Real Murders

An Aurora Teagarden Mystery, Book 1

By: Charlaine Harris

Narrated by: Therese Plummer

Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Though a small town at heart, Lawrenceton, Georgia, has its dark side - and its crime buffs. One of them is librarian Aurora "Roe" Teagarden, a member of the Real Murders Club, which meets once a month to analyze famous cases. It's a harmless pastime - until the night she finds a member killed in a manner that eerily resembles the crime the club was about to discuss.

As other brutal "copycat" killings follow, Roe will have to uncover the person behind the terrifying game, one that casts all the members of Real Murders, herself included, as prime suspects - or potential victims.

©1992 Charlaine Harris (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"An ingenious plot and sufficient flow of blood keep the pages flying....Harris draws the guilty and the innocent into an engrossing tale while inventing a heroine as capable and potentially complex as P. D. James's Cordelia Gray." ( Publishers Weekly)

A light, entertaining murder mystery

This is a light, entertaining murder mystery with hints dropped along the way, but I was surprised when I found out who did it. However, in listening the 2nd time, some of the main character's comments are even funnier, now that I know how it ends. This book has me giggling out loud! I've read the second book, and am really looking forward to the others in this series.
Murder scenes are described in some detail, but not enough to keep me from recommending it to anyone easily made squeamish. The characters are described well enough that I feel like I would recognize them if I could meet them, but not in a way to bog down the story.
Highly recommended!

When Murder Gets Real

What made the experience of listening to Real Murders the most enjoyable?

I thought the narrator enhanced the experience and helped me really see the people and what they were feeling better.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Real Murders?

Because I still had no idea who was the murderer, I found the big reveal and the motive particularly riveting.

What about Therese Plummer’s performance did you like?

Everything! I thought she matched well with this book and did a fab job narrating all voices. Aurora 'Roe' Teagarden was the sole perspective and she really brought Roe to life for me.

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

A scene at the end with Roe and her little brother. It was dangerous and intense.

Any additional comments?

This was book one in a series. I definitely plan to move on for the rest of the series.

Interesting

keeps your attention through the entire book. Characters are well developed and fun to know

Typical Cozy Mystery

I enjoyed listening to the book. Interesting plot. At times it was a bit hard to keep the characters straight but the author did a good job of slipping in reminders of the history of the character.

I was not prepared...

What did you love best about Real Murders?

The story - I was so engaged in the storytelling. I am familiar with a lot of the cases this novel explores, so that was an interesting experience as I listened.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Real Murders?

There were so many, but most especially the ending. Harris did a solid job tying all the strings together.

What about Therese Plummer’s performance did you like?

The pacing of the story - Plummer is a fab reader for Aurora's story.

Any additional comments?

If you love cozy mysteries and are looking to expand your reading a little more, definitely make this a part of your listening library.

Pretty good but not amazing

Just a nice easy listen. It did not grab my interest enough for me to choose to pursue the series.

Pretty good

Where does Real Murders rank among all the audiobooks you???ve listened to so far?

Real Murders rank among the top 50 I listened to so far (around 200 books).

Any additional comments?

A bit predictable but with a surprising ending.

Not as good as the "Murder She Wrote" series...

Would you try another book from Charlaine Harris and/or Therese Plummer?

I love most of the Charlaine Harris books that I purchased. ( Sookie and the "Grave Sight" stories.) I am glad I bought this as a daily special - it would have been a waste of a credit. It wasn't enough of a plot to be a book, and I didn't like the central characters much.
Jessica Fletcher proves that this formula can work, but it just doesn't work with this book. Maybe the series gets better after book 1?

If you’ve listened to books by Charlaine Harris before, how does this one compare?

This was not very interesting. Rather similar to "Murder She Wrote" but not nearly as well done.

Was Real Murders worth the listening time?

No.

Any additional comments?

Charlaine Harris can, and has, done much better.

Georgia...or New England??

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The story takes place in GEORGIA-- but the only person with any hint of a Southern accent is the rude redneck detective, Everyone else has a New England accent. Really. There IS a difference. Every time they mentioned Georgia, I wanted to check to see if there was a Georgia, New Hampshire.

Charlaine draws you right in

Charlaine does a great job of drawing you right into her stories. While Aurora gets beat out by my fave heroines, in order, Harper, Lily, & Sookie, these are definitely still worth your time.