Muffins & Murder

Sweet Bites, Book 3

By: Heather Justesen

Narrated by: Pamela Almand

Halloween carnivals are supposed to be all fun and games, but when one of the school teachers is found strangled by a quilted table runner at the end of the night, Tess, bakery owner and amateur sleuth, is on the case.

Between stalkers, small business rivals and neighbors whose hobbies clash with the victim's, there is no shortage of suspects. Tess's social life finally starts to take off as things get interesting with Jack and her good friend and employee, Lenny's, wedding is only days away, Tess has got her hands full. Will she be able to catch the killer before he or she strikes again?

©2013 Heather Justesen (P)2014 Heather Justesen

Another sweet mystery ...

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scenes in the book are where Tess talks to Lenny and Cat about their feelings before the wedding. Tess shows that she really cares for the 2 of them and that they will be fine together. I like how she has taken both Lenny and Cat into her make shift family. They work well together.

Any additional comments?

Muffins and Murder is the 3rd book in the Sweet Bites Mystery series. The story continues as Tess comes across another dead body. While she really doesn't want to get involved in the case, she ends up looking into it anyway. With the help of her best friend Honey, her pastry assistant Lenny and his fiance Cat, Tess finds investigates the murder.

Again, Ms. Justesen writes a solid mystery tho this time I could sense who the killer was earlier in this book compared to the previous 2. I still enjoyed the story very much and was satisfied with how the book ended. The subplot of Tess's romantic life was nice too. I want to find out how that goes. Hopefully there will be a book 4 in this series.

Ms. Almand does another fine job with the narration of the story. The vocal characterists of each characters are consistant from the previous 2 books and she continues to draw you in. The warmth of Ms. Almand's voice is pleasant and helps the book to keep its 'cozy mystery feel'.

I would recommend this book to my friends who like a good mystery. I look forward to listening to more Sweet Bites mysteries as they are written.

Good, funny characters and a little romance, too

Would you listen to Muffins & Murder again? Why?

This was a fun, light book to listen to on a drive

What did you like best about this story?

Clean...and didn't figure out who-dun-it until Tess did...good characters, quirky, funny

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

Really pleasant and smooth voice, and distinguished the characters without overdoing it and making them distracting

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

Riotous fun with a sweet tooth!

Any additional comments?

Recipes could have been at the end instead of in the middle...breaks it up too much

I love Sweet Bites and Tempest is back!

The Sweet Bites mysteries just keep getting better and better! Okay, it's hokey how often the pastry chef finds dead people but that's part of the fun of Sweet Bites. The author and the narrator both get better and better with each book. This is the 3rd book but you don't really have to read them in any order. The first one the narration was a little bit smiley but the characters were all different and believable. It is the same reader in all the books and she has really gotten better and better and grown into her characters as the books continue and she is really good in this one. Each character is so likeable (even the kind of annoying sheriff) and you look forward to hearing them like old friends in each new book.

These are so much fun to listen to and you don't have to worry about having nightmares because of the blood and guts and sick violence. But you might have dreams about the sexy leading men! Give me more. And the recipes are yummy, too, but put them in the end of the audiobook so I can find them fast.

Overall- I love Sweet Bites, I love Tempest Crawford, I love Ms. Almand, and I love Ms. Justesen!!!!!! Thank you, ladies!

Yummy Cozy Mystery!!!

I am pretty sure Tess suffers from "Jessica Fletcher Syndrome", cause she can't go anywhere without finding a dead body. Seriously, every event she attends!

This is a very entertaining and engaging series, despite reality issues. If you can suspend disbelief you will really enjoy the whole thing! I love Tess and her quirky gang of curious troublemakers. The family feel of this whole series.

The love triangle is going to annoy me, I hate when they have to choose between two great guys!! I read too many naughty romances where they never have to choose, yeah for erotic romances!!

The mystery this time is another stretch but not totally unreal. I do wish the people would stop acting like the police are incompetent or not doing their job. The detective is totally on the ball, he just doesn't get the small talk/gossip like Tess. People always want murders solved in a matter of days, these things take time.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Pamela Almand, who is terrific. She has a great pace that really helps the story move along. I love Lenny's tough guy accent, it really sells him. The women's voices are very similar but have enough of a change that you can tell who is speaking when the dialogue ping pongs back and forth. I really hope the series stays with Ms Almand, as she has a great feel for the characters and story movement!

This series is a not so guilty pleasure, I love the atmosphere of the mall town full of busybodies! I don't mind the recipes throughout but thought they would better serve folks if they were put at the end of the book. This way if a reader wanted to try one they did not have to go through the entire audio to locate the one they wanted. Not everybody is hip to the bookmark button on Audible.

Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.

Yum. Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I wasn't very impressed with this Muffins and Murder book. It wasn't at all what I expected. I was hoping for more of a fun listen with a character I could better identify with. I'm glad I had the opportunity to check it out though.

What could Heather Justesen have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I've read similar books to this one in the past. The physical book. But I think with the audio version of this book the recipes should have been an optional listen at the end of the story as an author's note. I would have liked more of a character build up from the beginning. It was confusing when you factor in the interruption with the recipes.

Would you be willing to try another one of Pamela Almand’s performances?

I would definitely consider listening to more of Pamela Almand’s performances because I think she has the voice. It's there. She speaks clearly and pleasantly. This book wasn't a match for her. It felt awkward and controlled. Once she finds her story, her character and relaxes into it, she is going to be outstanding! I look forward to watching her improve.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

If this book were a movie, I would consider going to see it. I think with a few tweaks it would be so much more entertaining. I could see it as a movie.

Any additional comments?

I received this audiobook free of charge in exchange for an unbiased review.