Fixin' to Die

By: Tonya Kappes

Narrated by: Hillary Huber

Kenni Lowry likes to think the zero crime rate in Cottonwood, Kentucky is due to her being sheriff, but she quickly discovers the ghost of her grandfather, the town's previous sheriff, has been scaring off any would-be criminals since she was elected. When the town's most beloved doctor is found murdered on the very same day as a jewelry store robbery and a mysterious symbol ties the crime scenes together, Kenni must satisfy her hankerin' for justice by nabbing the culprits. With the help of her poppa, a lone deputy, and an annoyingly cute, too-big-for-his-britches State Reserve officer, Kenni must solve both cases and prove to the whole town - and herself - that she's worth her salt before time runs out.

©2016 Tonya Kappes (P)2016 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Fantastic Southern Mystery with great narrator!

Welcome to Cottonwood, Kentucky Y'all !
Fixin' to Die is Book 1 in the Kenni Lowry Series. I listened to this book on audio and let me tell you the narrator Hillary Huber is fantastic! How does she do all those voices?

We meet Kenni Lowry who is the sheriff in Cottonwood. She comes to discover that the ghost of her grandfather (the previous sheriff) has been having a hand in the low crime rate by scaring off criminals. I mean he is a ghost, right?

Cottonwoods favorite doctor is murdered the same day as a jewelry store is robbed and boy does Kenni have her hands full!!! Good thing she has some help with some great characters that are so well developed and again, the narrator does such an amazing job with the voices.

The story and mystery is so complex with layer upon layer. I didn't guess who did it! I bet you won't either. I am so looking forward to reading (or listening) to the next book in the series.

Too easy to figure out

I really, really wanted to like this book, but I had it figured out almost from the beginning. I might have liked it better except for the narrator. She was very monotone. I love to listen to books while I drive, but I could not listen to this one. The narrator's monotone voice almost put me to sleep. I love southern murder mysteries, but this one was just too predictable. There could have been a bit more humor mixed in and more interesting characters to make a more fun read.

a mysyery

it was a fun book to listen to. I didn't catch on intil almost the end

Kentucky Wonder

Having read another of this author’s series & liked it, I decided to give this series a try. A murder has been committed & this is something new for the recently elected the small town Sheriff. I’ll admit that this story has some very interesting & different aspects that I didn’t anticipate. There are several twists & turns along the way & I was a bit surprised by the identity of the murderer. Guess I will be buying Book 2!

I only skipped ahead a little bit to get to the end.

I’m not sure why but I really enjoy the cozy mysteries with the secret ghost helper. Even though this book didn’t take advantage of the potential chaos and humor that can come from such a pairing I still found the book had a good level of fun to keep the story light.
The mystery was done well. It dragged a tiny bit towards the last couple chapters and only skipped ahead a little towards the end. (That’s really good for me)
I already purchased the next in the series while on sale.

Better than I expected

This is a well plotted mystery with well developed characters. The story moved a bit slow but not enough for me to get bored. I hope the next book doesn't move slowly because I already bought it.

“Fixin’ To Die” earns 5/5 Hot Brown Sandwiches!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

YES! I love audiobooks, and this one doesn't disappoint. Hillary Huber provides the perfect tone, various entertaining southern accents, and the suspense and emotion that greatly enhances the already engaging mystery.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Kenni is my favorite character, although I'm not sure I could be as accommodating as she is with people thinking a woman's place is somewhere else. She is a delightful, strong-willed woman who tries hard to follow some of the proper southern lady conventions, but dressed in her brown uniform her mother dislikes and her position of power as sheriff tends to put her in conflict with those demands. She has to ignore it when told a crime scene is not the proper place for a young lady or the threats that a ‘person of interest’ might report her to her mama for her tone. She has good instincts, and her relationship with her mom is familiar. I like her sense of humor, too.

What does Hillary Huber bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Hillary Huber, the narrator, greatly enhanced my experience with her marvelous voice talent. Her skill puts you right in the middle of Cottonwood portraying Kenni’s strong spirit to Poppa’s deep tenor. Her ability to create a wide range of southern drawls from strength to annoying, Hillary’s skill is perfect to bring Tonya’s characters alive…even Poppa!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"Fixin' to Die" where southern charm might lead to murder.

Any additional comments?

The series is wonderful...The idea of a former sheriff’s ghost, albeit Kenni’s grandpa, is not silly…it’s not hocus pocus! It blends well with the investigation to uncover motives, opportunities, and means like one's inner voice might, and these interactions between Kenni and her Poppa are delightful and endearing.

Had to get past the narrator which was a struggle.

What did you love best about Fixin' to Die?

The story and the characters were interesting.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Fixin' to Die?

When Kenni realizes she is attracted to Finn Vincent.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The narrator's voice was hard to listen to. The main character was suppose to be a woman about 26-27 years old, but the voice sounded like a 45-55 year old woman with a smoker's ruined voice.

Any additional comments?

It was a bit irritating how long Kenni took and her inner dialogue, which seemed chapters long, before realizing her Poppa was "real".

Kentucky Conundrum, Complicated Killin'

A murder in small town, Cottonwood, Kentucky, puts Sheriff Kenni Lowry in a tough spot . . . ever since she took over the position that her grandfather held, things have been pretty quiet . . . nothing she couldn't handle . . . now the town doctor has been found murdered with no clues as to who the killer might be . . . soon, though, help is on its way . . . in the form of a ghost . . . her dead poppa . . . I found her conversations with her grandfather to be endearing and a high spot of the story . . . the narration was not exactly a true Kentucky accent . . . I am a native Kentuckian . . . and they missed it . . . but not enough that I stopped listening . . . I was also put off by Kenni's teenage "heart throb" reaction to the State Reserve Officer that was put on the case to help her . . . once or twice is enough to bring it up, not over and over . . . but as the story progressed, the actual murder case, was really a good tale . . . so I persevered . . . I liked the small town feel, the crazy antics that always go on in small towns and the book was wrapped up well . . . I have already bought the next in the series . . .

Enjoyed this story

I really enjoyed this story. Love the fun sayings they come up with. Plan on using them 😁