Peril in the Park

Jamie Quinn Mystery, Book 3

By: Barbara Venkataraman

Narrated by: Carrie Lee Martz

Length: 4 hrs

Publisher's summary

There's big trouble in the park system. Someone is making life difficult for Jamie Quinn's boyfriend, Kip Simons, the new director of Broward County parks. Was it the angry supervisor passed over for promotion? The disgruntled employee Kip recently fired? Or someone with a bigger ax to grind? If Jamie can't figure it out soon, she may be looking for a new boyfriend because there's a dead guy in the park and Kip has gone missing! With the help of her favorite P.I., Duke Broussard, Jamie must race the clock to find Kip before it's too late.

A preview of the next Jamie Quinn Mystery, Engaged in Danger, can be found at the end of the book.

©2014 Barbara Venkataraman (P)2015 Barbara Venkataraman

This series just keeps getting better!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes yes yes, it's smart, funny, the main character Jamie never acts foolishly, there's no crazy stuff, and the plot moves right along.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Peril in the Park?

Oddly, the scene where Jamie goes into "lawyer mode" with her boyfriend Kip when he doesn't want to tell her what is going on with the parks he manages. Also, I love that Jamie eats healthy vegetarian food.

Which scene was your favorite?

Oddly, the scene where Jamie goes into "lawyer mode" with her boyfriend Kip when he doesn't want to tell her what is going on with the parks he manages. Also, I love that Jamie eats healthy vegetarian food.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Love isn't always a walk in the park.

Any additional comments?

Peril in the Park (Jamie Quinn Mystery Book 3) - This is the third book in Barbara Venkataramann's engaging series. I listened to the audio book narrated by the wonderful, almost addicting vocal talents of Carrie Lee Martz.


Carrie Lee, as the first person narrator's voice of Jamie Quinn, is perfect - touching, wry, tough, and vulnerable in turns. As the voice of the other memorable characters she is outstanding. It made this mystery very very entertaining. The author has the ability to write a naturally flowing story, nothing seemed forced or contrived.

I read the first book in the series, 'Death by Didgeridoo' and the second book Case of the Killer divorce. This book continues the story of Jamie and Kip, but could also be read as a stand alone book.


I was delighted to see the return of PI Duke Broussard. This time he's assisting Jamie in a personal matter. Kip, Jamie's boyfriend, is having problems with the parks he manages. There is a vandal at work. Then Jamie gets a threatening message and she is drawn into the mystery of who is doing this.

I love Jamie in her "lawyer mode", she's smart, but never loses her sense of humor. I love her realistic approach to problems, her vegetarian life style, and her cautious nature.

Barbara Venkataramann has created a character I can live with, one that is never cloying, foolish, swooning or implausible. Her books are not padded with filler, they move right along, keeping my interest.

For anyone that wants fun, easy to read books with a smart strong main character this is the series. I plan to listen to every one, and more than once.

Writing a Little Better, Narrator Not

This is the second of her books (novella) that I have listened to. I bought two on sale. I would consider a third but really can take the narrator. The accent she used for Duke is just so bad. He talks so slow and unrealistically that I just can’t take it. The narrator did a fairly decent Indian accent, but I all of her characters talk a bit slowly and just a little unrealistically.

The character development is a little better. Not much in the way a scene description. As I mentioned in my last review of this author, it is almost like she wrote up an initial sketch and then published it.

I will also watch for this reader and avoid her.

It was good

It was good but not as great as the first 2 books. I enjoyed it but unfortunately didn't find it as well written or as interesting as the first two.

Another Good Book in the Series

Attorney Jamie Quinn has her hands full to say the least. Her boyfriend, Kip Simons, is having a difficult time in his new job as a park director. His employees resent him, someone is vandalizing the park and he’s receiving threats. To add to Jamie’s troubles, her newly found father is having problems getting approved to come to the United States.

I enjoyed listening to the first two books in this series. This book was every bit as good. I love the narrator’s voice. It’s as if we are sitting around the fireplace listening to a story. Jamie’s character gets stronger with each book. The characters surrounding her are a great support group, especially P.I. Duke Broussard. Jamie and Duke play very well against each other.

The mystery was fast-paced. It could have gone in a couple of different directions, but it ended very well. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series.



FTC Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of this book to review. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book 3 = my favorite

Hands down, this was my favorite of all the Jamie Quinn mystery books. Loved it!

As per the first two books, Jamie finds herself in the middle of a mystery, and now a target of threats. Her new boyfriend, Kip, is the new Director of Parks and he's got his hands full with a vandal and some sketchy issues with an upcoming vote that deal with not-so-nice people. Jamie, being Jamie, needs to step in and help, and gets caught in the sticky web that is this book.

By this point, I really like the characters from the series, especially Jamie and Duke. Jamie is spunky and feisty when needed, stubborn or strong-willed at times, and has a soft spot to help those she cares about. Just my kind of girl. We get to know more about Kip in this story - I was weary of him early on, but the more he opened up, the more I liked him.

Another easy read, I got wrapped up in the story so much, I had a tough time putting this book down and needing to get to the end to find out who is behind it all. The author, Barbara Venkataraman, does a great job at building the story and making it one that is easy to enjoy.

Note: I received a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Carrie Lee Martz did a great job with the narration, per usual.

Fun & Quick Read

I received a free copy of the audiobook for an honest review.

I have listened to several of Barbara Venkataraman’s books including the first Jamie Quinn mystery, Death by Didgeridoo. I like her sense of humor and enjoy listening to her books. Peril in the Park was no exception.

The story flows well and there is more than one mystery to be solved. There are a few twists along the way, some interesting characters, and lots of giggles while Jamie works on solving the mysteries.

Jamie and her boyfriend, Kip, are likable characters and a cute couple. Jamie’s friend and PI, Duke, is, I guess I’d say, interesting. When he was introduced in the first book, I didn’t think I’d like him but he is a good guy and he does grow on you.

I definitely recommend this book. It’s one of those books that leaves you with a good feeling. It is part of a series but does stand on its own.

I love this quote from Peril in the Park: “In my experience,worrying never changed anything except maybe the color of my hair.”

Another Jamie Quinn cozy mystery!

Any additional comments?

In this installment of the Jamie Quinn series we find Jamie and her boyfriend Kip at the center of a mystery. Ever since Jamie's boyfriend came back to town someone is out to get him. As the new director of the parks services Kip is getting hassled. Jamie and her P.I. friend Duke are on the case. Someone better get this figure out quick because Kip ends up missing!

Peril in the Park is the 3rd book in the Jamie Quinn mystery series. Ms Venkataraman has written another well rounded cozy mystery. Jamie and her friends Grace and Duke are joined by her boyfriend Kip in this mystery. Listening to this story was like meeting up with old friends. Ms. Martz does a wonderful job with the narration keeping it consistent with the first 2 books in this series.

I would recommend this book to my friends who enjoy a light but well developed mystery. Ages 16+

A Ren faire, park vandalism, and a dead body!

Note: Although this is Book 3 in the series, it works fine as a stand alone.

Jamie Quinn, a divorce lawyer working in Hollywood, Florida, is on the case again. This time it is out of necessity and not a paid gig. Her boyfriend, Kip, works for the local parks service and he has a problem, or maybe a few. Someone keeps vandalizing the park and the potential suspects are more than he likes. But then things get more serious as a body turns up along with threatening emails.

Here we have yet another entertaining mystery from the talented Barbara Venkataraman and my favorite so far. Not only do we have Jamie (who is such an easy character to connect with) but we also have the great outdoors of Florida and a Renaissance festival (which Duke or Kip describes incorrectly as LARPers getting together and dressing up like they are in Medieval times, but hey, it’s within character)! Couple that with more than one mystery, and we have a pretty entertaining murder mystery.

Jamie has a lot on her plate in this book. Her boyfriend Kip has some unusual stresses in his life (the vandalism and more) that spill over into Jamie’s life. Then she is trying hard to work out a way to attain a Visa for her long-lost Cubano father who is currently exiled in Ecuador. Toss in a dead body and Jamie has a great need for caffeine to keep her going. I really liked all the different dimensions going in this tale, plus we have some new interesting characters. Kip works with an attractive Indian lady (who goes on to play a crucial role at the end of the book), Jamie’s father, and the unforgettable PI Duke Broussard.

While I found the ending satisfying, I did feel it was a bit rushed. Jamie made some leaps in logic that were not supported by facts known to the character at the time. I felt there needed to be a little more investigation, or perhaps character interaction that lead Jamie to figure out the whodunnits. Also, there as an incident with a stun gun that was used repeatedly and yet didn’t leave any marks. I think that is highly unlikely. With that said, I still found the book entertaining and definitely look forward to the next in the series.

The Narration: Martz once again was a good voice for Jamie. I am glad the author waited to work with Martz (as the book itself has been out for some months) instead of switching narrators. Her Hispanic accent started off pretty rough but got better as the story went on. Her Indian accent was great! as always, I love her slow drawl for Duke.

Book 3

If you could sum up Peril in the Park in three words, what would they be?

We are getting more about reluctant lawyer Jamie Quinn and the well-developed story lines keep getting better and better! I can't put the book down until I find out what really happened. The author has an entertaining writing style and I enjoy reading her stories very much.

Fun cozy mystery with southern charm.

Any additional comments?

Peril in the Park (A Jamie Quinn Mystery #3) by Barbara Venkataraman is an extremely entertaining cozy mystery. The series focuses on Jamie, who is a family law attorney, and quasi-private investigator. In this book Jamie is looking into the shenanigans that are troubling the local park system, and in turn, Jamie's new boyfriend, Kip Simons, who is the recently appointed director of Broward County parks. Not soon after she starts looking into the situation, Jamie receives essentially a death threat, a dead guy is found in the park, and Kip is kidnapped.

Like in the first book, Jamie hires her former client Duke to do some "real" private investigating. As an added bonus we find out that Jamie's father, a former Cuban freedom fighter, was legitimately married to her mother before her birth.

I listened to the Audible version of this book and really enjoy Jaime's sense of humor and internal thought process. Carrie Lee Martz's narration is very good. She easily portrays Jaime's thoughts and snarky comments, rather than merely reading a book. In short, the story moves quickly, is entertaining, and is pure brain candy. Definitely recommended!