Seashells and Murder

Barefoot Sleuth Mysteries, Book 2

By: H.Y. Hanna

Narrated by: Pearl Hewitt

Ellie can't believe her luck: Instead of a dreary English winter, she's enjoying an unexpected vacation in sunny Florida...and things get even more exciting when she's roped in to judge the annual Key Lime Pie Contest at her beach resort. The rivalry is fierce, the recipes are daring, but nobody expects the event to end in murder!

Before long, Ellie is swapping comfy cabanas and sugar-white sand for some serious sleuthing. She soon discovers that everyone has something to hide. Are the contestants really as innocent as they say? Does the resort chef still hold a vindictive grudge? And what was the victim's wife really doing on the night of the murder?

Meanwhile, Ellie finds that there are other dangers lurking at the resort, such as being robbed at beak-point by Hemingway the parrot! Then there's her simmering chemistry with the hunky resort doctor - a distraction she doesn't need. Help comes from Mojito the resort cat, who has a nose for clues, but it turns out that this mystery has more twists than a conch shell. If Ellie doesn't solve the case soon, she's going to find that Florida's famous pie is really "to die for"....

Welcome to the deadliest beach resort in Florida - in USA Today best-selling author H.Y. Hanna's fun new mystery series!

Clean listen: no graphic violence, sex, or strong language.

©2020 H.Y. Hanna (P)2020 H.Y. Hanna

FUN NEW SERIES

THIS IS A PROMISING NEW LIGHTHEARTED COZY MYSTERY SET IN FLORIDA WITH A MIX OF DELIGHTFUL BRITISH AND AMERICAN CHARACTERS, NOT TO MENTION A MISCHIEVOUS MACAW. IT IS JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED DURING THESE TENSE TIMES. BUY, READ, ENJOY, LAUGH A LITTLE.

Another great series from H.Y. Hanna!

I am a huge fan of the Oxford Tearoom Mysteries and this series is also fantastic so far! I love the characters and I appreciate that they're different from the characters in her other series. There were definitely some American diction errors (Americans say "primary suspect" instead of "chief suspect" and "stuffed animal" instead of "plushie"), but overall really good writing. The one thing I hated was the narrator. She's the same narrator as the one for the Oxford Tearoom Mysteries (where she does a fine job), but in a Florida setting where most of the characters are American, she was the wrong choice. Her American accents are horrible (which is fine of there's just one American character). They all sound like some weird blend of England meets Texas, and they all sound the same. Her zen surfer chick is especially horrible. I would love to encourage the producers to find an American narrator who can do various accents, because British inflections just don't work in Florida.

Clever and fun

This is exactly what I want from a beach read. It takes place in a beautiful setting. It is clever, fun, engaging, and even had some laugh out loud moments.

Never disappoints!

Love these easy listening, lightweight, funny mysteries! Now onto the book number 3. Can’t wait.

Another great from Hanna!

Ellie finds herself becoming a guest judge in the resorts annual Key lime pie contest. When the celebrity guest judge arrives late to the judging with a drink in hand things don't really go as planned. Especially when he takes a tumble into the contestants pies!
Ellie goes from guest judge to head judge with a side of sleuthing after the handsome resort doc announces the celebrity judge dead!
Loved having more Hemingway and Mojito shenanigans as Ellie tries to find the murderer in a sea of suspects.
I'm really enjoying this series and the narrator who brings the characters to life.

*disclaimer*
I was given this copy for free in trade for an honest review. All the opinions above are my own.