Little Shop of Homicide

A Devereaux’s Dime Store Mystery, Book 1

By: Denise Swanson

Narrated by: Maia Guest

Dev Sinclair is the happy new owner of the old-fashioned shop in her small Missouri town. But if she doesn't focus on finding the killer of her ex's fiance, this five-and-dime owner may find herself serving 25 to life.

©2012 Denise Swanson Stybr (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Another Good Murder Mystery from Denise Swanson

What did you love best about Little Shop of Homicide?

I like the mystery setting of the small midwestern town; much like Swanson's Scumble River series, I like the setting and the characters-especially single gal Devereaux, who lives with her quirky grandmother, and owns the local dime store.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Little Shop of Homicide?

Don't tune out after the murder is "solved"-the ending is a doozy!

Which character – as performed by Maia Guest – was your favorite?

Devereaux will be every reader's favorite character-she is trying to start her life again in her home town after her stint working for a crooked investment backer in the city. And she is making a go of it, even with family baggage that doesn't easily go away in a small town. She really finds herself in a pickle, and has to rally all of her resources to solve the mystery of who killed her ex-boyfriend's fiancee!

Fun listen

This book was fun to listen to, but provided a good mystery too. I look forward to listening to other books in this series.

If you like mystery you Must read this one

I have not read a book this good in a while. Devereaux Sinclair has moved back to the small town she grew up in to help her grandmother who is sick. She gets pulled into a murder investigation when a gift basket she created is found at the murder scene. The story is realistic and fun. The characters are enjoyable. The dialogue is fun and witty. The mystery was solved at the end of the book by the author and not me. If I could give it 10 stars I would. The only thing I do not like is that I have to wait while for the next book in the series.

Pretty Good

Not sure about the reader and the Scumble River series is better, but I enjoyed it!

Quirky, Fun, and a little outrageous

Read from May 16 to 17, 2013

Listened/Read for Fun (Audible/Paperback)
Overall Rating: 3.75
Story Rating: 3.50
Character Rating: 4.00

Audio Rating: 3.50 (not part of the overall rating)

First Thought When Finished: Dare I say that A Little Shop of Homicide was a steamy cozy mystery? Had a bit of a kick in the romance department *hubba hubba*

Story Thoughts: Quirky, Fun, and a little outrageous is what I would call a Little Shop of Homicide. It was a fantastic afternoon read with a who-dun-it that was a little off the beaten path. It was fun, saucy, and sassy. In fact, the romance was a little hot and heavy for a cozy mystery. That was actually a fun surprise for me since romance is my favorite genre to read. Nothing over the line but it was fun to see that element get a little more time. I was a little disappointed in how the case played out but otherwise Little Shop of Homicide was a fun and engaging read.

Character Thoughts: I am a sucker for quirky characters! Little Shop of Homicide is full of them and they shined. There might be a triangle brewing (not happy about that as I am OPPOSED TO LOVE TRIANGLES) so in the future I might not be as happy but for this entry the characters were fantastic. Dev was a great leading lady: smart, fun, and independent. She has insecurities, a back story that will make you want to hug her, and great friends. It will be fun to watch her tackle life in future installments as she also has a penchant for landing in the middle of trouble. Also, her back story needs delved into and hopefully some resolution there.

Audio Thoughts:

Narrated by Maia Guest/Running Time 8h 55m

The narration was fun, light, and had good pacing. It was a quick listen and the production levels were pretty good. I wasn’t a fan of the male voices but loved her version of Dev!

Final Thoughts: Fun beginning to a series that I will be continuing :)

Overall enjoyable

What's not to love about a murder mystery, perfect yet imperfect main character and her potential hot new love. Looking forward to the next book.

Proof that a narrator can make or break a book...

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

This is an interesting story, if a little predictable. If you enjoy this genre then you will likely enjoy this read as well.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Character development was a little weak beyond the main character but the story here is in the mystery not the characters themselves. The role of the Deputy US Marshall could have been developed to a much greater extent and added considerably to the book.

How could the performance have been better?

The performance was by far the weakest part of the book. Too many of the male characters sounded weak and even effeminate and the best friend character, supposedly a hot young thing sounds like she is dying of emphysema. I found the narration grating at times and detracted from the story itself.

Fun and Lighthearted Mystery

If you could sum up Little Shop of Homicide in three words, what would they be?

READ FOR FUN!!! Had to write this because the leading review was total sour grapes! If I hadn't listened to the sample I probably would have passed on this perfectly delightful light summer reading mystery. It flows nicely and keeps you interested in the characters, her writing is good, not overly sappy or melodramatic (something often found in lighter reads). This book just tickled me pink, I bought the second one before I even found out whodunit!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jake Del Vecchio is well written, not the perfect 'knight in shining armor' but a total good guy with his own flaws - very well written and developed.

cute enough

I enjoyed the story. the narrator's voice while reading male parts, especially Jake's , is a bit irritating. not enough so that I couldn't finish, but markedly so. I was interested in the book initially because the setting was near KC. I used to live there and loved it. I had hoped there would be more description or at least some specifics of the city mentioned. even something super simple like the fountains. however, besides some references to snow, the descriptions were so vague they could have been about any town in any state. the story was easy to follow and entertaining enough, so I'll go ahead with the 2nd in the series and see how it goes.

Took way too long to finish

I liked the story really well, however, the reader M Guest didnt make me happy. I didnt mind her voice, except for the other characters she read. I didnt like the voice for Poppy. She made her sound like she was so emotionless and over 110 years old. I also didnt like the timing on her reading. There was a lot of humer in this book but you couldnt tell with the timing being off. Not sure who was to blame for that. I would like to continue the series to find out what is up with her dad, but if Mia is reading I probebly wont.