Murder at Pirate's Cove

I listened to the audiobook. You could likely add a star if you read it, because I really, really couldn't stand the narrator. His ‘yelling' was the most annoying sound I think I've ever heard and he seemed to have two voices besides what I am assuming is HIS voice - used for Ellery and the narration - and one is a strange Mid-Atlantic crossed with a Texas drawl (or something) that is used for a grand total of two (related) characters and a lower attempt at deep and husky that he uses for everyone else from the ‘sexy' love interest to the femme fatale wannabe to the mistaken-for-gay camp straight. (Side note: I had to pause more than once in the middle of conversations and didn't get to come back for a day or more. One such instance made me wonder what I had forgotten because I thought Ellery was talking to the low voiced brooding (well, sort of) love interest. It wasn't. It was the camp straight and the narrator was using exactly the same voice.)

The mystery itself is predictable but okay. There were supposed to be several twists - like our second murder victim and the final reveal. None of it really surprised me because I kind of suspected what was really going on with the murder super early on. That being said, it was serviceable and was not a bad mystery.

What was awful was Ellery. I honestly can't stand the guy. I can't point to anything and say ‘that!' (except for one thing that I will talk about later) but he was just the sort to rub me the wrong way through the entire book. I was actually going to drop an update on here (that I never got around to) asking if the characters in cozy mysteries are always so unlikable. Especially the sleuths.

Now, the problem that I CAN point to with Ellery is thus: (bear with me) We have Ellery and we have Jack. Jack is well liked by thirsty women. Jack is also, per Ellery, very attractive. Ellery has something of a crush on him from before the start of the book. Jack wears a wedding ring and Ellery ponders why - because there was something there between them when they first met. (Ellery's gaydar, if you pardon the term.) So, Ellery is speculating if Jack has a wife, or if he's closeted, or if he's unaware that he's closeted and just super oblivious.

Okay, this is gross enough, but guys, it gets worse.

Ellery finds out from local gossip (singular person whose whole point is to be gossip) that Jack was married - is currently a widower - and was married to his high school sweetheart. Gossip says that the deceased is female (though I don't remember how gossip knew that). So, Ellery is heartbroken that Jack is straight. But there was something there. But he's straight. But... Nope, he's straight.

Until Jack says, literally (and it makes sense like this, but even more sense taken in context) “There's nothing wrong with girls. Nothing wrong with boys, either.” Well, Ellery has this mental block like ‘does not compute' then he proceeds to obsess over what that could possibly mean.



What ever could he mean. I mean, sure, Ellery's from NYC but, oh, surely, he's never met anyone bisexual. I mean, we just don't exist. Not even in NYC.

blows raspberry

Anyway, not interested in the next book in the series because, per Goodreads synopsis, Ellery's ex shows up, argues with Ellery and promptly disappears, prompting Ellery to be Jack's main suspect. When he bent over freaking backwards in this book to avoid making Ellery a suspect much less the main one.