Back to the Burgh and Beyond
The Owl's Nest Mysteries #1
By C.S. McDonald
Read by Maren Swenson Waxenberg
Alexa Owl has returned to Pittsburgh (the Burgh) following her divorce, which ended amicably. She's back and starting a new business putting her fashion and sewing skills to use in The Owl’s Nest Couturier Shoppe.
Everything is simply perfect until she has a visitor from the past enter her shop. And this visitor isn't from her past but from the building that now houses her business. Detective Bobby Starr needs Alexa's help to help him solve a murder case from his past - a murder he didn't solve while he was alive. Bobby's future in the Guardian Angel Squad is riding on this and they only have days to solve this cold case.
How do you solve a case that is more than 60 years old? Go back to 1953 when the case isn't yet cold. 1953 has many disadvantages - the first being a total lack of technology. I mean how is a girl supposed to do research without the web?
Back to the Burgh and Beyond is a fun read, or in my case, listen. This isn't a long book as it is just under 6 hours and the narration by Maren Swenson Waxenberg works well with this book. The story is definitely concluded when the end comes but it in no way feels as if it is a standalone title as there are most definitely some threads that were not tied off. The cast of characters blends well and they have a few personality quirks that give them an added depth. On a whole, the characters are interesting and believable. For those who like diversity of lifestyles in their reading, you do have it in this book though it isn't a major focal point.
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I offer my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.
*Of note there is a bit of drinking both in the past and the present, and smoking in the past, so if you object to this type of behavior in your reading you are forewarned.
Book Details:
Book Title: Back to the Burgh and Beyond (The Owl's Nest Mysteries)
Author: C.S. McDonald
Category: Adult Fiction, 208 pages
Run Time: 5 hours, 59 minutes
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: McWriter Books
Release date: Sep 10, 2020
Content Rating: G. C.S. McDonald's books are appropriate for YA readers as well as adults--no bad language or sexual content.
Book Description:
Meet Alexa Owl. She's returned home to Pittsburgh after a divorce to start a new life and a new business, The Owl’s Nest Couturier Shoppe. Much to her surprise, she's getting more than she ever bargained for: Detective Bobby Starr, and he's no ordinary sleuth. Bobby is an angel who's returned to Earth in hopes of earning his way into the Guardian Angel Squad. He's been sent by none other than Saint Pete to acquire Alexa’s help to solve three cold case murders he left behind. Except, here’s the catch: he’s only been allotted four days to solve the first case! How in heaven’s name is she supposed to do that? Alexa is a professional seamstress—not a detective. Bobby insists the only way to solve the first case is to return to 1953, and Alexa’s not in love with that idea at all!
You May Also Enjoy One of C.S. McDonald's Fiona Quinn Mysteries. Available in Audiobook, Ebook, and Print:
(The Fiona Quinn Mysteries are for everyone--adults love the books and they are appropriate for teens and tweens too!)
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 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. The female protagonist, Alexa Owl, is much different from Fiona Quinn. The Owl’s Next 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
Enter the Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Mountain Survival
