Ukulele Murder: A Nani Johnson Mystery

Aloha Lagoon Mysteries, Volume 1

By: Leslie Langtry

Narrated by: Susan Marlowe

Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

From USA Today best-selling author Leslie Langtry comes the killer start to a brand-new multiauthor series....

Nani Johnson thought she had it made when she moved from Kansas to the resort town of Aloha Lagoon, Kauai. In spite of her certifiably crazy mom, Nani is determined that nothing will stop her from becoming a ukulele virtuoso! Unfortunately her Julliard training doesn't help her break into the local music scene due to some heavy competition from the Terrible Trio - three hostile local musicians. The only work she finds is a few bar mitzvahs and gigs at the kitschy Blue Hawaii Wedding Chapel.

But when one of Nani's competitors drops dead right after a public feud, Nani becomes the police's main suspect. A missing murder weapon, mysterious threats, and a heck of a frame-up job all have Nani worrying she'll be trading in her flowery muumuus for prison orange. Enter hunky local botanist Nick Woodfield, who just might be able to help her clear her name...that is if he doesn't have secrets of his own. With the bodies stacking up, the danger closing in, and the authorities circling, Nani must track down a killer...before she ends up the latest victim of the Ukulele Murderer!

The Aloha Lagoon Mysteries:
Ukulele Murder (book #1)
Murder on the Aloha Express (book #2)
Deadly Wipeout (book #3)
Photo Finished (book #4)
Deadly Bubbles in the Wine (book #5)
Mele Kalikimaka Murder (book #6)
Death of the Big Kahuna (book #7)

About Aloha Lagoon:

There's trouble in paradise....

Welcome to Aloha Lagoon, one of Hawaii's hidden treasures. A little bit of tropical paradise nestled along the coast of Kauai, this resort town boasts luxurious accommodations, friendly island atmosphere...and only a slightly higher than normal murder rate. While mysterious circumstances may be the norm on our corner of the island, we're certain that our staff and Lagoon natives will make your stay in Aloha Lagoon one you will never forget!

©2016 Leslie Langtry (P)2018 Leslie Langtry

Murder by Ukulele

When a string of ukulele virtuosos are murdered in Hawaii, it appears that the howlie new girl is the culprit. She and her friends are forced to out-sleuth the local police to prove she's innocent and to uncover the real murderer.
This one's got a little romance, a lot of action, a zany Mom and a smart and spunky heroine and a thoroughly entertaining supporting cast.
If you can't make it to Hawaii this year, this story might help you escape to the land of sun and sea, at least for a few hours.

Loved it start to finish!

I loved everything about this book. The plot, characters, and the narration all came together and the end result is a fun mystery that has me excited for the next in the series.
Nani is one of just a handful of ukulele players on the island and when they start getting killed one by one it looks like she is the prime suspect. When it looks like the local police aren't doing much investigating, Nani takes matters into her own hands and starts looking into the murders.
I think the star in the book is Nani's mother. She reminds me much of Grandma Mazur in the Stephanie Plum series.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Amazingly funny

I am a huge fan of Ms. Langtry. I think her Merry Wrath Mysteries are rolling on the floor, laugh out loud hilarious.

This is the first in a series written by different authors. Set in the fictional township of Aloha Lagoon, Hawaii, Ukulele Murder is a little over the top but a great escape. It was fast and furious. I listened to this over the course of a few days as I ran errands.

Beach Fun!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Since I love all things beach, especially Hawaii, I had been eyeing the Aloha Lagoon series for a while and when I saw that there was an audio version I had to jump at the chance to get it. The story is fun with interesting characters and good writing. There were a couple of times I thought I knew who the killer was but couldn’t bring myself to commit but in the end the clues are there but not too noticeable to be clear. The characters are fun if a bit naive and overall, I thought it was fun and I’ll be sure to move along in the series!

The narrator does a great job with the characters. She really added to my enjoyment of the story and helped to bring the characters to life!

great mystery

great book who is a very nice story the mystery was great and the narrator did a good job
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review

A delightful cosy mystery

Finally, I’ve gotten back into my audiobook groove again, and as my first book back, I chose Ukulele Murder by Leslie Langtry; which marks my first cosy mystery from this author … I was not disappointed.

Set in the fictional township of Aloha Lagoon, Hawaii, Ukulele Murder provided a wonderful, tropical escape from the rapidly declining temperatures. The way that the author described the beauty and sense of community of the Hawaiian Islands sounded perfectly ideal. As a listener/reader, I could imagine what the area looked like as I read.

Furthermore, what helped enhance the community, was the cast of characters who all came across as believable and realistic. It was easy to relate to the characters and feel various emotions regarding them as the story progressed (ie. my frustration with Nani's mum).

In terms of the actual mystery, I was easily able to guess the outcome. However, despite this, I found myself binge-listening to this story; enjoying the twists and turns on the way to the resolution.

Finally, in regards to narration, I believe that Susan Marlowe did a splendid job telling the story. Although, I did notice that she pronounced words that included a 't' a bit oddly which I found slightly jarring - but that is only a minor nitpick really.

Overall, Ukulele Murder was a delightful cosy mystery to get me back into the swing of things. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to other fans of the genre. My only regret is that the rest of the series isn't on Audible yet.

Please note that this book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review

Lack Luster Narrater

The story is interesting, reminiscent of an Agatha Christy story. The setting of one of the smaller Hawaiian Islands is definitely a change from other stories set in Hawaii, which are almost always on the Big Island.
The narration is flat with few inflections and very little changes between character voices so it's sometimes difficult to tell which character is speaking. The narrator makes a valiant effort at the pronunciation of the few Native Hawaiian words, but just as often misses the mark somewhat. Granted, one of the characters does unintentionally mangle the language, but since all of the native words are pronounced as a mainlander would, it's difficult to know the difference. Also, the narrator seems to skip a word here and there, not words that are really missed, but frustrating all the same when following the e-print version while listening.

Great mystery

Great mystery and I love this series. Each is a great standalone

I received a free copy and left my honest review

Fun. Easy. Cozy Murder Mystery

easy mystery story. fun setting! Even though the story was a little predictable, it was good to listen to. Narrator had a great voice and a great job. Gave great personality to a different characters. overall enjoyable!

Be transported to the Garden Island

Lets mix up some mystery and fun and music and a beautiful island and you have a tasty meal for your ears
with a good performance by the Narrator.




This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review