4.13.2023

Waves of Murder ~ Review

DEEP BLUE MURDER (A FIONA QUINN MYSTERY) by C.S. McDonald

WAVES OF MURDER by C.S. McDonald

Waves of Murder

A Fiona Quinn Mystery #3
By C.S. McDonald

Summer is here, and kindergarten teacher Fiona Quinn has her summer all planned out. Until her mother, Nancy Quinn volunteers her to edit a series of books for famous romance author Wyla Parkes! Yikes!!! And she has to spend 6 weeks at Presque Isle, Pennsylvania, to do the editing. Double Yikes!!!

Romance isn't Fiona's genre of choice, but she can't very say "No," when her mother promised six weeks of her summer for this project. Fiona is stuck, but at least the location is nice - and it comes with access to a private beach.

Unfortunately, it comes with access to a private beach where dead bodies start turning up, including her Summertime boss Wyla Parkes. What's she going to tell her mother???? 

Soon Fiona and her detective boyfriend are working on finding a killer. There's a steak dinner at stake. As Fiona and Nathan put everything together, they have to wonder if the cases are related or if someone is taking advantage of the situation.

I really enjoyed this book. The pacing was excellent, and the various suspects make for an exciting who-did-what-to-whom to the very end. And, yes, it was a well-played game up to the very end, and only the smallest of clues will offer the answers that they seek. 

And then there are some amusing scenes at Fiona's home when Nathan checks it out while she is gone. Let's just say that the late Grandma Evelyn is up to some shenanigans that will leave Nathan scratching his head and wondering just what is going on in Fiona's house while she's away.

I listened to the audio version of this, and the narration was excellent. The book was narrated by 
  • Maren Swenson Waxenberg and well presented. At just over 4 hours, this was the perfect quick listen as I was able to enjoy it over a week of commute time. 

This was most definitely a cozy mystery, and I would have no qualms recommending it to any reader over twelve years of age. I love Fiona's takes whenever anyone refers to her as a ""Kindergarten teacher." This is played out several times throughout the book and always elicits at least a smile, if not a laugh. This is one to add to your Summer TBR list though maybe not at the beach.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this audiobook with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.


Book Details:

Book Title:  Waves of Murder:  A Fiona Quinn Mystery #3
Author:  C.S. McDonald
Category:  YA Fiction, 190 pages
Genre:  Cozy Mystery
Publisher:  McWriter Books
Release date:  Apr 11, 2017
Content Rating:  G (The Fiona Quinn Mysteries are for everyone--adults love the books, and they are appropriate for teens and tweens too!)

About the Book:

School's out for the summer!

Kindergarten teacher Fiona Quinn is looking forward to spending some quality time in her yard and with her boyfriend, Detective Nathan Landry. However, Fiona's plans get squelched when her mother volunteers her to edit a manuscript for famous romance author Wyla Parkes.

What's so bad about that? The author insists Fiona must work on the manuscript at her beach cottage on Presque Isle - three hours away from her yard and Nathan. Spending six weeks in an adorable cottage on a private beach doesn't really seem all that bad until people start turning up dead - beginning with the author! Fiona's summer of sun and sand is instantly transformed into a murder investigation. Can Fiona and Nathan crack the case, or will the murderer get away on a wave of deceit?

Join Fiona and the gang for a hot whodunit on the sandy beaches of Presque Isle, Pennsylvania!

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Meet the Author:

For twenty-six years C.S. McDonald’s life whirled around a song and a dance. Classically trained at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School, The Pittsburgh Dance Alloy, and many others, she became a professional dancer and choreographer. During that time, she choreographed many musicals and an opera for the Pittsburgh Savoyards. In 2011 she retired from her dance career to write. Under her real name, Cindy McDonald, she writes murder-suspense and romantic suspense novels. In 2014 she added the pen name, C.S. McDonald, to write children’s books for her grandchildren. In 2016 she added the Fiona Quinn Mysteries to that expansion. She decided to write the cozy mystery series that everyone, including teens and tweens, can read and enjoy. Presently, the Fiona Quinn Mysteries includes nine books with a tenth slated for 2021. The books are also available on audio, narrated by Maren Swenson Waxenberg.

Cindy’s newest venture is The Owl’s Nest Mysteries. Once again, she has set her cozy mystery in Pittsburgh and the female protagonist, Alexa Owl, is much different from Fiona Quinn. The Owl’s Nest Mysteries has a little grit, a little time travel, a little romance, and a whole lot of cozy!

Ms. McDonald resides on her Thoroughbred farm known as Fly by Night Stables near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Bill, and her poorly behaved Cocker Spaniel, Allister. 

Connect with the author:  Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook ~ Instagram


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