Fiona Quinn arrives at her parent’s home in Daytona, Florida for a short visit only to be informed that their usually quiet retirement community has been besieged with robberies—cash, jewelry, and more.
Welcome to one of the February 3rd stops on the Matrimony, Mayhem, and Murder tour with iRead Book Tours (schedule linked) and C.S. McDonald. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, excerpts, exclusive content from the author, many reviews of several Fiona Quinn books, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.
This is my third of three stops on this tour! Check out Tuesday’s post for my 5-star review of Mambo and Murder and yesterday’s post for my 5-star review of Matrimony, Mayhem, and Murder.
Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.
About the Books
Harriet’s Heist
Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries Book Two
by C.S. McDonald
Print/eBook
Published 14 August 2018
McWriter Books
Page Count: 51
Audiobook
Published 13 November 2018
McWriter Books
Length: 1 hour and 11 minutes
Narrator: Maren Swenson Waxenberg
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
Fiona Quinn arrives at her parent’s home in Daytona, Florida for a short visit only to be informed that their usually quiet retirement community has been besieged with robberies—cash, jewelry, and more. Her mom told all the neighbors Fiona is a wiz at catching bad guys.
Yikes!
Can Fiona crack the case? Hopefully, but what’s an amateur sleuth supposed to do when her Maltese, Harriet, shows up decked out in the stolen goods?
Double yikes!
Join Fiona, her parents, Harriet, and some pretty crazy old ladies for a real jewel of a quick mystery!
Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Audible
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My Review
My Rating: 5 Stars
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I was granted complimentary access to Harriet’s Heist as part of my participation in a blog tour for the latest full-length Fiona Quinn title (Matrimony, Mahem, and Murder) with iRead Book Tours. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
In Harriet’s Heist, Fiona’s tiny dog Harriet and one of her mother’s dogs go missing and only Harriet comes back… dripping in stolen jewels! What on Earth is going on?
I’m loving these quick mysteries! They’re not as deep and involved as the longer Fiona books but the storytelling is still top-notch and well planned out. If you love cozy mysteries, especially ones by C.S. McDonald, and you don’t have as much time to invest, read the minis!
As usual, Maren Swenson Waxenberg’s narration is perfect. I’ve reviewed more than half of C.S. McDonald’s Fiona Quinn and Owl’s Nest titles at this point, most of them in audiobook format, and I’m always pleased to see that Maren is once again the voice I’ll be listening to. It’s the sort of performance that is clear and entertaining without being distracting. You can sit back and forget that you’re not listening to your own internal reading voice, and that’s the way I prefer to experience audiobooks.
Crystal Clear Confusion
Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries Book Three
by C.S. McDonald
Print/eBook
Published 15 January 2019
McWriter Books
Page Count: 37
Audiobook
Published 24 August 2019
McWriter Books Audiobook
Published 13 November 2018
McWriter Books
Length: 1 hour and 22 minutes
Narrator: Maren Swenson Waxenberg
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
Yikes! Fiona’s been having a recurring nightmare and it’s driving her to distraction—so much so that she’s allowed her kooky neighbor, Astrid Dingle, to search for the answer through her crystal ball. What could be the cause of the dream, and what lengths will Fiona go to get to the crux of it all? You’ll be chasing dreams with Fiona, Detective Landry and Astrid in this fun quick mystery!
Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Audible
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My Review
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
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It hurts me to rate a Fiona Quinn book lower than a solid 4 because I absolutely adore this series, both the full-length novels and the mini mysteries, but this one just fell a little flat. It was funny in a slapstick sort of way but it was more predictable than usual for any of McDonald’s cozy mysteries and the plot really didn’t feel like a mystery in general. Yes the plot asks and solves a question, but most plots in most genres do that. This one didn’t feel like a sleuth was needed (and one wasn’t, Fiona is a kindergarten teacher after all) and felt more like a light comedic interlude from the greater arc of the series with poor Fiona as the butt of the joke that was Astrid Dingle. It felt like there was a potential mystery building around the new janitor but the payoff wasn’t a mystery level payoff.
This isn’t to say this story was poorly written, and I might have given it a 4 anyway, but the story uses the word g*psy frequently and that was quite grating on me. That’s a racial slur. It’s not cute. This book is only 3 years old. I don’t think anything was meant by it so I only let it take half a star off my evaluation and I’m rounding favourably on sites that don’t allow half stars.
As for Maren’s narration, it was as well-paced and easy to listen to as always. Reviewing 5 Fiona Quinn titles for the same blog tour stretch I feel like I’m just repeating myself with my praise of Maren’s voice acting skills. The only thing I noticed this time around is that there may have been a slip with a character name. The new incoming vice principal Fiona is worried about has the surname Tisdale and I swear at some point she was referred to as Ashley. The vice principal is not Disney channel actress Ashley Tisdale. That made me chuckle!
The Christmas Cameo
Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries Book Four
by C.S. McDonald
Print/eBook
Published 17 September 2019
McWriter Books
Page Count: 32
Audiobook
Published 13 November 2019
McWriter Books
Length: 1 hour and 16 minutes
Narrator: Maren Swenson Waxenberg
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
A lovely cameo brooch is discovered in Fiona’s late Uncle Wilbur’s house two days before Christmas. The pin bears a romantic Christmas message from Wilbur for his new wife with the initials, D.A.S. How very strange. To the family’s knowledge, Uncle Wilbur had never been married. So, who is this mysterious woman? Now, Fiona is on a holiday mission to locate D.A.S. and deliver the belated gift. Question is, what happened to the marriage? Is D.A.S. still alive after all these years? And if so, can Fiona find her before Christmas?
Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Audible
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My Review
My Rating: 5 Stars
Consider liking my review on Goodreads
When Fiona stumbles across an old cameo (brooch) purchased long ago by her late uncle Wilbur Fiona finds herself solving the mystery of who he purchased it for. Wilbur was, after all, a bachelor to the end, and this is the sort of gift one would have bought for their sweetheart…
The Quick Mysteries are redeemed! The previous mini plot didn’t impress me as much as the Fiona series normally does, but this one is a return to form and I loved it. If you love cozy mysteries in general or specifically McDonald’s work and you don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to a longer book, these quick mysteries are a real treat! At 50 pages or 76 minutes (at regular playback speed, I listen faster!) The Christmas Cameo offers a complete, layered, well-planned mystery plot with familiar likable characters in a quick, compact package. You don’t even have to be familiar with the Fiona Quinn series to enjoy it, either!
Once again, Maren’s narration is brilliant. Pacing is great, performance is entertaining without being distracting, and it’s easy to tell which character is speaking or thinking (and whether they’re speaking or thinking) at all times. I’m always glad to start a new McDonald audiobook and see that Maren has returned as the narrator!
About 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.
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Giveaway Alert!
Autographed copy of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER (a Fiona Quinn Mystery), plus a delightful book bag (one winner) (USA only) (ends Feb 11)
MATRIMONY MAYHEM AND MURDER Book Tour GiveawayDisclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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