Audiobook review: Christmas, Criminals, & Campers
Author: Tonya Kappes
Narrator: Johanna Parker
Audio Speed: 1.25x
Series: Camper & Criminals Cozy Mystery #4
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: Tantor Audio
It’s Christmastime and Normal librarian (and book club organizer) Abby is overly excited that her favorite author is coming to town for the holidays. Meanwhile, Mae’s foster brother Bobby Ray invites their foster mother, Mary Elizabeth for Christmas. But when Mae and Hank discover the murdered body of author Nadine White, and Abby is the prime suspect, Mae goes back into her detective mode to prove her friend’s innocence.
I really enjoyed this fourth entry in the Camper and Criminals Cozy Mystery series. Overall, the mystery is interesting, well-written, and includes a big twist. I felt like Mae went through some serious growth, both in her relationships and her detective skills. Mae made smarter choices, and she didn’t fly off the handle quite as much. She is productive and works with Hank to solve the crime.
Additionally, with her foster mom in town, we find out much about her past, which is so different than I imagined. Listening to her connect with her foster mom was special, and I am so glad Mary Elizabeth is staying around. Thankful that the love triangle was resolved in the previous book, I love Mae’s budding romance with Hank. It didn’t overtake the mystery, nor did it falter under the weight of Abby’s arrest.
Narration: I’ve come to love Ms. Parker’s southern drawl and how it adds ambiance to these stories. The series is shared from Mae’s first person narrative, and Ms. Parker’s voice fits Mae’s personality: friendly, courageous, and determined. Overall, Ms. Parker fits the southern, small-town feel and pacing of the narrative. Each character has a slightly different voice fitting his/her age and gender, with her male and older women characters having deeper voices.
In the end, I really enjoyed listening to Christmas, Criminals, & Campers. It is my favorite thus far in the series, and I look forward to listening to more.
My Ratings:
Story: B+
Narration: A
Review copy provided by Tantor Audio
Jen
About the Book:
Welcome to Normal, Kentucky where NOTHING is normal.
Librarian Abby Fawn is star struck when her favorite romance author, Nadine White, has rented a cozy camper at the Happy Trails Campground for the winter months.
Abby is devastated to find out Nadine White is nothing like the person she portrays in interviews or on social media. In fact, Nadine White is not nice at all and Abby lets her feelings known that she thinks Nadine is a fraud. . . after she finds out Nadine has a ghost writer.
When Nadine White is found dead in the Normal Library, Abby Fawn is Detective Hank Sharp’s number one suspect.
It’s time for Mae West to put up her camping gear for the winter months and put on her sleuthing gear to figure out who is framing Abby Fawn before Abby is the ending in Nadine White’s final chapt