Original

I enjoyed this book. This one was a different book to the rest so far in the series because it Is a cold case Jayne is investigating and very personal, so a lot of reading old diaries. I think it helps to have listened to the previous books because you could easily make the connections between the names and the characters and there previous behaviour. Still a good like mystery and it does answer a lot of questions surrounding Jayne and even the town. The characters are fun and recurring because it is a small town, so you get to know them well across the series. I am off to start the next book in the series.
Jayne is busy at work and getting ready to open the b&b so needs a duty to help her and her police dog keep Whispering pines safe. When Jayne is called to over see another body she fears the worst but it is not the autopsy of the young man that causes her the most nightmares, this one is a little closer to home. Jayne's own gran didn't die in an accident as she was lead to believe and on further investigation Jayne finds that she might just have the key to solve the most important case in her life, the town's history in the form of several diaries written by her Gran at the time of the biggest secret whispering pines holds.
I liked the narrator and think she really brings each characters to life with her easy style and at the same time can also build up the tension just as easy.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Have you ever seen a baby pigeon?

Whispering Pines is a small town, established in 1966, on Jayne's grandmother's land. The 20 something ex police sergeant hadn't been back since she was 10, some sixteen years before. But, following her grandmother's death, she'd persuaded her parents not to sell immediately but instead let her try to establish a profitable bed and breakfast business in the large, multi bedroomed house. They gave her a one year trial to break even and the conversion work was being assisted by Trip, an attractive man she'd met just after her arrival. But Jayne had also taken on the job of Sheriff for the area and was desperately in need of a Deputy especially since Whispering Pines was becoming a popular tourist destination with it's beautiful scenery and colourful inhabitants, and the recent small spate of murders. But it is the arrival of the overdue autopsy report on her grandmother's death, showing it not to have been the simple accident previously believed, that has Jayne reading through the night the journals kept since the inception of the community in an attempt to discover who killed her.

This cozy mystery is full of atmosphere and character. Some lovely touches, too, like the sound of the wind in the trees which gives name to the small town. The townsfolk might call themselves witches, for the most part, but they are of the New Age variety, not paranormals, and predictions are only vaguely accurate despite the popularity of the fortune tellers with the tourists. The main protagonists, in particular, are very human with both good points and definite flaws. And the author carefully details every item that Jayne, and some others, eat.
The narration is good, clear and well paced. Sandra Murphy has a pleasant, well modulated voice and, whilst her renditions of the individual protagonists' voices are not greatly differentiated, this in no way detracts from her overall tidy performance.

Although third in the series, Original Secrets can be enjoyed without having to read the earlier books as all essential information is given. Although the portrayal of the town, and of Jayne herself, is excellent and tension builds as the book progresses, the final resolution feels rushed and not quite satisfactoy. It is, however, a fun read. My thanks to the rights holder who, at my request freely gifted me a complimentary copy of Original Secrets, via Audiobook Boom.

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