Member Reviews
A nostalgic dive into the 1960’s blending mystery with a touch of romance. I liked the atmospheric writing and the plot twists. At times the pacing felt a little uneven and some points were predictable. It was a good whodunit with a retro vibe.
Many thanks to Level Best Books and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.
I haven't read the other books in the series, but this one was cute. I liked the references to the 60s era. It was a very easy read, and kept me fairly engaged throughout. Pretty straight forward and predictable in some spots, but overall a cute cozy mystery.
I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.
Everyone has a secret, and in 1964, Dot Morgan’s new job at KDUD Radio is filled with them. Her boss, Holden Ramsey, is a terrible flirt, but he’s also engaged to a beautiful socialite. When Dot finds out he’s hiding involvements with other women, these secrets lead to a grisly murder. Can Dot figure out who is murdering the women in Holden’s life before she finds herself next on the hit parade?
An absolute banger of a murder mystery. I was hooked from the beginning. Cannot wait to read more from the author. Will recommend to others.
Everyone has a secret, and in 1964, Dot Morgan’s new job at KDUD Radio is filled with them. Her boss, Holden Ramsey, is a terrible flirt, but he’s also engaged to a beautiful socialite. When Dot finds out he’s hiding involvements with other women, these secrets lead to a grisly murder.
This was pretty mid, tbh. Had a lot of potential but didn't quite pull off the execution.
LISTEN, DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET by Teresa Trent is BOOK 3 in the Swinging Sixties Mystery Series and it seems that everyone is hiding something!
It’s 1964 and Dot Morgan lands a job at KDUD radio. Her boss, Holden Ramsey is a huge flirt who plays terrible music, is a HUGE Mama’s boy, is engaged to socialite Magnolia Daniels but continues his flirting ways with his newest hire, who also learns that there are other women in Holden’s life. One of the other DJs, Gerald Watson, has some back door secrets of his own Dot lives with her cousin, Ellie Monroe, who is a wedding dress designer and engaged to her betrothed, Al, Dot believes she has a great relationship with her boyfriend, Ben Dalton who works at the small paper in Camden, Texas but aspires to move to a newspaper with a higher readership. When he gets his big chance, will he take it? Dot has also recently discovered that her mother is writing a steamy romance novel with her father being none the wiser. And local resident, Joyce Bishop has loudly and repeatedly claimed that Holden murdered his former fiancé. It’s not a big secret, she’s just very persistent and very loud. She’ll tell anyone who’ll listen. With all of these people hiding so many things, is it any wonder that Dot feels like the repository of all things kept under wraps?
When a violent crime takes place, should Dot tell SOMEONE all/anything of what she knows? Or should she just let the cops figure things out on their own?
As stated, this is Book 3 in the series but with the trip down memory lane and the nostalgia it invoked, it was a trip I thoroughly enjoyed. I can’t wait to go back and read the first two.
Thank you to Netgalley and Level Best Books for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.
I enjoyed this cozy mystery. I haven't read the other books in the series, but this one was cute. I liked the references to the 60s era and the ambience that was created. It was a very easy read, and kept me fairly engaged throughout. Pretty straight forward and predictable in some spots, but overall a cute cozy mystery. My favorite part of the book was the music references and the insider look at the recording industry during this time period. I didn't really care for Dot 's investigation style but pretty good overall. Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. ⭐⭐⭐✨
This wasn’t what I was expecting, but a decent enough story. Thought it was going to be non fiction, but it wasn’t. Think this will really be the book for some people, but it’s not for me.
Very interesting book. I enjoyed the period piece that the author made of this book, and particularly liked the cultural references that were made from the 60’s.
This was very cute and an easy, fairly cozy read, but ultimately I don't think it was for me! The '60s setting was fun and there was a fair amount of worldbuilding--I could feel the effort that Teresa Trent put into writing this one and I enjoyed the references to the music from the period and the peek at the recording/radio industry. For me, it just felt too formulaic and flat. The characters / the protagonist weren't very complex, and everything felt fairly one-note. It really didn't get much investment out of me and didn't leave me feeling like I had much to review.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Teresa Trent and Level Best Books for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
3,5⭐ - I love reading mysteries, especially cozy mysteries. Another thing that peaked my interest was the colorful cover, which is very retro.
I found this a very cozy read, with likeable characters based in the sixties although the author writes about sexism/racism during that time, I felt that the mystery part was a little lacking.
The title, cover, and plot summary interested me most because I love to read mysteries. However, I was disappointed as the story turned out to be underwhelming with potential that could have been explored further. The world-building was cute but lacked imagination, and the characters, including the protagonist Dot, were not as complex as I had hoped. The relationships in the book followed formulaic patterns, and the writing was simple and uninspiring. While the author attempted to address issues like racism, sexism, and classism, the execution fell flat. The unnecessary namedropping of celebrities also detracted from the originality of the story.
Overall, the book was difficult to get through, and I would not read it again. However, I would be open to reading other books by Teresa Trent to see if this was just a one-off. While I wouldn't highly recommend this book, I wouldn't rule out recommending it to a younger audience.
This was a cute addition to the series. Dot still is a little brusque in her investigation method and I’m not really sure why anyone answers her questions; she really has no authority. I really liked the glimpse into the radio station and recording industry. The description of race relations at the time added a little heft to the story. The budding relationship with Ben took an interesting turn and I look forward to see how that develops.
The book moved along swiftly which I appreciated, but it was not focused on the mystery part of it all enough. I am used to immersive thrillers and mysteries where the mystery is the only thing followed in the book. With the multiple relationship dramas, I kind of lost the whole mystery point of the book. I loved the music element and being constantly brought back to that era. I also found that the story ended with some loose ends, which I would've preferred them all tied up.
This was another great addition to this series set in the 60's. I find it interesting to read about the difficulties for women in particular of moving from the attitudes of the culture of the 50's to the next more progressive decade. Dot has another new job which seems to be great at first until accusations are made of her boss. She gets embroiled in the mystery not much by choice. She manages to make it out but there at lots of changes for her and I am interested in seeing what will be next in the following books.
This was a comfortable read with lively characters. While I enjoyed it to pass the time, I would have liked to see a bit more complexity and intrigue added to the plot to really keep me engrossed.
This was a whodunit that did keep me guessing until the end. I really enjoyed the historical aspect of the setting of this novel, in the 1960's with modern music as the "backdrop." I would have liked to have seen more made of it. Toward the end, the music became more of a theme, with the battle between the current music and the music of yesteryear, but it was not as prominent at the beginning.
It was a quick read and the characters were compelling, though I would have liked a little more showing versus telling with the main character. However, the book was an enjoyable read.
The one thing that most likely made this a three star versus a four star book for me was that the book did not seem to know what it wanted to be. It seems to promote itself as a cozy mystery. On the other hand, it raised issues of race and civil rights. I think that either it should have been a cozy mystery without raising those issues or there should have been more made of them, which would have been my preference because I read plenty of cozy mysteries but not many that take place in this era and it affecting the story. There was more made of it at the end and it was mentioned at other points in the book but given that this was in Texas in the 1960s, it needed to be woven more into the book.
What drew me in was the title of the book as a big music nerd. This book is a nice cozy mystery book. Kept me guessing till the end. Really enjoyed it.
There's potential in this story and I enjoyed the atmosphere and the characters.
The mystery is a bit simple and some more twists would have make it more exciting.
I think this can become a good series
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
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