Broke: An Imogene Duckworthy Mystery (Unabridged)
Author: Kaye George Date: 2015 Narrator: Veronica Newton Provider: Kaye George Running Time: 7 h 11 min Audible Enhanced Audio Imogene Duckworthy, eager PI assistant, wants to be on her own. She finds a rental house where her four-year-old daughter, Nancy Drew Duckworthy, and Drew’s pet pig, Marshmallow, are allowed. The rumors are that the house is haunted. It’s no rumor there’s a dead man in the bathtub when she inspects the house, though. A long-lost relative is the logical suspect, but can Immy let her Uncle Dewey be railroaded for a crime he, possibly, didn’t commit?
This is one of those light cozy mysteries where the everyday life of the characters is almost as important as the crime being solved, and where setting is as important to its enjoyment as are events. The mystery itself was competently constructed, and contained some nice twists and a few surprises, though only a little real suspense.
What bothered me about this book, however, were the characters. I can understand young, naïve and eager, but the heroine of this book often was also inept and clueless, and her eagerness was over the top. I prefer my heroines smarter, more observant, and more competent in all respects. This one missed clues that were so obvious they practically smacked her in the face.
While I did enjoy some of the other characters, most were so overdrawn that they became annoying; the heroine’s mother being a perfect example. Her use of language, which was no doubt intended to make her quirky and unique was just so unbelievable that it rang entirely false. No one talks like that, not even a well read librarian.
Few authors can create good child characters. The child in this book was fairly well done, and the relationships between the little girl, her mother and her grandmother were credible and sometimes charming. I must say that, in many ways, the most enjoyable character in this book was the pig.
The narrator gave a competent performance, and while I sometimes found her presentation of characters a little strained, she did have good expression, pronunciation and speech rate.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for this unbiased review via the courtesy of AudioBookBlast dot com.
word buffet 