Taken in the Cold by Roger Stelljes Blog Tour for Booktoure

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Taken in the Cold by Roger Stelljes Synopsis: "Make sure you wrap up warm for school, honey. A blizzard is on the way." Ten-year-old Teddy rolls his eyes at his mother. But then he hears a bang... By the time police arrive, Teddy's mother is dead. His open school backpack is strewn across the hallway. And Teddy is nowhere to be found.   When gunshots ring out from an exclusive family home on the edge of Northern Pine Lake,  Agent Tori Hunter  races through the gathering snowstorm to discover that  ten-year-old Teddy Marist has disappeared . His mother and her new boyfriend are dead in the family kitchen, breakfast still cooking on the stove. And racing to track down Teddy's father,  Tori finds he is missing too.   Local police are certain this is a simple case of a jealous ex-husband turned violent over his recent divorce. But interviewing everyone she can about Teddy's father, Tori's gut has her questioning if he would really kidnap his own child?  An...
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Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank by Elle Cosimano and Narrated by Stacy Gonzalez

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Title: Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank
Author: Elle Cosimano
Narrator: Stacy Gonzalez
Series: The Finlay Donovan Series
Genre: General Fiction, Mystery
Format: Audiobook
Listening Length: 2 hours and 27 minutes
Date of Publication: 11/07/2023

Description: From New York Times bestselling author Elle Cosimano, comes Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank—a hilarious short story diving into Finlay Donovan's partner-in-crime Vero's past.

Anyone can spot a window of opportunity, but not everyone can manage to fall straight through one.

Veronica Ruiz is on the run for the first time in her life—though certainly not the last. After being falsely accused of stealing money from her college sorority, she packs up and heads to her cousin Ramón's apartment, planning to change her name and rebuild start over away from backstabbing girls and university drama (and far, far away from her arrest warrant in Maryland).

At the local bank on the first morning of her new life, it occurs to Vero that she'd be a better bank teller than most of the current employees: she may not have much money, but what little she does have, she knows how to manage. Unfortunately, the only available position is a cleaning job and so, desperate for a fresh start, she takes the bank manager’s offer.

But nothing in Vero's world has ever been simple, so of course shortly after she begins work, she overhears a conversation between her new boss and a security guard: someone who works there has been stealing. Seeing a window of opportunity, Vero sets out to find the identity of the thief, present the evidence, and then push for the perfect job. All of which would be easier if her irresistibly infuriating childhood crush Javi wasn’t living in the same damn town.

Offering the insight that listeners have been craving into fan-favorite Vero's past and a closer look at the moment Finlay and Vero first meet, Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank is a can't-miss addition to the Finlay Donovan series.

My Thoughts: I wasn't too sure about this audiobook because it's not the typical audiobook that I like to listen to. I'm glad I listened to it though because it was a great comedic mystery.

The story starts off slow and I wasn't sure I would finish it but I kept listening and it got better and better. The determination that Veronica has to solve the case at the bank was great. I love how she was willing to start at the bottom as a janitor in the hopes to work her way up. I do feel like Veronica's story was left a little incomplete when it comes to the charge she was facing in relation to her sorority.

I absolutely enjoyed how the relationship developed for Veronica and Jave. It added so much comedy.

This book is narrated by Stacy Gonzalez. I struggled with Stacy's reading of the book. The reason for this is that the voices she attributed to each character were just not doing it for me. For example, Terrence the security guard for the bank is an elderly aged man, but the voice she uses for him created a picture of a cocky jock teenager or young man.

Rating: This was a quick read. If your a fan of comedic mysteries then I would recommend it. 

3 stars

I received this listening copy as part of the Macmillian audio influencer program. This is my honest opinion.

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