Broken Bird

The Last Picks, Book 4

By: Gregory Ashe

Narrated by: Andrew Gibson

All’s fair in love and…publishing?

It’s nearly Christmas, and Dashiell Dawson Dane already has enough on his plate: finding a present for his parents, coming up with excuses not to hang the Christmas lights, and finishing this stupid story he’s been writing (okay, maybe he needs to start writing it). On top of all that, Bobby has been acting…well, strange. The last thing Dash needs, in other words, is to play host when Marshall Crowe—celebrity author and, worse, a friend of Dash’s parents—comes to town.

When Marshall dies in the middle of a public reading of his latest novel, Dash can’t bring himself to believe it was an accident, but he’s determined to stay away from the investigation. Until, that is, the prime suspect shows up on his doorstep, begging for his help. The catch? It’s the same woman who accused Dash, not so long ago, of murdering Vivienne Carver—Hastings Rock’s resident cozy mystery author, Pippi Parker. And helping Pippi might just be the death of Dash.

©2024 Gregory Ashe (P)2024 Gregory Ashe

Pippi's back to cause havoc

Pippi was a character in prior stories and she's back and in need of help from Dash and his sleuth ways. Bobby's recovery from his breakup with West but still doesn't want to see Dash in danger. Another great mystery from Gregory Ashe. Andrew Gibson is starting to grow on me. I'm starting to associate his voice with Dash and the gruff sounding Bobby. Know there is a lot more to come and looking forward to it.

Not my fave of the series, but still enjoyable

Having revisited this book in audio a couple of times now, it still doesn't entirely work for me, and that's largely due to Pippi's slapstick behavior. I run out of willing suspension of disbelief very quickly when someone marches into another person's home uninvited and doesn't immediately get tossed back out—and that was only the beginning. I also continue to feel that this shorter, episodic form doesn't fit Greg Ashe's skills as well as longer books do. I keep wanting more space for the mysteries to play out.

All that nitpicking aside, I'm enjoying the series. No doubt about that!

My thanks to the author for a complimentary copy of this audiobook.

Dash does it again....!!

Book 4 is another great mystery. Each story has a separate mystery that the MC, Dashiell Dawson Dane (Dash),is "talked" into solving. Each book gives us a better glimpse into all the characters that make up The Last Picks family and each narration by Andrew Gibson cements them into my heart.
This is #4 in a planned 12 book cosy mystery series all revolving around Dash and his merry band of Last Picks. All stories have been fabulous and listening to them really brings home the nuances of speech and character from the novels.
Start at Book #1 Mystery Magnet and get lost in Hemlock House (class V haunted mansion!!!) and Hastings Rock-I HIGHLY recommend it!!

Excellent Listen!

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Each one in the series gets better than the previous and are easy listens. The narration is great and Ashe writes a great story which allows the narration to sound believable. As always, the hallmarks of the series are intact: cakes, wonderful characters and a dead body. I enjoyed this over the course of a weekend and was sad when it ended but I’m looking forward to the next book already. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dash strikes again!

This is a delightful entry in the Last Picks MM cozy series. The mystery is interesting, the supporting characters are as quirkily funny as you could want, the mansion has even more secret passages, the romance is compelling, and the meta jokes about mystery subgenres all land. If you’re an Ashe fan, you won’t be disappointed. If you’re a future fan, check out ‘Mystery Magnet’, the first book in the series.