Original Secrets

Whispering Pines Mystery Series, Book 3

By: Shawn McGuire

Narrated by: Sandra Murphy

Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

The Northwoods village of Whispering Pines used to be a safe haven for outsiders, but after three deaths in two months, it’s become a hotbed of murder.  

Exhausted from being the only law enforcement official on duty, while also trying to open a bed-and-breakfast, Jayne O’Shea welcomes the escape she finds in her grandmother’s journals. Each entry gives her a deeper understanding of why her grandparents moved to the secluded spot so long ago. But as questions are answered, deeply hidden secrets are unearthed.  

If Jayne can put all the pieces of this puzzle together, she’ll not only learn the truth behind her grandmother’s death, she’ll catch a killer who's been wandering the village for 40 years.

©2018 Shawn McGuire (P)2019 Shawn McGuire

Not the murder mystery I was expecting

This book was given to me for free at my request, and I provided this voluntary unbiased review.

Jane is the sheriff of a small town called Whispering Pines that is known for its fortune-telling and witchcraft. The story starts with an investigation into a death that is loosely tied to the death of Jane’s grandmother a few months prior. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t focus much on this death that she started investigating but instead sends Jane looking back into the town’s past to learn more about her grandmother’s death. The other half of the story focuses on Jane’s attempts to open a bed and breakfast with her business partner Tripp.

To be fair, I did not read the first two books in this series, so I may have felt differently about what I viewed to be side stories, had I started with these characters from the beginning.

The book was meant for an adult audience but felt like it was written for a young adult audience, mainly due to the simplicity in wording and flat characters. This was particularly true for the Jane / Tripp romance storyline that played out like they were teenagers having their first crush. Given the simplicity, had the book been about a group of teenagers in this same plot, I would have enjoyed it more.

Not for me.

I liked the book cover and description and I was even hooked at the beginning but as the story progressed I found that I lost interest. I found it to be slow going for me. I would have prefered more action or for something to happen.
This is not for me but others might enjoy it more than I did.

Ok, Just not for me.

The overall story and plot was fine and I like fantasy books about witches.... My problem with it was that I felt some of the characters fell a little flat and it talked about actual Wicca and trys to make it ok. The narrator did a fantastic job with the acting and narration.

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

Easy listen

I should note that I rarely ever ONLY listen to an audio book. Usually, I am driving, or working out, or playing in my studio. (I suspect most folks have similar listening habits.) Therefore, an audio book must have a certain level of narration and an engaging story line to pull me into it.
Sandra Murphy has a pleasant, easy voice and her narration is concise and clear. The story itself did an okay job of holding my attention, but there were times when I found myself thinking about something different, and would need to back up to re-listen to a portion. The motivations for some characters and situations felt a bit lacking and unbelievable, but overall the book was a worthwhile listen and one I believe most fans of this genre would enjoy.
I was given this audio book for free, at my request, and have voluntarily left this review.

Charming and easy

This series is absolutely enjoyable! But you should definitely start with the first book. I love the setting with plenty of engaging characters working on solving mysteries. The stories are narrated from the heroine's perspective. Sandra Murphy is doing an outstanding job through the pitch, accuracy in execution and attention to dynamics. I hope there is more to come. A very nice listen.

Same review

I am using the same review since I forgot to write it right after....

I am binge listening to this series and going to back to review, which is never a good idea. I love this series. There is a solid mystery, usually a murder, in every book along with some overarching mysteries/storylines.

The village was established in the 70's by one family who owns the whole 2000 acres on which the village sits. When the grandmother dies, Jayne travels to whispering pines to clean out the house, and life happens. There is a lot of talk about Wicca and the supernatural, but it is treated more like a religion than supernatural - though there is some supernatural to it too.

Some of the outcomes are predictable, but it doesn't ruin the enjoyment of the series.

Town Secrets & Murder

Jayne finds her grandmother’s journals that uncovers-secrets.and the town maybe small and tranquil, but seems like a killer has been living there. Too many murders since she has come. Given audio which is good also for this.and my voluntary review and my honest opinion

Sandra Murphy saves this Echo of a story

I loved the first book and was disappointed I missed the second one. Book 3 made some references to the second, but it didn’t matter it was missed. It was no more or less of a loss than any book that references things in a character’s past.

I liked how it started off with new characters, visitors/vacationers in the area. I liked how Jayne describes people she sees by descriptions used when taking a police report (or like the info on a state id: height, hair color, eye color).

The diaries were an interesting as it gleamed how Whispering Pines was settled and got its name. It felt like a cult, which was different from modern day - only two generations later, which was kind if baffling. It also lost its credibility as Jayne pieced together the pieces. And the older mystery was really quite predictable, so I feel like the AH-HA moment was a folly and a let down. I also didn’t think Jayne’s reaction was credible- unless she comes to terms with it in the next book. But I won’t know. I don’t intend to pick it up.

The relationship with Trip, which I loved, felt so cliche to the current trend. Like come on, since when were adults so juvenile in dealing with feelings and saying what’s on their mind? I’m not saying we need to Trump twitter or Facebook blog or gossip like in a small town cozy soap opera Melrose Place episode,,but come ON already.

The first book was stellar and set the bar high. I think this book was on the lowest peg in a limbo round.

Sandra, the narrator, is the saving grace for this book; lest I would have DNF’d and shelved it.

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

Isolated village and witchy secrets unraveled

Shawn McGuire weaves a nice mystery in Original Secrets. I like the story being told from Jayne's point of view as law enforcement in a small, tight-knit community where she is a relative newcomer. This is the first in the series that I have listened to. The characters and storyline were well-written and Sandra Murphy's narration was well done. So many mysteries, old and new, to be unraveled in Whispering Pines...

I received a promotional copy of this book, and this is my honest review.

Great Read

Original Secrets was a great read by Shawn McGuire. Whispering Pines used to be a safe plea for visitors, that is until there are three deaths in two months. Jayne finds her grandmother's journals and used them as an escape. In the journals she may find out who is behind her grandmother's death as well as someone who has murdered and been wandering Whispering Pines for 40 years. I loved reading this book.

Have you ever seen a baby pigeon?

Whispering Pines is a small town, established in 1966, on Jayne's grandmother's land. The 20 something ex police sergeant hadn't been back since she was 10, some sixteen years before. But, following her grandmother's death, she'd persuaded her parents not to sell immediately but instead let her try to establish a profitable bed and breakfast business in the large, multi bedroomed house. They gave her a one year trial to break even and the conversion work was being assisted by Trip, an attractive man she'd met just after her arrival. But Jayne had also taken on the job of Sheriff for the area and was desperately in need of a Deputy especially since Whispering Pines was becoming a popular tourist destination with it's beautiful scenery and colourful inhabitants, and the recent small spate of murders. But it is the arrival of the overdue autopsy report on her grandmother's death, showing it not to have been the simple accident previously believed, that has Jayne reading through the night the journals kept since the inception of the community in an attempt to discover who killed her.

This cozy mystery is full of atmosphere and character. Some lovely touches, too, like the sound of the wind in the trees which gives name to the small town. The townsfolk might call themselves witches, for the most part, but they are of the New Age variety, not paranormals, and predictions are only vaguely accurate despite the popularity of the fortune tellers with the tourists. The main protagonists, in particular, are very human with both good points and definite flaws. And the author carefully details every item that Jayne, and some others, eat.
The narration is good, clear and well paced. Sandra Murphy has a pleasant, well modulated voice and, whilst her renditions of the individual protagonists' voices are not greatly differentiated, this in no way detracts from her overall tidy performance.

Although third in the series, Original Secrets can be enjoyed without having to read the earlier books as all essential information is given. Although the portrayal of the town, and of Jayne herself, is excellent and tension builds as the book progresses, the final resolution feels rushed and not quite satisfactoy. It is, however, a fun read. My thanks to the rights holder who, at my request freely gifted me a complimentary copy of Original Secrets, via Audiobook Boom.

Original

I enjoyed this book. This one was a different book to the rest so far in the series because it Is a cold case Jayne is investigating and very personal, so a lot of reading old diaries. I think it helps to have listened to the previous books because you could easily make the connections between the names and the characters and there previous behaviour. Still a good like mystery and it does answer a lot of questions surrounding Jayne and even the town. The characters are fun and recurring because it is a small town, so you get to know them well across the series. I am off to start the next book in the series.
Jayne is busy at work and getting ready to open the b&b so needs a duty to help her and her police dog keep Whispering pines safe. When Jayne is called to over see another body she fears the worst but it is not the autopsy of the young man that causes her the most nightmares, this one is a little closer to home. Jayne's own gran didn't die in an accident as she was lead to believe and on further investigation Jayne finds that she might just have the key to solve the most important case in her life, the town's history in the form of several diaries written by her Gran at the time of the biggest secret whispering pines holds.
I liked the narrator and think she really brings each characters to life with her easy style and at the same time can also build up the tension just as easy.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.