Sunday, March 1, 2015

Death by Didgeridoo (Jamie Quinn Mystery #1), by Barbara Venkataraman (author), Carrie Lee Martz (narrator)

Audible Audio, November 2013

Jamie Quinn, reluctant lawyer, is mourning the death of her mother. Because her mother planned ahead and didn't overlook details, she is able, for a few months, to do very little else, though eventually she will have to work again. She's not quite ready for that when her Aunt Peg calls her in a panic. Jamie's cousin Adam has been arrested for the murder of his music teacher.

The teacher, Spike, has a lot of enemies, and Adam may be one of the few who knows him and doesn't have a motive to kill him. Sadly, Adam was found standing over Spike's dead body, the murder weapon is Adam's own didgeridoo (an Australian Aborigine musical instrument), and he has Asperger's Syndrome and didn't communicate very well with the police when they arrived. Superficially, he looks guilty, and the politically ambitious prosecutor is inclined to go for the easy answer in this high-profile killing.

Jamie's a lawyer, but she practices family law. She knows nothing about criminal law except that Adam needs a good criminal lawyer.

Jamie starts calling on old friends and former clients to muster the skills and resources Adam needs. This includes deploying her own not inconsiderable research skills, as well as an attention to detail and clear thinking her late mother likely would have been proud of. And somewhere along the line, Jamie realizes that except for her  worry over her cousin, for the first time in years, she's having fun.

This is an entertaining novella, well worth a couple of hours of your time. Recommended.
I received this book as a gift.

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