening to In for a Penny the most enjoyable?

I loved listening to what the ladies were up to. Sara, Maggie, Lillian, & later in the story Abby. Sara (Serendipity) is a great character. All the different voices performed by the narrator was just awesome! A narrator only makes a story that much more enjoyable!

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked Sara the best. OMG that girl is strange, yet funny & smart. A girl who can think on her feet at a moments notice!

Which character – as performed by Pam Dougherty – was your favorite?

Again, my fave character is Sara! Though I did like how Maggie thinks!

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

Yes, but since it was late at night when I started it, I had to continue it into today!

Any additional comments?

What a great book! It was much more than I expected it to be. Drama, mystery, witty, charming. The ladies all rocked. I can see where they would be a handful of trouble too! The part where Sara had fallen thru the floor while on the toilet made me laugh so hard!!!I also loved how these women figured out what really happened all to save their friend! That's what I call a friend having your back!From the very beginning of the story, The authors had my interest. As the story went on I found myself glued to the computer listening to the story. I am really impressed with this book! All in all, this book was FUN!Pam Doughtery the narrator did a fantastic job capturing the voices of these slick southern belles! Good job.

So Good!

I don't know how I stumbled on this gem, but I'm SO happy I did!

This book is awesome. Completely different from the typical cozy mystery. (So, no baker/florist/dog walker clearing her name while falling in love with the 25-year-old police detective.)

These women are strong and funny and intelligent. The story unfolds so well. The dialogue is good and you can see the setting in your mind. The way the story wraps up leaves you felling good.

The narration is also excellent. The accents are true rather than over the top, and no one sounds absurd.

I'm sorry to see the other books in the series aren't available on Audible, but I plan to read them all.

A cozy little mystery ...

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I really enjoyed In for a Penny. I would recommend this book because it was a solid mystery, well thought out and the characters felt true.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Sara was my favorite character. She was 'out there' yet very resourceful at the same time. She brought something new to Summer Shoals and I think they really needed that.

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

This is the first book of Ms. Dougherty's that I have listened to. I felt that she brought each character to life. She kept me engaged in the story and I wanted to keep listening. I would love to listen to another 'Granny Series' mystery performed by Ms. Dougherty.

Any additional comments?

This is a very solid cozy mystery. I would recommend this book to any of my friends who want a good, fun mystery. This is a book that many people would enjoy. It is good clean fun!

4 totally different women make a great mix

In In for a Penny by Nancy Naigle and Kelsey Browning, Lillian Summer Fairview comes from one of the oldest and most prestigious families in Georgia, but her late husband had a gambling problem and used up all the family money. Too proud to let anyone, even her best friend who lives with her, know about her plight, Lillian tries to keep up Summer Haven, her Southern mansion, by pawning her items one by one. One day Serendipity, known as Sarah, ends up living on her property in her van that she has been using to travel around the country as a 50-year-old California flower child. Then, Lillian leaves Summer Haven with just a note asking Maggie, her best friend, to pick up her father’s highly valuable car, which she promised him on his deathbed never to sell, from an unnamed address. When Maggie arrives there, she discovers that Lillian is in federal prison.

When Lillian’s husband died five years earlier, Lillian didn’t have enough money for a funeral to the standards expected of her family, so she asked Nash, the funeral home owner, to delay reporting the death to social security a couple months in order to get the money needed for the funeral. But “somehow,” when the government discovered the discrepancy, she suddenly owed them 10 times the cost of the funeral. Though Lillian accepts the situation and is resigned to serving her time, Maggie is sure that Nash never reported the death at all and kept the rest of the money. So she determines to find out the truth.

I really enjoyed this book. I don’t actually remembering buying this book from Audible and just discovered this amid my list of books, but I decided to try it without reading the summary, since I must have found it intriguing if I purchased it. So I didn’t know what to expect. But I loved it! It takes a while to get into the mystery, but even before I learned anything about the crime, the book really drew me in to its depths. It also has its own unique form of humor that I had a lot of fun with.

Probably the best thing about this book is the characters and their fun natures. It is great to find a book about clever senior women. There are four main character women, with each having real depth and unique features, very different from each other. As the three women on the outside work to free the one in prison, they bond and learn to use their individual strengths to work together.

Pam Dougherty narrates the audio edition of this book. She does good voices for each character, which includes the people from Georgia, where the book is set, and women from California and Texas. I do have a complaint about the recording, as the volume went up and down at times, not staying steady. Otherwise, I enjoyed the audiobook.

In for a Penny concludes on a fun high note, with the important issues addressed. But it still leaves some other issues hanging. I realize the authors did this likely to attract readers to the next book in the series, but I personally have a strong aversion to cliffhangers and think of them as cheap gimmicks to get people to read the next book, even though if they read the first when it originally comes out, they have to wait while for the next book to get released, which is frustrating. However, despite my dislike of the way the authors wrapped up the book, I still fell in love with it and plan to get the next book in the series soon. I give this five bright gold stars!

Pretty good

I enjoyed it. It was different from what I usually read but a pleasant change!

Fun fiction read

For some reason I thought this was a cozy mystery, turns out it was more of a standard fiction read. Really enjoyable, it was fascinating to see the whole thing unfold.

I adore a mixed narrative, this one has multiple POV easily changing form one character to another. Every transition was smooth and flowed with the story. It gave the story a very full and well rounded quality.

I loved all the wonderful characters, such great supporting cast! I hope to see more of these wonderfully eccentric folks. There is great potential for all of them in the future!

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Pam Dougherty, she does a terrific read! There are many characters to keep track of and voice. She is wonderful at keeping them consistent and distinct. I never had to wonder who was speaking. She has a nice swift pace that keeps the book moving.

I really enjoyed this book and all its little idiosyncrasies. You even have moments where you get to know the bad guy and find he isn't that bad. Such a delight and I can only hope there will be more to come!

Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for and honest review. All thoughts, ratings and opinions are my own.

Super Funny Mystery

What did you love best about In for a Penny?

The story is laugh out loud funny. I loved all the grannies would do for one another. While I figured out what was going on before the grannies, I loved how they solved the mystery together.

What did you like best about this story?

It was a solid mystery and funny too.

Which character – as performed by Pam Dougherty – was your favorite?

Pam Dougherty did an amazing job with all of the characters. I can't pick just one favorite, but will say she did justice to each of the grannies.

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

I laughed out loud many times.

I LOVE this book!!

What made the experience of listening to In for a Penny the most enjoyable?

I loved this whole book, I think that Pam Dougherty did a fabulous job as the Narrator and she was perfect! I read this book and then listened to it in audio form and enjoyed it just as much as I did reading it. I love her country accent, and pictured the grannies talking just like this.

What did you like best about this story?

I know know what I liked best, because I LOVED the whole story. I could picture these grannies getting into all types of trouble. This book was so funny and had me laughing out loud several times.

Which character – as performed by Pam Dougherty – was your favorite?

I love all of the characters but I think that Maggie is my favorite because of her strong personality.

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

I love how all of the women stuck together to help save Summer Haven!

Any additional comments?

This book was fantastic!!

Adorable senior Georgia gals sleuthing cozy mystery!

And for once, the narrator, Pam Dougherty, was spot on with the southern accents!! Love it!

Saving a beautiful old homestead - and it’s owner after being scammed - three widely different strangers become friends! Funny, truthful and heartwarming. Just bought book 2-
This was the perfect antidote to reality - 10 stars!

Hilarious

Loved it! It’s funny and colorful and entertaining. Can’t wait for the next book in the series.

In For A Penny

Only one word needed. BRILLIANT, the story and the reader.
Especially if you happen to be the same generation as the comical old ladies and I am. ✔️😂🇬🇧👍

Innocent (?) Fun

I couldn't put it down; my family began to dust me; I stayed still for so long!

Entertaining story told in a fab southeren accent

Where does In for a Penny rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is the first proper full length audio book I've listened to and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Abbie-Ruth was my favourite character, she was a ballsy, feisty granny.

What does Pam Dougherty bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Pam Dougherty's awsome drawling southeren accents really enhanced the storyline, placing me right in the midst of the south.