Porcelain Doll

By: Joe Cosentino

Narrated by: Derick Snow

Is art imitating life in 1982?

Jana Lane, ex-child star, is doing a comeback film about murder. When a crew member is killed on the set, it looks like Jana could be next. Thickening the plot is Jana's breathtakingly handsome and muscular leading man, Jason Apollo, whose boyish, southern charms have aroused Jana's interest on screen and off.

Will Jana and Jason stop the murderer before the final reel, or end up on the cutting room floor in this fast-paced whodunit with a shocking ending?

©2016 Joe Cosentino (P)2017 Joe Cosentino

Comebacks!

Coming back is a challenge, more so with constant struggles with age, and people- especially those who wish to kill you, literally. Jana’s life is one to be admired, unless it contains death, which everyone is trying to avoid . Performance is important. Disliked the reader for this one. Need more lively, to match the story.

Fun Cozy Murder Mystery

Any additional comments?

This book is a cozy mystery. Many of the characters are gay and there are no sex scenes or graphic violence. It takes place in the 80s at the beginning of the AIDS crisis during the panic, misconceptions, prejudice, and unfortunately poor prognosis for the victims.

A childhood star is filming a come-back movie in the Hudson Valley in New York and big name Hollywood stars are in it. There is a murder, many twists and turns, and a surprise ending.

I enjoyed this book very much and was gathering clues and suspects along with the main character. It had all the fun elements of a cozy mystery. I would be interested in listening to the other books in the series as it was very well written.

Unfortunately, I agree with the other reviews abut the narrator. He did some excellent character vocalization but the narrative parts left something to be desired.

Interesting plot set in the 80s...

This was a unique story set in the 80s. The plot was original, the characters well-rounded and interesting, and it had a surprise ending you won't see coming. As some of the other reviewers have pointed out, the subject matter won't be for everyone as it touches on controversial issues and small-mindedness that was much more common in that era. While some other people complained about the narrator, I thought he did a good job. I've heard much, much worse. And he did a nice job coming up with different voices for different characters. Overall pretty decent read.

Felt like an 80's thriller

I hadn't read or listened to the first Jana Lane Mystery book prior to Porcelain Doll, but this didn't ruin my enjoyment of Porcelain Doll! Although, I might have to check out Paper Doll... the reviews are good on it. Porcelain Doll is set in the 80s, which I'm a huge 80s fan! Lana's a 40 year old mother of 3, married and an ex famous child star. The 80s really seem to be the time that children stars were HUGE! I liked Lana, she was relatable. I understood her concerns and feelings regarding getting older. There are also quite a few other characters in this book.

The book has good pace, the momentum keeps you interested and your mind working and wondering. I thought the ending had a great climax and even though I wasn't surprised with the ending, I did like it. It really did reminded me of an 80s film thriller and that gave the book more appeal to me too, an 80s girl at heart!

A good, clean Cozy with plenty twists

I enjoyed this book when I read it so I thought I would give it a listen as well. Either way, you choose will work since the book is intriguing. I love these mysteries, finding them fun, lighthearted with a touch of suspense. The ending is a big surprise and there are lots of twists to keep you on your toes. I like the humor and Joe's style where it sounds like a screenplay. It is fresh and fun, a great escape from the humdrum of life. I found listening to it doing cores made things go faster.

I will say the narration was just Okay. I did like Derick Snow's voices for the characters and the dialogue but the regular reading seemed a bit choppy. I will continue listening to this series.
If you like lighthearted suspense, cozy mysteries, child stars grown up, actors, quirky caracters, and a good clean story you will enjoy this.

unique and entertaining

This book has a unique style that fascinated me. It has all the elements of a good traditional cozy mystery, with fun and quirky characters, subtle clues, red herrings, and a surprise (but well earned) ending. At the same time, it deals with current social issues, has a witty and sarcastic sense of humor, has some romance, has heartwarming main characters, and has supporting characters that that push the envelope without going over the top. The story kept me guessing with the clues visible but well disguised. The narrator does a good job of moving the story along and distinguishing the characters.

Great cosy mystery with some excellent surprises

This is an enjoyable, cosy murder mystery that has some great twists. Set in the 1980’s, just as AIDS was starting to rear its ugly head, it truly has the feel of that era. It touches on topics that were still not widely accepted back in 80’s, showing the prejudice and narrow mindedness of the time well. The characters are great and I loved how Jana used the skills she learned as a child actor to help her amateur sleuthing. The narrator did a good job with the characters, giving them individual voices and personalities. This is an entertaining story that has intrigue, suspense, humour, colourful characters, some great surprises and you are kept guessing who the killer is right to the end.

Masterful Cozy Mystery

This book kept me at the edge of my seat. It is full of humor, fascinating and diverse characters, a bit of romance, and a mystery plot that kept me guessing until the end. Joe Cosentino has a great writing style that draws you into the story and characters; the descriptions bring the people and places to life; the humor and quirky characters keep you entertained; and the story is full of unexpected twists and turns, with surprises revealed throughout. The ending was a big surprise, but the clues were actually there all along, just carefully disguised in the best Agatha Christie style. Derick Snow creates some great voices, and you always know who is speaking. If you are a fan of cozy mysteries, you will love this book.

I was disappointed.

This audiobook, which I received free for an honest review, was very disappointing. I don't like giving negative reviews, but I didn't like this book. The author over uses description, very much over uses adjectives, and uses constant comparisons to attempt to advance the plot. I don't need a list of the flowers in the garden, or a description of every item of clothing everyone wears, or the colours of every room, or furniture, etc., etc., etc. The characters were either perfect in every way, or deplorable.

The narrator's delivery was stilted and robotic, so that didn't really help the book.

I'm sorry, this was a really difficult audiobook to listen to.

Not Impressed...

This just didn’t catch my attention. I had about 2 hours left and stopped. A little boring.