The Daphne Decisions

The Jessica James Mysteries, Book 1

By: Meg O'Brien

Narrated by: Joan Dukore

She’s a tough crime reporter who’s seen it all. Or most of it, anyway, but go ahead - make her day....

Murder doesn’t set much colder than on the icy shores of Lake Ontario, where Jesse James is hot on the trail of a real estate scam that really has the feisty reporter steamed. This sleazy operation is behind a string of costly accidents - but it's no accident when Jesse wakes up, bandaged head to toe, in a hospital where everyone insists she’s Daphne Malcross, a young socialite with more connections and cash than common sense.

Letting people think Daphne’s alive and well doesn’t seem like a bad idea: Jesse can snag her story while digging up clues on the missing woman. She can give her sagging old VW a rest while tooling around in Daphne’s gorgeous Jag. Throw in a personal bodyguard, compliments of Rochester’s biggest Mafia kingpin, and you've got the kind of deal that a tough-talking, hard-drinking, and quick-thinking woman like Jesse can't pass up - until it's too late.

©1990 Meg O'Brien (P)2021 David N. Wilson

Nice story.

Enjoyed the story. The author does a great job bringing the characters to life. Does have some language. Good narrator.

The Daphne Decisions

This was a good read.A reporter is a bit brash.She gets into trouble and her boss wants to pull her out for her safety and the 'future of the newspaper'.At least that is what he says.There is a lot going on in this book. Joan Dukore was a fine narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Great Mystery

I liked this mystery. The story was well written. The characters were well developed. There were twists and turns which kept me interested and entertained.
Narrator Joan Dukore voiced the characters well.

Very Good

This is my first for this author, and I must say that I am impressed. Excellent writing style, well developed characters and, left me wanting more. Imagine my relief when I realized this is "Book 1". I listened to the audiobook version of this book. Also my first for this narrator. Joan Dukore does a really good job of telling this story and not just reading it to me. Her character voices allowed for me to recognize each individual.
I enjoyed this very much and highly recommended.

Get Back - About Crime, Land, & Identity

A timely mystery of confused identity and the nature of inquiry itself with some neat twists.and character beats. There is a clever gentrification subplot that takes things to a bit of a cartoonish extreme and while it's not expressly political it seems keyed in to times today. Much of the plot and characters are abstracted to a point they feel emblematic. The character elements work well, it's a book about people. I really liked the subtext here with the main antagonist and what it feels like it says about our modern times. "There's something to be said about rewriting your past..." seeks like the key phrase. The narrator does well with a sharp nasaly voice that feels feminine and investigative to match the lead's persona.