Portrait of a Dead Guy

A Cherry Tucker Mystery

By: Larissa Reinhart

Narrated by: Erin Clark

High-octane action with quirky, down-home characters....

In Halo, Georgia, folks know Cherry Tucker as big in mouth, small in stature, and able to sketch a portrait faster than buckshot rips from a ten gauge - but commissions are scarce. So when the well-heeled Branson family wants to memorialize their murdered son in a coffin portrait, Cherry scrambles to win their patronage from her small town rival. As the clock ticks toward the deadline, Cherry faces more trouble than just a controversial subject. Between ex-boyfriends, her flaky family, an illegal gambling ring, and outwitting a killer on a spree, Cherry finds herself painted into a corner she'll be lucky to survive.

* Winner of the Dixie Kane Memorial Award * Nominated for the Daphne du Maurier Award and the Emily Award *

©2012 Larissa Hoffman (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Reinhart is a truly talented author and this book was one of the best cozy mysteries we reviewed this year.... We highly recommend this book to all lovers of mystery books. Our Rating: 4.5 Stars." (Mystery Tribune)

"An entertaining mystery full of quirky characters and solid plotting...Highly recommended for anyone who likes their mysteries strong and their mint juleps stronger!" (Jennie Bentley, New York Times Best-selling Author of Flipped Out)

A southern charmer

I liked this story just fine but it is a cozy mystery which are not my favorite. I like the narrator's inflection. she sounds like a true southerner.

If you like ditzy heroines and slapstick

The book was not badly written, but the plot reminded me of a screwball comedy. The heroine isn't very bright and most of the humor comes in the form of pratfalls with her falling over her own feet or the eponymous dead body. Not my preferred form of entertainment. If you like ditzy heroines and slapstick, this book might be for you.

Too Southern!

The storyline wasn’t bad but the narrator spoke with too much of a southern drawl! I’m from the south and southerner’s doesn’t sound like she portrayed.
Hard to listen to.

Sassy Southern Tale of Small-Town Murder

Oh, my goodness! The author hit the nail on the head with this one! The narration is right on, the situations perfectly describe small town southern life, and the woeful antics of the black sheep of the family. 😊 The haves and the have-nots, the sheriff and the townsfolk kept me in stitches. And of all the things the stepmom wanting a portrait of her dead (and good for nothing) stepson, well, that took the cake! Excellent writing skills kept this book from being in poor taste, despite the murder, and well . . . only in the south (and y’all know, I AM a southerner), can this stuff happen. 😊 The romantic aspects weren’t over the top, which also would’ve ruined it for me. The annulled Vegas wedding trip gave me quite the chuckle, and I nearly rolled in the floor when Cherry’s ex wrote the song about their adventure. The gossip, the past that nobody has any control over, well, it all made for one of the most entertaining listens I’ve had in a LONG time! I’m definitely getting the next in the series!

Very Unusual Cozy Mystery

Very different story line for a cozy mystery. I have been almost alone for a few months so listening to audiobooks helps and I listened to this story a lot and found out I couldn't stop at times.

This book was surprisingly good

Never listened to a "Red neck" Audible book before. The story line was very good and the characters were well formed. The antics from the family kept me in stitches. Guns, mystery, murders, love interests, family all in one. Worth the listen and read.

Decent Story

The story was ok. But the narration lacked. She sounded monotone and every character sounded like an idiot.

Slow as molasses.

I was drawn to this series by the description that indicated it was humorous and similar to the Stephanie Plum books. I didn't find it to be either of those things. The narration and the story were very slow... I've never had to speed up an audiobook just to have the speech patterns sound remotely normal. The storyline was very slow as well...it felt like nothing truly interesting actually happened until the last few chapters after a promising start (which is why I stuck it out to the end). I'm not intrigued enough to spend more credits to continue the series.

Audio the way to go here!

I'm not from the South, but Erin Clark's Georgia accent brought the book alive for me; her Russian one was great, too! Story veered a bit into chick-lit territory for me at times, but overall I was busy getting into Cherry's sense of humor. I had wanted to know more about she and her siblings live with the grandfather, but enough was alluded to that I figure it can come out over time in future stories.

Great Southern Story

Would you listen to Portrait of a Dead Guy again? Why?

Oh yes I have enjoy the story and look forward to next one. I enjoy southern stories.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes it did and I actually enjoyed getting there it was nice to see the heroine was perfect made it better.

Which scene was your favorite?

When she almost lost it in the bar when Todd started singing about her. It was funny. Also all the hot scenes between her and Luke.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

oh yes and I did

Any additional comments?

I really suggest you try this book. If you are looking for a good story and some humor.