Death by Didgeridoo

A Jamie Quinn Mystery

By: Barbara Venkataraman

Narrated by: Carrie Lee Martz

Reluctant lawyer, Jamie Quinn, still reeling from the death of her mother, is pulled into a game of deception, jealousy, and vengeance when her cousin, Adam, is wrongfully accused of murder. It's up to Jamie to find the real murderer before it's too late. It doesn't help that the victim is a former rock star with more enemies than friends, or that Adam confessed to a murder he didn't commit.

©2013 Barbara Venkataraman (P)2014 Barbara Venkataraman

Introducing Jamie Quinn

Jamie Quinn is such a likable character. I listened to the second book in the series first but was happy to go back and listen to the beginning. Jamie and Duke are such interesting characters. I hope to continue listening to Jamie's evolving life.

Audiobook provided for an honest review.

A Good quick read.

I enjoyed listening to this story. However, I wasn't able to get completely "sucked in". I did enjoy the realistic interpretation of cousin Adam. The voice was easy to pay attention to. I would recommend this for people who want an easy read or light crime novel.

Death by Didgeridoo

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Too short--need a meatier novel

What do you think your next listen will be?

The next book in the series

Did Carrie Lee Martz do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes--different voices

Did Death by Didgeridoo inspire you to do anything?

No

Any additional comments?

Jamie Quinn blunders through this very short mystery series in her attempt to find her niche in the world after the death of her beloved mother. Jamie is a so-so divorce lawyer who has been cast adrift following her mother's death. Then misfortune lands in her lap when her 22-year-old cousin with Asperger's Syndrome is arrested for murder. Jamie jumps into the case when the state's attorney, Nick, fails to see that Adam could not have committed the crime. Jamie narrates the story, so the reader is privy to her every thought. Quirky characters ran rampant in the pages, but need further development. I liked and disliked the title of the book. The title is very unique, and presented a learning opportunity, but many readers will be discouraged from reading due to the title and not being able to pronounce or know what the word means

A fun, witty, cozy mystery!

Death By a Didgeridoo
Jamie Quinn is a practicing lawyer. A detective walks in & asks if she is representing a young man named Adam. Jamie says yes & learns Adam (her cousin) is a murder suspect. Jamie explains it isn't possible because while Adam may be 22 in real life, in reality he is much younger as he suffers from Asperger's Syndrome. The detective explains that Jamie had stated it was all his fault & he was sorry because he did a very bad thing. Jamie sets out to prove her cousin is innocent.
We follow along with Jamie and a private investigator that owes her a favor, as they put all the pieces of the puzzle together.
This is a very fun & witty mystery. The plot was excellent. I was completely trying to figure out who the real murderer was. The author, Barbara Venkataraman, did an awesome hob at entertaining me.The narrator, Carrie Lee Martz was great! Carrie does an awesome drunk voice and a really good voice for Adam too! I think this would be a great family book to listen to during a holiday get together, maybe while a turkey is cooking.

Cousins to the rescue

What did you love best about Death by Didgeridoo?

The family coming together in support of Adam.

What did you like best about this story?

Duke ... Duke is awesome.

What didn’t you like about Carrie Lee Martz’s performance?

There was nothing to like about her performance.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

A the mother of aspergers child, I did not like the way the narrator portrayed Adam. HOWEVER, I do like the way the author wrote him, very well done and fairly accurate.

Any additional comments?

I received this story for free in exchange for an honest review.

Well Done Carrie and Barbara!

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this audio book, also like writer’s writing style and appreciate short chapters. Story also maintained good humor and exceptional character development. Story actually takes you a ride to murder mystery. The best thing I can relate to the characters and kept me guessing till end. Can’t wait to read Mrs. Venkataraman other works. I highly recommend this novel. I enjoyed Carrie Lee Martz reading technique. Well Done Carrie and Barbara!

Cute, but awkward

A cute, quick mystery. Venkataraman writes fun dialogue and believable detail, for a novelette with a weekday-evening crime show feel. Cute, quick, a bit formulaic but fun.

I'm a tad perplexed by Carrie Lee Martz's performance on this series, having been curious enough that I looked up the second. An actress and voiceover artist with some work under her belt, her professional demos and narration performance seem somewhat at odds with each other. Her delivery of some of the dialogue was charming, but she didn't seem to have a feel for the semi-sardonic flow of the text. As a result, it came across a bit stilted and awkward.

Worth a listen, or maybe better picking up as a Kindle edition... a reasonable brain candy book for the car or the train.

Mystery

What did you like best about Death by Didgeridoo? What did you like least?

Good story. It is a good mystery but predtable. I did figure it out before the end. There are enough clues early on.

Would Have Been Better in eBook or Print Format

What did you like best about Death by Didgeridoo? What did you like least?

I did like the main character and thought her story had promise.

Would you recommend Death by Didgeridoo to your friends? Why or why not?

Probably not this audio version. It would be better in print or eBook format. It was an OK book, but not anything really outstanding.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Carrie Lee Martz?

Someone who could do accents and different voices better.The narration was so stilted when trying to portray the young man with Aspergers and very difficult for me to listen to his part of the story. More so than an actual speech pattern of an Asperger patient.

My favorite narrators are Lorelei King, Barbara Rosenblat, Jane Alexander, Judith Ivey, Anna Fields, and C.J. Critt. These people are so good and lovely to listen to that it makes it hard to listen to narrators who are just starting out. These narrators make the book better than it actually is for a lot of authors.

Was Death by Didgeridoo worth the listening time?

No. At first, I was disappointed when I saw how short in length the audio version actually was, but then after listening for a period decided that I was glad it would be over sooner. Found myself looking at the clock frequently wondering how much longer I had to keep listening.. Any longer, and I would have stopped listening to the book.

Any additional comments?

The author requested a review in exchange for a free copy of the audio version.

Ok Little Story

The story is ok, nothing to write home about. Not particularly filled out. Almost the outline of a story. Could have taken it somewhere.

However, considering the narrator, glad she didn’t. This is the second book in a row with a narrator trying to do a southern accent when they have not been below the Mason Dixion Line. Audible, please work on that.

The attempt is terrible. Really bad. Really really bad. She tries to do a slow drawl by speaking real slowly (way too slowly) and putting space between the words. Please, go watch Steel Magnolias repeatedly until you get it. Those actresses did different accents and did them excellently. A southern accent can be charming, cute, delightful. Shouldn’t be painful.