Imogene in New Orleans

By: Hunter Murphy

Narrated by: Lee Ann Howlett

At the ripe age of 73, Imogene Deal McGregor has a penchant for following her own instincts, as well as more grit and spunk than her hypochondriac son, Billy McGregor, and Billy's impulsive partner Jackson can handle. The boys take Imogene to New Orleans with their devilishly handsome English bulldog Goose, hoping to visit friends and attend a second line parade, but moments after arriving in the French Quarter, they find their friend Glenway Gilbert murdered in his art gallery. Immediately, Imogene and the boys run into a temperamental and ethically-challenged lieutenant who appears hell-bent on neglecting the crime, compelling them to seek answers themselves. As they delve into Glenway Gilbert's murder, Imogene and the boys realize the deceased artist was surrounded by suspicious friends and lovers. With Goose the bulldog by their side, Jackson and Billy seek answers among old friends and new enemies, while Imogene follows her own ideas on the case. But the sooner they solve the murder, the sooner they can get back to catching beads and eating pralines.

©2014 Hunter Murphy (P)2016 Hunter Murphy

I thought I would have enjoyed more.

Any additional comments?

I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I read instead of listening to the book. I did not like the narration. I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom for my unbiased review.

Mayhem and madness

Well written fun story with a boatload of quirky characters who quickly become real to the reader. The characters truly make the book both interesting and memorable. Nothing wrong with the plot, I just focused more on the characters.
It also felt like a nice visit back to NOLA because of the clear descriptions of the area.
I was fortunate to be able to listen/read, and I feel that Lee Ann Howlett did a fine job as narrator. Some might quibble about her minimal southern accent, but I feel that it is an blessing for those of us whose ears cannot entangle a deep drawl unless facing the speaker.
I was gifted with this book at my request in exchange for an honest review via AudioBookBOOM.

Chaos in the Crescent City

From the moment Imogene, her son and his partner arrive in New Orleans, their vacation ended and a murder investigation began. They found their friend dead in his art studio and are immediately surrounded by dubious people and suspects. They are chased all over the French Quarter and beyond at all hours of the day and night. There were so many quirky people and the plot was unbelievably wild, shootings, car chases break-ins, thefts and kidnappings that didn’t seem to draw anyone else’s attention. I thought this book must have been part of an ongoing series because it seemed to jump right in without much introduction or backstory, but I now know it’s the first Imogene book. I’ve been to NOLA many times, so I did enjoy the description of all the sights and sounds of the city. The narration was very good. I received a free audiobook code for my honest review.

So many characters, but enjoyable!

There are a LOT of characters introduced almost right off the bat & most scenes in the first 4 chapters had 5-7 characters in it at once, which was confusing and hard to keep up with. It was tough to discern who was talking when Alan, Neil, Glenway, Jackson, Billy, Goose, Imogene & Lt. Rodgers were all in one scene & I wasn't yet familiar with who was who. These were brand new characters to me, so that made it a bumpy start. However, once I understood the dynamics it became a little easier.

Imogene is a sassy & spunky senior and she's easily the best character of all! I could feel her personality through the wonderful narration & her dry humor was the best. The cast of characters are fun and all well narrated. The story & mystery is interesting, and the ending was satisfying. This has all the bones of a good cozy, but I still think it tries to juggle a few too many characters. This book was gifted to me in exchange of my honest review.

A cozy southern mystery

Imogene, her son Billy and his partner Jackson are on an adventure to New Orleans to visit some friends. When they get there though their vacation is turned on its end with the death of a friend of theirs. A crooked cop and more suspects then they can count, Jackson and Billy are on the hunt for the killer. Imogene has her own way of finding clues and before long the mystery is solved.

This is a nice cozy mystery with little violence and no sex. I recommend this book for those ages 15+. This is a book where the fact that many of the main characters are gay doesn't matter one bit. Its a mystery first with gay characters being secondary.

Lee Ann Howlett is a marvelous narrator and she makes this book even more of a pleasure. I have always enjoyed her work.


I was given a copy of this book free of charge by the author in exchange for an honest review through Audiobookboom.

Southern, scandalous, and side-splitting!

Would you consider the audio edition of Imogene in New Orleans to be better than the print version?

The print version is marvelous on its own, if for no other reason than because it allows you to interpret the characters specific to how you see them in your mind's eye. The southern nature of this book is sure to bring out the creative side in any reader; nevertheless, those who find it difficult to develop cognitive imagery on their own will certainly appreciate the audio version. Lee Ann Howlett did a great job of portraying each of the characters as she told the well-written tale contained in this book.

What did you like best about this story?

There was a little bit of everything that I love in this book. Southern charm rolled up into a scandal and served with side-splitting humor... What's not to love?

Have you listened to any of Lee Ann Howlett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the first book that I've listened to that she's narrated, so I can't offer a comparison. I would definitely listen to other audio books that feature her voice, because she did a great job of audibly illustrating this book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Constant, side-splitting laughter!

Imogene

This was a fun romp through hypochondria,murder and mayhem seen through the eyes of a 73 year old woman ,her son and his boyfriend.Lee Ann Howlett was perfect for the narration.“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher

Favorite Book!

I absolutely loved this book and can't recommend it highly enough! Couldn't put it down!

Quirky Characters & Laughs

A lot of quirky characters, at times who where they, a lot of humor packed into this story. Good narration and given audio for my voluntary review and my honest opinion

Mystery with fun characters

I liked this book and its characters. The main character, Imogene, reminds me of a wild and crazy Southern grandmother. I loved the setting of New Orleans. Though I've never been there before, I've always been fascinated with the area and absolutely absorbed the descriptions of the city. It was fun to see the different directions the investigation took and all the people who were suspects. I listened to the Audible Audio version narrated by Lee Ann Howlett and thought her narration was spot on for how the characters were described. I've listened to a few of the other books she has narrated, so it was fun to listen to her doing an Alabama accent. Overall, if you like mysteries and fun characters, this is a great book to check out.