Real Murders by Charlaine Harris Narrator: Therese Plummer
Series: Aurora Teagarden #4
Published by Recorded Books on November 19, 2009
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Length: 6 hours, 7 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm
Though a small town at heart, Lawrenceton, Georgia, has its dark side-and crime buffs. One of whom is librarian Aurora "Roe" Teagarden, a member of the Real Murders Club, which meets once a month to analyze famous cases. It's a harmless pastime—until the night she finds a member killed in a manner that eerily resembles the crime the club was about to discuss. And as other brutal "copycat" killings follow, Roe will have to uncover the person behind the terrifying game, one that casts all the members of Real Murders, herself included, as prime suspects-or potential victims.
A small-town Real Murders club in Georgia gets a shake-up when suddenly their murder club is seeing someone is staging contemporary murders to mimic the more grisly and infamous murders of the past.
Aurora Teagarden leads a quiet, though slightly lonely life as a librarian in her town. She is comfortable in the knowledge that she has a routine and knows her fellow townspeople well until the night she discovers a fellow murder club member’s body killed in a horrific manner. The scene and situation emulates the same murder case she was getting set to present to her fellow members. Now she must look closely at her fellow members and wonder who is the sick person looking so normal.
Just as Aurora is starting to wrap her head around this brutal fact, she is faced with a box of poisoned chocolates and two suitors who both find her attractive. She is now the focus of town gossip because she keeps ending up right in the middle when new murders crop up. This fiend must be stopped and Aurora along with others including her delectable new neighbor, Robin Crusoe, determine to help the police with their knowledge gained from their hobby of studying murder.
This was a light murder mystery for all its gruesome murder situations. ‘Roe’ is a likeable heroine and the story is told from her perspective. She comes from a divorced home with her mom, one of the graceful, leading southern ladies of the town. Roe sees herself as average, but she isn’t down on herself. She likes her life and is happy to work at the library and join with her fellow club members talking murder.
The mystery itself was not easy to me. I got an inkling late in the game, but was shocked when it was reveal time.
All in all, this was a wonderful start to a series. I particularly thought it was fun to dip back into times of less technology- no smart phones and laptops. I think mystery, cozy mystery, and romantic suspense fans would find this a good one to try.
Narration:
I experienced this book in audio format and really enjoyed my first encounter with Therese Plummer as narrator. She did a great job with all the voices and her overall storytelling was engaging and captivating.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About Therese Plummer
Therese Plummer is an actor and voice over artist living and working in New York City. Favorite roles to date include TV: Rose Nerrick, The Good Wife, Andy in Law and Order SVU. Stage: Celebrity Row; New York Theatre Workshop, Under Tillage, The Irish Repertory Theatre. Off-off Broadway credits include The Vagina Monologues, Suzanne in Twilight of the Gold’s and Madeline in the Award Winning Samuel French Short play The Sweet Room. Comedy Credits include Improv at Upright Citizens Brigade and Stand-up at Caroline’s Comedy Club. Therese also performed her one woman show, Ribbons Undone, at the Here Arts Center.
Therese records audio books for Audible.com, Recorded Books and Talking Books, Inc. As an adolescent counselor, Therese spent five years utilizing Drama therapy techniques in individual and group settings before moving to New York. She shares a passion of creating, helping and entertaining and feels incredibly lucky to do all three.
About Charlaine Harris
Tired of abiding by the mystery rules, Harris wrote a novel about a telepathic barmaid that took at least two years to sell. When the book was published, it turned into a best seller, and DEAD UNTIL DARK and the subsequent Sookie books were adapted in Alan Ball’s “True Blood” series. At the same time, Harris began the Harper Connelly books. Harper can find the bones of the dead and see their last minute.
When those two series wound to a close, the next three books were about a mysterious town in Texas, called Midnight.
A change in publisher and editor led to Harris’s novels about a female gunslinger in an alternate America, Lizbeth Rose. The Gunnie Rose books concluded with the sixth novel.
She’s thinking about what to write next.
As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing.Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators.Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance.Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.
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That sounds like it would be good. I love her books.
Oh yeah! I read so many of hers last year and figured I might as well keep going with this final remaining series. Starting strong, Mary! 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it. I like when the mystery keeps me guessing for a while. Great review!
Same here! It’s fun to be surprised by the outcome, Lisa!
Sometimes a light mystery is just the ticket. You are doing great catching up with this author.
Exactly! Yes, when I finish this series, I’ll just have one lonesome standalone mystery left to read and I’ll be all caught up on her backlist. 🙂
Ooooo. This series sounds like fun.
Yeah, a murder club just got real. Ooo, good!