Review: The Whispered Word by Ellery Adams

The Whispered Word (Secret, Book, & Scone Society #2)
by Ellery Adams
narrated by Cris Dukehart

My Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: m/f

Blurb:
In this cozy mystery by a New York Times–bestselling author, a gifted bookstore owner can find the right book for any patron, but can she find a killer?

The proprietor of Miracle Books in Miracle Springs, North Carolina, Nora Pennington believes that a well-chosen novel can bring healing and hope. But she and the other members of the Secret, Book, and Scone Society know that sometimes practical help is needed too. Such is the case with the reed-thin girl hiding in the fiction section of Nora’s store, wearing a hospital ID and a patchwork of faded bruises. She calls herself Abilene but won’t reveal much else. And when a customer is found dead in an assumed suicide, Nora uncovers a connection that points to Abilene as either a suspect—or another target. After a second death hits town, Nora and her intrepid friends must help the new, greenhorn sheriff discern fact from fiction—and stop a killer intent on bringing another victim’s story to a close…

My Review

I was in the mood for an audiobook in a series I already started and then I remembered I bought the bundle of the first three audiobooks in this series and decided to continue it. While I enjoyed book 1, I enjoyed this one even more. I now know what to expect from this series and easily got into this book. The mystery is compelling and I like the real vibe this book has with realistic characters who all have been through things in their past and are still struggling at times.

While this book definitely has cozy vibes, it also feels a bit heavier and more realistic than a lot of cozies. And I have to say that mix really works for me. I like how real all the characters feel. They have all been through things and are still struggling with what they’ve been through. In this book a young girl shows up in Nora’s store Miracle books and she obviously needs help, but she also is hiding something and along the way her secrets get revealed. There are plenty of cozy and heartwarming scenes along the way as well as well some sad and heavier ones as well.

This book had a compelling mystery, while the actual murder mystery took a bit of time to get going, it still felt like there was enough mystery already with the girl who shows up in the bookstore. Then later on there’s the murder mystery as well and the two mysteries both progress throughout the book. It kept me want to read to find out what happened. I didn’t really try to figure out who did it and was surprised by the reveal, but also made a lot of sense and I could see some of the hints in hindsight.

The characters and their interactions are one of the highlights for me of this book. I liked learning more of Nora. I enjoyed the way she investigated the mysteries and how she interacts with the other characters. I liked reading about the members of the Secret, Book & Scone Society and how they all helped the girl who showed up and also got involved in the mystery. There are more things we learn about each of them. I like how realistic they all feel.

I really like the narration for this book. I struggled a bit with some of the voices sounding low and being hard to hear at times when I listened to book 1, but I didn’t have that issue with this book. It was pleasant to listen to and I like how every character sounds different and it’s easy to recognize who is talking from their voice alone.

To summarize: I really enjoyed this book, it kept my attention with a compelling mystery as well as interesting and realistic characters. This book has two mysteries, one surrounding a mysterious girl who shows up in Nora’s bookstore and then a murder mystery as well. Both mysteries progress throughout the book and I was invested to see what happened and learn the truth. The characters in this series all feel very real with their own history and struggles and I liked reading more about them. The realistic characters are one of my favorite parts of this series and the slightly heavier feel while still being cozy works well for me. The narration for this book was great and I enjoyed listening to it. I look forward to continuing the series!

Links:
– Goodreads
– Bookbub
– Amazon
– Audible
– B&N
– Kobo

You can also read my review on Goodreads and Bookbub.