Devi Nair
š§ Listened in audio š¢ Narrated by: Eric Fox and Shaina Summerville ā± Duration: 11 hours š·ļø Publisher: Spotify Audiobooks & Crooked Lane Books š Published: January 27, 2026 Genre: Cozy Mystery
Not once, not once, did this book lose pace. When I saw an 11-hour runtime, I thought I'd cruise through it at 2x speed while answering emails. Big mistake! Thirty minutes later, I had slowed it down, put away everything else, and was completely, embarrassingly, hopelessly in. Not once, not a single chapter, not a single scene, did this book give me an excuse to zone out. That almost never happens. Michelle L. Cullen, I need you to understand what you have done to me and my productivity.
Harry is the kind of character you'd roll your eyes at on paper: grumpy, set in his ways, a man who communicates in scowls and sarcasm. But rather, he's actually magnetic. Eric Fox's narration had me genuinely attached to this man in a way I wasn't prepared for. Shaina Summervile voiced Emma's bright, determined energy goes so well in contrast to Harry's personality. The Harry-Emma dynamics is the kind of slow-build, cross-generational partnership that cozy mystery fans dream about. The fact that this is a debut novel should be filed under crimes against the literary community because it simply isn't fair.
As an audiobook, this was a chef's kiss. Eric Fox and Shaina Summerville nailed the dual tone. The two narrators together make the dual POV feel completely natural. This is the rare audiobook that turns a good book into a great experience. The mystery itself is genuinely well-constructed with layered suspects, a neighbourhood full of buried secrets, and a twist that earns its reveal.
A sequel, A Field Guide to Death and Deceit, is coming in September, and I have already mentally cleared my calendar.
Would I recommend it? This is one of those rare debuts that feels like it arrived fully formed in the sharp, funny, humane, and deeply satisfying way. The pacing is relentless in the best possible way, the characters will live in your head rent-free, and the narrators are an absolute gift. This is the cozy mystery that anyone who has ever wanted a grumpy-sunshine, cross-generational, odd-couple detective duo will lose their mind over.
š§ Listened in audio š¢ Narrated by: Eric Fox and Shaina Summerville ā± Duration: 11 hours š·ļø Publisher: Spotify Audiobooks & Crooked Lane Books š Published: January 27, 2026 Genre: Cozy Mystery
Not once, not once, did this book lose pace. When I saw an 11-hour runtime, I thought I'd cruise through it at 2x speed while answering emails. Big mistake! Thirty minutes later, I had slowed it down, put away everything else, and was completely, embarrassingly, hopelessly in. Not once, not a single chapter, not a single scene, did this book give me an excuse to zone out. That almost never happens. Michelle L. Cullen, I need you to understand what you have done to me and my productivity.
Harry is the kind of character you'd roll your eyes at on paper: grumpy, set in his ways, a man who communicates in scowls and sarcasm. But rather, he's actually magnetic. Eric Fox's narration had me genuinely attached to this man in a way I wasn't prepared for. Shaina Summervile voiced Emma's bright, determined energy goes so well in contrast to Harry's personality. The Harry-Emma dynamics is the kind of slow-build, cross-generational partnership that cozy mystery fans dream about. The fact that this is a debut novel should be filed under crimes against the literary community because it simply isn't fair.
As an audiobook, this was a chef's kiss. Eric Fox and Shaina Summerville nailed the dual tone. The two narrators together make the dual POV feel completely natural. This is the rare audiobook that turns a good book into a great experience. The mystery itself is genuinely well-constructed with layered suspects, a neighbourhood full of buried secrets, and a twist that earns its reveal.
A sequel, A Field Guide to Death and Deceit, is coming in September, and I have already mentally cleared my calendar.
Would I recommend it? This is one of those rare debuts that feels like it arrived fully formed in the sharp, funny, humane, and deeply satisfying way. The pacing is relentless in the best possible way, the characters will live in your head rent-free, and the narrators are an absolute gift. This is the cozy mystery that anyone who has ever wanted a grumpy-sunshine, cross-generational, odd-couple detective duo will lose their mind over.