Zoned for Murder: Sound Shore Times Mystery, Book 1

By: Evelyn David

Narrated by: Wendy Tremont King

Former Newsweek reporter Maggie Brooks has two kids, a dead husband, a mortgage to pay, and a lot of competition when she tries to get back into the shrinking newspaper business. Landing a job with a local paper, she's bored to tears covering bake sales and Little League games. But when a developer tries to build an outlet mall in a neighboring town, what starts out as a potentially great clip for her resume suddenly turns dangerous and ugly. Someone will do anything to block the mall's construction. Dirty money, nasty politics, and shady land deals abound as Maggie pursues the scoop that might jumpstart her career. When murder is added to the mix, she realizes that meeting her deadline might be the last thing she ever does. Listen to Maggie's byline as she rebuilds her career, dips her toes into a shark-filled dating pool, and investigates a small New York town Zoned for Murder.

©2012 Evelyn David (P)2015 Evelyn David

Great New Cozy Series

This was an enjoyable cozy mystery. The characters were realistic and easy to like and the story was well written. I look forward to the next in the series.

Filled time, nothing more than that

Two stars may be a bit harsh, but I never felt invested in the story. If anything, the main character wasn't particularly likeable, and the angle of her having an online "widow support buddy" fell completely flat. I like the author's Lottawattah series (though am disappointed that Ms. King is no longer reading those), as well as having liked the story "Mind Over Murder" which I'd far prefer to see developed as a series to this one.