Secrets, Lies and Fireflies

Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries, Book 14

De: Angie Fox

Narrado por: Hollie Jackson

Verity’s family tree has deep roots… and deadly secrets. Some families pass down antiques or china. Verity’s family? They can’t seem to pass up a good mystery. So when Verity’s dearly departed grandmother drops by unexpectedly, Verity is overjoyed—until she learns Grandma Didi is back with a chilling request tied to a cherished family heirloom.

With the help of her ghostly sidekick Frankie—who is too busy declaring her grandmother his ultimate nemesis—Verity traces a trail of clues from her beloved family home to a forgotten suffragette hideout to a secret enclave hidden in the Sugarland Library itself.

But every discovery pulls Verity deeper into danger, and some in Sugarland will stop at nothing to keep the past buried. If Verity isn’t careful, she could lose more than her family legacy—she could end up following her grandmother to the other side.

©2025 Angie Fox (P)2025 Angie Fox

Doesn't disappoint

Excellent story, new chara ters are believable and old characters are still as interesting as always.

New narrator!

The book was good. I just wish I had noticed that there was a new narrator before I bought it. Miss the old one bit everyone says that when there is a change I guess.

what a difference a narrator makes.

narration took away from the story, so not sure if I would of liked the story better with previous narrator, but I will read it to see if I enjoy the story.

Love it! Suffragettes, Bootleggers and Mystery!!!

I see a lot of negative reviews due to changing narrarators and I have to admit that I felt the same way in the beginning but decided so listen anyway. I got used to the different narrator doing Verity's voice, Frankie still bugged me and the rest were fine. BUT this story is awesome and so worth the listen/read!!!
The history of her family, the suffragettes, the bootleggers, the mystery... it was all part of a great story. It seems like this story was tying up the end of a series. Sad to see it go if that's the case but it's a good ending if it is, I've listened to them all and love them all!!

One of my favorite series!

This is one of my favorite series and I really think this needs to be a TV show! So much spooky and awesome content! I was wary when I saw there was a new narrator but she did a great job, especially with Frankie. She also sounded more southern and appropriate to Verity’s age.

(Spoilers) I was so happy for the long-awaited arrival of the grandmother! Very clever for her to emerge from the light to guide Melody and then instead help Verity save her. One of my favorite things about this series is that most plots take place from long ago and the 1920s is so enchanting! The rivalry between Didi and Frankie was amazing and the plot was very compelling. I love the twist of the suffs making and selling moonshine! I also loved that Lucy joined the fight this time and essentially saved Verity and Ellis. I would have preferred more Ellis but I get that the focus was more on Didi in this one. I lowkey suspected Lucas early on but wasn’t positive. The writer highlighted well how greed and ambition can warp a person. Sugarland is such a cool place despite all the ghosts haha. I really wish I could visit there!

Highly recommend this book, especially for this time of year. Such great characters and writing. I hope to see it become a TV series someday! 👻

So, It's a Little Different, But Still Really Good

So, it's a little bit different - it's always unsettling when you're used to one person narrating, and suddenly that person changes. I loved Tavia Gilbert's interpretation, and honestly - it's hard to hear anyone else's voice as Frankie, the German (I've always said she IS Frankie). I didn't want that to change, and I don't know why it did, but I really wanted to give it a fair chance. I've always liked Hollie Jackson's snappy presentation in other series - she's just different than what we expected here. It felt really jarring at first, but once I settled into the story and got more used to Hollie reading instead of Tavia, she still did do a really good job. Frankie was only a little different, but it would be difficult to make him sound identical to the Frankie we're used to. I think my only observation would be to tone down the southern accents a little bit, which she does seem to do as the book progresses. The story is as engaging and entertaining, as usual. Verity did seem a little more oblivious than usual, but it is, overall, another great entry to this series. Even with a different narrator, I can still honestly say I can't wait until the next one!

New narrator but it worked

Secret, Lies, and Fireflies is book 14 in the Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries. I loved this addition to the series. I loved all of the history and Verity finding out more about her ancestors. My favorite part of these books is that I have been listening to the series for so long that each time a new one comes out, it is like returning home and visiting old friends.

I was surprised to hear that Tavia Gilbert didn’t narrate this book, as she has done the first 13 books, but I think the new narrator did a great job. She made it as seamless of a transition as possible. It is certainly a credit to the author that even though Verity didn’t sound like Tavia’s Verity, she still sounded like herself in personality and mannerisms. I think the continuity in character helped the new narrator to slide right in as Verity’s new voice. I do miss how Tavia did Frankie’s voice though. The new narrator didn’t quite nail how I expect him to sound. Overall, though, the narration was great. She was easy to listen to. She did voice acting like we are used to hearing during the parts where Verity is in trouble and had a pleasant voice. So, while I am disappointed to not hear Tavia since I adore her work, I think the narrator they chose was a good fit. Overall, I give this book 5 stars.

Disappointed

I have listened to every book in this series and I love it,or did. Not a fan of the new narrator. I’m not sure I’ll listen to another one.

Too disappointing for words….

I have to join the league of readers who object to the new narrator. There are three series I listen to periodically from beginning to end, and this is one of them. I have all of the current books, both in print and on audio, and I have listened to the audiobooks several times. I will most likely listen to them again, but not this particular book.

There is nothing wrong with this recording. I am unfamiliar with Ms Jackson’s other work, and the main reason for the low score on performance is that there’s no other way to express my disappointment in the change of narrators. I love this series and enjoyed the book’s story line; however, the change in character voices (especially Frankie’s) is too extreme and abrupt for me. My experience has been that it’s rarely good when the narrator changes in the middle of a series, and this change just didn’t work for me. It will be print versions only for this series going forward.

It appears this is a permanent change. Ms Jackson is shown as the narrator for the next book, and the first book in the series has been re-recorded with her as narrator. Anyone just beginning the series might love the new audio versions as much as I love the originals. After all, it’s a matter of personal taste.

Caution - Preview the narration before purchasing the audiobook

I rarely say anything negative about books that I listen to or read because I am always grateful for the author’s creativity, effort, commitment, and willingness to share their talent with the world. Sadly, I could barely make it through this book 14 in the series. While I truly enjoyed audiobooks 1-13, I think the narration for #14 is significantly influencing my review.
To me, the narration was awful. The main character was portrayed as whiny with communication style that was over the top for the entire book. The vocal inflections made me think of a petulant teenager rather than a strong adult woman. The only reason I made it to the end was because I kept hoping the story could draw me in enough to forget about the voice. And while I do think the story was quite good with a very interesting premise, I spent the last 5 hours of the book praying for it to be over. (Yes I could have stopped and returned the book, but that impacts the author’s finances.) If I had time to read a physical book I would have stopped the audio and purchased the book.