Chihuahua Confidential by Waverly Curtis Narrator: Laura Darrell

Audio Book
Chihuahua Confidential
Book 2. in A Barking Detective Mystery
By Waverly Curtis
Narrator: Laura Darrell

Audible Studios
7 hours 17 minutes

Chihuahua Confidential By Waverly Curtis

Narrator Laura Darrell

Laura Darrell really is the perfect choice for the Barking Detective Mystery Series. Her interpretation of PePe is fantastic as is Jimmy G. Geri's, boss at the Gerard Detective Agency. Ms. Darrell will take you skillfully through the most fun book series imaginable. She captures PePe's overbearing although charming personality to perfection. Her booming voice for Jimmy G. the sleazy detective is superb. She does Rebecca Tyler, the elegant but aggressive creator of Dancing for Dogs brilliantly. Laura Darrell does a very enthusiastic and wonderful reading of Chihuahua Confidential.

Audio Book Review:
Chihuahua Confidential by Waverly Curtis
A PePe Novel

PePe, Geri's adopted Chihuahua talks to her, and his lies, stories just continue to become more fantastic. Geri can only laugh and shake her head when he tells her he once raced in the Iditarod (Trail Sled Dog Race) in Alaska, and had once wrestled an alligator in an Alabama swamp. PePe is downcast that Geri doesn't believe him but, no one believes her either when she tells them that PePe talks.

Even her New Age psychiatrist Susanna thinks it's delusional thinking. Excerpt: "Susanna, So Geri, is your dog still talking to you? Of course I am still talking to her, who else would I talk to she's the only one that can hear me. " "That's not true I pointed out to him, there is one other person who can hear you"..... "So you believe he spoke to you just then ?" "Yes, I said, and he pointed out that we met another person who can hear him. "  "Oh, really" I'd like to meet this person....."



The one tale that PePe speaks of often is when he belonged to Caprice Kennedy a famous movie star. Geri doubts this, even if most the Chihuahua's in the shelters came from Los Angeles. In Dial C for Chihuahua, PePe and Geri got involved with Rebecca Tyler who is putting together a reality show, Dancing with Dogs. PePe of course is a natural born ham and loves the lime light and Geri who prefers to stay in the background is reluctant to be PePe's partner. Rebecca Tyler is as bossy and pushy as PePe. Geri, we know will always be over ruled by her dog.

Rebecca has gotten Caprice to be a  judge for Dancing with Dogs, as well as the grumpy Nigel St. Nigel.
When Rebecca and Geri get to the sound stage they are suppose to use for their show Nigel St. Nigel is there. Problem is Nigel might be sitting there but he is very much dead. Now Rebecca has to find a replacement judge for Nigel and it will delay practicing for at least a day. Geri and PePe have to figure out who murdered Nigel while at the same time practicing dance routines and doing rehearsals.

Author Waverly Curtis and PePe

A lively tangle of events ensues from PePe's insistence to pursue the investigation. Jimmy G. flies to Los Angeles to aid Geri and even gets a bit part in a television show. Dogs, dogs, dogs, everywhere, with PePe taking a leading role in rescuing his true love Siren Song. Geri, finally gets the final answer to PePe's claims to having been Caprice's pampered pet. Romance is still in the air between Geri and Felix. Seems some will stop at nothing to pursue their aims of fame and fortune and some get both with little effort. The PePe Novels are a winner in every way from being excellent writing to ingenious imagination with generous doses of laugh out loud humor.

Dial C for Chihuahua, By Waverly Curtis Narrator Laura Darrell

Dial C For Chihuahua:
Book 1
A Barking Detective Mystery
By Waverly Curtis
Narrator  Laura Darrell
Audio Book

Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins

Published byAudible

Dial C for Chihuahua by Waverly Curtis

Narrator Review

Laura Darrell does a very nice job narrating Jimmy G. from the Gerard Detective Agency. He is a blowsy 

cigar smoking detective, except he never really seems to do many detective jobs or have many calls either.

He calls Geri, 'doll' and refers to her as his Girl Friday and calls her his operative to his (few) clients. Her voice for PePe also is impressive and believable. Although her reading of Geri's thoughts can lag a bit being to precise with pronunciations, but she does well when Geri is involved in conversations. The male voices are not distinctive but she makes up for that by emphasizing the emotional intent. Overall, Laura Darrell makes Dial C For Chihuahua a fun listen. 

Laura Darrell Narrator

Audio Book Review:
Dial C for Chihuahua, By Waverly Curtis

Geri Sullivan has gotten her final divorce decree from her cheating ex-husband Jeff.

The Real Estate Market has bottomed out and she is worried that she will lose

her job as a stager as it's looking like that will crash too. Feeling down and a little sad

thinking about the poor dates she'd been having and worries about her finances. She decides to 

go to the Animal Shelters and look at the Chihuahua's she's read about that have been sent

around the country to find homes for them. Off she goes to get some unconditional love from

man's best friend. 

When she gets to the shelter and sees so many little Chihuahua's together in one cage, only the 

little white one sitting off by himself, catches her fancy and she knows he's the one she wants. His

big brown eyes melt her heart. PePe is quiet until Geri, puts down food for him. Absurd as it may 

sound, PePe thanks Geri for his food and in Spanish of course, but he also talks English with a Spanish accent. PePe is no ordinary dog that's for sure. Geri must be really lonely because she answers 

him back and in Spanish. Wait, what, dogs don't talk, Geri thinks she's really losing it now. Pepe introduces himself and from then on, PePe rarely stops chattering. No one else hears PePe talking, they only hear Geri's side of the conversation. 

Geri had applied for many jobs but only had one interview and that was with a Private Detective

Agency. Three weeks of not hearing back from Jimmy Gerard she forgot about it until he calls on the phone and tells her he has a job for her to do. She's to go interview a client about her missing husband, right away. Everything with Jimmy G. is right away giving Geri very little time to consider anything, like she has no experience. That's no problem as far as Jimmy G. is concerned, ask questions and keep notes in shorthand. Jimmy G. always refers to himself in the third person and lives in some distant long gone past 

PePe is excited and wants to go with her, of course Geri thinks differently but, PePe is not to be denied. He wears her down by telling her what a valuable asset he will be to her. PePe has the most fantastic stories about himself, "I have chased the bulls in Mexico City," to show his bravery, "I have also worked as a search and rescue dog in Mexico City" to show his value in searching things out. " I've worked with the Federal Authorities in the battle against the Mexican Drug Lords," to impress Geri with his keen sniffing ability. PePe according to him, has done so many things , and always he is the hero. What PePe does best is get Geri involved in some dangerous situations, starting with her very first job as a private detective. 

Waverly Curtis has done a bang up job with Dial C for Chihuahua and I laughed out loud through most of it. It is hilarious and PePe up stages Geri at every turn. Jimmy G. is just priceless, and Laura Darrell has him down pat. Awesome narration of the messy, retrograde Jimmy G. I loved this book and have listened to it several times, it's that funny. I promise you will love it too as you listen to PePe's lies, I mean stories of the many things he has accomplished and people he has met. He really shines when he falls in love with a little bitch and gets involved with 'Dancing With Dogs.'

Inspector Specter By E.J. Copperman Narrator: Amanda Ronconi

Inspector Specter
Series: Haunted Guesthouse, Book 6
By E.J. Copperman

Inspector Specter

Narrated By Amanda Ronconi
Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins

Narrator Review of Amanda Ronconi

Imagine you are listening to a movie on the telly (without the commercials) and you're relaxed and laying back with your eyes closed. That just about describes what it is like listening to Amanda Ronconi narrate Inspector Specter. Ms. Ronconi does such a bang up job of reading and performing Inspector Specter it is like listening to a full cast play or movie. She really sinks her teeth into the story line as well as developing the characters maybe even more than the author had in mind when he wrote the book. You can't go wrong with Amanda Ronconi, always a delightful listen, always a top notch performance and you always will be sorry when the book is done. Outstanding and exceptional in every way, as an awesome narrator should be.

Narrator Amanda Ronconi

Audiobook Review of Inspector Specter

E.J. Copperman Author

Detective Anita McElone has played a significant role in every book in the Haunted Guesthouse Series. McElone and Alison have an ongoing relationship, not quite friends, yet. Alison has respect for McElone's professional abilities but, still calls her Lieutenant. McElone rhymes with macaroni, and macaroni is what I hear every time her name is mentioned. McElone thinks Alison's Guesthouse is creepy and refuses to go inside. She doesn't believe in ghosts, nonetheless, when her old partner Martin Ferry, from Seaside Heights is killed, McElone, turns to Alison, to contact Marty's ghost. McElone thinks Marty was murdered but the Seaside Heights police think it was an accident.

Paul loves nothing better than to have a case to work on, and he gets on the ghosternet to see if anyone knows about Marty or has seen his spirit. His contacts reveal some unpleasant news about Marty, they say he had mob connections, and was a "dirty cop". Alison puts Maxie, her other resident ghost on it. Maxie is the computer whiz a talent she discovered after she became a ghost.

No one has seen Marty on the other side so Alison and McElone go to Marty's apartment to see if his ghost is there, he is. McElone still is not sure Alison is talking to Marty, not until Marty tells Alison something that only he and McElone knew. McElone is stunned and begins to accept that Marty is in the room with them. Even so McElone will still have doubts creep in from time to time. Marty was investigating a gang or mob related case leading McElone and Alison into some very bizarre situations.



McElone takes a vacation week off from work to devote more time to finding Marty's killer. Alison is investigating from her end with Maxie and Paul's help when McElone gives Alison a thumb drive to keep in a safe place for her. The mobsters learn that Alison has that drive and stop at nothing to get it. Putting Alison in some life threatening situations.

Inspector Specter has a lot of characters to keep track of and the pace is fast. I did have to pay attention ad listen to it twice to keep the people and situations clear in my mind. It is even more convoluted after McElone disappears. Then we have Maxie acting strange to the point it begins to bother Alison. So she sets her spook Dad to tail her and report back. Where does Maxie goes all morning? Maxie does spend more time away from the Guesthouse since she learned how to leave the grounds.
.

The Thrill of the Haunt, A Haunted Guesthouse Mystery by E. J. Copperman Narrated By Amanda Ronconi

The Thrill of the Haunt
A Haunted Guesthouse Mystery
by E. J. CoppermanNarrated By Amanda Ronconi
Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins

Narrator Review of Amanda Ronconi

Narrator Amanda Ronconi

Amanda Ronconi, performs with perfection the fast changing scenes and characters without ever losing her high energy tone. Every character is unique and given diligent attention. Conversation are natural sounding and smooth, The text, is the skeleton of a book that pulls the story together, receives the same attention from Ronconi as the dialogue. Another outstanding narration by Amanda Ronconi. 

Audiobook Review of The Thrill of the Haunt by E.J. Copperman

E.J. Copperman

The Thrill of the Haunt, has two investigations for Alison to solve. With her reputation

growing as being the ghost lady, her guesthouse business is becoming more popular,

booked full of people wanting the ghostly experience or a bit of the paranormal. She tells people it is just an advertising ploy and for her Senior Plus Tour guests she encourages the haunted title which Maxie and Paul put on two shows or events a day. She wants to deny the title of ghost lady and Paul and Maxie have hurt feelings over her denial of them. 

Everett a long time local homeless man approaches Alison to help him get rid of the ghosts that pester him. Alison doesn't see how she can be of any help and it's not until he is murdered that she gets involved in solving the crime that she really knows anything about him.  Kerin an old adversary prods and finally hires Alison to find his murderer The scuttlebutt is a ghost killed him. Alison swears that's nonsense that a living person killed him.

Nothing has come over the ghosternet for some time and Paul is getting bored and restless for lack of a crime to solve. Luckily for Paul, Helen Bonifico hires Alison to follow her husband. Helen is sure he is cheating on her and she wants proof of it, she even knows the woman he's seeing. Paul is clicking his heels to finally have some cases to work on. Apparently being a ghost can become very boring. Alison is surprised that Helen doesn't want to divorce him, but use it for leverage (her word) or blackmail (Alison's word) to make him toe the line, and control him.  

It is a surprise ending and with everyone gathered in the library, actually Alison had a party with all the suspects invited to flush out the murderer. The Thrill of the Haunt is Book 5, in the series and is just as funny as the first four. Each book has many twists and turns and many surprises that add to the playfulness and lighthearted coziness of this series. It is a guaranteed laugh out loud experience reading any of the Haunted House Series.

Night of the Living Deed
 E. J. Copperman Author

An Uninvited Guest  
E. J. Copperman Author

Old Haunts  
E.J. Copperman  Author

Chance of a Ghost
E. J. Copperman Author

     

Chance of a Ghost By E. J. Copperman Narrated by Amanda Ronconi

Chance of a Ghost
Haunted Guesthouse, Book 4
By: E. J. Copperman
Narrated by: Amanda Ronconi
Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins
Publisher: Audible Studios

Narrator Review: Amanda Ronconi

Amanda Ronconi, does another outstanding performance in Chance of a Ghost the fourth in the Haunted Guesthouse Series. She really brings out the personalities of the characters as well as reading the text parts so well they blend right in. She never, and I mean never, fails to to deliver a first class performance. I lose myself completely when listening to her. Some (a few) narrators do a good performance and fail on reading the text parts, so they sound just like that, something being read. I have had nothing but a great listening experience with Amanda Ronconi. 

Narrator Amanda Ronconi

Audiobook Review: Chance of a Ghost by E.J. Copperman

Author E.J. Copperman

Alison Kerby, and her resident ghosts take us on a hilarious ride of a lifetime.
If you read/listened to the first three in the Haunted Guesthouse Series, you know now that the testy and mercurial Maxie Malone, has managed to leave the house and pops into Alison's car or just really anywhere Alison is when outside the house. Maxie doesn't know exactly how she achieved this ability but, she's pretty happy about it. Poor Paul is just getting better at moving material objects. Both ghosts would like to move on in the spirit world and sadly as Paul puts it, "being dead did not come with manual".  Alison, is not thrilled having Maxie popping in an out.

After (Book 1, Night of the Living Deed) Maxie pushed a heavy can of spackle onto Alison's head giving her a  concussion, and the ability to see ghosts. In Book 4, Alison knows her daughter Melissa, and her mother can also see ghosts. This provides some very entertaining dialogue between the ghosts and the gals, especially when there are "civilians" in hearing distance. The guests from the Senior Tour, are there just for that ghostly experience which Maxie and Paul provide twice a day and are a bit smug about being in on the ghosts whereas the normal guests have no idea about the hauntings.

Alison, accidently discovers her mother Loretta is seeing another man, or another ghost actually. She had been connecting with her husband every Tuesday since his death but, for the last three weeks he has not shown up and she is very worried about him. When Alison finally gets to the bottom of what her mother is up too, she meets with the ghost of Lawrence Laurentz a small time actor. Lawrence goes about things backwards when he tries to convince Loretta, that he knows where her husband is and he can help him. Lawrence, is a rather pathetic guy with personality issues. Like, no one likes him. 

When it gets down to the nitty gritty, Lawrence wants Alison to find out who killed him. His death certificate indicates death from a heart attack, but he swears someone killed him by dropping a toaster in the tub while he was bathing. Even though neither EMS nor the police found a toaster in his bath, he is adamant that an unseen person did drop a toaster in his bath water. Alison, gets deeply involved trying to uncover who the culprit is. It is during a production by some senior citizens doing Peter Pan that Alison has an inspired idea of how someone could have dropped a toaster in Lawrence's bath, resulting in Lawrence seeing the toaster but not the perpetrator. Now to find out who did this and why, is what Alison has to piece together.

Old Haunts, A Haunted Guesthouse Mystery: By: E. J. Copperman Narrator: Amanda Ronconi

Old Haunts
Haunted Guesthouse Series:Book 3
By: E. J. Copperman
Narrator: Amanda Ronconi

Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
Publisher: Audible Studios

Amanda Ronconi Narrator

Narrator Review Amanda Ronconi

Amanda Ronconi adds a bit of spice and a dash of tabasco to Maxie Malone, not that Maxie needs more snark but Ms. Ronconi brings out her very worse traits and Maxie has so many to choose from. Her performance of The Haunted Guesthouse Mysteries is brilliant. Her voice and interpretation of each character is simply dazzling, Amanda Ronconi is one of the superstars among the most talented narrators.

Audiobook Review: Old Haunts By E.J. Copperman

Author E.J. Copperman

Alison Kerby a thirty year old divorcee and mom to a precocious ten year old. Had the previous year returned to her childhood hometown on the Jersey Shore, bought a Victorian home to renovate and turn into a guesthouse. During the renovations through a set of bizarre events she learns that the old house has two resident ghosts, Maxie Malone the previous owner of the house and Paul Harrison the Private Investigator she'd hired as a bodyguard. Unfortunately Maxie and Paul were murdered in the house, now they are ghosts, and fated it seems to never leave the house.

Maxie Malone has a more center stage role in Old Haunts when she happens to
see a newspaper article about her ex-husband's body being found under a boardwalk at Seaside Heights, a victim of foul play. Big Bob (as his friends call him), Maxie's ex, was actually a very short Las Vegas marriage barely a weekend, when they sobered up, they had it annulled. Thereafter, in fun, they continued, referring to one another as husband and wife.

Maxie's mother absolutely hated Big Bob and is glad he is dead. Maxie wants Alison to find out who murdered him. Alison wisely does not want to track down a killer that could put her and Melissa in yet another dangerous situation.



Paul, asks her to find Julia McKenzie, who he was going to ask to marry him before he was murdered. Now he wants to know how she is and if she is doing well after his death. Paul wants the solace of knowing she has moved on with her life and maybe even found someone new.

Alison is reluctant to accommodate either Maxie or Paul especially with a full house of guests from the Senior Plus Tours. What with being Supermom to Melissa and still doing some renovation work. The 'Swine' as she refers to her ex-husband Steven, unexpectedly shows up at her door. According to the ''Swine" he has come to see his daughter Melissa. Alison isn't buying this story and as it turns out, she is wise to be suspicious of what he is doing there.

Alison juggles all these obligations skillfully and often feeling a bit frazzled. Things start looking like neither case is going anywhere  Julia, is like she vanished off the face of the earth. Big Bob is stalled and it's looking like there are no leads to follow. Alison gets a text message warning her off of looking into Big Bob's death. Scared and also encouraged that perhaps she had hit on something that the murderer feels is getting too close.

This is a fun and light hearted series best started with Book 1, Night of the Living Deed that introduces all the key characters and how Alison meets the ghosts. Book 2, An Uninvited Ghost, Alison has earned a reputation of having a haunted house which brings an offer from Senior Plus Tours, that for two ghostly activities a day he will book seniors looking for a unique vacation experience.

An Uninvited Ghost, A Haunted Guesthouse, Book 2 by: E. J. Copperman Narrator: Amanda Ronconi

An Uninvited Ghost
A Haunted Guesthouse, Book 2
by: E. J. Copperman
Narrator: Amanda Ronconi
Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
Publisher: Audible Studios

Amanda Ronconi Narrator

Narrator Review, Amanda Ronconi

Amanda Ronconi, skillfully carries through the personalities and voices from all the characters in An Uninvited Ghost, exactly the way she created them in The Night of the Living Deed. It is remarkable how she manages to instill each person with their own unique personalities.You will always know who is speaking when Ms. Ronconi narrates. Her reading is smooth and read at a normal conversational pace, making it a pleasure to listen to. It sounds very effortless, but in reality it takes a great deal of competency to make it all sound so artful.

Audiobook Review: An Uninvited Ghost By E. J. Copperman

E.J. Copperman author

Things are looking up for Alison now that she has a guaranteed full house thanks to Edmund Rance offering her a contract to provide two daily ghost events for his senior clientele who were looking for a fun and one of a kind vacation experience. Paul and Maxie, her resident ghosts agree, but Paul wants something in return. Paul wants Alison to get a Private Investigator's license and be his eyes in the outer world, since he cannot leave the house. 

Paul was just starting out as a private investigator and Maxie was one of his first cases. Unfortunately, someone murdered both of them and they seem to be trapped together in Maxie's house (now Alison's guesthouse) for all eternity. Paul seems to be able to talk with other dead people but not all. He relies on what he calls his 'ghoster net' and some of them have questions about their deaths. With  Alison's help he can still solve crimes and hone his detective skills. Alison isn't thrilled with the idea and doubts Paul will have many cases for her to work on.

With the ghost shows now successfully going full swing and entertaining the guests Paul wants Alison to look into Scott McFarlane's prank of scaring an old lady, he is worried that the prank had gone wrong and he fears he may have killed Arlice Crosby the old woman. Not unexpectedly Alison doesn't want to do it, but a gentle threat of not doing any more 'vaudeville' shows for her guests and Alison quickly changes her mind.

Multitasking Alison was offered a tidy sum of money to allow a reality television show to use her house for the next season's show, a full house from the Senior Plus Tours, measuring and eyeing the attic to turn into a an exclusive and more private room, tracking down the Arlice Crosby situation for Scott McFarlane. Doing a seance which the reality show wants to film, dealing gracefully with Dolores Santiago, a disgruntled and constantly complaining guest. Add a murder during the seance for another layer of burdens and situations to Alison's burgeoning schedule. Can Alison handle this level of obligations without breaking while still acting as a good mother to Melissa and maintaining privacy for her seniors.

Night of the Living Deed By E.J. Copperman Narrated by: Amanda Ronconi

Night of the Living Deed
A Haunted Guesthouse Mystery
Book 1.
Written by: E.J. Copperman
Narrated by: Amanda Ronconi

Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
Series: Haunted Guesthouse, Book 1
Publisher: Audible Studios

Narrator Review of Amanda Ronconi

Amanda Ronconi was a fairly new to me narrator and I am really pleased that she is an excellent narrator giving so much presence to each individual in Night of the Living Deed. She really excels at mastering a variety of voices. The whining and vindictive Maxie is dripping with venom under Ms. Ronconi's interpretation and even nine year old Melisa gets a very special voice of just how a child would sound. Amanda Ronconi has style, talent, and makes the book she's reading blossom like it is her own beloved creation. 

Amanda Ronconi Narrator

Audiobook Review: Night of the Living Deed by E. J. Copperman

Author E.J. Copperman

Alison Kerby, is recently divorced from Steven 'The Swine' as she unfondly refers to her ex-husband. She buys an old Victorian house in her hometown of Harbor Haven, New Jersey, with plans on renovating the old Victorian beauty and turning it into a guesthouse, providing her and her daughter Melissa with a long term income. Alison learned from her father how to do many home repairs herself and how to wield tools, making her confident that she can do much of the renovation herself.

What Alison is not aware of is it's two resident ghost, Paul Harrison and Maxie Malone. Maxie is beautiful, but has a selfish and mean disposition and fellow ghost Paul, is more introspective and thoughtful. When Alison is working on filling a hole in a wall, spiteful Maxie  pushes a fifty pound container of  joint compound off the ladder right onto Alison's head. When she comes around she sees Paul and Maxie and also can see right through them. Alison ends up in the hospital with a concussion and a huge headache and has not forgotten about the two ghosts.



Alison dreads returning home for fear the ghosts will still be there. They are, and finally no amount of denial or ignoring them is going to make them go away. Paul and Maxie are unrelenting pests in trying to persuade Alison to find out who killed them. Maxie was the previous owner of the house and sort of an interior decorator and was getting death threats if she didn't move out of the house, she'd hired Paul a fairly new Private Detective as a body guard. They both knew they were murdered, but not who killed them or why and were trapped in the house for what was looking like forever. They thought if they solved the who and why of their deaths they might be able to move on to whatever came next in the spirit world.

Alison has no idea how to solve the mystery of their deaths, but with help from Paul, she makes some headway. When she starts getting death threats herself, the game plan changes. As the death threats and demands for something that's in the house escalate Alison becomes more frantic in trying to figure out what that something is. The only thing she is sure of is it is worth a lot of money. When Melissa's life is threatened and time is running out and still with no idea what she is looking for it seems impossible for her to save either Melissa or herself.

kittlingbooks.com has a interview with E. J. Copperman, that is worth reading and highly entertaining.
Another interesting piece you may like from USA Today is: Interviews: Audiobook narrators Amanda Ronconi and Percy O'Hara