The Hanged Man's Noose

A Glass Dolphin Mystery

By: Judy Penz Sheluk

Narrated by: Suzanne T. Fortin

Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's Summary

Small-town secrets and subterfuge lead to murder in this fast-moving, deftly written tale of high-stakes real estate wrangling gone amok. 

Journalist Emily Garland lands a plum assignment as the editor of a niche magazine based in Lount’s Landing, a small town named after a colorful 19th-century Canadian traitor. As she interviews the local business owners for the magazine, Emily quickly learns that many people are unhappy with real estate mogul Garrett Stonehaven’s plans to convert an old schoolhouse into a mega-box store. At the top of that list is Arabella Carpenter, the outspoken owner of an antiques shop, who will do just about anything to preserve the integrity of the town’s historic Main Street. 

But Arabella is not alone in her opposition. Before long, a vocal dissenter at a town hall meeting about the proposed project dies. A few days later, another body is discovered, and although both deaths are ruled accidental, Emily’s journalistic suspicions are aroused. 

Putting her reporting skills to the ultimate test, Emily teams up with Arabella to discover the truth behind Stonehaven’s latest scheme before the murderer strikes again.

©2015 Judy Penz Sheluk (P)2017 Judy Penz Sheluk

A nice easy read.

This is a easy relaxing Mystery that you can enjoy anywhere you happen to be.It is a well constructed story with believable
characters.With a great Narrator you can be entertained and taken into this world and be satisfied that your time was spent well.



This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Who done it?

I loved the story and the characters. I look forward to more in this series. This book had me hooked from the start. The narrator great. I received this book as a gift in exchange for a honest review.

Another great mystery with lots to offer

Emily Garland has a personal reason for agreeing to a new assignment in Lount's Landing, where her boss wants her to keep an eye on the activities on Garrett Stonehaven. She heads to the small village outside Toronto as the new editor of a local magazine acquired recently by the company she works for.
Stonehaven has bought the old school building, initially to turn into a condo, but it soon transpires he has other plans. And that is when those who were once in support of his condo plans now start to voice concerns now opposing Stonehaven's "megabox" development. When one of the more vocal dissidents dies from a peanut allergy, then suspicions are raised. His allergy was well-known and he always carried an epi-pen, so how could his death have occurred?
By now, Emily has befriended Arabella Carpenter, owner of the antiques stores - The Glass Dolphin - as well as Johnny Porter, a key advocate for ensuring prosperity on the retailers on Main St. A second death only adds fuel to the rumours that something more nefarious is in play.
Together, Emily and Arabella ask questions, and when the answers are not forthcoming, a look into the past of some of the residents suggest that Stonehaven is up to his old tricks.
There are links aplenty, secrets galore, and a plethora of clues to follow as the duo's investigations truly takes hold.
Their blossoming friendship hits a few bumps as both Emily and Arabella have their own stories to tell, yet the determination - come what may - to get to the bottom of the deaths (of which there are more to come) leads them into danger.

The story develops at a good pace with an intriguing mix of characters - loyal friends, gossips, old-timers with hidden depths - all of whom are both entertaining and worthy of their places in the story.
A great mystery to follow, with plenty of clues to solve on the way. The ending works well, and leaves scope for more adventures. Another great mystery from Judy Penz Shulak, and the start of what will undoubtedly be an amazing series.
I received a copy from the author and have made the review voluntarily.

An especially great book!

In <strong>Hanged Man's Noose</strong> by Judy Penz Sheluk, Emily Garland has spent several years working as a freelance journalist focusing on real estate issues when she gets a special job offer from Michelle Ellis, her boss. She ends up leaving her home of Toronto to a small town 90 minutes northeast of Toronto named Lount's Landing and taking on editorship of the local paper, <em>Inside the Landing</em>. However, her real assignment is to secretly investigate developer Garrett Stonehaven, whom Emily secretly hates for what she is certain is unproven corruption. Now, in Lount's Landing, Stonehaven seems to be up to no good for another time. He has bought the old elementary school and plans to turn it into a big box store, but is he up to something else?

Then, Emily goes to the Sunrise Cafe for breakfast, and Carter Dixon, one of Stonehaven's biggest opponents in development, dies of a peanut allergy that everyone in Lount's Landing knows about. It doesn't take long before Emily discovers another body, and though both deaths are treated as accidental, Emily's suspicions grow. Emily soon makes friends with Arabella Carpenter, a woman about to open her own antique shop, The Glass Dolphin. Together, the two women join forces to fight the development and solve the mysterious deaths.

From the moment I pushed play on <strong>Hanged Man's Noose</strong>, I was drawn to it and pulled right in. The book posed plenty of excitement without being too intense. It makes financial issues actually interesting, even giving a clear explanation of the difference between a Ponzi Scheme and a pyramid scheme, making them both understandable even to a non- business mind. The book has creative discussions of the antiques in Arabella's shop, adding to the greater interest of the book.

In addition to the little details in finances and antiques, the plot was fascinating and dramatic. The many twists and turns taken by the book drew my focus and held onto my attention until the book concluded with an exciting confrontation with a murderer. The setting to the plot served even further to make the book clever.

In addition, the characters in this book seem real and round, and the book is filled with strong women, good and bad. . Emily is a tenacious researcher who never lets go and keeps plugging away as she uncovers fact after fact, in unexpected twists. Arabella serves as an excellent partner for Emily, somewhat suspicious but also a strong woman who fights for what she believes to be right. I appreciate her view on life that people mirror what pose as antiques: the real thing, replicas, pieces with added details to make them more valuable, and deliberate forgeries. However, she also makes the statement that all people are capable of true change if they really choose. These are just two of the many strong women in the book.

Suzanne T. Fortin performs the audio edition of this book, doing justice to the well-written book in helping to bring it to life. She uses strong, creative expressions in her performance as well as clever voices for each character. I really enjoyed the way Fortin made this book all the more effective than it already was.

I greatly enjoyed listening to <strong>The Hanged Man's Noose</strong>, which is named after the pub owned by Arabella's best friend, another strong woman. I liked the message of female empowerment and the very creative plot. Instead of one obvious murder, we are left wondering about a series of accidents. That proved to be a refreshing change from the usual. I look forward to the next book's in the series being produced on audio, though it will have a high bar to reach to match this one. I give the book five very bright stars!

<strong>Disclaimer:</strong> I received this book through Audiobook BOOM, but that had no effect on the content of my review.

One of the best cozy mysteries I've read

Journalist Emily Garland is hired by a big company to try to unearth the secrets and find out the real intentions of Garrett Stonehaven, a famous and rich real estate agent. She will have to work undercover in the small town of Lount’s Landing, as the editor of a niche magazine. Emily will have to do some sleuth work, and nothing is what it seems. From a point onwards bodies start to pile up, and this mission seems to be more dangerous than she expected.

I always enjoy a good cozy mystery. I find this genre relaxing and an easy listen, especially when there is much going on in real life. Even though I love this kind of books, I am sometimes bothered because it seems they need to include a romantic story, which seems forced most of the times. This doesn’t happen here. The main character has a small attraction for one of the male characters but that’s it. There’s no blabbering, forced conversations, nor unrealistic sex scenes.

In fact, I can say that this is one of the best cozy mysteries I have read. The characters feel like real people, with clear motivations and normal reactions. I liked exploring the business located in Main Street, with their colorful names, and charismatic owners.

The book had a good rhythm, and it was easy to get into it. People start dying quite soon in the story, and the intrigue was well built from the start. Nothing and nobody is what it seems, and I especially enjoyed trying to guess who and why was doing those things. It was a book that kept my attention until the end, and I enjoyed every moment of it.

Suzanne T. Fortin’s narration was correct. She delivered great characters’ interpretations, transmitting their emotions, and bringing them to life. I just missed some differentiation between voices. It’s like Fortin tried to make them sound different for the beginning of a paragraph, but soon after all voices blended in together, and male and female characters sounded quite similar. I had issues following several conversations between Emily and Arabella, Emily and her boss, and even Emily and one of the male characters, not really knowing who was talking and doing some guesswork that was not always right. But the interpretations and narration in general was good, so I enjoyed it.

I really liked this book, and would recommend it to anyone into cozy mysteries. It’s one of the best in the genre.

I received a copy of this book in audio format from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.

Recommended

I put off listening to this book because of the name even though the blurb made me get it originally.
Well l can tell you it was great. A real good murder mystery with a strong determined woman and a small country town. l also enjoyed the narration too. Recommended

Well done

Emily has a personal issue with the Stonehaven housing tycioon and his newest real estate development. She feels the toxic waste is what killed her mother. As a journalist what will she write and uncover. Well done, with good Narration. Given audio for my voluntary review

Wonderful book

This is a very well-written novel set in a fictional town outside of Toronto. Emily, an editor for a real estate magazine is asked to take an assignment in town to find out why a real estate developer, Garret Stonehaven was interested in the small community. Immediately, Emily is landed in intrigue and murder. Secrets are slowly revealed.

This novel kept me guessing until the very end. While the end result did not surprise me, I had not figured out the plot by the time of the reveal, so well done there! 

The narration was great, nice voice.

I very much enjoyed listening to the novel and look forward to listening or reading more by this author.

Good Mystery

I received a free copy. This is my unbiased review.

Author, Judy Penz Sheluk, created a believable charming town. Emily is sent there to snoop on a greedy man with a secret past. She has secrets of her own.

When someone in town murders the opposition, Emily digs into the area’s long buried past to discover the murderer.

I enjoyed Suzanne T. Fortin’s portrayal of the characters. She has a soothing, clear, and even- keel voice. Nothing was exaggerated.

There were a few unnecessary scenes that slowed the pace and threatened to bore me, however, overall the story kept my interest.

Loved it

I really enjoyed this book. The mystery was well crafted. The characters are relatable and likable. The plot was well developed and moves at a great pace with well place clues and red herrings. I look forward to the next in the series.

I listened to the audio version of this book. The narrator does a great job of bringing the story and characters to life. She brings each character's personality off the page. I had no problems following which character was speaking.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, and in no way, I have been influenced by anyone.

A great mystery

Small town, dark secrets, and murder all come together in the masterfully crafted mystery. A delightful novel. I totally enjoyed listening to this audiobook.

Hanged Man's noose

It is somewhat a quirky mystery that turned out to be very enjoyable. The book has too many characters with too much background information to keep straight in such a short story.

Good storyline

Was a bit dragged out with a lot of unnecessary detailed description which took away from the characters, I still enjoyed the book however it was a good read

Cracking Murder mystery

I am a sucker for a good small town murder mystery and this is a superb one. Great characters, well constructed mystery, unexpected culprit, a little love interest and a nice ending. I loved it. Narration is excellent bringing the story to life. I look forward to listening to the follow up. I received a complimentary copy from the author and am leaving a honest voluntary review.

Hanged Man's Noose

Good narrative and easy to listen too - will the girl ever get the guy?

Throughly enjoyed this book !

Excellent book had read others in the "series' and went back as I had missed this one . Listened on all of my car journeys some too short I discovered as didn't want to sop listening!

The Hangmans Noose

Another Good story By Judy Penz Sheluk. I read the second book in the series before this one and having enjoyed that one looked forward to reading this one, I was not disappointed. The storyline is good and goes along at a fair pace, the characters are well developed and believable. The narration is very good with different voices for each character making the book much easier to follow. Highly recommended.
I was given the copy of the book at my request and have left this honest and voluntary review.

Trust no-one & eat shortbread

I received a free advanced copy to listen to and freely offer this review.

An entertaining mystery looking into the murky world o real estate. Believable Characters and locations, lots of twists and turns building to a suitable climax.

an enjoyable and easy listen.

The glass isn't half full

I enjoyed this book. It is the the first book by this author I have listened to but I have already downloaded the next book. Mainly because it was a good mystery and I didn't see who the killer was. The story is told by two characters so you get information and clues from two perspectives. They is a lot of characters so didn't always keel them straight but it did make it interesting, plenty of suspects. I think the characters will over time and each book grow to be likeable people.
Emily is given a new assignment as the editor of a magazine, her real job is to work out what Garrett Stonehaven a developer wants with a small town. Emily and Garrett have a history so she jumps at the chance to find any dirt on the man she blames for her Mother's death. The problem is Lount's landing is anything but a sleepy town and the town is divided into two camps the ones that love his ideas for main street and the one's against. Within days of arriving there are two deaths but were they really accidents? Emily's reporter nose tells her no. She quickly makes friends with the new owner of the glass dolphin shop, Arabella who is firmly against the planes but can't tell her the real reason she took the job. Can the pair work out who was behind the murders and if it does have anything to do with development plans. With a small town there is plenty of gossip, history and secrets to uncover.
I liked the narrator and thought she gave different voices to different characters making them easy to tell apart.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

The Hanged mans noose

I loved it!There was so many twists and turns I could barely keep up!The characters were well developed and I look forward to reading more with Emily in bk 2. Suzanne T. Fortin was a very good narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.'