The Stiff in the Study

Viola Roberts Cozy Mysteries, Book 2

By: Shéa MacLeod

Narrated by: Yvette Keller

Viola Roberts is at it again! The sleepy seaside town of Astoria, Oregon is the last place you'd expect to find a dead body. That is until the director of the local museum turns up dead in the study and Viola's friend, Portia, is accused of the crime. Viola ignores her looming deadline and bout of writer's block and sets out with her best friend, Cheryl, to solve the murder. From starting riots at local dive bars to breaking into crime scenes, Viola will stop at nothing to prove Portia innocent even if it means putting herself in the cross-hairs of the killer.

©2016 Shéa MacLeod (P)2017 Shéa MacLeod

A Return to Scooby Type Mysteries

This book calls itself a cozy mystery. I call it a return to nostalgia. I was looking for a great dane throughout the book. An amateur detective with a group of friends gets stuck in the middle of a mystery. From the description of the main character I was seeing in my mind's eye "Velma Dinkley" the entire time.

The narrator's voice is soft and intellectual, and seemed almost as if this book was written for the voice itself. It reminded me of Velma Dinkley (Scooby Doo) or the voice they use for the Nancy Drew Video games of which my sister is a connoisseur. Thus my brain kept expecting a "Jinkies" (Velma) or an "I'm on the case!" (Nancy).

I'm hoping to get my hands on the next installment, if only to hear that voice again and go seeking for the words that my brain keeps crying out to hear. Also, there usually comes a point when amateur detectives are accepted (usually grudgingly) by the police. I want to see if or when or how long it takes with this series.

stiff was just what this victim was . . . in life

Viola's back. She brings her nose of the truth and protecting her friends. This too was another quick mystery that almost get Ms. Roberts killed, yet again. I still feel like Yvetter Keller does a fab job with the narration. She has it in the bag. Her voice matches the cozy mystery vibe. The story gives you a glimpse at Viola her writing or lack of writing her new book, her boyfriend or not, her friends, her life at home, the detectives without a clue, and much more.

Fun story

Simple and enjoyable. I'm not too worried about inconsistencies or re-use of phrases and words, therefore I found it fun to follow along with the narrator's smooth and energetic voice.

The Stiff in the Study

The Story: 4 stars
Viola Roberts is back, and once again finds herself caught up with murder investigation - this time in the bid to clear her friend Portia's name.Viola always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when there are dead bodies concerned, and there is never a dull moment that is for sure. This was a great little clean cozy mystery that you can get lost in for a few hours. I loved how Lucas - Viola's sort-of love interest from book one is still on the scene and how he gets roped into the situations along with her BFF Cheryl.

I noticed though that there were a couple of loose ends that remain unresolved -the black SUV for one, and again there was a moment when Viola has spoken to Portia who said she wishes she had killed The Louse and later when Viola visits Portia in jail, they have the same conversation all over again as if it never happened the first time. Maybe this a quirk that Shéa MacLeod has, whilst it does't impact majorly on the story, it certainly is memorable to the reader/listener that we have a sense of déjà vu....

The Narration: 5 stars
I am so glad that Yvette Keller is back and narrating this book, she is just perfect for these characters. Again she brings them to life and injects the realness of the situations that Viola gets herself into with humor.

overall - 5 stars

Why can't the police investigate?

Yvetter Keller does a great job with the narration. Her voice lends great depth to the characters which were smart and funny.

Our amateur sleuth is romance writer that has a bad case of writer’s block. Her BFF is accused of murder and the police do not seem interested in solving the crime, just closing it.

I found the story to be entertaining but I was having a hard time believing the sleuth was a writer.

The sticking points for me were: Why didn’t the police analyze the wine glass & get prints from it & DNA from the lipstick?