Painting the Lake

A Murder on the North Shore

By: Jody Wenner

Narrated by: Cindy Piller

Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's Summary

Winter in Minnesota can be deadly. George has always plunged into the season with a sense of contentment, but as the snow begins to fly, he hits a patch of icy luck. 

Newly retired, he heads up north to escape his troubles and do some painting. There, he meets a young woman who begins pursuing him for more than his art. When she takes him on a wild ride, George isn't surprised to find Detective Nancy Simmons at his cabin door. 

For Nancy, winter comes with a much-harsher reality. She feels the bite as she investigates who dumped a young woman's body in Lake Superior's frigid waters. Maybe, George isn't as innocent as he seems....

©2016 Jody Wenner (P)2019 Jody Wenner

Good procedural...

Pretty good book that could have used a better narrator. I’m not saying she was bad, I just don’t think she fit the book.
This is a story of George Altman, a 65 year old retired gentleman. Recently widowed and naive to life on his own. In a new city and meeting new people he can’t tell the difference between those who are honest and those who would take advantage of him. When a helpful woman ends up murdered and he was the last one seen with her, George is the prime suspect.
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Good story

Painting the Lake has some interesting twists and turns. I enjoyed the story, and would read another by this author. I always like a good MN mystery. The narrator is not a favorite but I can put my finger on why I thought she was as good as I would have liked.

I accepted a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Great book

I enjoyed listening to this book. I found myself wanting to listen to more and trying to find time so I could always a good sign. Jody Wenner is a new author to me but I like her style very much. This is a clean well written mystery. The narrator is Cindy Piller and she was wonderful. Cindy has a voice that you can listen to for hours. I was gifted this audiobook with the understanding that I would leave an honest review.

Murder mystery with great characters

Painting the Lake is part procedural and part cozy mystery with some great characters and good narration. Set in the backdrop of a snowy Midwest that helps set the mood for the book and keep things with a sense of foreboding throughout. George a newly retired and new resident of the area gets entangled with a woman who takes an interest in him and leads to him being a person of interest when she shows up dead. Nancy sets out to investigate what exactly happened to this woman and the events surrounding her murder.

The narration by Cindy Piller was good and she put forth a great tone for the type of book it was all while keeping a great pace throughout. I thought the setting and characters helped drive this mystery and made for an engaging listen.

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

An awesome and unpredictable thriller

George has retired and meets a strange woman that starts pursuing him. When she turns up dumped in the lake, Detective Simmons comes looking to him for answers.

The scenes were vividly described, the characters depicted well, and the story overall piquing my interest throughout. I thought I had figured it out a few times but the story was not predictable and kept me guessing. I love how the story unraveled, it was fascinating!

Cindy narrated well and clearly. The story was overall very good and i thoroughly enjoyed it. I recommend this book as a great thriller.

Note: This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this objective review voluntarily.

An Awesome listen

Painting the Lake: A Murder on the North Shore. A great listening experience, A well written plot which is complex and deep.
If you like a murder mystery - then this is a book for you.
Whilst not always fast paced it does grip you and keeps you reading/listening.
I will be looking for more to read from Jody Wenner.

I was given a free copy of this audio book at my own request, and voluntarily leave this review.   

Okay but..............

I had trouble staying interested in this book. For some reason I'm not sure about the characters just didn't do anything for me and I realized about halfway in that I didn't care about them.
It's not a bad book. It just isn't my type I guess. I like mysteries but this wasn't enough for me.

One thing that bugged me a lot was the main character is portrayed as someone really old when he was 65. I'm wondering how young the author is because 65 just isn't old anymore!

I didn't care for the narrator, either. She was too perky for this story.

I received this book at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

Read for yourself

I liked the story in this book. The narrator? Not so much.
Jody Wenner writes a good mystery, with some twists and turns that kept me listening. The scenery and characters were well developed and very real.
When a newly widowed man retires and decides to rent a cottage in Duluth to be closer to his daughter in Ely, he becomes the target of a swindler. When a young woman ends up dead, he becomes the main suspect for murder.
I feel Cindy Piller’s voice did not do justice to this story. She did not have enough distinction for the character voices, especially the main characters. A few of the characters had more of a Brooklyn or Jersey accent than a Minnesota one.
This is one book I would suggest reading instead of listening to.
"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

More of a "cozy mystery" than police procedural

I received a copy of the Audible version of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is more of a "cozy mystery" novel than I personally prefer. Nice storyline, although it got too preachy for me. The narrator's tone and style are well suited for this book.

If you enjoy a lighter type of mystery (yes, I know it's a murder mystery), you will enjoy the audible version of Painting the Lake as it keeps you engaged and has a few unexpected turns.

Unusual, Engrossing Story

A very good police procedural with unusual plot and well-developed, interesting characters. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.

Great

What a great story. Loved every bit of it. Narrator was fantastic too. 5 * xcx

great story

Winter in Minnesota can be deadly. George has always plunged into the season with a sense of contentment, but as the snow begins to fly, he hits a patch of icy luck.

great story got me hocked straight away