Moose Willow Mystery

U.P. Stories, Book 2

By: Terri Martin

Narrated by: Brandy Thomas

A suspicious death in a game processing meat locker is just the beginning of bizarre events happening in the Upper Michigan village of Moose Willow. It all starts when a mysterious woman appears at the Methodist church during choir practice. Janese Trout and her best friend, State Trooper Bertie Vaara, team up to connect the woman to a growing number of disturbing occurrences around town including the disappearance of Janese's eccentric lover, George LeFleur, and an undeniable increase in Bigfoot sightings. Meanwhile, Janese faces a multitude of personal challenges as she grapples with a sagging career at the Copper County Community College, an elusive pregnancy test, and a controlling mother who inserts herself into every hiding place of Janese's life.

From Modern History Press

©2022, 2024 Terri Martin (P)2024 Terri Martin

Critic reviews

"'Moose Willow Mystery, by Terri Martin, lets cozy mystery fans know they are about to experience something wildly different with edgy characters, a big dose of humor, and an insider's look at America's best-kept secret the mysterious Upper Peninsula of Michigan." -- Carolyn Howard-Johnson, award-winning writer of fiction, poetry, and the HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers

"Terri Martin manages to present the ordinary, the bizarre (of which there is a steady stream), and even the violent in a way that will open a hilarious glimpse into the world of a small town. With brilliant characterization, she takes the reader on a wild ride of murder and mayhem, so let me warn you. Don't start reading until you have the time to keep going." -- Bob Rich, PhD, author of Sleeper, Awake!

"Take a mini-vacation and read this delightful mystery! Laugh away the problems of the world (and cry a few times) along with the remarkable, talented characters in Moose Willow Mystery. A refreshing whodunit with plenty of mystery to keep the reader unable to put the book down." -- Carolyn Wilhelm, M.A., Midwest Book Review

Super cute

I decided to try this because it had a cute cover—I’m a sucker for pretty/cute covers. I’m also a sucker for small towns and cozies, both of which this cover seemed to promise.


Small town vibes.
Uptight fellow church members.

Written in first-person POV and the lead’s voice is pretty funny at times, rife with sarcasm and snark. Despite that, it still could be slow-paced at times, due to the frequent use of ‘telling’ instead of showing.

Overall: this was okay. Might be better in eBook or print format, as for me, I think the ‘drone’ of the monotone added to the dullness. Super cute in concept though. If it were just a bit tighter in writing style, it’d be a 4- or 5-star read, I think.


3 stars.

Audio:
Overall sound quality is decent.
Narration though, is poor. The narrator opted to dictate, bot-style, rather than perform the book, so it was very hard to stay tuned in. A fiction novel should be a fun escape, not work or t0rture. Her voice is excellent and if she didn’t sound so robotic, I’d absolutely LOVE listening to her perform! Truly lovely voice.

A Yooper Mystery

Janice (rhymes with Denise) is a small town Yooper (upper Michigander)who gets caught up in a mystery while just trying to navigate life among the quirky characters of her town including her roommate/boyfriend and a meddling mother. The characters were painted with humor and the mystery keeps deepening the more she tries to escape its clutches. This book is a clean, cozy murder mystery with a bit of a romance and a definite happy ending.