Another great book in the series

I am in the process of listening to the whole of Gus LeGarde mystery series and this one is as good as the others, I really enjoyed it but wow does the area get some serious crime. Yet again the writing was so good and so descriptive. I am also learning a lot re music.

The narration really worked as well.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

"All that frilly stuff."

What to say other than this reader has been left feeling totally exhausted?
Gus LeGarde is a music professor, but his teaching seems to occupy very little of his time. Instead, he's playing music for the church and other places designated by the local pastor, out and about with his enormous friend and house guest of who knows how many years, rescuing a non English speaking young woman and her brother from a fire, investigating the past of a man known to him only as Kip to try to find his old love, the only woman in his long, octogenarian life, which now is long forgotten, at the same time as he good naturedly fends off family dramas, proposed wedding arrangements, grandchildren, dogs, cats and horses - not to mention the live-in housekeeper who returned from holiday to suspect her position was being usurped. Oh yes, and cooking for them all, plus guests, even if he does set fire to the meatloaf. All with inhuman good grace. And it is this that constitutes the main body of the story although, between all this domesticity, a medical mystery and a sad family past is squeezed in in dribs and drabs along the way. Yes, it's left me exhausted and not a little jealous of his rural farmhouse idyllic lifestyle - oh, did I mention that he gardens, too?

I wanted to love this book, the first I'd read by this author in this series. It is beautifully written with vividly visual, though short, descriptions of place and countryside. But, quite frankly, Gus is just too nice, too perfect, his almost constant companion, close friend and ex brother-in-law, Siegfried, so naive, trusting, and quick (about 30 seconds) to fall helplessly in love and have that affection instantly returned. And, actually, everyone apart from a couple of baddies, was just plain too good to be true, like living in a Wonderland where everything sparkles and goes 'ting' when tapped.
So, I'm exhausted.
And, yes, I did enjoy the book as an adult sugar coated romance fairy tale. As a thriller, mystery or slice of reality? Not so much. But this is book 10 in the series, so perhaps I'm missing something.
Narrator, David Kudler, did a fantastic job. His very pleasant mid timbre voice read with expression, warmth and melodious modulation. His voicing s of all of the protagonists was individual and appropriate and he really seemed to take on the very affable personality of Gus, telling the story in first person. A fine performance.

My thanks to the rights holder of Lady Blues, who, at my request freely gifted me with a complimentary copy via Audiobook Boom. As previously mentioned, I did enjoy this story. Would I want to read more about Gus? Don't know. Perhaps when I've regained some energy. But it was a compelling read, bustling with interesting characters, and one I'd happily recommended to fans of romance stories.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful