The Mysterious Doll

Amelia Moore Detective Series, Book 4

By: Linda Weaver Clarke

Narrated by: Diane Lehman

Length: 5 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Amelia Moore, the founder of the Moore Detective Agency, specializes in missing persons. Her cases have taken her to some very interesting places and put her in some dangerous situations, but she always solves the case. With the help of her partner, Rick Bonito, the business is flourishing.

Pauline Jones is confused why her boyfriend took off without telling a soul where he was going. But that isn't all. Sam Whitaker is accused of stealing a valuable porcelain doll from the museum. His disappearance makes him look guilty, but Pauline is convinced he is innocent. When Amelia finds Sam, she realizes they need to prove his innocence. Where is the antique doll and who has taken it?

©2014 Linda Weaver Clarke (P)2016 Linda Weaver Clarke

This series is getting better and better

This series is getting better and better and I love that both Amelia and Rick’s relationships continues to grow.

When Pauline Jones’s boyfriend Sam Whitaker suddenly disappears she is worried. When Sam is also accused of stealing valuable porcelain doll, she turns to The Moore Detective Agency to find Sam and seek the truth. Will Amelia and Rick find Sam and get the truth before it is too late?

Diane Lehman's does a good job with the narration and she is easy to listen to. Another enjoyable cozy mystery from Linda Weaver Clarke.

Who has the doll?

Linda Weaver Clarke has spun a fun, romantic mystery in this 4th book of her Amelia Moore series. Though book 4, I easily picked up the story with no problem and fell into the life of Amelia and Rick searching for the mysterious doll. The doll was taken, and the only suspect is Sam. But Sam seems like the last person who would steal the doll! Circumstances surrounding the day, and Sam's abrupt departure for vacation had Amelia and Rick off to a Stanley Steamer Car show in search of answers. But will they find them? And who are the two mysterious gray suited men and what do they want with Sam? I loved the mystery in this one, enough to keep me completely entrenched in the story. I also fell for the Rick and Amelia relationship, the ease of Rick, the hesitancy of Amelia all building their relationship to the next step. It's seamlessly interwoven in the story, so it feels like a natural progression as the two are off on their quest to find answers.

Diane Lehman's performance of this book is perfect. She has a wonderful voice for narration, able to switch between characters with ease and I find her voices for both male and female characters pleasing. She has an easy pace and I can't wait to continue with this series as she continues her portrayal of Amelia.

This Well-Written Cozy Mystery is a Delight!

Any additional comments?

Author Linda Weaver Clarke has done it again with her fabulous cozy mystery, "The Mysterious Doll", which is Book Four in her Amelia Moore Detective Series. The series features Amelia and her partner, Rick Bonito, who run a detective agency that specializes in locating missing persons.

The author's characters are clearly defined and their chemistry and dialogue kept me turning the pages. The romance is just right for a clean, cozy mystery. And Linda Weaver Clarke has a wonderful sense of humor, her writing is often quite funny. The narration by Diane Lehman was outstanding all around, and interpreted the humorous aspects of the book beautifully.

What a wonderful imagination this author has! The plot twists really surprised me, and they were all credible and well-defined. Also, her pacing is just right, which is a technical part of writing that can be quite tricky. This book takes the reader to a museum, and features a classic/antique car subplot, a historic vintage piano - and much, much 'more' -- all of which add depth and charm to this wonderful book.

Another positive aspect is that each book in the series stands well on its own, so the reader does not have to read the books in order.

I highly recommend this fine book, it is a delight for those who enjoy a clean, cozy and well-written mysteries.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Mysterious Doll no problem for Amelia Moore

Would you listen to The Mysterious Doll again? Why?

Yes! The narrator does a wonderful job and keeps the story alive. She makes it feel like you are watching the book through your eyes.

What about Diane Lehman’s performance did you like?

She did a wonderful job with all of the voices and keeping the readers attention.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I loved the twist at the end, I didn't see it coming. I also loved the very end with Amelia and Rick on the beach.

Any additional comments?

I love the Amelia Moore Detective series. I was interested to see that this book was going to stay in the States, as most of her other books in this series had taken its readers all over from Bali to Ireland and even Mexico. This book was a local mystery that took them to Denver and all over Colorado. While in Colorado they stayed in a haunted hotel and went to an awesome car show. Not only do these books have great cozy stories, they also take you all over the world. Amelia and Rick, her partner, take on a case of the Missing Doll from a local museum. When an employee goes missing at the same time, they are hired by his girlfriend to find him and prove his innocence. Also, Amelia and Rick's relationship starts to flourish more and more as they find out more about each other. I can't wait to read the next one!

A fun, light read, suitable for the whole family.

Where does The Mysterious Doll rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The Mysterious Doll ranks very highly. I know that if I want to listen to a fun mystery with lovable characters I need look no further than any of the books in the Amelia Moore Detective Agency series.

Having read the earlier books in the series, there are many endearing things that I love and look forward to reading with each new instalment; Amelia and Rick completing another item on their respective bucket lists, travelling to a new place, the burgeoning romance between the pair, trying new food and solving a complex mystery.

The Mysterious Doll case is a wonderful addition to the series. The case is intriguing and a real puzzle. Rick and Amelia are really cute as a couple and they make a good team when solving a case together. The author adds some twists and turns along the way as well as a good deal of humour.

A fun, light read, suitable for the whole family.

Any additional comments?

I received a copy from the author in exchange for my honest review.

Sweet and clean romance mystery

This is a clean and sweet cozy romance mystery. I've enjoyed all the books in this series, and though it is not necessary to read the previous books in order, as each novel stands alone, it is fun to watch the relationship between Rick and Amelia blossom and grow. One thing that struck me in this novel is that Amelia does not seem as open to trying new things with Rick as she was in previous books. She scoffed at Rick's calamari and refused to try it because it looked gross, even though he said it tasted really good. Maybe its because I don't know a single person who hasn't tried calamari that this struck me as weird. Amelia just came across much more sheltered and naive in this book than she did in previous books, which is hard to believe considering her profession. All that aside, it is a very refreshing read. I enjoy "clean" books, especially clean romances, and this certainly fits the bill. I listened to the Audible audio version of this book, and the narration is good. If you're looking for a light and clean mystery romance, you should give this book (or the series) a try.

Great Cozy Mystery!

The Mysterious Doll by Linda Weaver Clark is book four of the Amelia Moore Detective stories. In this story, a porcelain doll turns up missing from a museum case. The obvious culprit appears to be Sam, an engaged museum employee who suddenly turns up missing at the same time as the doll.

Sam's fiance hires Amelia and her partner Rick to find Sam and to prove his innocence. Amelia and Rick are followed at every corner and try to dodge the men that always seem to be after them. Will they be able to find Sam and prove that he was not guilty of the theft and also figure out why so many people seem to be inquiring about the doll? Is the doll worth enough to be of such great interest to several people? What is the real secret behind the mysterious doll?

This was a fun read and I enjoyed it very much. But because this was an Audible book, I had the freedom of listening while driving and commuting to work and elsewhere. Diane Lehman is a great narrator and I love her interpretation of the characters in the book. I think you will enjoy the other books in this cozy mystery series, as well. Amelia and Rick seem to be getting closer as the series continue and some romance is definitely in the air.

I was given a copy of the ebook from the author for my review, which I have given.

Fun Well-Written And Enjoyable Cozy Mystery!

Any additional comments?

The Mysterious Doll is another excellent fast-paced cozy mystery written by Linda Weaver Clarke. This book is the fourth story in the Amelia Moore Detective Series, which revolves around a detective agency that specializes in missing persons. In this story, Amelia is hired by a young woman to find her missing boyfriend because he mysteriously went out of town at about the same time that a valuable antique doll went missing from the museum where he works and he is the lead suspect.

Amelia and her sexy investigative partner Rick Bonito start investigating and soon their leads take them to antique car expo in Denver, Colorado. The pair locate the missing boyfriend fairly quickly, but not before Rick and Amelia get to try out at a few exotic dishes at a local restaurant and scratch off something on Rick "bucket list" - this time driving around in a classic car.

Like with the other stories in the series, the missing person is innocent of any wrongdoing and Rick and Amelia help to clear his name with the police by capturing a world renowned jewel thief. It was nice to see Amelia's police officer nemesis again, the gruff Sergeant O'Hara, who is starting to trust Amelia and sees the value of her smart mind and great intuition. I also really appreciated the slow moving pace of Rick and Amelia's romantic relationship, which is befitting of 30-something professional adults. I find Rick's romantic gestures very thoughtful and charming.

I listened to the Audible version of this book narrated by Diane Lehman, which was given to me free of charge in exchange for an unbiased review. Diane's narration flows naturally at an even pace and she uses different voices for all characters. I definitely recommend this series to those who enjoy well written and clean cozy mysteries.

The Mysterious Doll

Once again Linda delivers a wonderful, fun, suspenseful, romantic and clean read! It is so easy to get addicted to this series. The further you go into this series the more you get to know Amelia and Rick - who are both delightful! Each book could be read as a stand alone, but I would highly recommend you read them in order only because of the developing little romance between Rick and Amelia.
Another real fun cozy mystery, which I again listened to from audible.

There were a few surprises, so it kept you guessing through the end. Even though this was a nice mystery it was the little things that I really loved and kept me interested.
I loved the part about trying Calamari for the first time. I myself have had it several times - deep fried with dipping sauce - YUM!
With my love of ghosts and ghost stories - I loved the part about the haunted hotel! This was great, fun and interesting (it is a real place).
And finally, I loved the part about zip-lining! Now this I have never done, but it is on my "bucket list" LOL (I'll get to that later). I have always wanted to try zip lining. It looks like so much fun! I'll let you know if I ever do it.

OK, now back to the bucket list. That is another developing theme that is carried throughout the series. In the first book Rick had a bucket list and he convinced Amelia to start one too. So now in every story they cross off things and add them to each of their bucket lists.

If you are a lover of cozy mysteries - this series is perfect for you!

Thank you Linda Weaver Clarke for sending me this audio for my honest review!

My favorite of the series so far!

Amelia and Rick are hired by Pauline Jones to find her missing boyfriend, Sam Whitaker. He has disappeared at the same time a valuable porcelain doll has gone missing from the museum where he works. Pauline is upset since she knows he's not a thief and it's not like him to just disappear without telling her where he's going. They start investigating and are led to Denver, Colorado. The more they learn about what's happening, the faster they realize they need to locate Sam because someone else is looking for him, too.

When I was first reading the series from the beginning, this was my favorite one to date and listening to it reminded me why. Rick and Amelia's relationship develops more in this book as she loosens up and starts to open up to him. They work together and have fun together and make an amazing couple. They complement each other well as they have different skills and abilities that help them solve the case.

This is a fun series to both read and listen to! They're written in a way that you don't need to read (or listen) to them in order since each case stands alone but you'll want to so you can experience Rick and Amelia's relationship from the beginning. I'm looking forward to listening to the next one!