Unsightly Bulges

The Trailer Park Princess, Book 2

By: Kim Hunt Harris

Narrated by: Sandra Murphy

Another day, another dead body. It's all in a day of the life of Salem Grimes.

Salem Grimes figures even a God who works in mysterious ways wouldn’t resort to a dead body in a dumpster in answer to Salem’s prayers to help her stay on her diet - excuse me - strat-eat-gic plan.

But a dead body in a dumpster it is, and now Salem and Viv, her octogenarian partner-in-crime-solving, are on the case once again. Salem finds the search for the killer a satisfactory distraction from all the things she needs distraction from - “dates” with the husband she hasn’t known for the past decade, growing jealousy of Viv’s friendship with Dale-the-annoying-hanger-on, and a mentor who says things that - okay, maybe Salem needs to hear, but she really doesn’t want to.

As she seeks peace amidst praying prairie dogs and too much Chinese food, Salem struggles to disentangle what she believes from what she thinks she should believe, and - most frightening of all, the possibility that she might have to figure out for herself just where the truth lies. Oh, and avoid a murderer on the loose, if she can manage it.

©2015 Kim Hunt Harris (P)2021 Kim Hunt Harris

good listen

This was a good listen. There was crazy sleuthing and some soul searching on the way to solving the murder.
I was given this free audiobook copy at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Excellent!

This is an excellent audiobook! While at a fast food restaurant about to cheat on her diet, heroine Salem sees a garbage truck emptying a dumpster. A body falls out with the trash, but the driver is clueless and pulls away. Salem calls 911 and chases the truck in her car. She feels compelled to help the police and begins to investigate.

This is a humorous mystery on the cozy end of the spectrum. The audiobook also has plenty of poignant scenes. It is well written story, by author Kim Hunt Harris, who has the gift of creating characters that seem like real life people and touching listeners on an emotional level.

The story has plenty of emotion! I laughed really hard at certain times. I felt sad after Salem recalled a childhood memory of abandonment and neglect. I felt angry about the stories of abuse suffered by hate crime victims.

Narrator Sandra Murphy has a lovely southern accent and is the perfect voice for Salem. Her performance of the various characters was really good!

I rate this audiobook at five stars and highly recommend it to others!

Never say diet

laugh-riot, situational-humor, verbal-humor, relationships, murder, murder-investigation, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, dieting*****

This is a real Laugh Your Sox Off tale! The characters are beyond looney, the situations too real, and the sleuthing hilarious.
Sandra Murphy is a great narrator who really makes the real characters come alive and really adds to the fun and suspense.
I won this audiobook in a giveaway. I win!

Another adventure with Salem, Viv, and the gang!

A few weeks ago, I came across my review of the first book in this series, and I remembered how much I liked it. Then the author offered an audio review copy, and I jumped at the chance to visit Salem, Stump, and Viv again. So disclaimer right now: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review,

Right then...

We start with Salem cheating on her diet at Sonic where she observes a naked dead body in the dumpster as the trash is being picked up. Then Salem (and Stump!), Viv, and 3rd (annoying, hopefully temporary) character try to solve the murder. We get aspects I loved from the first one, which had Salem dealing with her new sobriety and Christianity.

I liked how it was handled enough that I told one of my coworkers about it. There might be Christian stories and characters, but it's refreshing to see someone doing the work and trying to apply the teachings to daily life. Salem has a struggle with the love passages from Corinthians, and I felt that.

Salem continues to interact with Tony, and there's a heartfelt barbecue scene in which she realizes what she missed by not sharing her life and grief with the family.

As for the mystery, at first I couldn't tell who the killer was. We were rounding the bend, and I was doubtful we'd have a good suspect. But when it all fit into place it was both satisfying and sad.

Because I listened to this on audio, I'll make a small comment on the narrator's performance. I like how she performs female characters, and I'm thankful this is in Salem's POV. Her read on male characters isn't as good. When she's doing that, sometimes she over-enunciates in a way that isn't natural at all. It isn't enough to make me quit the series, but it is mildly annoying.

Verdict: Good cozy mystery that touches on various themes I think readers would find interesting. I recommend it and patiently await the next volume on audio.

Just as good as book 1!

Again we see how Salem works through her difficult days struggling to feel good about herself. She struggles with things so many people deal with every day but don't talk about. I, for one, can identify with a lot of things she is concerned with. I love the talks she has with Les when she is trying to understand herself and what God expects from all of us. The mystery in this book is also interesting and, at times, I laughed out loud! I have enjoyed getting to know the characters in this book and Salem just keeps getting more interesting as she works through her challenges. As in book 1, Sandra Murphy does a fantastic job narrating. She's great with the different voices, which I really appreciate! I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.