It's been quite awhile since I've popped into Normal to catch up with Mae West, now married to Hank, so I was delighted to stumble across this audio version. Narrator Johanna Parker does an excellent job creating different voices for the various characters that help capture their personalities well. I definitely loved her Dottie voice, direct, no holds barred, and to the point. The chapters are simply announced and then the story moves along. The pace is relatively quick but author Kappes still makes time to set the scene for us. And a lovely sounding Christmas snow globe setting Normal sounds like. Unfortunately, the mood of some of the characters isn't as, uh, "peace on earth" sounding. Harper Stewart, chair of the town's Gingerbread Gala has pretty much managed to aggravate just about everyone. It didn't come as a shock that she was the murder victim.
I won't go into the plot further other than to say that we learn quite a bit about Hank's family this go round, including his strained relationship with Bev, his mother. She and Mae have never quite come to a calm, accepting relationship but, well, even Mae is finding it difficult to believe Bev might be the killer. Let's just say, there's a backstory there that you'll discover. The suspects are neatly laid out, so to speak, and Mae, usually with Dottie, tackles each. Her tendency to want to be in the middle of investigations hasn't changed in the time I've been awol, I noted, nor has her tendency to wind up putting herself in danger. Mae and the Laundry Ladies have their work cut out for them as the suspects are friends and seem unlikely, albeit Harper did push them to the edge repeatedly. The fun is largely from Dottie's zings and one-liners, albeit picturing the holiday decor is fun, too. Kappes knows how to showcase a great setting and the Southern charm and holiday spirit shines through.
Bottom line, while I still cringed at Mae's tendency to lose control of her mouth at the worst possible times, translate that to "at the most dangerous moments", I fully enjoyed the read/listen and like the characters. Watching the Laundry Ladies, whose story goes back to book one, come together to support Mae and Harper's family provides a nice, warm, cozy feel. The customs of the Southern town of Normal are nicely shown and even discussed, to add to the feel. Small town, Southern charm, quirky and fun characters, and a mystery to solve add up to a fun read. Thanks #TantorMedia for allowing me this early listen. I'm delighted to learn the series is being developed as a potential Hallmark Channel Original Series. It's easy to almost visualize the events and character interactions as the plot moves along, so that could be a fun show.
No comments:
Post a Comment