Reel of Fortune

By: Jana DeLeon

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's Summary

Nothing says Welcome Home like a murder.

It’s official. Fortune Redding is out of the CIA and a newly minted resident of Sinful, Louisiana. She never expected her homecoming to be all apple pie and hugs, but a murder wasn’t on her list of things to deal with before she’d even gotten her name stenciled on her mailbox. 

Boone Carre-Hooch, to the locals - was a drunk and a louse and had shafted pretty much everyone he’d ever done business with. So when someone kills him, there is no shortage of suspects. Unfortunately, Ally is at the top of the list.

Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie know that Ally isn’t capable of murdering anyone, but with an ambitious ADA looking to make a name for himself, and the local gossip train intent on finding someone to blame, they know they have to find the killer and clear Ally’s name.

©2018 Jana DeLeon (P)2019 Audible, Inc.

My go to feel good series!

I love Ida and Gertie! They are like a modern Lucy and Ethel minus Ricky and Fred but with a military background! LOL I love fortune to! She really adds something wonderful to all of the books and I think she inspires these two women to not just sit around and knit booties and get old! LOL I am even warming up to Carter and think he would be good for fortune! The author has done a really good job at making these characters likable and well rounded! You can actually like these characters and cheers throughout the whole book for them! That plus a great plot makes a great series big thumbs up for Jana! You can read these books as standalone’s, but really, once you warm up to these characters I think you will want to go back and read the series from the beginning. Just like I did!

more of the same!

Like the earlier books in this series story is all to familiar , characters with little development, and less laughter evoked .

Great characters; fun mystery

Book 12 in the Miss Fortune (Fortune Redding) series continues the mystery and fun as Fortune finally comes out to the tiny town of Sinful, Louisiana as an ex-CIA agent. As always the characters, especially the four main characters Fortune, her two geriatric ex-spy friends Ida Belle and Gertie, and her sheriff's deputy boyfriend Carter, are so vivid they jump off the page. Fortune plans to become a private investigator, but she does not allow the lack of a license to keep her from investigating and solving a murder before the police can.

Author Jana DeLeon is a marvel of writing very different types of mysteries. The Miss Fortune series consists of light mysteries with a comedic twist. Her Shaye Archer series consists of dark psychological mysteries.

Cassandra Campbell narrates superbly as usual.

annoying

I found Fortune to be a bit more sarcastic and snooty after she return to Sinful after her departure from the CIA. It was annoying that she talked down to everyone. Annoying!!!

Needs better editing

I’m not sure if the written book has errors or if the narrator misread, but there were mistakes. Fortune talks about having frozen beer and pizza. (Rather than beer and frozen pizza). And at one time the names Carter and Walter got mixed up. It doesn’t change the plot, just distracting. Otherwise, the book is fine.

Love me some Sinful, but be prepared to be “said” to death

I love Jana DeLeon’s stories and this one was just as fun as the others. I noticed however, every other dialogue tag felt like it was “said.” Listening via Audible, it becomes somewhat annoying to hear it pop up over and over and over. As much as I enjoy the narrator’s stellar performance, this one might have been better read to skip over all the “saids” littering this detective tale.

So glad for new editions, but

I noticed at least six instances where the narrator used the wrong name or mixed up the words.

One other thing... when is Carter ever going to stand up for Fortune when Celia calls her a slut. Not OK regardless of how neutral he’s trying to be. Or why doesn’t Fortune sue Celia for slander and defamation of character? Guess it’s an underdog storyline but in the Me Two days it’s becoming tiresome.

4 Stars!

4 Stars! Reel of Fortune is book 12 in A Miss Fortune Mystery series. The series is set in Sinful, Louisiana, USA and follows Fortune, who up until book 12 is a CIA assassin in hiding, and old ladies Gertie and Ida Belle, who are lifelong Sinful residents and ex-spy war veterans, as they help solve a string of various crimes and murders.

This series is the first series of Cozy Mystery books that I have read. This is a new-to-me genre and I am hooked. Once I listened to the first book, I couldn't stop. So far, I have been listening to all of the books back to back and I'm not quite ready to stop.

I recommend reading/listening to these books in order since each book builds upon the prior book's story and it makes it much more entertaining and enjoyable to go in order. I'm sure you could still enjoy these books as standalone but it won't be the same.

Reel of Fortune starts a whole new life for Fortune. She is finally out of the CIA and has returned to Sinful to begin her life. She lets the townspeople in on her real identity and of course receives mixed reactions. In this book she has to start figuring our what to do with her life now that she is a civilian. Of course, nothing stays quiet in Sinful for long. This time, there is a murder and Ally is at the top of the suspect list even though everyone knows sweet, innocent Ally could never murder anyone. Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie jump right into investigation mode to try to solve the murder before it gets pinned on the wrong person.

If you like books with a big dose of humor, this is the series for you. I have found myself laughing out loud too many times to count.

The same narrator reads for the whole series. She typically does a good job but this time she made errors such as incorrect words read, using the wrong character name, and her pronunciation was a bit off. It surprised me. I do like that her voices are consistent from book to book.

Not for me

I tried.
God knows I tried.
But i just could not wrap my head around the characters much less the elusive story line.
Sorry

Sinful Redux

This is a formula repeat of prior series books. A good visit with some old friends but nothing new or insightful about red neck craziness.

Cassandra Harris Makes Sinful Believable....Again!

Sinful's own Three Musketeers (3Ms)are at it again! When an unpopular resident dies and Ally is blamed, they kick into action (along with Gerties purse/handbag) and set out to find the culprit.
Carter is there (but no emotional hoo-ha) and I am starting to like him a lot more. He is becoming more three dimensional, and not just a foil for Fortune. And yes, he still turns up right on cue when the 3Ms are in major trouble, have caught someone suspect, or are about to delve into the shadier side of things.
Celia is so objectionable her reaction to finding out Fortune is not SandySue is a classic.
Deputy Bro/Brogh/Brow (sorry, Audible version, so don't know correct spelling) also has one scene that shows his character a little more.

Cassandra Harris is the most fabulous narrator. Each character has a different and believable voice. How she manages the multiperson conversations I will never know. Such a talented lady and without whom, I would not want to listen to any more of the series. Full Stop.

This Series Needs to be Televised!

This has got to be the most heartwarming, and hysterical volume of the Miss Fortune series! It’s a cross between The Golden Girls and an NCIS clone! Just the right type of novel to cheer you up with its lighthearted, improbable incidents!

The author’s writing style is infectious, just like the humour. I look forward to each new episode in the series...

Great book, I would love to see into Jana's brain, FASCINATING

I would recommend this book but would strongly recommend listening to the books in order, as there so funny.

Great!

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, found myself smiling and laughing a good portion of the book. Jana has a great knack of making the people in her books come alive! Cassandra’s narration is perfect.