Telling Lies

A Sam Mason Mystery, Book 1

By: L. A. Dobbs

Narrated by: Rudy Sanda

Length: 5 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

The small police force of White Rock, New Hampshire is still reeling from the death of Officer Tyler Richardson when they are called to the scene of the accidental drowning of an out-of-town camper. But Chief Sam Mason and Sergeant Jody Harris soon discover the drowning was no accident. Someone murdered Lynn Palmer and staged the scene to make it look that way.

With a pool of suspects who aren't telling the truth and a corrupt mayor who wants the case solved yesterday, Sam and Jo follow a puzzling trail of clues with a surprise ending. And when a stray dog points them in the right direction, Sam discovers the killer is closer than he thought.

Just when Sam and Jo think they can rest after having solved Lynn's murder, a shocking discovery proves that sometimes even those you trust can be telling lies.

©2017 Leighann Dobbs Publishing (P)2017 Tantor

Interesting light murder mystery

This novel is interesting mostly because it is set in New Hampshire (unusual), but it is not worth the price. Police chief Sam Mason solves the case in an unusual way; he tricks the killer into confessing. I'll skip future novel in the series.

Disappointed

I would have stopped listening well before except that I did want to know who committed the crime. The story line was believable, if a bit formulaic. The characters were barely two dimensional and the stray dog was a much more developed character than most of the others. What was most disappointing was the narrators sloppiness. He mispronounced the name of the county in which the story was set and his attempts at a rural NH accent were embarrassing.

More of a Cozy Mystery

This has lots of potential, but it's not quite there yet. The characters are likable and genuine for the most part, but they aren't as fleshed out as I prefer. Then again, this book isn't as long as most mysteries either. The dog is cute and adds quite a bit to the story. But I'll admit I assumed she was a trained K-9, not a stray. (Please don't call me "stray-phobic" for assuming more of her.)

The basic storyline is good, but again, it just felt like the soup was a little thin. I want more substance. Less repetitiveness would also be great. There were several times the story backtracked on itself for no particular reason. One example of this was the concept that the dog would probably be euthanized in a shelter. The characters had one conversation about it, then had a nearly identical conversation a couple of chapters later.

I don't mean to be bashing this story. It was cute, and clean- much like a cozy mystery. Readers who prefer shorter stories will appreciate the fact that this audiobook is a little over 5 hours long. Be prepared to change the speed of the playback, though. For my ears, it was a little slow, which can make a great book seem dull.

So, if you're a fan of cozy mysteries, novellas, clean stories, and especially books with dogs in them, you'll probably enjoy this book. I'm looking forward to seeing more from this author. I think the bones are good, I just want more meat on them.

Story OK, but perhaps better read than via audio

The characters were acceptable, but the plot includes dubious police procedures. Sticklers will find things to criticize. My least favorite aspect is the narrator. He may be an acquired taste. His style is distinctive, and I found it jarring. Important to use an audio app where you can adjust the reading speed.

Cute story

Overall, not a bad listen. The only thing, I don’t know if it’s a New England thing but the cadence of the narrator almost made me turn it off. Finishing was a struggle.

Kept Me Guessing

A solid story line that kept me guessing. I will definitely listen to the series!!

Spoiled for Me

The plot would have been okay without the completely impossible feats of the dog who was an essential element to it.
Plus I detest a novel having a hook at the end for the next in the series. When this happens I never buy the next book.
Otherwise it was an easy and enjoyable read.

Gives small town police forces a bad name

The inefficient police work is too bad to list. Great dog but otherwise boring

Not so much

I feel like is more suited for middle schoolers. I can’t decide if it’s the story itself or the narrator. It has so much potential, but I couldn’t go on to the next book.

Great dog!

Really enjoyed Lucy and her intelligence and looking forward to seeing how her character develops.

Telling Lies, L.A.Dobbs

A super 5 star author. A great 'who done it' story and I enjoyed this book, so much that I will be buying more of this series.
Whilst listening to the brilliant narration, of characters throughout this book by, Rudy Sanda, it was excellent. His pronunciation was really enjoyable, as I am an English person and find some American readers not as easy to listen to as Rudy, because although we British speak and read the same language as Americans our words and meanings vary so much.