It’s 4.5 stars for the story and 4.5 overall, really.
As cozy mysteries go, this is one of the good ones, with quite an interesting crime plot, investigation taking us here, there, and back again, as many suspects as you can think of, and a rollercoster kind of ending. There is a bunch of characters you like from the start, some that you may feel indifferent to and one or two that you’d really avoid in real life:)
The main character, Lizzie, is a likeable veterinarian in training, whose love for dogs and her best friend throws her in the middle of a murder investigation. As the police – one officer especially – are convinced that “the wife did it” Lizzie has to put on the shoes of a PI and with the help of her grandpa and a newly acquired boyfriend discover who really killed Mr. Jupiter:)
The plot is very fast-paced, with ideas as to who the killer might be jumping from virtually every other conversation Lizzie has with the inhabitants of Danger Cove and her fellow PIs; sometimes you have a feeling there are really too many of them… The dialogues are quite witty, especially the ones between Lizzie and Tony, her high school crush she just recently discovered had also had a crush on her. So, there is quite a romance in the air, too:)
The only thing that may bother you while reading/listening is that some of the ideas or twists and turns follow a certain predictable pattern but as it is a characteristic feature of the genre, I only took half a star away from my rating.
As for the interpretation, it is very good. Ms Hickman is a wonderful narrator with a very pleasant voice, the pace of her reading is just right and while she is good at differentiating voices, she doesn’t overdo them or overact.
All in all, it’s an interesting and relaxing cozy mystery listen.
DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.