Jamie Quinn Mystery Collection: Box Set Books 1-3

By: Barbara Venkataraman

Narrated by: Carrie Lee Martz

Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's Summary

Books 1-3 of the Jamie Quinn Mystery Series, including:

Death by Didgeridoo Winner of the Indie Book of the Day award

Reluctant lawyer Jamie Quinn is still reeling from the death of her mother. She's pulled into a game of deception, jealousy, and vengeance when her cousin, Adam, is wrongfully accused of murder. It's up to Jamie to find the real murderer before it's too late. It doesn't help that the victim is a former rock star with more enemies than friends, or that Adam confessed to a murder he didn't commit.

The Case of the Killer Divorce

Reluctant lawyer Jamie Quinn has returned to her family law practice after a hiatus due to the death of her mother. It's business as usual until a bitter divorce case turns into a murder investigation, and Jamie's client becomes the prime suspect. When she can't untangle truth from lies, Jamie enlists the help of Duke Broussard, her favorite private investigator, to try to clear her client's name. And she's hoping that, in his spare time, he can help her find her long-lost father.

Peril in the Park

There's big trouble in the park system. Someone is making life difficult for Jamie Quinn's boyfriend, Kip Simons - the new director of Broward County parks. Was it the angry supervisor who was passed over for promotion? The disgruntled employee Kip recently fired? Or someone with a bigger ax to grind? If Jamie can't figure it out soon, she may be looking for a new boyfriend because there's a dead guy in the park and Kip has gone missing! With the help of her favorite P.I., Duke Broussard, Jamie must race the clock to find Kip before it's too late.

©2014 Barbara Venkataraman (P)2015 Barbara Venkataraman

REALLY GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!

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

Oh yes...these are 3 great little cozy mysteries!

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

yes, all books were equally great mysteries that were not predictable!

Which character – as performed by Carrie Lee Martz – was your favorite?

Duke!!!!!!! Then Jamie!

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

The end of book 2, when Jamie meets her dad!!! I was in tears!

Any additional comments?

** I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **

This collection of 3 little mysteries was a breath of fresh air....I love Jamie, she is a wonderful main character...smart and sassy and such a fun listen! Book 1, she is sad over her moms death and gets dragged back into law by her cousin being wrongly accused of murder...book 2 A messy divorce end up in murder and Jamie is there to save the day! Also Jamie learns who her dad is in a touching ending...and book 3 Jamie's new boyfriend needs help and ends up in a dangerous situation and Jamie and her friends come to the rescue....in all 3 she has the assistance of a fun but sneaky PI by the name of Duke, who is hilarious.....very enjoyable listen and I highly recommend!!!

Thank you Audiobookblast(dot)com

3 Mysteries in a Box (yum!)

Books 1-3 of the Jamie Quinn Mystery Series, including: Death by Didgeridoo Winner of the Indie Book of the Day award Reluctant lawyer Jamie Quinn is still reeling from the death of her mother. She's pulled into a game of deception, jealousy, and vengeance when her cousin, Adam, is wrongfully accused of murder. It's up to Jamie to find the real murderer before it's too late. It doesn't help that the victim is a former rock star with more enemies than friends, or that Adam confessed to a murder he didn't commit. The Case of the Killer Divorce Reluctant lawyer Jamie Quinn has returned to her family law practice after a hiatus due to the death of her mother. It's business as usual until a bitter divorce case turns into a murder investigation, and Jamie's client becomes the prime suspect. When she can't untangle truth from lies, Jamie enlists the help of Duke Broussard, her favorite private investigator, to try to clear her client's name. And she's hoping that, in his spare time, he can help her find her long-lost father. Peril in the Park There's big trouble in the park system. Someone is making life difficult for Jamie Quinn's boyfriend, Kip Simons - the new director of Broward County parks. Was it the angry supervisor who was passed over for promotion? The disgruntled employee Kip recently fired? Or someone with a bigger ax to grind? If Jamie can't figure it out soon, she may be looking for a new boyfriend because there's a dead guy in the park and Kip has gone missing! With the help of her favorite P.I., Duke Broussard, Jamie must race the clock to find Kip before it's too late.

While I generally don’t read books in series back to back, considering that too much of a good thing, in this case I did, partly because of the time constraint involving the expectation of the provider of this book, but also because they are each short books, so I read them, essentially as one long book, and it worked nicely.

These are charming little cozies, with the expected quirky characters, interesting, if not terribly tricky or convoluted mysteries, and just enough excitement to raise the pulse beat a bit. The quirky characters are very nicely done, and some, like Quinn’s nephew, are of more than a little interest. Of most interest, though, is Jamie’s life, and the ways in which she handles her problems. While she often seeks needed help, she is no clinging vine, and is a rather charmingly quirky protagonist in her own right.

One of the nice things about series books is that the author has time to develop the major characters, give deeper insight into their lives and stories, and build such things as settings with more care and attention than a standalone novel usually allows. The author has done all these things, and done them very well. While one could read any of these novels by itself and have a pretty good idea of the back-story, reading these books in order allows for a more fully developed sense of the people, their personalities, relationships and lives.

One of the drawbacks of series books is that they can allow for less tight plotting than a standalone book requires, since any plot difficulties or inconsistencies can be corrected in the next book. The author nimbly avoids this trap. Each of her plots is well developed, consistent and nicely constructed.

The narrator does an excellent job with this narration, and while at first I thought she had overdone the Southern accent of one of the series mainstay characters, I realized that it was quite possible that the character, himself, being more than a bit flamboyant, might well have overdone his own accent, for his own reasons (probably involving the charming of any ladies who happen to be in a 10 mile range), so in that sense, the narrator presented him perfectly! In fact, once I “caught on” (perhaps) I had to laugh a bit, and send her a congratulatory wink.

I would give this boxed set a strong 4.5 out of 5 stars, and the narrator 5 stars.

THIS 3 for 1 is a real winner!

While each book is capable of being a stand-alone, having them all-together-right-now is really the best! Each book is neither overlong nor glorified short story. Plot is well laid and moves along while drawing in the reader deeper and deeper. Characters are certainly that! No spoilers or plot summaries, the publishers do that.
CLM performs clearly and interestingly. The female characters are clearly differentiated and enhanced, but most of the males are burdened with appallingly accented drawls which I, personally found extremely annoying.
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no
cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast.com.

Jamie Quinn Mystery Collection

I really enjoyed this collection. The stories were light, uncomplicated, amusing and intriguing. This new author is one I plan to follow.

In the mood for a cozy?

Barbara Venkataraman has the box set for you! I love a cozy mystery, and this set had me engaged the entire time. Jamie Quinn is a divorce lawyer who seems to find herself involved in situations that are nothing that a divorce lawyer deals with! With her "friend" Duke, they plunge deep into the mysteries to get the answers needed to solve the cases. Add in a little romance with her boyfriend, Kip and it's the perfect mix of love and mystery. Book 1 takes us on the first of Jamie's missions as her cousin Adam is accused of murder. Not only is the murder weapon something I never would have thought of, I loved the Adam. I think he stole the show in this book with his innocence and sweetness. Book two is a little more on task for Jamie, involving an impending divorce. When her client's husband is murdered though, all bets are off and now with the help of Duke, Jamie needs to find the murderer. She also begins the trek of finding her long lost father and this proves to be not only difficult, but eye opening for Jamie. Book three gives us a good look at Kip as a forest ranger. In today's society of technology, [e-mail] threatens Jamie and as the case to ICU grows, danger for Kip grows as well. These three stories will have you smiling and trying to figure out the angles and answers. They are easy listens and provide pure entertainment.

Narration by Carrie Lee Martz is spot on for this series. I loved her voices, her inflections and the flow of the books. She is wonderful for the cozy, keeping it full of just enough suspense and makes the characters feel real. I enjoyed her performance.

Three books!

Three times the fun! Our heroine, Jamie is an attorney in Florida. After losing her mom she thought her life was empty but a wonderful cast of characters quickly filled her life with love and laughter. Of course we must mix in some mayhem just to keep things interesting!

The Game's Afoot in South Florida

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed listening to Jamie Quinn Mystery Collection: Box Set Books 1-3 by Barbara Venkataraman. The set is comprised of three books, closer to novella in length, with the longest lasting roughly 4 hours. I found that each book was better than the preceding book. The first, Death By Didgeridoo, was a very quick listen—the ending almost caught me by surprise it came so quickly. As it begins, Jamie Quinn is virtually crippled by the deep depression she has fallen into following the loss of her mother six months earlier.  She rarely sleeps nor leaves her house. She is shaken out of her lethargy by an urgent plea for help from her aunt. Jamie’s cousin, who has Asperger’s, is suspected of murder. Jamie, a lawyer, works to clear her cousin’s name and, in the process, not only solves a murder but finds her way out of her depression. I was glad that her depression lifted as did its corresponding storyline. Jamie is smart, funny, and a bit of a smart ass, and I enjoyed both her inner thoughts and her interactions with various characters, especially in the later books. The books have a continuing cast of characters which adds depth to the series and there is also quite a bit of welcome humor in the books, though the books aren’t comedies. 

As I said, I think each book was better than the one before it, as the author found her footing. I especially liked the final book, Peril in the Park, which was a bit more complex, possibly due to its longer length.

The narrator, Carrie Lee Martz, is average. I think she does a fine job with Jamie’s voice, as well as her friend, Grace, but I think she falls a bit short with many of the male voices. Adam’s voice, instead of sounding like a young man of college age, sounds like a boy, and Duke’s voice, including his drawl, is a bit-over-the-top. In all fairness, Duke is written a bit over-the-top, so that might explain some of that.

I recommend this light and enjoyable box set collection. The three books together are worth the investment and it’s nice to be able to read a book in less than a day, as one can with each of the three installments. This book is an especially good fit for those who enjoy cozy mysteries. I give the complete series a 3 1/2 star review—3 stars for Death by Didgeridoo, 3 1/2 stars for The Case of the Killer Divorce and 4 stars for Peril in the Park. 

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. 

Entertaining cozy mysteries but insecure narrator

This is a collection of three novellas starring Jamie Quinn, a lawyer who recently lost her mother and is still trying to recover. I found the stories quite entertaining, and each one was better than the previous one. The first one, DEATH BY DIDGERIDOO, felt a bit short and rushed towards the end, but it kept my attention nevertheless. The second and third stories, THE CASE OF THE KILLER DIVORCE and PERIL IN THE PARK, felt more polished, with more developed characters and secondary plots. I love a good cozy mystery, and these three stories kept me entertained. It was easy to get into them and to relate to Jamie, a delight for anyone into this kind of books. I also liked to get to know Jamie and see how she evolved.

Carrie Lee Martz’s narration felt kind of insecure at first, although it improved after a while. She did a good job voicing Jamie, but I found Broussard’s speech too slow. Somehow I think I would have enjoyed the book if the narrator was more experienced. The audio production was correct, without issues.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Jamie Quin Mystery Collection: Books 1-3

I received the audio-book version of the Jamie Quinn Mystery Collection: Box Set Books 1 -3 from the author in return for an honest review.

The author wrote three novellas that I believe would appeal to a younger audience looking for a light read on a rainy Saturday afternoon. I would recommend the Kindle edition rather than the audio-book version because while some narrators can really bring the characters to life, other narrators can really detract from a story. The latter was certainly the case here.

Lightweight mystery

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

I would prefer a more in depth murder mystery.

Would you ever listen to anything by Barbara Venkataraman again?

no

Would you be willing to try another one of Carrie Lee Martz’s performances?

She lost me when Duke's drawl became soooo slow it became annoying.

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

The idea of an autistic boy getting accused of murder.

Any additional comments?

I received this book free from the author if I wrote a review at the end.