Key to Savannah

By: Hope Callaghan

Narrated by: Valerie Gilbert

Length: 4 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's Summary

Months after the untimely death of mafia-made man Vinnie Garlucci, his devoted wife, Carlita, discovers a mysterious key in one of his pockets while sorting through his belongings.

With help from her daughter, Mercedes, she sets off to find out what the mysterious key belongs to and soon discovers she has inherited property in historic Savannah, Georgia. Carlita views the property as a sign and remembers Vinnie's dying words to her to get their family out of the mafia.

Against the wishes of her three sons, mother and daughter embark on a road trip to explore the property. While they're gone, someone breaks into their home and vandalizes it. This is the second time it has happened since Vinnie's death and Carlita is convinced that it's somehow tied to the mafia.

Carlita and Mercedes are looking forward to leaving their old life behind with a fresh start in beautiful Savannah. They quickly realize you can run but you can't hide from the past.

©2017 Hope Callaghan (P)2017 Hope Callaghan

Key to Savannah

What did you like best about this story?

This is a cozy audiobook with an abundance of humor, a little intrigue and plenty of family interaction. The 'Family' is connected and the patriarch is dead, supposedly murdered.

Any additional comments?

I received a free review copy in exchange for my review.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

amazing and great book

What I love most about this book is the narrators accent. book 2 please because this book has me wanting more. if you can make me this is a true mobsters mystery, you have gained a fan for life.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Mystery enjoyed

I enjoyed listening to this story, my first from Ms. Callaghan narrated by one of my fave narrators. The reason I chose it, Ms. Gilbert did some amazing accents, loved the one she gave Mercedes.
An interesting story of new beginnings, courage after tragedy and hope for a better future.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Loved This!!

This has been my favorite Audible book so far!!! I really hope the rest of the series will be added. The story was great and I really liked the narrators voice. It's the first Audible book I have REALLY enjoyed and will re-listen to it which is something I never do. 💕

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

A gripping listen

Carlita Garlucci said goodbye to her husband, Vinnie, a few short months ago, promising him on his deathbed that she would pull their three sons out of the Mafia family business in Key to Savannah by Hope Callaghan. Now as she finally is sorting through her husband's clothes, she finds a key to a safety deposit box, which she takes her daughter, Mercedes, to check. At the bank, they learn that Vinnie added Carlita's name to the account the same day he died -- was murdered? -- and open the box. There they find a deed to property in Savannah, Georgia and a dozen incredibly valuable-looking gems. So Carlita and Mercedes make up their minds to move from Queens to Savannah, to the strong opposition of Carlita's sons.

Taking off on the spur of the moment to check out their new property, the women find an abandoned restaurant and grocery store with two apartments above them that is supposed to be haunted. They also meet their new neighbor, the tattoo artist SteveO. From him they learn that the former owner, George del Mario, was murdered six years earlier and the place left vacant ever since. After getting estimates on the work needed to fix up the place, they return home to find that someone has tried to torch their house, not the first break-in since the death of Vinnie. While putting their house on the market and getting ready to move, they find that life is still a challenge as they try to set out for a new life.

The first half of this book kept me riveted from the start. I found the plot intriguing and the characters clever. I do wonder how accurate the depictions of the wife and daughter of a member of the Mafia were. Are they really as sheltered as Carlita and Mercedes appear? Would the wife of a Mafia member really use the word "shoot" instead of the stronger expletive? However, as drawn, these women seem perfectly natural in their behavior, as Vinnie kept his wife and daughter very sheltered. The last third of the book was less exciting. The plot shifted from less of a mystery to more of a drama.

I really enjoy the performance Valerie Gilbert gives of the audiobook. She voices the characters cleverly, using distinct New York accents for the Garluccis and light Southern accents for SteveO and his sister, Autumn. I would have expected a stronger accent for the Georgia natives, but they still sound clearly distinct from the Garluccis.

I have mixed feelings about Key to Savannah. Much of it kept me drawn to the story. But I lost some of my interest the last third or so. I will probably listen to book two of this series because I loved the characters and see a lot of potential for future books. I give this book four stars.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great Book!

This is a great book; this is the first book in the Made in Savannah series written by Hope Callaghan and narrated by Valerie Gilbert. This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. The narrator did a wonderful job with this book. She did a great job with the different voices of each character in this book. It was very easy to listen to and I didn’t want to stop listening until the end. If you are looking for a great book with well-developed characters then you need to listen to this book. I am looking forward to listening to the next book by this author and narrator.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Loved it!

Great story! Great characters! Great narration! I can't wait to listen to book 2!


**I voluntarily listened to this audio book in exchange for an honest review**

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Fun Mobster Women

Any additional comments?

I received a free copy of Key to Savannah: Made in Savannah Cozy Mysteries Series, Book 1 written by Hope Callaghan, and narrated by Valerie Gilbert in exchange for an unbiased review. This review copy Audio Book was provided by the author/narrator/publisher free of charge via Audio Book Boom.

I found Key to Savannah to be an enjoyable cozy mystery. The story hooked me in in the first chapter, and I can't wait to read the rest of the series. The characters were fun and clever solving the mystery, and proving they can make it on their own after the mobster husband/father died. Valerie Gilbert did a wonderful job with each and every character.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A Fun Journey!

🔎 I don't think that there is anything that I can add to the Publisher's Summary, which is detailed without spoilers.

These relatively short (5 hours) books seem to be popping up everywhere. Hope Callaghan writes a very clever and somewhat light tale – even though the story line is complex and can be dark (Mafia, anyone?) I really liked it. 4 strong stars

Valerie Gilbert gives a 5 star performance – after I sped it up to 1.25x (my preferred move) Excellent!

As for Overall, I am going to average the story & the performance for a whopping 4.5 stars. Well done, ladies.

*I was given a review copy of this book in exchange for my opinion. If you found my review helpful, would you please take a moment and select – yes – below? Also, consider following me on Audible to read, rate and share my reviews.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Starting of a great series !

I loved listening to this audiobook ! Both story and characters were great !Now I can't wait to see what happens next ,

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

mafia meets the south

Where does Key to Savannah rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I just couldn't get into this book unfortunately not my type of story

Has Key to Savannah put you off other books in this genre?

no I always try different books so will try something new again

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

Valarie was perfect for this book she did bring life to the characters and story

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

none as I say could get in to it

Any additional comments?

I think this was just not my type of story but Valarie has a great way of bringing life to the characters and story. so I would listen to another of her books