Blind Bake

Maddie Baker Mysteries, Book 1

By: Denise Grover Swank

Narrated by: Shannon McManus, Chris Brinkley

Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

When a young woman is at the wrong place at the wrong time, she becomes a person of interest in a murder investigation.

Maddie Baker just wants to make ends meet. She gave up her school librarian career to return to her hometown and take care of her elderly aunt. So when she starts making Uber runs to supplement her barista job, she never dreamt she’d not only drop a man off to his murder but be labeled a person of interest in his death.

Detective Noah Langley is looking for a fresh start in a city with a lower crime rate and a fraction of the population of Memphis. It’s just what he needs to recover from a nightmare that left him severely injured and his teenage mentee dead. The first murder since he’s arrived in Cockamamie is a chance to prove to his boss and himself he should be there.

Noah doesn’t have many leads, but the few he has all tie back to one person: Maddie Baker. She doesn’t seem the type, but the last time he presumed someone was innocent he nearly died. Has Noah lost his instincts? Because if he can’t trust his gut, it might be time to turn in his badge.

©2022 Denise Grover Swank (P)2024 DGS

Wonderful story and fantastic narration!

The narration by Shannon McManus and Chriss Brinkley was awesome and seemed to add to the story for me.

This is the first Maddie Baker mystery. I had already read an ARC of the second book and knew that I really needed to go back and read the first. I really suggest reading them in order, because there was so much that happened in this first book.

Maddie has returned home to the small town she grew up in to take care of her aunt who has dementia. That town also happens to be where her mother was murdered. There is another murder and Maddie finds herself up to her eyeballs in the mess. A handsome detective, Noah, is trying to ferret out her involvement. He's soon impressed with her ability to take care of herself (she can flip guys), but also desperately feels the need to protect her and aunt. Can he possibly do that if Maddie is determined to try to solve both murders on her own?

This book was packed full of all sorts of happenings that hold the listener spellbound. It was a pretty long audiobook, but I sped it up and was so engrossed in the story details that it flew by in no time. It is well worth the time!

Thanks to Valentine Promo for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

Please Ville USA

Great whodunit! Love the story line. Enjoyed getting to meet the two main characters. Didn't care for the narration for Maddie, not the sound of an educated female, even if she's southern. My only turn off. Can't wait for book two.

Maddie Baker Mysteries!

Blind Bake (Maddie Baker Mystery, Book 1) is an entertaining listen. I'm a huge fan of Denise Grover Swank and was thrilled to get a chance to listen to this mystery. Told in dual pov Maddie & Noah's romance is winsomely weaved into the mystery plot. The writing style is compelling and captures your mind. Small Town romantic suspense, with an unexpected plot twist. Looking forward to listening to the next audio in the series.

Shannon McManus, Chris Brinkley dual narration was really good. Highly entertaining, bringing out the characters and their story. Both inflections were very easy to listen.

Love this Book ❤️

I LOVE this book and it has made me a huge fan of Denise Grover Swank.
Maddie is a fascinating character that takes her responsibilities as care giver to her Aunt Deidre with dementia very seriously. That's why she has two jobs and one is an Uber driver. However, that's how she needs up taking a horrible man to a bad part of town and then he ends up dead. This puts Maddie at the center of the murder investigation.
Now new Detective Noah Langley has just moved to Cockamamie, TN for a quieter less hectic way of life. So on his first day he didn't expect to walk in on CockamamIe first murder in years. Now his prime suspect is the hot girl that just gave him a black eye, Maddie Baker. The two are now stuck together trying to solve the first murder since Maddie's mom was killed years ago.
While Maddie and Noah keep butting heads while trying to solve the mystery the sparks soon start to fly and no matter how hard Noah tries to deny his feelings he feels drawn to Maddie.
You will fall in love with these characters and the secondary characters are just as intriguing. The second book is already out and you will need it ready because you will need more of Maddie Baker and her group of friends!

Amazing audio

I was gifted a copy of this audio and I’m so glad I took a chance on it! It was so good! Some mystery, some spice, some damaged MCs, a tough as nails FMC… ALL OF IT. Loved it.

I loved the last series so I'll love this one.

I really enjoyed meeting the new characters in this new series. There wasn't much humor in this first book. Hopefully it will get better in the next. The narration was really very well done.

DSG does it again!!

DSG does it again!!
I really enjoyed the story and am looking forward to the next book!

loved meeting these new characters!

great story, great people, and fantastic narration. super good, can't wait for more! "you should see the other guys" haha!

Emotional and riveting

I was excited when I heard that Denise Grover Swank had a new series releasing at that it was also a mystery. I love romance and mystery stories so for me this was a win/win.
I loved the characters she created in Maddie Baker and Detective Noah Langley and that it’s set in Cockamamie, Tennessee (I just adore the name).

When Maddie suddenly find herself a suspect in a murder, it puts her straight in the line of sight of Noah, a bit of a grumpy detective who is determined to find the murderer. Complicating matters even more is that the victim was one of the last people to see Maddie’s mother alive before she was murdered, years ago. Could these deaths be related? Could Noah have a chance at solving both the current and unsolved murders?

What Noah doesn’t count on is the intense chemistry that sizzles between him and Maddie. Can he trust his gut that she is innocent? Can he ignore his feelings to get the job done? The banter between the characters was witty, the tension electric and I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced mystery. I am excited to see what the author has in store for this series.

Shannon McManus and Chris Brinkley really brouht the story to life for me. Their voices were easy to listen too . They certainly did justice to the entertaining story that the author wove. The passion, angst and drama were well expressed by the narrators.

New series of to a great start

4.5 rounded up

This is my first Denise Grover Swank novel but for sure it won’t be my last! This is the first in a series where we are introduced to Maddie Baker (this is where Blind Bake comes from, it’s not a cooking themed book) and Detective Noah Langley. Maddie has just returned to her hometown of Cockamamie, TN to help care for her aunt. Maddie works as a part-time barista and also as an Uber driver, and it’s in her Uber job where she ends up as a suspect in a murder. Enter Detective Noah Langley and cue the fireworks.

Maddie is a former librarian but she’s no meek individual for sure. She kicks butt and takes names. Noah is also intriguing and I’m interested to see where his character goes as the series builds.

I read the audiobook provided by ValentinePR and Shannon McManus and Chris Brinkley truly nailed the parts! They were captivating, entertaining , and subtle where needed. I look forward to hearing more from them.

The humor, witty dialogue, and engaging characters are all worth coming back for. DGS has a new fan in me.