Literally Dead

A Pepper Brooks Cozy Mystery

By: Eryn Scott

Narrated by: Margo Chervony

To solve or not to solve? When a visiting professor is found dead, English major Pepper Brooks is caught in the middle of the investigation. Literally. While the detectives focus on crime scene forensics, Pepper can't ignore the Shakespearean clues left by the killer. With the help of a handsome library clerk, a dog named Hamburger, and The Bard himself, this unlikely sleuth might just close the book on this case.

©2017 Eryn Carpenter (P)2018 Eryn Carpenter

I know who the killer is

This book had a great story line. Love the characters and Margo Chervony did a great job narrating. I am not used to my cozy mysteries being about college students but still fun story. However, Pepper needs to quit being so fast to accuse someone of murder. I look forward to more in this series and hope more in audio book form. I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review.

Literally fantastic!

In <strong>Literally Dead</strong> by Eryn Scott, Pepper Brooks is finishing her degree in English at Northern Washington University, the school where her father was an English professor for many years. Despite her passion for Shakespeare and Dickens, Pepper wonders whether she has selected this major just because it was her father's field. Then one day she goes to assist Dr. Ferguson, known as Fergie, her mentor professor, prepare for a lecture by the preeminent Shakespearean scholar, Dr. Campbell, and is asked to get Dr. Campbell from Fergie's office and bring him to the auditorium. Thinking the man asleep at the desk, Pepper reaches to wake him and finds him dead, with a copy of Hamlet's famous soliloquy on the desk under his hand. He seems to have left his unique style of suicide note.

The next day, Pepper realizes that something that has been bothering her is the fact that one word of the soliloquy was written incorrectly. Someone like Dr. Campbell would never have gotten the wording incorrect, so it must be murder. At Pepper's second home, the campus library, she finally talks to the hot employee there, only to learn that Alex is the son of Dr. Valdez, the lead detective on the case. When news arises that Dr. Campbell has indeed been poisoned, but that Fergie is the prime suspect, and as Pepper begins to suspect that the killer is using literary clues, she determines to help out her mentor. But Alex insists on tagging along as she performs this investigation.

As someone who holds an M.A. in English and taken Shakespeare classes, I connected with <strong>Literally Dead</strong> even before I pushed play on the audiobook. The title drew my attention because one of my biggest pet peeves is the figurative use of the word "literal." Plus, seeing a murder set in the world of English academia was incredibly fun and creative. As I listened to the book, I appreciated it all the more.

The plot has many interesting points to it, with the clues pointing to literature. The discussions of books and Shakespeare plays add to the flavor of the book, giving an added touch to the strength of the book. However, these features won't get in the way of people who have never read <em>Hamlet</em> or <em>A Tale of Two Cities</em>. I enjoy the way that Pepper keeps accusing others of the crime, only to be proved wrong.

The main characters in <strong>Literally Dead</strong> are fun, though many are not fully round. I enjoy the perspective of Pepper, who has a lot of humor to her character. The quotes she chooses are fun as well, as she discusses why she chooses each one. She has a creative relationship with Alex, as she tries to hold back from her growing attraction to him, knowing that every time she has dated a fellow student, he has moved out of town immediately after graduating ending their relationship.

Margo Chervony narrates the audio of this book. I found her performance to be effective, as a college student and as a literary scholar in addition to an amateur detective. She uses good believable voices for the characters and keeps the book moving smoothly.

I strongly loved listening to <strong>Literally Dead</strong>. I found this book clever and full of delight in the listening experience. I recommend this to anyone who likes cozy mysteries but especially to anyone who enjoys literature. I give this book five stars.

Literature can be deadly...:)

Pepper Brooks is an English major and she loves Shakespeare - she's my kindred spirit so I was prone to like her from the start:) But that's not why I like the book a lot. Oh, and it's 4.5 stars for the story, not 4.0, really...

The idea of using literature as one of the tools in a murder case is not a new one, but it always catches my eye. And it's very well used in this particular book - quotes from Shakespeare as clues to revealing who the culprit is and the fact that you really have to know your Shakespeare to realize something is wrong with them is just perfect.

The plot develops fast and as we follow Pepper in her investigation we start to feel as confused as she is as to who, why and how... There are a lot of clues, a lot of motives, and a lot of grudges going on around... Unfortunately for her, Pepper is quite compulsive and jumps to conclusions a bit too quickly for her own safety - luckily, there's Alex to take care of her...

As characters go, Pepper is spontaneous, likeable and has that naive charm of a twenty something dreamer, Alex is at first confusing but very soon turns into a chivalrous safety net for her and the secondary characters (both good and bad ones) are colourful and memorable.

The interpretation by Ms Chervony is really good. The pace of her reading is quite fast but clear, and the personalities of the characters very well conveyed. I especially liked the voicing of Pepper; her emotions rang true and really helped us understand the workings of her mind...:)


DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

So much fun and a great storyline!

I loved everything about this book— the plot, the setting, the characters. :))))) I looked forward to listening to this on my morning walks. Had me guessing until the end. On to the second one in this series! The narrator did an awesome job and really had a feel for the characters. Fun, fun book!

Cute cozy

Good cozy with a great continuation in stoneybrook. I didn’t guess the killer and has lots of literary references if you enjoy that. Can’t wait to read the next one

I received a free copy and left my honest review