**** A twisty murder plot —- Review by Rox Burkey
Amanda Glenn crafts an enjoyable mystery with Teddy Stanley, a sixty-something retired waitress, and her luscious garden as the focal point. The flowers and pathways wind down her beachfront property on the Oregon coast. Teddy reluctantly agreed to include her showplace in the local floral tour as the next to the last stop. On the final day, Marianne rushes uphill to tell Teddy a man is bleeding in her garden. When she verifies the story, she places a call to the authorities. They arrive and on their heels is the local news reporter. This is not the first murder for Teddy, just the first in her garden.
Life on the beach includes people who walk along the water’s edge, fly kites, and maneuver small airplane kits with a backdrop of beautiful sunsets. One of the kite flyers, Connie, is on the beach most days with her colorful creations. Three bodies later, police suspect Connie may have a motive. All the deaths include severe head wounds. Though Teddy had nothing to do with the deaths, the bodies’ location makes the town folk, media, and her family both worried and curious.
This mystery contains an interesting plot, good characters, and excellent descriptions of the surrounding areas. One can almost smell the homemade cookies; Teddy makes nonstop when she is nervous or working out the whodunnit. The scenes and conversation are believable and might make a listener want to visit this area.
The quality of the audiobook was good. The narration by Cecelia Specht, though technically correct, sounded stiff in places with limited intonations, which would improve the listening experience. The heroine’s voice was clear, as was the police chief Sonny, but some of the other characters’ voices were not distinctive enough. The pace might have been a little faster, in line with the genre. The story is a good book that stands alone as the fourth book in the series. Fans of mysteries and series will enjoy Teddy and her home.
About the Author
When the last child graduated from college, I retired to the Oregon coast to become a sunny day gardener and a rainy-day writer. It rains a lot on the Oregon coast and I have written 23 murder mysteries, some cozies, some adventuresome in nature. I have also written a 5 book scifi series I have published under the name Glenn Specht – Darkout – and additionally published the first two volumes of historic letters that will continue to grow- Fenner/Curtis Letters 1836-1852 Vol. I. Vol. II 1853-1856.
Be assured, when the sun is out I am in the garden weeding, planting, watering and shaking my fist at the deer. When the rain comes I write and have several books in the works.
About the Narrator
Cecelia Specht is an actress who appeared in several episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise as an operations division crewman. As a background performer she received no credit for her appearances. She does voice overs and narrator and resides in Santa Cruz CA.
