I enjoyed listening to this mystery so much. I can't say it's a brilliant mystery but it is indeed enjoyable and Charlie is quite the character, you can't but love her!

Charlotte Gibson fled to her home town Maui, Hawaii, after she killed the robber who tried to rob the jewelry shop she worked in, and his brothers mobsters were after her. Broke and living with her mother.

A murder. A reward for finding the killer. Two old badass ladies. Would Charlie find the killer?!

I definitely want more of Charlie, Rosie, Dot and of course Jake.

P.S. I received the audiobook

Aloha Alibi by Jasmine Webb

The Ham brothers, from a notorious crime family, leave an intimidating “present” for Charlotte (Charlie) Gibson. To avoid the menacing men, Charlie decides to return to her hometown. Moving in with her mother, reconnecting with a childhood friend, and becoming an ice cream server, seem to be the perfect way to avoid the trouble. Unfortunately, she soon finds herself indirectly connected to a horrible murder. There is a reward offered to find the culprit, which motivates Charlie to make it her mission to find out why the fan of triple chocolate ice cream has turned up dead. Does Charlie have what it takes to find the culprit and ensure justice is served?

The author of Charlie's endeavor to become an amateur sleuth, has created a delightful story. Webb has specifically designed Aloha Alibi for avid fans of cozy mysteries. The structure of the “Who dun it?”, strikes the right balance between the seriousness of each situation Charlie finds herself in, and how she manages to get in and out of trouble. Each difficulty and the way Charlie behaves while interacting with her mother, childhood friend, and a few silver sleuths, elicits curiosity and chuckles.

The characters in Webb's story have distinct personalities and agendas. The main characters don not fit stereotypical ideals society assumes about them, nor do they conform to these ideals, which sends an important message about preconceived notions.

Charlie's supportive nature makes her very likable. She is a maverick with a bold personality. The major highlights of her story are the relationship she has with her childhood friend, and two other amateur sleuths. The way she support her friend, is heartwarming, and an unapologetic display of bravery and female power. Charlie's ability to transforms the relationship she has with her competition, for the reward money, is an impressive display of her quick wit and determination.

Quill Pen News gives Aloha Alibi 4 stars for it's unique take on an unconventional sleuth. This cozy mystery is an enjoyable read. It's a well thought out story, that not only has great character development, but also holds great messages about family and friendship. In Aloha Alibi the “average” woman” shows how extraordinary she can be despite her circumstances. The only problem some readers may have with this story is the action one character takes toward the end of the story. What happens is shocking and may be off-putting when the act comes to light.

Overall, Charlie's endeavor as an amateur sleuth in Aloha Alibi is great. The standalone book will
definitely entertain avid fans of cozy mysteries. It wouldn't be surprising if Webb created another adventure for her “ordinary heroin” who finds herself in the mists of new and not so ordinary situations. The possibility of Charlie staring in new adventures is definitely something to look forward to.

Check out the commercial for this book on the Quill Pen News Instagram Feed and order your copy of Aloha Alibi today!

I obtained a copy of the Aloha Alibi audio book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion about the story.

This review ans commercial will be posted on the quillpennews.com website.

If you’re looking for someone a bit smarter and more ethical than that Plum woman, yet still getting into entertaining scrapes through (usually) no fault of her own, slip on your flipflops and bring along your beach hat for this lively skedaddle between Maui’s high-rise tourist hotels and the long, low bungalows where the locals live.

After an unfortunate encounter with a local gangster and the subsequent arrival of a gory and suggestive ‘gift’ on her doorstep, Charlotte ‘Charley’ Gibson flees the mainland for the Hawaiian island she left a decade ago. Even worse, due to lack of funds she must move into her mom’s spare bedroom, a situation that makes any adult cringe.

She immediately lands a job to start saving for rent, but murder intervenes on her very first day.

Soon she’s up to her neck in dubious suspects and even more questionable allies, including a delightful pair that make this new series a great gift choice for seniors as well as thirty-somethings. The subsequent investigation is fast-paced, fun, sometimes scary, but fully believable, and the narration is sharp and sassy, well suited to Charley’s breezy attitude.

It’s like a Hawaiian vacation in a novel, an exciting escape from gray, cold Canada, an enjoyable listen for any commute.

I received this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #audiobook #AlohaAlibi #JasmineWebb #KhristineHvam #Maui #mystery #murder #tourist #tourism #LandDeveloper #protestors #beach #crimefiction #listenNow #BeachRead

This is my kind of murder mystery. Though there are many parallels between it and my favourite series Miss Fortune, by Jana Deleon. I felt that the best friends issues seemed almost thrown in to beef up the story.
All that being said, I still enjoyed it and will likely read the next in the series at some point. I also thought the narrator did a wonderful job.

I listened to the audio version of this book in less than a day. I was into it from the very first words and sad when the mystery was solved because I knew the end was coming! This is one of my new favorites, I loved everything about it from the quirky characters to the Hawaiian setting and especially the storyline. If you’re a fan of Janet Evanovich, this has the same type of humor and you’ll love it too. The narrator was amazing, I actually looked her up so I could listen to her narrate more books— and was so surprised to discover a second book in this series is already out!! I’ve already downloaded it and am impatiently waiting until I can listen to it!

Well this was a roller coaster - at the start I thought what the heck it felt like everything but the kitchen sink was thrown into the story.

But when I got into it - wow so fantastic all the twists and turns and the humour. The bit about Australia was laugh out loud - I had to research it (I am Australian).

The narration was brilliant it just fitted in with the story.

I was given a free copy by the publishers and netgalley but the review is entirely my own.

I listened to this after purchasing an e-book copy of the book. The premise of the book was interesting. I liked the main characters but felt Charlie lucked into many of the situations. The two older women were a hoot and had interesting backgrounds. I can’t wait to find out more about them.

I enjoyed Zoey & Charlie’s relationship. I’m sure if I had a mother like Charlie’s I would be moving out ASAP. She means well but who needs the baby pressure or sex talk from your mother. Yeesh!

I am looking forward to book two.

A funny, lighthearted crime novel set in exotic Hawaii.

The audio version is a quick listen, around 6 hours, and Khristine Hvam's narration adds so much to this entertaining book. I don't know if it's the venue, the lovable, perky and cheerful main character, or the ice cream-for-breakfast scenes, but listening to this felt like being on holiday. I loved it!

A great first book in the series, now I'll have to move on to book 2.

Many thanks to NetGalley and IBPA, Blueberry Books for this Advance Review Copy.

This was a fun, light hearted who dun it. I enjoyed the characters and story line so much that when it ended I wished there was more. :) Looking forward to the other in the series.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Blueberry Books for allowing me to listen to and give an honest review of this book.

3.5 stars
This was a fun quick audiobook, that came at exactly the right time.
I loved the side characters Rosie and Dot and the setting on Hawaii was great too.
It was well narrated and I enjoyed it very much.

Charlie has fled to Maui after being threatened by gangsters. She's living with her mom and working at an ice cream parlor when one of the guests is murdered shortly after leaving the store. Charlie was one of the last to see him, and she becomes interested in finding the killer when a $100K reward is offered. Along the way, she joins forces with two senior ladies with some special talents, and meets a handsome police detective. This book is a light mystery that might attract readers due to the location. However, the plot is rather thin and, outside of the senior ladies, the characters are rather bland. It also seemed at times as though there were minor differences between segments of the story (e.g., a character seems surprised by something someone tells her, even though she observed that herself in a previous chapter). The narration is average, but nothing special.

There were some elements that I really loved about this book, and others that I did not. I'll start with the positive.

There were quite a few well-developed characters, especially Charlie and her group of friends. I loved the addition of the two older ladies as main characters, and all the shenanigans they got themselves into. I mean breaking into a hotel room and hiding in the closet - hilarious. I also liked the fact that the main characters were all women and they were all intelligent, brave, and generally bad asses. The author's writing style added humor to an otherwise non-humorous situation (murder). It was well-written and flowed easily. I didn't get bogged down or stuck anywhere.

As for the negatives, there were quite a few. The whole premise of the book was unbelievable, and the methods for solving the crime were over the top and unrealistic. It had less to do with skill than luck. It seemed like everything just happened to fall into place, and the characters just happened to be at the right place at the right time. They didn't really make any clever decisions to move the story forward. I also could have done without the love story. It wasn't well developed, it felt forced, and it just wasn't necessary. Finally, while there were characters I truly enjoyed, there were also those that annoyed the hell out of me. Charlie's mother was two-dimensional AF and she kept talking about sex. I will admit I'm a bit of a prude when it comes to sex scenes in books (they always make me a tad uncomfortable), but the mother's attempt to get her daughter to hook up with someone, anyone, just so she could have grandchildren...nah. It wasn't realistic, and it seemed very forced. It might have been forgivable if she was kooky and eccentric in other ways, but that was literally her only character trait, so I just couldn't get over it. Then there were the police officers. It was a traditional good cop/bad cop scenario. Which honestly doesn't bother me, except that the bad cop had no redeeming qualities or explanation for his laziness or his general badness. The author could have given him a back story that would have made him more believable - like he was in the middle of a contentious divorce that was weighing on his thoughts or he had a colicky baby at home that made him tired and distracted - but he had no back story. Neither officer did. And I truly wish that I had that (really for all the characters), because it would have made them more complex and interesting, and it would have helped me forgive more of the book's shortcomings.

But as it sits, this is a solid 2.5 star or 3 at the best. I gave it a 3 because I did enjoy the author's light, humorous way of writing, and Charlie was a well-developed, interesting character.

Aloha Albi by Jasmine Webb was divine! I loved listening to this modern mystery! Charlotte Gibson flees to Hawaii after she thwarts a robbery and gets up a target of organized crime. Trouble follows her to the islands and she sees a man right before he’s murdered. Paradise doesn’t come cheap and there’s a big reward for solving his murder. So what’s a murderino living with her mom to do but solve the case?

The Reward

Charlotte, (Charlie to everyone except her mom), escaped Hawaii to find work in Seattle. When she runs afoul of the Mob during a robbery at her place of employment and a severed finger arrives at her doorstep she returns home to Hawaii, broke and living with her mother.

When a man is murdered outside her job at an ice cream store and a reward is offered she is determined to find the killer and collect the reward. Teaming up with two older ladies the trio works at tracking down the killer and collecting the reward.

This is an interesting cozy mystery with a wonderful setting in Hawaii. The beautiful scenery described is a bonus to this mystery. The characters are colorful, humorous and gave me some laughs with their amateur sleuthing.

There is a small aura of romance with the young policeman that takes an interest in Charlie when she is caught at the scene of the crime sniffing for clues.

I enjoyed the story and the characters, it was a delightful read and gave me some laughs. It was a nice distraction from some heavier reading. The narrator told the story well and had a great voice for doing so. The audio books and the cozy mysteries are great for relaxing and clearing the mind for a bit in the afternoon. I would recommend this story.

Thanks to Jasmine Webb, Blueberry Books and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a complimentary copy of the Audio book for my honest review.

Aloha Alibi is the first cozy book in the Charlotte Gibson mystery series. Trouble seems to follow Charlotte, aka Charlie, as she flees from Seattle to her mothers house in Hawaii. Charlie takes a job working in an ice cream shop and when one of her customers ends up murdered she finds herself investigating the case. After repeatedly crosses paths with two older women the three decide to join forces. The trio cracked me up and kept me hooked on this book. Khristine Hvam was the perfect narrator for this book and she really made the characters and the plot come to life. I can't' wait to listen to the second book in this series, Maui Murder.

I'm not really into mysteries and wasn't to sure about the cover. I wasn't going to pick this book but I didn't have an audiobooks to listen to but I am so glad I read this book I loved it so much. I listened to it in one day it was that good. This is a whole different type of murder mystery it includes humour and was so well wrote I found myself laughing out loud. It wasn't anything I expected it to be. It read like a women's fiction book with a group of 3 women trying to solve a murder to claim a large amount of money quite a unique story-line. Its not a serious book at all not many details about Hawaii the area etc. Some aspects seem a bit far fetched it's fitting though it works creating a perfect novel for me to enjoy. So if you like where a group of women solve a murder that the police just couldn't do this book is definitely for you. I listened to the audiobook and loved the narrator she brought fantastic humour and the air of mystery perfectly. However if your a fan of books like Agatha Christie who done it type this might not be the book for you. This book is modern lighthearted funny way of solving a murder. So much praise goes to the author and publishers for producing this fantastic modern funny murder mystery that has definitely made me think twice about avoiding mystery books as a genre. I look forward to reading more by this author in fact I can't wait. Already left feedback on goodreads. I will be posting to my blog and retail sites in the coming week

From the explosive start (definitely not the typical start to a cozy mystery) to the surprising twist at the end, Aloha Alibi was an absolute blast. Aloha Alibi tells the story of Charolette Gibson (Charlie to her friends) who for her own safety, after a robbery gone wrong at the jewelry story she worked at, is forced to flee Seattle for her childhood home of Hawaii. Once there she reconnects with her best friend from childhood, moves back in with her mom, manages to get a job scooping ice cream…and then meets a man who promptly gets murdered. As a lifelong fan of true crime and because there is a 100K reward for finding the killer, Charlie decides to investigate, during the course of which she gains herself a pair of highly unlikely partners. The book features a solid mystery, and I loved the characters (especially Rosie and Dot). While still falling into the cozy mystery genre, I’d say this was a bit more serious than other cozy’s I’ve read, though the potential for hilarity in future volumes definitely exists. I enjoyed this one from start to finish and will definitely continue reading this series. Khristine Hvam’s narration was excellent and I hope she’ll continue to be the voice of the series.
I’d like to thank Blueberry Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen and review an audio ARC of Aloha Alibi.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R1ATYGOC0AZTHQ/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

This cosy mystery was very good and I enjoyed it. Charlie is a woman who is very feisty, and she loves to stand up to bullies and stick up for her friends and vulnerable people. She likes honesty and justice. The book is set in Hawaii, after Charlie moves there to escape after killing a gangster whose family are now chasing her. In Hawaii she is with her mother, who keeps embarrassing her, and her best friend from childhood. Charlie soon finds herself embroiled in another mystery case where she is trying to find a killer, along with some funny characters who help her along the way. The book is cringy, quirky and eccentric at times, but it is fun and it was a good book for me to go on a little adventure with.

The narrator of the audiobook was amazing!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun and enjoyable quick audiobook and I really liked the story. The characters are interesting, the plot is well paced and the narrator, Khristine Hvam, did a great job bringing Jasmine Webb's novel alive.

In Aloha Alibi, the first book in the Charlotte Gibson Mysteries series, Charlotte - Charlie - Gibbson is dealt a scary card, when she kills a mobster in self-defense and his family seeks revenge. That's how she ends up in Hawaii, living again with her mother, who doesn't see any other problem than her daughter not having found a husband yet. Then, a businessman who Charlie just served ice cream to gets murdered, and a reward is set out for whoever finds the murderer. Without skipping a beat, Charlie makes it her mission to solve the mystery of how the businessman got murdered. Witty and funny - this murder mystery is the perfect audiobook for a nice sunday evening!

This is the first in a series of cosy mysteries set on Hawaii and would be a definite hit with fans of Jana DeLeon.

There is a fantastic sense of place, some fun characters and a lot of manic antics to keep everyone happy.

Charlie Gibson flees the mainland after killing an armed gangster whose brothers are looking for vengeance. She heads back to Hawaii, reconnecting with her mother and her childhood best friend. Before she knows it, Charlie is in trouble again and on the hunt for a murderer, with help from 2 pensioners, Dot and Rosie and handsome detective, Jake.

There are no real surprises but it has snarky humour, fun characters and a hint of romance to come. It was ably narrated by Khristine Hvam.

With thanks to NetGalley and IBPA for an audiobook arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.