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Title: Murder 101

Author: Maggie Barbieri

Narrator: Gayle Hendrix

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-30-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 85 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Safely away from the chaos of Manhattan, St. Thomas, a small college on the banks of the Hudson River in the Bronx, is supposed to be tranquil, bucolic, and serene. Unfortunately, English professor Alison Bergeron has found it to be anything but. Recently divorced from a fellow professor and even more recently without a car - it was stolen - she has been hoofing it to school. One Friday evening, two NYPD homicide detectives drop by her office. The good news is that they found her beat-up Volvo; the bad news is that the body of one of the students in her Shakespeare seminar was in the trunk.

Not only are Alison's chances of getting the car back bleak, but suddenly she's the primary suspect on a list that includes, among others, the murdered student's drug-dealing boyfriend, Vince, and the girl's father's business rivals (he's head of an old Italian family . . .).

Accused of a crime that she didn't commit, Alison enlists her best friend Max's emotional support and services as an amateur sleuth. Their fumbling efforts to clear Alison's name could land her in even hotter water with Detective Bobby Crawford, the handsome investigating officer (and former altar boy) - not to mention the nuns at St. Thomas.

Maggie Barbieri's charming professor and down-to-earth detective make an unlikely but lovable team in her delightful debut mystery.

Editorial Reviews:

Lively and endlessly entertaining, full of mysterious twists and turns, Maggie Barbieri's Murder 101 plunges listeners into a great story from the first sentence. Gayle Hendrix performs the story of Alison Bergeron, professor at the idyllic college on the Hudson River, St. Thomas. After finalizing her divorce and having her car stolen, detectives tell her that her car's been found complete with the body of a student in the trunk. Funnier than expected, dramatic and romantic, this is a mystery that listeners will keep coming back to.

Members Reviews:

Pleasurable Reading

This is lightweight but satisfying. It's probably only a 3.5, but I upped it because it was enjoyable. The pacing is good, the characters are fun, and the plot is interesting enough. Although romance hovers, it adds to the plot rather than interfering with it. Such melodrama as there is, is of a comical nature rather than overblown and stupid. There's a touch of Evanovich -- not nearly as fall-down funny, but definitely some laughs, and some zany co-stars.

Narrator Ruins the Story

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I enjoyed what I heard of the story, but the narrator was horrid. At 50 minutes of listening I had to quit. I'm going to buy the book and finish reading it, I can't tolerate listening this to it a minute longer.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator's voice is very sing-songy -- and quite monotonous, her pacing and interpretation are grating. There is little or no distinction in character's voices. Male voices are really weak.

Compelling

Love the chemistry between Allison and Crawford. Narration was smooth. Great series, this is my second listen of the books, can't wait for newest edition.

A bit over the top

Would you try another book from Maggie Barbieri and/or Gayle Hendrix?

I will try another book in this series - the story is ok - the narrator seems to get mixed up in her voices sometimes.