When a Sure Thing Fails, A Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicle

A Eula Moore Suspense

By: James R. Callan

Narrated by: Cathi Colas

Seventy-eight year old Eula Moore is kidnapped on the first day of her vacation in the Texas Hill Country town of Magnolia Bluff. Knocked out by ether, she is transported to a cabin deep in the forest. Eula is determined to escape, even though she is miles from any town. But escape she does, and when she reports the kidnapping to the police, the detective notes she was not hurt, she did escape, and no ransom was paid. He says, “No harm; no foul."

Incensed by this, Eula decides to find the kidnappers and see justice prevail. She has only the first names of the kidnappers and doesn’t know where she was imprisoned. With the aid of her granddaughter, Crystal, they track down the bungling kidnappers and find they owed money to a man known as Four Fingers, a vicious, dangerous man, wanted for multiple murders. They needed ransom money, out of fear for their lives. Eula has a choice. She can walk away and leave all this behind. But even at age seventy-eight, Eula's DNA will not leave things unresolved.

©2024 James R. Callan (P)2025 James R. Callan

Critic reviews

“Oh my goodness! This is a great story! What a fantastic beginning!” Melissa Henderson, Award Winning Author

Fun

I did enjoy the story. It seem to be well thought out, and it moved along at a good pace. The characters were well developed. Eula was a hoot! I could just imagine that spunky old lady in person. Brad had a good heart, you could tell that from the beginning. Add in a few more characters and it made for a good story. It had enough suspense to keep your interest with added humor to make it fun.

There is some minor cursing/swearing in this book. I did not think to ask whether or not there was before I requested a complimentary code from the author. I do not read/listen to books that have any. That being said, I did finish listening so I could leave a review. While I don't like it, it wasn't awful, and I should have checked first. The review wasn't requested, I am voluntarily leaving it. I feel if an author is kind enough to give a copy of their book away, they deserve to receive an honest review.

The narration was pretty good, voices were pretty consistent. .

Grit, Gumption, and a Grandma You’ll Root For

This is a fast-paced listen featuring a septuagenarian detective who’s an absolute badass. Eula is full of grit, heart, and charm—a lovable grandma with serious determination and zero patience for nonsense. The narration is spot on and adds so much personality that I found myself really connecting with Eula through the performance. A fun, engaging audiobook with plenty of attitude.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Fun

This is the first book I've read/listened to by this author. Eula is a really fun character! The narrator does a fantastic job bringing the story and characters to life.