Guilty as Framed

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 11

By: Lois Winston

Narrated by: Alexandra Bitton-Bailey

Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

When an elderly man shows up at the home of reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack, she’s drawn into the unsolved mystery of the greatest art heist in history.

Boston mob boss Cormac Murphy has recently been released from prison. He refuses to believe Anastasia’s assertion that the man he’s looking for doesn’t live at her address and attempts to muscle his way into her home. His efforts are thwarted by Anastasia’s fiancé Zack Barnes.

A week later, a stolen SUV containing a dead body appears in Anastasia’s driveway. Anastasia believes Murphy is sending her a message. It’s only the first in a series of alarming incidents, including a mugging, a break-in, another murder, and the discovery of a cache of jewelry and an etching from the largest museum burglary in history. But will Anastasia solve the mystery behind these shocking events before she falls victim to a couple of desperate thugs who will stop at nothing to get what they want?

Plot inspired by the as yet unsolved 1990 art heist (the largest in history) at the Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum in Boston.

©2022 Lois Winston (P)2024 Lois Winston

Murder, Mobsters, & Greed

Renovating her kitchen, a Boston Crime boss looking for something he believes Anastasia has, Lucille being targeted, and her mother showing up to move-in what more could go wrong?

When the renovation is done, Anastasia and Zach will be getting married. Until then there is a lot happening in this story.
I truly enjoyed this standalone book. If you read them in order, you get a better sense of the recurring players.
I loved how we learned more about Anastasia’s art background which she put to use in this story. I figured out one of the bad guys pretty early but there were plenty of mis-directions to keep me guessing.

I enjoyed the story, the sense of family even with the trying moments. Anastasia has more patience then I do.

I highly recommend this book. It was a great listen.

More & More Catastophies

I was entertained by this story as much as the others in the series. I admired Anastasia's sleuthing abilities which were tested in the beginning by a strange man who tried to force his way into her house and then throughout the entire story by all the events which occurred. I enjoyed all the twists and turns as the mystery unfolded. I liked the relationship between Anastasia and her sons. I was amused by Anastasia's mother-in-law. I thought Alexandra Bitton-Bailey's narration was enjoyable. I was given a copy of the audiobook. I volunteered, without financial gain, to post this review which reflected my honest opinions regarding this story.

Deadly renovations

Audiobook Review

Even a simple home renovation can be murderous adventure for Anastasia. The house past will bring nefarious beings whose past will come to life. Bodies will soon pile life as she digs into things as her mother and mother-in-law find a way to get into the action. She’ll be kept busy on her toes not knowing what the killer wants. It’s another fun cozy that you do not want to miss.

Another fabulous story!

I simply love the characters in the Anastasia Pollack series, but it is the humor and the writing that keeps me coming back for more! Lois Winston just has a way of crafting a phrase that makes me laugh out loud again and again. Her humor is always new and inventive, the storylines keep me wondering, and I look forward to my audiobook time every day, as I knit, listen and laugh out loud! Guilty as framed is another winner and I recommend it to anyone who likes a funny, interesting mystery!

Entertaining story

Guilty as Framed is book #11 in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series by Lois Winston. Narrated by Alexandra Bitton-Bailey.

Anastasia is picking out tile for her home remodel when a stranger tries to barge into her house looking for someone she doesn’t know. It’s the first in a string of odd happenings and dead bodies she has to deal with. I’m so happy the dog has gotten away from Anastasia’s crazy mother-in-law. This was an interesting mystery. I guessed the guilty party early on but had no idea how complicated this mystery would be. The ending was sweet.

I enjoyed the narration by Alexandra Bitton-Bailey. I plan to listen to more books in this series.

I received a free copy of this audiobook and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Excellent Cozy Mystery with Light Romance

This cozy mystery is well-written and drew me in from the beginning. Although I have not read/listened to previous books in the series, I did not feel like that detracted from my enjoyment of the story in the least. There was just enough explanation to catch me up on the situations that affected the current story without going into too much depth.

The current story finds Anastasia in the midst of a kitchen reno, and mysterious happenings begin with a man showing up on her doorstep demanding to see someone she has never heard of. Her contractor finds a mysterious box hidden in the attic while upgrading the electrical, and dark SUV's begin following her. She and her fiancee Zack are focused on solving the mysteries and keeping her teenage sons safe, and they are able to pick up on some clues that the authorities missed. Anastasia's mother-in-law is hilariously annoying and I wanted to tell her off many times throughout the story! I definitely don't have Anastasia's patience, lol!

I have had the first few titles in the series in my wish list for awhile, and some later titles in my TBR pile. After this experience I will be purchasing the first titles to start the series at the beginning as I really enjoyed both the book and the performance. I received a code to obtain this audiobook for free, but am voluntarily leaving an honest review.