In this cozy mystery listeners gain insight into the life of the first female Episcopal priest to serve in Apple Springs in Northern California. When Hope Taylor shows up for her first day on the job, she finds the murdered body of the meanest man in town and decides to channel her inner Trixie Belden to identify the killer. Jennifer Jill Araya helps listeners find Hope highly relatable and sympathetic, more like a friend than a stereotypical stiff and reserved church leader. Araya also gives life to the members of the community, in particular a drug-addled former professional singer who grew up in Apple Springs but affects a Southern belle persona, complete with a thick drawl.
Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
Duration: 8 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781662070440
Publisher: Dreamscape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
An amusing audiobook that works hard to make fun of syrupy holiday romances.
Three narrators perform a funny, irreverent take on a Hallmark-esque Christmas tale. Detectives Holly Frost and Mark Shepherd, who have an enemies-to-lovers dynamic going on, are both assigned to investigate a murder in the quaint town of Christmas—a murder they must solve in order to save the town’s Jingle Bell Jubilee, and their careers. In alternating chapters, Patti Murin deftly performs Holly, who has a penchant for cursing, while Colin Donnell charmingly voices Mark. Angela Dawe pops in with interspersed comments reminding the listener not to take the story too seriously.
An amusing audiobook that works hard to make fun of syrupy holiday romances.Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 18 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250451828
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2026
A listen with charm, mystery, and well-depicted local color.
This new mystery series opener is set on an island off the coast of Maine. In a girlish, upbeat voice, Carly Robins portrays Audrey Sullivan, a movie publicist who escapes a scandal in LA when she inherits her grandmother’s movie theater on Pine Island. On the night of the theater’s reopening, a dead body is found in the projection booth. Audrey enters amateur sleuth mode, and the hunt is on. The story, implausible at times, has the usual comfortable components: quirky characters; an unloved victim; revealing interviews with suspects; scary chases; small-town secrets; and a likable, deftly presented heroine. Movie aficionados will love the many references to classic lines.
A listen with charm, mystery, and well-depicted local color.Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs, 44 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668658543
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: today
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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