Silenced by the Yams

A Barbara Marr Murder Mystery, Book 3

By: Karen Cantwell

Narrated by: Marie Hoffman

Length: 5 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

What's more chaotic than a house with a canary, two hungry cats, and a yappy poodle with elimination issues? Answer: Barbara Marr on a murder investigation.

That's right, when Barb attends her first movie review screening, film director Kurt Baugh dies within 20 minutes of meeting her. If that isn't bad enough, her friend, ex-Mafioso Frankie Romano, is arrested for the murder. In usual Barbara Marr fashion, a whole load of trouble ensues when she seeks to vindicate Frankie of the crime. More laughs, more fun, more Barbara Marr! This third book in the popular Barbara Marr Murder Mystery Series brings Barb out of the suburbs and into the slimy, urban world of bright lights, nightly news, and drive-by shootings. Luckily, she never loses her sense of humor or her ability to befriend some decidedly quirky characters.

©2012 Karen Fraunfelder Cantwell (P)2017 Karen Fraunfelder Cantwell

An ex-Mafia friend is accused of murder

In <strong>Silenced by the Yams</strong> by Karen Cantwell, Barbara Marr has finally had her movie blog take off, and she gets invited to a press screening of a new movie, complete with a fancy dinner beforehand. Barb has gotten her friend, ex-Mafia member Frankie Romano, who has become an excellent Italian chef, the catering job that night, so to return the favor, he takes her over to the director of the movie, Kurt Baugh, to introduce her. Within 20 minutes, the director is dead.

The police find some poison in the yams Baugh has just eaten and in a bottle labeled vanilla extract in the kitchen. It contains arsenic, strychnine, and just a pinch of cyanide, the combination used by the crazy old ladies in <em>Arsenic and Old Lace</em>. So the police arrest Frankie, making Barb determined to get to the truth to free her friend, whom she knows is not a killer.

<strong>Silenced by the Yams</strong> is another delightfully fun book in the Barbara Marr Mystery series. There is so much humor in this book that it is a great book to listen to when you need a smile. This one takes place mostly in Washington, D.C., though some scenes are set in Barb's house, where her mother-in-law comes to stay and keeps interrupting any amorous moments between Barb and her husband, Howard.

The whole book is a lot of fun. The plot moves smoothly and cleverly, with many creative details. It has so many twists and turns throughout the course of the book that I am always surprised by the next event. But just as fun as the creative plot are the fascinating characters who have so much life to them. Each one has her or his own eccentricities, with such details that they are fully round characters. They make the book all the more delightful.

Nan McNamara performs the audio version of this book and does so with great energy and gusto, helping to add life to an already lively book. She uses strong timing to make the book all the more humorous. I am sure that this book would not be nearly as effective if read visually instead of being listened to.

I had a great time listening to <strong>Silenced by the Yams</strong>. This fun book has a great story and characters, and it moves quickly. I loved this book and recommend it, but I encourage you to listen first to <em>Take the Monkeys and Run</em> and <em>Citizen Insane</em>, the first two books in the series. I really look forward to the next book's being released. I give the book five stars!