Dolphin Bay Cozy Mysteries Boxed Set 1 (Books 1-3)

Murder Mystery Anthology with Recipes

De: Leena Clover

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

'I hung at the edge of my seat to find out who done it.'

Widowed cafe owner Anna Butler uncovers shocking secrets from her past as she tries to prove she did not murder her husband. Packed with twists and turns you never saw coming, every book in this series leaves readers wanting more.

Leena Clover presents a heartwarming cozy mystery series about family, friendship and the pursuit of a lifelong dream.

Recently widowed Anna Butler is busy testing cupcake recipes, trying to cope with the loss of her beloved husband. When the license for her dream cafe is rejected, Anna realizes the local mayor will never stop making her life difficult. The formidable woman has already turned half the town against her, all because she has a silly notion that Anna killed her husband.

Aided by her quirky friends, the Firecrackers, and her daughter, a has-been Hollywood star, Anna will move heaven and earth to solve the mystery behind her husband's death. The debonair ex-police chief is a big help and it doesn't hurt that he has a soft spot for her.

If you like cozy mysteries featuring strong women, small beach towns, yummy food and a dash of romance, you will fall in love with the Dolphin Bay series.

Includes the titles -

RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE MURDER

ORANGE THYME DEATH

APPLE CARAMEL MAYHEM

Also, an exclusive never-seen-before interview with Anna Butler and RECIPES!
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Available in paperback and large print.

Heteronym Problems

I enjoyed the story despite the virtual narration. The biggest issue for me is wrong pronunciation choice for heteronyms - this is very jarring and stops the flow of the story. I can even ignore the flat narration, but please have someone listen and make corrections prior to release.

I couldn't finish it!

I choose this boxed set as it was part of Audible's Plus Catalog. I was trying to build up some credits and I frequently find some really good books & authors in the Plus Catalog. This was not the case. I got through the first book, I am a couple of chapters into the 2nd book and just can't continue. I had hoped things would improve as book 1 went on, or even when we got to book 2. It did not.

I initially thought it was the flat narration from the virtual narration that rubbed the wrong way. As it is just reading words off a page. Normally an audio book has a narrator that has adds some depth to voice of the characters. The reality is the writing is just bad. The characters have no depth. The main characters are Anna, a late 50's (maybe early 60's) widow who runs a bookstore and her daughter Cassie. A twice divorced, late 30's Oscar winning actress. These are grown ass adults that run around behaving as if they are still in high school. Their conversations with each other, their friends, and the town folk are as if they are in junior high. All the characters have conversations like this. The friends have these school girl spats bickering with each other. The mother, Anna, talks to her daughter as if she is 16, giving her a list of chores to do each day. Have no clue how this book store stay open, as Anna is never there and constantly telling her daughter to go mind the store. Timelines are all over the place and unrealistic. It is all very annoying.

The basic story line for book #1 is not bad. Boy accused of killing his girlfriend, who had a secret double life. A friend of the family (Anna) helps solve the case. But Anna has no prior history of solving mysteries, sleuthing or even a great relationship the local enforcement prior to this case. She hadn't even spoken to the old friend (the mother of the boy) in years. Why the mother would call Anna to help in the first place is bigger mystery.