Parrots Prove Deadly: A Pru Marlowe Pet Noire, Book 3 By Clea Simon Narrated By Tavia Gilbert

Parrots Prove Deadly: A Pru Marlowe Pet Noire, Book 3
By Clea Simon
Narrated By Tavia Gilbert
Series: Pru Marlowe, Pet Noir, Book 3
Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins

Blackstone Audio

Author Clea Simon

Narrator Tavia Gilbert

A stellar narration by the fabulous Tavia Gilbert, in this not to be missed reading of Parrots Prove Deadly by Clea Simon. From the amazing laugh out loud rendition of the parrot Randolph Jones, to the spunky little dog listening in on Pru's thoughts, you will not only laugh, and love all the animals that Pru talks to, you will adore everyone's special voice that Ms. Gilbert brings through. Not only are her renditions of the animals wonderful so are the people, like the high strung, scatter brained and very annoying Jane Larkin, daughter of Polly Larkin. It is just phenomenal how Tavia Gilbert makes it all work.

When eighty four year old Polly Larkin dies at the Live Well assisted living, no one is surprised, after all at eighty four and in poor health, death is expected. Pru Marlowe gets a call from a hysterical and shrill Jane Larkin pleading with Pru, to help her with Randolph, a gray African parrot. Jane hopes Pru, can retrain Randolph to quit swearing. Pru, is an animal behaviorist, and Polly Larkin's pet bird is in danger of becoming homeless or worse, as Jane's Condominium doesn't allow pets, her brother Mark, won't take him as he has young children and doesn't want a foul mouthed bird around them. So Randolph is a couple weeks away from being booted out of Live Well assisted living center.

Her first meeting with the feisty bird is when Randolph shouts out "Who the hell is it", "mind your own damn business" and "bugger off," which are some of his less obnoxious litanies. As Pru is around the bird more, she hears him saying things that make Pru think that perhaps Polly did not die a natural death at all. Polly was found on the floor and her walker was upturned on its side, leading the staff to think she got up in the night, lost her balance and fell. Yet, Randolph is making noises that indicate something very different happened. Pru is the only one paying attention to what the bird says except one other person who wants to shut the bird up, forever.

Things start to escalate when Pru stops in to visit Randolph and the room is teaming with people, the doctor, Jane, Mark, and others who come and go as they please when suddenly Randolph squawks gets sick and falls over. Pru, takes charge and rushes him to the vet and feels sure the bird has been poisoned, but by what or who, her thoughts run through a number of things that could have harmed the bird. Maybe when she let him out of his cage to stretch. But who would want to kill him.

After Randolph is released from the vet she decides it would be in the birds best interest to take him home herself. In the beginning she jettisoned this idea, knowing that Wallis her Tabby cat would either try and eat the bird or bother him in some other ways. Yet, she didn't want to take him back to Live Well. Pru decides her house is big, she could keep him in a room away from Wallis. In the end she decides to just bring Randolph in and not try and hide him from Wallis, as if that were possible.

Wallis picks up Pru's thoughts about the bird and she's also thinking about having lunch. Wallis greets her at the door, asking 'lunch' with an insinuating tone that she's bringing in the bird for Wallis's lunch. Pru chides him for it but later Wallis gets her back when she's digging into a thick chunk of turkey, and whimsically says " that's a bird too," letting Pru know there is no difference between him relishing a tasty parrot for lunch or her eating a turkey. Ms. Gilbert does such a marvelous job bringing out the humor, fear or stupidity of each person, or animal.

I love all of the psychic books Clea Simon writes and the Pet Noire series is one of the most creative and enchanting. Tavia Gilbert is such a fine story teller and very confident in her talents making for a most excellent listen. Candy for the ears.

    

Parrots Prove Deadly by Clea Simon