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A review by imbookingit
Nancy Pickard Presents Malice Domestic by Susan Albert, Bill Albert, Marilyn Wallace, Dorothy Cannell, L.B. Greenwood, Deborah Adams, Sharyn McCrumb, Taylor McCafferty, Nancy Pickard, Wendy Hornsby, Marlys Millhiser, Martin H. Greenberg, Joan Hess, D.R. Meredith, Jane Chelius, Camilla T. Crespi
4.0
I downloaded this from Overdrive on a whim.
I find short story collections to be hit or miss even at their best. As I listened to the first pieces, I thought perhaps this one had been a mistake. Short story mysteries are tricky, and maybe they don't adapt well to the audio format. Not having a list of stories/authors didn't help*.
I started with
# His Tears by Marilyn Wallace
# Sign of the Times by Nancy Pickard
# Cast Your Fate to the Wind by Deborah Adams
which didn't make much of an impression on me. In fact, I remember pretty much nothing about them.
After that, either I adapted to the stories, or the stories got better.
I really enjoyed
# Fannie’s Back Fence Caper by Susan & Bill Albert
and will need to track down the authors, who have been recommended to me before. Following the path of a small town adventure through call-ins to the local radio show was very entertaining.
# The Dying Light by Taylor McCafferty
Was an interesting character study. Very creepy, a little spooky, and a nice buildup.
# The Family Jewels by Dorothy Cannell
Is an absolutely hilarious parody of historical adventure/romance novels.
# The Trouble with the Shoot by Camilla T. Crespi
Didn't grab me. Fashion and a dead body.
# High Heels in the Headliner by Wendy Hornsby
This was entertaining. I looked at as meta-fiction, the story of a woman who got a little too involved in the research for writing a myster novel. Or she could have just been delusional, in which case this would just be creepy and bizarre.
# Cara’s Turn by Marlys Millhiser
Something about real estate. I restarted several times, but I just kept tuning out. Don't know whether it was the story or the narrator that was the problem, but it didn't click for me.
# Gentle Reader by Sharyn McCrumb
A humorous piece, which I enjoyed, even if it was a bit predictable-- an author and the mob :-).
# Double Delight by L.B. Greenwood
# Make Yourselves at Home by Joan Hess
# Highwater by D.R. Meredith
As far as I can tell, these weren't in the audiobook, even though they were listed in the IBL as being in the collection.
In the end, I think the collection was successful. I'll check out more from Overdrive at some point.
*(Thanks to the Internet Book List http://www.iblist.com/ for the list of stories and authors)
I find short story collections to be hit or miss even at their best. As I listened to the first pieces, I thought perhaps this one had been a mistake. Short story mysteries are tricky, and maybe they don't adapt well to the audio format. Not having a list of stories/authors didn't help*.
I started with
# His Tears by Marilyn Wallace
# Sign of the Times by Nancy Pickard
# Cast Your Fate to the Wind by Deborah Adams
which didn't make much of an impression on me. In fact, I remember pretty much nothing about them.
After that, either I adapted to the stories, or the stories got better.
I really enjoyed
# Fannie’s Back Fence Caper by Susan & Bill Albert
and will need to track down the authors, who have been recommended to me before. Following the path of a small town adventure through call-ins to the local radio show was very entertaining.
# The Dying Light by Taylor McCafferty
Was an interesting character study. Very creepy, a little spooky, and a nice buildup.
# The Family Jewels by Dorothy Cannell
Is an absolutely hilarious parody of historical adventure/romance novels.
# The Trouble with the Shoot by Camilla T. Crespi
Didn't grab me. Fashion and a dead body.
# High Heels in the Headliner by Wendy Hornsby
This was entertaining. I looked at as meta-fiction, the story of a woman who got a little too involved in the research for writing a myster novel. Or she could have just been delusional, in which case this would just be creepy and bizarre.
# Cara’s Turn by Marlys Millhiser
Something about real estate. I restarted several times, but I just kept tuning out. Don't know whether it was the story or the narrator that was the problem, but it didn't click for me.
# Gentle Reader by Sharyn McCrumb
A humorous piece, which I enjoyed, even if it was a bit predictable-- an author and the mob :-).
# Double Delight by L.B. Greenwood
# Make Yourselves at Home by Joan Hess
# Highwater by D.R. Meredith
As far as I can tell, these weren't in the audiobook, even though they were listed in the IBL as being in the collection.
In the end, I think the collection was successful. I'll check out more from Overdrive at some point.
*(Thanks to the Internet Book List http://www.iblist.com/ for the list of stories and authors)