This review is of the audio version narrated by Jennifer Jill Araya. I listened to the book at 1.25 speed.
The narrator had a clear voice and was able to convey the differences in character through tone, pitch, and dialect.
The book was based in the early 1900s from events that transpired in the author's family. That is what drew me into reading the novel.
I loved the descriptions the author used to allow the listener to visualize the events, people, and places. Learning about the main character's, Aurelia Escalante's, backstory was enthralling.
I don't feel that this book romantised that era but gave a glimpse into the fact that the people living it did.
Grief can make people do the strangest things. Guilt can make other people do even stranger things.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an early audiobook edition of “Trouble Island” by Sharon Short, narrated by Jennifer Jill Araya for an honest review. This is the first book I listened to with Jennifer Jill Araya as a narrator. She did a good job with the narration.

In the early 1900s, gangsters used a remote island in Lake Erie between Canada and the U.S. called Trouble Island to move contraband. This island had a working lighthouse taken care of by Rosita’s grandfather. Rosita is the lady of the mansion on Trouble Island, with her on the island are husband and wife caretakers, two bodyguards, and Rosita’s maid Aurelia Escalante. All have their reasons for being on the island, all wish they could get away, but none can.

Everyone is on high alert when Rosita’s estranged husband arrives with an entourage. Eddie (Rosita’s husband) wants to sell Rosita’s Island to a rival gang boss. Rosita will not let her beloved island go. When Rosita ends up dead, all evidence points to Aurelia, but did she do it? Everyone had a motive. The story gives you the back story of the residents on the island and each had a motive to kill Rosita.

The storyline is good, and the characters are well-developed, but Aurelia’s character goes on and on about her secrets, constantly berating herself about what she did. There was too much of it and it took a long time to reveal what she did in her childhood, although there were hints along the way. It just felt like it prolonged the book. The twist was good and the ending moved quickly and was well written.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Loved this audiobook. It was slow moving but suspenseful and worth the listen. And the surprises towards the end. Wow. Definitely not at all what I had been expecting. Hardly anyone in this book is who they seem to be.
Great narration. Great book.

On a remote Lake Erie island in 1932, a maid hiding a murderous past finds her employer dead, trapping her with a group of gangsters, celebrities, and a killer during a blizzard. This suspenseful debut novel combines a locked-room mystery with a compelling portrait of a woman in crisis.

This is a moody and atmospheric mystery. If you enjoy Prohibition-era gangster stories, this book is for you. I liked the audiobook narration.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

How do I praise this lovely book! First I loved the narration. She was perfection! I loved the protagonist too. She isn't innocent but she is a bird lady with a big giant heart. I can't go into the moment I really fell for her without giving a spoiler but I can say I back up her decision.
It was just an amazing story and I loved listening to it.