The Maestro

Cold Hollow Mysteries, Book 3

By: Emilie J. Howard

Narrated by: J. Scott Bennett

Maestro: a great or distinguished figure in any sphere.

Grim Reaper: the personification of death.

Combine these two and place them in the small mountain town of Cold Hollow. Sit back and watch the mayhem unfold as sinister dealings are in the air again. There are new arrivals, job placements, and housing to arrange, but with Mayor Myrna Bradbury busy with wedding planning and her fiancé's family arriving in town, will she be able to keep up with the machinations? When a young girl goes missing, Myrna begins to strategize again, only to be stopped by "The Maestro".

Heads on a pike, inventive uses for nail files, garrotes, and twisted nursery rhymes all play a part in book three of the tooth-rattling Cold Hollow series.

©2016 Emilie J. Howard (P)2016 Emilie J. Howard

This series does not disappoint

This was another great book in the Cold Hollow series. It is filled with suspense, mystery, and very dark humor. I liked the new character introduced, Delilah - she was really creepy and disturbing - especially the pleasure she gets from mutilating herself (filing her teeth into points with her metal nail file, etc.). The whole series of books is really engrossing. I finished each of them in one sitting. If you like suspense/horror or are intrigued by creepy little towns, this is a book for you. I listened to the Audible audio version of the book narrated by J. Scott Bennett. He makes the book come alive. I enjoy the voices he gives to each of the characters and his overall performance. I highly recommend this book after reading the previous books in the series.

Twisted!

Here's me thinking that this series couldn't get more twisted, but the author proves me wrong with this edition of the Cold Hollow Series. The Mayor is days away from her wedding when her fiances family come to town. This family is quite....... unique! On top of that, there is a new man in town as well, a man whom the Mayor is suspicious of. She doesn't want anything to disrupt her wedding, and her new "family" will make sure of it.

As I said, this series is dark, but The Maestro takes it to a new level of darkness! All I'll say is Delilah!!! God she is one sick twisted woman!! There isn't much else I can say about this as I definitely don't want to spoil anything as it's better experienced first hand. What I will say is that this series is so good!! It's dark, twisted but oh so gripping! Filled with suspense, mystery, and characters you can't help but enjoy, this series is a must read.

J. Scott Bennett was as awesome as always!! He just knows hows to tell a story and how to grip you from the get go. He has plenty of tones and cadences that bring the book alive!

*I received a copy of this for review. This in no way affected my thoughts.*

Definitely not Maurice Ashley

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com.

I have not read any of the other books in the series, though I wish I read book 2. I think those characters would have been the most interesting, Maurice and Adam. The plot jumps around a lot with a murderous dysfunctional family as a member marries someone from a small dysfunctional town. Meanwhile, a stranger comes to town and people start dying. I actually thought it was more comedy than horror, but I don't read a lot of horror so who knows? I thought it might have been more interesting without showing Reginald's perspective just to keep the audience guessing whether he was really a villain, but it worked out.

The narrator did a good job, but it didn't really stand out above the crowd so to speak.

Family Values

The people of Cold Hollow, Vermont, are recovering from the traumas of the previous books and gearing up for the wedding of mayor Myrna Bradbury and Dr. Tom Gillette. Tom's family comes from North Carolina for the wedding, and a serial killer moves into town. When Myrna is upset by the disappearance of a teenage girl, Gillette "family values" are invoked to take care of the problem.

The general atmosphere of the book reminds me of the Addams Family, and I think you'll understand why when you read the book. Anyway, I enjoyed this book and the narration was flawless. I'll probably go back and pick up books one and two.

(Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review.)

Excellent Story!

This is an awesome story. The author is very talented and as always, Mr Bennett does an amazing job with the narration.