Mississippi Ms

Good book but wrong narrator

Revisado: 09-04-23

I have enjoyed the first two books in this series and plan to listen to the third and will probably listen to the fourth. My problem is the narrator. That is not to say that Ms. Boyce is a bad narrator. Actually, she’s a very good narrator, but I think she’s the wrong narrator for this series of books because she sounds much older than the 26-year-old main character would in my opinion. I have to keep reminding myself that I am listening to a story about a woman in her mid-20s since the voice is so incongruous.

The basic theme is a familiar one - dead relative, inherited bookstore, policeman boyfriend - but the crime is somewhat original and the book is well written. The development of the romantic relationship is rather blah, which is unfortunate, but there is potential for improvement in future books.

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Where can I find a Lucy to adopt?

Revisado: 06-13-22

This is another one of my favorite series, one that I’ve listened to several times. It’s somewhat frustrating the way Verity is subjected to the disdain and hardships heaped upon her by the Wydell matriarch, but she rises above it and I think will ultimately come out ahead. In the meantime, (possible spoiler alert!) I’m still waiting for Masie to pursue her rightful inheritance. I would love to see how that plays out! As for Frankie, the story wouldn’t be the same if he ever gained his freedom, so I don’t see that happening … what would be the fun in that? And although it never occurred to me to want a pet skunk, who could possibly resist if one like Lucy was available?

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More Avery, Please!!

Revisado: 06-13-22

I love the Avery Shaw series. The only thing I don’t like is the wait between books! I have listened to the series several times and will probably listen to it again in the near future. There are only a few series I will listen to repeatedly, and this is definitely one of them. It’s very interesting to watch Avery’s personal growth and development, even though she’s not aware that it’s happening. She retains her own distinctive personality, but yet has become more aware of the people around her and their feelings and needs. I hope the series goes on forever! I am anxiously awaiting book 21.

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Enjoyed the story, but not the narrator

Revisado: 05-14-18

This is the second book in the series. After listening to the first one, I was looking forward to the second one—that is, until I started listening to it. To my disappointment there was a new narrator. The new narrator does an adequate job, but when listening to a series, I prefer consistency, and of the two narrators, I simply like the first one better.. In fact, not only did the change in narrator have me questioning whether or not I would proceed to book 3 in the series, I wasn’t sure I was even going to listen to all of book 2. However, I checked and discovered to my relief that the third book is again narrated by the same person who performed the first one, so I decided to proceed with book 2. I’m glad I did. I became more accustomed to the new narrator, although she still is not my favorite, and the story held my interest. It isn’t perfect. There are storylines that are predictable and actions taken by the heroine that are irrational and unlikely, but I did not anticipate who turned out to be the murderer, and that is always a good thing. Now it’s on to book 3 to see what Nat will get into next, with the hope that subsequent books will soon be available without another change in narrator.

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Just Okay

Revisado: 04-28-16

What did you like best about Sins and Needles? What did you like least?
The storyline of this book had potential, and there were multiple suspects until shortly before the ending, but it could have been brought to life more effectively in the telling. I didn't care for the narrator at all, and the ending seemed rather abrupt. I would have preferred to see the family relationship resolved more fully, including the effect on the inheritance. An epilogue would have been nice. Also, the overly detailed descriptions of items became somewhat tedious.

Who was your favorite character and why?
None of of the characters really stood out or drew me to them.

How did the narrator detract from the book?
Her character voices aren't very enjoyable, and I had to increase the speed just to make listening tolerable. Obviously, this diminished my enjoyment of the book. Plus, the pronunciation of Betsy's last name (Devonshire) has changed back and forth over the last few books. One would think the author would make sure this at least was consistent.

Was Sins and Needles worth the listening time?
Yes, but probably only because I've enjoyed the series in the past and I'm trying to make it through the three books performed by this narrator to get to books once again performed by the original narrator.

Any additional comments?
I think Betsy's character is becoming a bit flat, and her "talent" for solving murders is being stretched a little thin. I have hope that the next book will show more life and personality, although with the same narrator, it could be false hope.

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Good Story, Irritating Narrator

Revisado: 11-21-15

What did you like best about Books Can Be Deceiving? What did you like least?

I enjoyed the story, but it was a bit of a challenge to stay with it because of the narrator. Her "voices" were irritating and didn't seem to fit the characters, and her intonation didn't fit the story, at least not for me.

Any additional comments?

I'm not sure if I'll spring for the next book in this series. I would like to learn more about the characters, but I don't know if I'm curious enough to listen to this narrator again. I might switch to paper for the next book.

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Don't waste your time....

Revisado: 01-18-06

Definitely not typical Patricia Cornwell, this book is an embarrassing relative of Hornet's Nest and Southern Cross. Some of the character names remain the same, but the similarity ends there. From overly-contrived coincidences to calculating crabs, the events, characters, and weak plot are too contrived to be funny. Carl Hiaasen need not worry about this as competition; Cornwell's attempt at dark humor is nothing but a fantasy.

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