Miss Julia Raises the Roof

February 19, 2018
Madge Taylor and slightly self-righteous pastor Robert Rucker decide Abbotsville, N.C., needs a group home for teenage boys, but Madge’s do-gooder activities soon land her in hot water, in bestseller Ross’s gratifying 19th series mystery (after 2017’s Miss Julia Weathers the Storm). Miss Julia Murdoch hears about it from Hazel Marie, who lives next door to the property in question with her PI husband, J.D. Pickens. Indignant that her pastor is ramming the plan through as though the church supports it, Miss Julia sets out to put a stop to this ill-conceived idea, with all the more urgency when she finds out that even Madge and the pastor have no idea what the developer’s true scheme is. Political corruption, rumors, and generally nefarious goings-on just make Miss Julia and her cohorts more determined than ever to turn a bad notion into one that will protect homes and help the boys. Miss Julia’s usual kindness and sense of what’s right are front and center in an entry sure to please series fans and newcomers with a taste for light detection. Author tour. Agent: Deborah Schneider, Gelfman Schneider Literary Agents.

From the start of this audiobook, listeners get a precise impression of Miss Julia's forthright character. Narrator Cynthia Darlow perfectly creates the sense of an older woman who is slightly opinionated and manipulative yet has a sense of humour. Told as a first-person narrative, this mystery provides detailed insights into Miss Julia's thoughts and concerns. As a result, the listener is a fly on the wall, overhearing the plottings and machinations of a busybody as she plans to take on the church and many people in her community. While the main plotline--whether a home for wayward boys is appropriate in a "nice" community--is a little discomforting, Darlow's sterling narration provides an engrossing listen. K.J.P. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine