Killer in the Margins

A Neurodivergent Sleuth, Her Clever Cat, and a Killer Lurking in the Pages

By: Eliza Floretta

Narrated by: Lisa Lynn Sandlin

Imagine a ball of yarn, but instead of unraveling neatly, it’s a tangled mess—that’s my life.

I’m Jessica Larsen. My mom’s a powerhouse entrepreneur, my sister’s a doctor, and I’m… an author with a normal 9-to-5 that I can’t seem to keep. After getting fired (again) and dumped by my boyfriend of two years (again), I have no choice but to take a job as a caretaker for my eccentric grandfather in a tiny town with nothing to do.

At least I’ll have time to write—unless, of course, I get roped into something ridiculous. Like bonding with my grandfather over his secret past as a detective. Or stumbling onto a murder way too close to home.

Now, with my grandfather’s old case files and a town full of quirky suspects, I have to solve this mystery—because surely, it can’t be that different from writing crime novels… right?

©2025 Cara Ruegg (P)2025 Cara Ruegg

Enjoyed the book!

The story kept my attention, I really enjoyed that it was a mystery with clean low spice romance & no swearing.

ADHD adventure

A fun and relatable cozy mystery story with some relatable humor thrown in. I will look for more by Eliza Floretta.

This is such a cute story!

I really liked the main character, Jess. Her being surrounded by people who didn't understand her makes her really sympathetic from the begining, and seeing her gain confidence and make friends who appriciate her is wonderful. The romance is really sweet, and I look forward to seeing more of Jess and Michael in future books! The mystery was also interesting and kept me guessing!

The narration was excellent, and the narrator did a great job of bringing Jess to life and making her sympathetic.

killer in the margins audiobook

- Narrated by @narratorlisalynn
- First Person, Single POV (Jessica)
- Cozy Mystery
- a bit of no spice romance
- Book 1; Red Pen Mysteries

I've already read and reviewed the ebook and really enjoyed it.

I was excited for the opportunity to experience this one a second time around, this time as an audiobook.

So I'll jump into a quick review of this format, which was narrated by Lisa Lynn Sandlin. I want to start off by saying Lisa did a fantastic job bringing Jessica's story and character to life. I felt like the narration was beautiful and only helped in amplifying an already wonderful story.

If you're an audiobook fan and enjoy cozy mysteries with Clue vibes and a little bit of romance added in, then you should give this one a listen. Eliza's story is fun and entertaining, and tied in with Lisa's narration it's an extra fantastic time!

Entertaining, cozy mystery

Jessica is one of the most relatable characters I’ve read about in a while. I liked her right away. This is a cozy murder mystery. Jessica and Michael have chemistry as soon as they meet, but it isn’t love at first sight swoony love. The author lets it grow slowly and sweetly. Listening to this took me back to my pre-teen years when I would consume all of the Nancy Drew books faster than my mom could buy them.

Lisa narrated this book and as always did an amazing job. At times I forget I am listening to an audiobook and feel as if a friend is telling me a story. Lisa’s voice has a way of pulling a listener in, she puts just the right amounts of emotion into the story.