Taking Out the Trash

The Estelle Watkins Mysteries, Book 1

By: Tristi Pinkston

Narrated by: Veleka Gray

Length: 4 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's Summary

Murder is rotten. Genteel Southern lady Estelle Watkins didn't expect to find a little surprise in her trash can, and she certainly didn't expect her son to get accused of murder. Determined to save him from spending the rest of his life on death row - or worse - she's thrown into the middle of an investigation along with Vera, her next-door neighbor and faithful sidekick. Their methods are a bit unusual, but never underestimate a woman on a mission to protect her son....

©2017 Tristi Pinkston (P)2018 Tristi Pinkston

Narrator really brings this story to life!

Estelle Watkins is leading an uneventful life in the suburbs - until a body is discovered in her household trash. When her son is subsequently charged with murder, Estelle and her feisty neighbour, Vera, join forces in a campaign to clear his name. Their adventure finds them in situations, which they are totally unqualified to handle, but, through a mixture of brazen inventiveness and good luck, they are able to track down the real killer and rescue Estelle's son.

Amateur detective fiction is a very crowded genre, but the particular strength of this book is the charm and appealing ineptitude of the lady sleuths. While the detecting lacks the complexity of an Agatha Christie novel, there are more than enough twists in the story to keep the reader well engaged.

What really lifts this audiobook above the pack is the superb quality of the narration. Voice characterisations are well-defined and the delivery is beautifully paced.

In short - great fun for any listener who wishes to be entertained. Highly recommended.

fun book!

I loveved this book. it was so funny and fun. Tristi has such a great sense of humor. I recommend this to anyone who needs a laugh and some excitement to go with it. I loved the narrator. the voices were great!

Hilarious cozy!

We listened to this on a family road trip, and everybody loved it! So, so funny, and kept you on the edge of your seat. The narrator perfectly voiced the characters, with well-executed subtle hits on the hilarity. I'm not seeing more audiobooks in the series yet, but I'm really hoping there will be more. Highly recommend.

Cozy mystery

This is my first book by Pinkston. It was generally a cute story. I enjoyed it. Two little old ladies trying to solve a murder of one of their sons. They help a private investigator to solve the crime.

Great summer story

I enjoyed the antics between the main character and her best friend. I found myself giggling several times. I thought the book had nice pacing, but the conclusion was a little abrupt. The narrator wasn’t as convincing doing male voices, but the denial characters were perfect. This was a perfect story for a fun, quick listen when I was driving across the state.

Great fun!

Taking Out the Trash is such a fun, light-hearted, entertaining mystery! It had me smiling and laughing the entire time. This a a fabulous book to listen to when you’re having a bad day and need a pick-me-up. Veleka Gray did a great job with the voices. Highly recommend!

Fun Cozy Mystery

I listened to the audio version of this book and the narrator sounded just like I would envision Estelle. If you read or listen to this book you need to go in knowing that it is a light, cozy mystery and not a deep, dark story. I kept envisioning a mystery TV show about two zany old ladies out to find the real killer and it made me laugh. So, if you can call a murder mystery cute, this was. And I didn't guess who the villain really was. I had no clue.

Sex: no
Language: no
Violence: perilous situations

Just enjoy the ride.

*I received a complimentary copy of this audio book and voluntarily chose to review it.

Hilarious cozy mystery

I loved this book. It was cozy mystery at its best with two inept senior citizens trying to solve a murder to keep the son of the heroine, Estelle Watkins, out of prison. The writing was laced with laugh-out-loud humor, delivered brilliantly and with obvious delight by Veleka Gray.