Homemaker

Prairie Nightingale, Book 1

By: Ruthie Knox, Annie Mare

Narrated by: Mia Hutchinson-Shaw

When a former friend and devoted mother vanishes, a confident homemaker turned amateur sleuth follows an unexpected trail of scandals and secrets to find her.

Prairie Nightingale is both the midlife mother of two teenage girls and a canny entrepreneur who has turned homemaking into a salaried profession. She’s also fascinated with the gritty details of other people’s lives. So when seemingly perfect Lisa Radcliffe, a member of her former mom-friends circle, suddenly disappears, it’s in Prairie’s nature to find out why.

Given her innate talent for vital pattern recognition, Prairie is out to catch a few clues by taking a long, hard look at everyone in Lisa’s life—and uncovering their secrets. Including Lisa’s. Prairie’s dogged curiosity is especially irritating to FBI agent Foster Rosemare, the first interesting man Prairie has met since her divorce. His square jaw and sharp suits don’t hurt.

But even as the investigation begins to wreak havoc on Prairie’s carefully tended homelife, she’s resolved to use her multivalent homemaking skills to solve the mystery of a missing mom—and along the way discover the thrill of her new sleuthing ambitions.

©2025 Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Mia Hutchinson-Shaw's narration of the first book in this cozy mystery series is delightful. She brings a warm, engaging tone to the story of Prairie Nightingale, a divorced homemaker with two daughters.... Hutchinson-Shaw's performance captures Prairie's genuinely good intentions and heartfelt nature even as she uncovers her Wisconsin neighbors' dark secrets. Her narration feels like a comfy blanket, a perfect blend of mystery, humor, and tenderness. This audiobook is ideal for those who enjoy Hallmark mystery movies, offering a charming mix of lighthearted drama and a satisfying mystery."—AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award Winner

“Behind all [the] motives for murder is a clear-eyed look at the enduring inequality between men and women.”—Kirkus Reviews

“In this witty series launch from Knox and Mare, divorced mom Prairie Nightingale…is a lovably eccentric protagonist, and her first adventure goes down easy. Cozy fans will be satisfied.”—Publishers Weekly

Entertaining

This was entertaining, fun, and love a good evil mlm plot line! Worth the listen!

Great characters.

Divorce? Really? That solves everything? Men? Root of evil? Otherwise- very witty and topical. And truly funny family dynamics.

Smart and compelling

This book offers more nuanced characters, dialogue, and plot than the usual murder mystery. Prairie with her inner thought life is a believable hero.

A fun ride with a serious message

Homemaker was just what I need, while in a slump of listening experiences that just haven’t done it for me. It’s sharp, witty, funny, heartwarming, inspiring, all while keeping it real.
The novel does a fantastic job of capturing the essence of motherhood, mid-aged friendships, and the need to shake things up, and start anew, even when it’s a scary.
I found a great deal of joy and heart in interpersonal relationships, between the characters. I particularly enjoyed the MC’s relationship with her mother-in-law, ex, best friend Megan, and her children.
Give this one a chance. There’s a lot more to it than first impression.

Decent read

I really enjoyed the setting and the mystery was quite intriguing. The book explores the world of suburbia, a troubled marriage, and a shady MLM. The protagonist, Prairie, was clever, but I wish the writing could have been better. Authors often try to cover a lot of ground tick many boxes and it sometimes comes across as preachy about women losing themselves in marriage. Overall, I liked where the series was headed and might check out the next one.