The narrator did a good job on voices for the various characters. Really the narration is what kept me listening to this book. The mystery got a little lost for me. The author put in lots of details about background things that made me lose interest. I found the mystery entertaining and the main character likeable but too much extra detail was losing me.

Thank you Netgallery for the ALC.

This was such a cozy mystery! Jeannie takes us on a journey alongside her while she tries to fend off those who wish to buy her home. When one realtor turns up dead Jeannie decides she must find out what happens. The twists were good, this was a simple but a good read. 3.5⭐️

I enjoyed listening to this book at the time, however I feel as though it is not very memorable. I think that’s because I was never very invested with the characters. I don’t think we got to know them in a way that really leads you to care what happens to them. Having sad that, it was an enjoyable listen.

I really liked the beginning of this story. The atmosphere and set up gave me really high hopes. At some point that changed a bit in the middle. I got a little lost with all the sub plots. Over all I still enjoyed the book the narrator was a perfect choice for the story. I would try more from this author in the future.

Jeanie lends her car to the realtor who wants to buy her farm. The car is later found in a ravine with the realtor dead. The police come and investigate as the break line has been cut. Who wants Jeanie dead?

I enjoyed the idea of the story but for me it went off on too many tangents, with too many subplots. Sadly this audiobook was not for me.

Hello book bugs,

I was very kindly given the opportunity to listen to this audiobook by @netgalley. 🤩 And oh my goodness I really enjoyed this cosy murder mystery. To me, it was a Canadian style Agatha Christie. I actually got excited when I had to clean, because it was an opportunity to keep listening to this book. It had small town romance, mystery, humour, self-growth and suspense.

I am unsure whether I would just make a rubbish detective (probably) or whether it was just a book that kept me guessing. Though I had my suspicions, I really didn’t know what was going on, and who the murderer was - this, of course, kept me wanting to listen! I would say I was expecting a bit more than what was revealed, so that was a teeny let down.

Another downside for me was that I like it when audiobooks state the chapter number or title, so I know where I am at. This audiobook did not do this so I found myself lost and disoriented some of the time.

Although I liked the narrator, and thought that she was the perfect fit for Jeannie (the main character), I did find the child/ young people’s voices slightly grating. 🫠 But to me it was only a minor flaw, as I could just turn the volume down a bit for them. 😁

One thing I will say is that I LOVE that the writer Betty Ternier Daniels in her acknowledgments stated that the lands (Treaty 6 territory) she was writing about, and also where she lives, was formerly and is presently home to Indigenous Peoples. I have rarely seen that in acknowledgments and I thought needed to be recognised and appreciated.

Overall, I had FUN! 🤩. I think it’s easy to be swept away by the technicalities of writing and plots, that the actual reading experience is disregarded. I had a blast and for me that is all that matters!

I think this was the first book in the series and honestly, it felt like it was the second or third. Jeanie's backstory was kinda brushed over. I also disliked Derek and the whole romance plotline. It just felt unrealistic that someone who lost their husband so tragically would just fall in love with a random guy who showed up at the same time someone was trying to kill her. Also, Jeanie was such an older lady, like she had to comment on everything. No one cares what you think about your tenants and how weak the younger generations are. Relax!

This cozy mystery offers a delightful blend of intrigue and comfort. While it does contain some unexpected twists, they are not overly convoluted, making it an enjoyable read that can be savored with a cup of coffee.

As someone who once waited several hours for a tow truck from Saskatoon, the initial set up for this murder mystery was quite relatable to me.

I really enjoyed the characters and the setting. The added discussion on the decline of small, family farms was an interesting bonus. This was a really entertaining and unique take on the cozy mystery and I look forward to reading more stories in the series.

I received an advanced copy of the audiobook from EWC Press Audio. It was entertaining but clunky. It would have been great with a little more structure.
The narration also needed a little work. Again, just a little clunky.

When I tell you that I wanted to love this book, I mean it with my whole heart. From the second that the author started to reference Saskatchewan, and introduced Jeannie Wolfert-Lang as a Saskatchewan native living north of Saskatoon, I was absolutely invested in the story. As a fellow native Saskatchewanian, it was fun to have my home province as the setting of this mystery novel.
The first book in what is to be the Jeannie-Wolfert Lang Mystery series written by Canadian author Betty Ternier Daniels, this novel follows our FMC Jeannie who is recently widowed and as such is receiving pressure/encouragement from family and realtors alike to sell her farm. When Jeannie refuses to sell and then the body of a local realtor is found in Jeannie's car at the bottom of a ravine, the story becomes a classic whodunnit.
I listened to the audiobook of this novel, and to be completely honest I did not care for the narration. I found the narrator's voices for numerous characters to be distracting and at times downright annoying and it pulled me out of the story. As such, I found myself unable to get into the plot and uninvested in the characters and general happenings going on in the story. If I decide to read the second novel in this series, it will absolutely be a physical copy so I can give Jeannie a fair chance.
I gave this book 3 stars, but truthfully this audiobook would fall into a 2.75 star read for me.
Many thanks to ECW Press Audio via Netgalley for the ARC copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

To start - the narrator was fantastic. It certainly gave this audiobook an extra star. The story was an easy read, with a cozy feel. I loved that the setting felt meaningful to the author and was different from others I’ve read. I can’t say that I often pick up books set in the prairies around Saskatoon, but I loved getting to know the farming communities there a little better. I do think the characters could do with a little more rounding out, and because of this some of them were forgettable. I also think the ages of some characters were confusing and made the story line muddled in places. Overall, I would definitely read another book by this author.

This was an intricate book. I liked the twist and turns the mystery was well and the drama worked. Great you find out a lot of things about the main character Jeannie. Having recently become a widow in the beginning, her kids are pressuring her to sell her large farm and move somewhere less strenuous for her. A realtor keeps pressuring her to sell her, including trying to use blackmail threats to get her to sell her property. Thankfully Jeannie does not give in to this blackmail. But when the realtor wind up dead threats start happening against Jeannie.
This was a great mystery and definitely kept me guessing. If you like a good mystery with quite a few twist and turns this is the mystery for you.

Grounds For Murder is a cosy crime novel set in Canada and is the first book in the Jeannie Wolfert-Lang Mystery series. Jeannie's husband recently died and she is feeling under pressure to leave her beloved farm, particularly from an incredibly persistent realtor. Before long, the realtor is killed by mistake when borrowing Jeannie's car and she realises that whoever it is that wants her land, will stop at nothing to get what they want. Jeannie joins forces with an off-duty cop and has to face her past in order to discover the killer.

I think I've learned that any kind of 'cosy' style books just aren't for me. It was a perfectly nice book and was a very easy read, but it just didn't grip me or keep me especially interested.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

This book was cute! That is the best way to describe it, not gory or scary but a mystery that was a light hearted read for me!

I had a good time diving into the mystery of this book, even though Jeannie wasn't exactly my favorite character. She can come off as a bit judgmental at times, but to her credit, she’s aware of it and makes an effort to improve. The book was quite enjoyable, especially since it jumped right into the mystery from the start, which I really appreciated. All in all, this cozy mystery offers a pleasant and straightforward reading experience.

The audiobook is narrated by Dawn Harvey, and she really nailed it with her character voices. I was impressed by how she brought each character to life, making the story even more engaging. Her performance added an extra layer of enjoyment to the experience, keeping me hooked throughout.

Tank you NetGalley and ECW Press Audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook.

This was an interesting story with a variety of characters that was easy to read. I found it somewhat difficult to care about the protagonist due to some of her actions throughout the story, but I enjoyed the mystery element as they tried to figure out who the killer was, although there was no "grand reveal" which made the ending unsatisfactory.

Great book, many different elements involved mystery, murder, romance, environmental issues, found community and old secrets unearthed. Jeannie is an ordinary but strong character in some unusual circumstances involving a murder. Though murder is what throws them all together, community and relationships are key. Really enjoyed and the narrator was perfect.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This book is the very embodiment of a cozy mystery. The main character is an older woman who is being targeted by a mysterious murderer for reasons nobody seems to understand. She’s lives in a cozy little farmhouse on a giant plot of land which gives the entire story a nice small town feel.

While I liked the overall story, I feel like I wanted more suspense to increase the intensity of the story. I think this is just because the cozy mystery isn’t for me necessarily. I don’t think I would reach for another book exactly like this, but I would recommend it for a comfy cozy story.

This book was just published last week! I listened to the audiobook but it’s available in physical and ebook forms as well. Let me know if you enjoy this one!

I liked this cozy mystery a lot. It was a sweet story of a lady figuring out widowhood and starting to rediscover herself without her partner, mixed with an interesting mystery plot.
I enjoyed that romance wasn't super heavy in the book, though it definitely is there, and I like that things are left open ended as far as if she even wants another relationship again. The main character is flawed but kind and has good intentions. I liked that the book also shows her questioning herself for the first time about her intentions with her flaws, kind of seeing them for the first time from another perspective after gaining so many new perspectives in her life. That was really well done.
The mystery itself is a fun one to follow and guess at, and I thought the whole thing was well plotted.

I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a cozy mystery, and anyone that skews more Donna Andrews than Agatha Christie (though I'd argue there's elements of both here).