Description
High school geometry teacher, Donna Russell likes her life well-ordered and logical, even if it is a tad solitary at times. But when a charming co-worker at the local food bank disappears just before Christmas, Donna is left with more questions than solutions.
After the missing man’s neighbor, muscle-bound EMT Sam Holton, volunteers as Donna’s crime-fighting sidekick, sparks fly between them. Donna wonders if Sam can be trusted, or if he’s trying to throw an unknown into her calculations – and her life.
And when police recover a body from the icy Niagara River, Donna is faced with the most frustrating equation of all: can murder plus mayhem ever equal romance?
This story is part of the Pelican Book Group Christmas Holiday Extravaganza.
Faith –
This was the first time I came across this author. I think I will be looking for more of her books. She has written a great mystery with a fun romance story included. It is a clean book that I can recommend to other readers. And the narration was good as well. That can make or break and audio book for me.
I requested this audio book from Audiobooks Unleashed and have voluntarily left this review.
Norma Miles –
“My name’s Sam.”
Donna is a pleasant but rather timid maths teacher who helps out each Saturday at her local Food Pantry. Still ever hopeful, but not really expectant, of a budding romence, she was bot h annoyed and upset when her co-worker, Niall, fails to come in for work two weekends in succession. She decides to find out why, but, arriving at his apartment, discovers that he’s not there and hasn’t been for a week. She also ‘discovers’ his hunky neighbour and friend, Sam, transferring her obsession from will go him. With his help, she continues to rather clumsily nvestigate the disappearance.
This quick and easy to read cozy mystery is fun, totally unbelievable and, occasionally, heavy with Christian message. Narration is by Madison Brightwell, whose deliciously warm voice really helps the story to run. As It is written in the first person Ms.Brightwell really takes on the persona of Donna, and, in so doing, brings her to life. With a bouncy, clear rendering, including differentiated voices for the characters, she gives a good performance although the overlong pauses between chapters initially caused this reader to think that something had gone wrong with the playback.
Overall, Gold, Frankincense and Murder, was a very enjoyable short (a little under two and a half hours) cozy mystery, until near the conclusion, which felt rushed, as if the actual crime solving was irrelevant to the action. I received the book as a freely gifted complimentary copy, at my request, from Audiobooks Unleashed. Thank you. It was a lightweight, fun read made special by the narrator