This Bitter Treasure

Palmyrton Estate Sale Mysteries, Book 3

By: S. W. Hubbard

Narrated by: Janelle Tedesco

A dying invalid...a house full of treasures...a family haunted by tragedy.

Mystery and heartbreak await estate sale organizer Audrey Nealon when she accepts a lucrative new job in a posh New Jersey town. Eager to settle their mother's estate and close the door on their elegant family home, the Eskew children hire Audrey to run an estate sale as their mother lies dying, tended by a home health aide. Every day Audrey works in the house, she discovers another valuable artwork and another family secret. How did the adored oldest son die? What's wrong with the strange younger sister? Who is making off with rare books, antique silver, and vintage ball gowns? Most of all, how reliable are the dying woman's deathbed ramblings?

As Audrey learns about the Eskew family's tortured past, she's forced to confront her own feelings about marriage and children. And when a murderer strikes, Audrey's sense of justice compels her to defend the defenseless, no matter the risk to herself. Fans of Ninie Hammon and C. J. Lyons will enjoy this twist-ending mystery with a strong female sleuth and plenty of antiques, dogs, and humor.

©2016 S.W. Hubbard (P)2017 S.W. Hubbard

Another Great Estate Sale Mystery!

What made the experience of listening to This Bitter Treasure the most enjoyable?

This is my second book in this series so I loved that I already knew a little about the main characters. Learning new things about them added a lot to this already good story.

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

There is a lot of mystery in this book so it kept me listening. The characters are interesting all on their own.

Have you listened to any of Janelle Tedesco’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, Janelle also narrated the other book in this series I listened to. Her performances in both books was excellent.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme reaction but I found it very enjoyable.

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Enjoyable read

I enjoyed the first two books in the Palmyrton Estate Sale Mysteries series and This Bitter Treasure is no exception.

This Bitter Treasure, brings Audrey and crew to the Eskew estate where she is to catalogs and inventories the household items of the estate as the owner lays dying in the library. Old Mrs. Eskew says all her children are Philistine's as she seemingly talks out of her head. The heartless kids have no love for their mother or the belongings of the estate as they skulk about waiting for her demise. With locked closets, expensive books and ballgowns, missing items and plenty of secrets that are hidden among the treasures, Audrey reveals them as she works.

A mixture of family affairs, death and quirky characters keep your attention throughout the story.
Janelle Tedesco does a good job of narrating, even with grating voices for some and Jersey accents for others.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author.

Hold on for a wild ride!

Where does This Bitter Treasure rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Near the top!

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

All the twists and turns kept me riveting throughout.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Mrs. Eskew was killed with the gargoyle everyone became a suspect.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I related to Audrey when she had to babysit. As an only child myself, I felt her panic.

Any additional comments?

"I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator."

Better and Better

This series gets better and better with each book. The characters continue to grow and develop. The plot is fresh and original , with the right amount of drama and suspense. I love this series.

Great mystery

I've now listened to all three books in the series. Every book was an engrossing mystery that I just had to keep listening to. I thought the near it or did an excellent job with voicing different characters. The only problem I had with the books is actually the main character, Audrey. I'm sure it's just me, but I found her to have an extremely annoying personality. It was as if she constantly jumped to the wrong conclusion at every turn. Her insecurities and dysfunctions due to a tragic and difficult childhood became tedious by the third book. Her willingness to look over any type of indiscretion or mistake by her coworkers yet think that the guy that was trying to help her was guilty until proven innocent every time also got tiring. But, again, the mystery and narration was absolutely great.

A story about dysfunction and love-enthralling

This story runs all over the place--about a dysfunctional family that commits atrocities that will be hard to swallow. It is also the story of a young woman and her police officer fiancé. and how she overcomes her fear of children--or having one at least! There are several humorous sections that will make you laugh---others that will make you want to cry. The narrator did a suburb job and the story flowed as if you were really living through it all. Never fear-there is ultimately a happy ending for some but not all!

A veritable treasure

I had already listened to the first two books in that series, and I keenly awaited the launch of tome 3. Two days ago, I got a free copy for review. Of course I had to listen to it immediately, my other audio books took a back seat for the duration. 🙂

What can I say: I loved it just as much as the first two sequels. The story is firmly rooted in today’s society, with all the problems we are confronted with on a daily basis. There are lots of references to current events in this book, and the problems mentioned are certainly a reality for a lot of people. I’ve mentioned it in my previous reviews, but it needs to be said again: I totally love the language. It is so refreshingly ’normal‘, which is one huge factor in making the characters and the story so very convincing. Plus: there is no foul language, no swearing of any kind– it’s like a holiday, because lots of authors seem to think that their stories are more authentic if they use a lot of swearing. Let me tell you: swearing and foul language don’t add any authenticity to a story, at least not in the world I live in. I don’t know anybody who swears a lot, and I don’t want to, either.

This is why I really appreciate the Palmyrton Estate Sale Mysteries: they’re great suspense, convincing and authentic without swearing.

The budding romance between Sean and Audrey has gone up a step, they are committed now, and again, the story convinces without describing any sex scenes ( which really is another beef I have with lots of other stories, where I’m regaled with detailed sexual encounters between the main characters. Again: this is not necessary to make the reader part of a romance. We all have our imagination and I for one don’t need those page fillers. They’re usually ridiculous and boring and make me wish I could skim the audio book the way I would skim a print).

The Palmyrton Estate Sale Mysteries series is a great example of wonderful story telling: the characters, the language, the mystery, the wit and humour: all make this an absolutely enjoyable story.

Janelle Tedesco again excels in narrating the story. Not only does she manage to give each character a distinctive voice, her accent and convincing speech impediment (when narrating Audrey’s father) are masterfully done. I was so engrossed that I had to chide myself and to deliberately switch the audio off in order to get some much needed sleep. It is a ‚page turner‘, and I sincerely hope there’ll be more sequels, cause the characters feel like good friends.

Another fabulous read by S.W. Hubbard!

S.W. Hubbard excels at blending together intricate plots, with many characters and themes that touch and slide apart, making you think the book is less organized until the many pieces come together to weave into an amazing tapestry of a big picture that just awe you.

While the previous two books have a distinct theme, this book deals with issues of family as well as drugs. The message found in the book is very powerful.

The characters also really come to life and show strong development.

I do highly recommend that you read the first and second books before you read this because each book builds on the previous. Not only will you not follow things as well, but you'll get spoilers if you decide to go back and read the earlier books after reading this.

The narrator also does a fantastic job of creating the characters and carrying their features in her voice.

I can't recommend the book highly enough!

Skeletons... they never stay in the cupboard...

What made the experience of listening to This Bitter Treasure the most enjoyable?

I liked the fact that Ms Janelle Tedesco's interpretation did not overshadow the story itself - her voice and the way she differentiated the characters allowed me to concentrate on the plot instead of wondering who was speaking. I also liked the tempo of her reading - not too fast, not too slow, just about right:) (It's important for me, as I am not a native speaker of English:))

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

I liked the plot a lot; at first it developed rather slowly, with all the descriptions of the Eskew's house and Audrey and Sean's house-hunting or Ty's classes in writing... But as soon as the "strange incidents" started to happen, the pace got faster. We were given some clues here and there and also followed some misleading trails together with Audrey to finally discover the culprit of the hideous crimes. I liked the fact that all the elements that at first seemed maybe an unnecessary addition turned out to have some significance for the solution of the crime:)

Have you listened to any of Janelle Tedesco’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my first audiobook narrated by Ms Janelle Tedesco and so I can't compare it to any other books she read.

I generally liked this interpretation a lot, with only one exception - the character of Jill, who supposedly is a young college girl, had this high-pitched whining kind of "voice" which I found really irritating (it reminded me of a spoilt little brat who has just had a toy taken from her and is going tantrum about it....:)) But that's the only drawback (luckily for me, the girl appeared only a few times in the story). Unfortunately, as I can't deduct half a star for this, I had to deduct one...

On the other hand, I liked the way Ms Tedesco interpreted all the male characters (especially Ty) - lowering her voice a little, but without exaggeration which would make it laughable...:) As it is really difficult for a woman narrator to do that right, I greatly apppreciate Ms Tedesco's work there.

So, generally, I think Ms Tedesco's interpretation of the book deserves a strong 4.5 rate:)

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

Beware of the skeletons in your cupboard - secrets always come out in the end...

Any additional comments?

DISCLAIMER: I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.

Another GREAT book in the series!

I just love this series and all the characters especially Audrey and Sean. S.W. Hubbard knows how to add all the perfect amounts of humor, mystery and romance. Janelle Tedesco did an awesome job being the voice for the characters and keeping my interest. I can't wait for another book in the series. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU S.W. HUBBARD FOR SUCH A WONDERFUL SERIES!

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."