Family Secrets: A Whispering Pines Mystery
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Family Secrets: A Whispering Pines Mystery Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Shawn McGuire (Author), Sandra Murphy (Narrator), Brown Bag Books (Publisher)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 4,757 ratings
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Sixteen years after a family feud drove her from the cozy Northwoods village of Whispering Pines, Wisconsin, former detective Jayne O'Shea returns to prepare her grandparents' lake house for sale. Once there, not only does she find that the house has been trashed, her dog discovers a dead body in the backyard.

Jayne intends to stay out of it, but when it becomes obvious the sheriff isn't interested in investigating the death, Jayne can't stop herself. Her list of suspects grows faster than the plants in the commons' pentacle garden. Could it be the local Wiccan green witch with her stash of deadly plants? The shopkeeper who slips into trances and foretells death? The visitor determined to practice black magic?

What Jayne knows for sure is that the closer she gets to solving this crime, the more the sheriff wants her to back off. And when a local fortune teller provides a crucial clue, Jayne knows it's up to her to solve this murder.

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  1. Listening Length
    7 hours and 23 minutes
  2. Author
    Shawn McGuire
  3. Narrator
    Sandra Murphy
  4. Audible release date
    August 22, 2017
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Brown Bag Books
  7. ASIN
    B074XDLVMP
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 7 hours and 23 minutes
Author Shawn McGuire
Narrator Sandra Murphy
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date August 22, 2017
Publisher Brown Bag Books
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B074XDLVMP
Best Sellers Rank #107,179 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#626 in Private Investigator Mysteries (Audible Books & Originals)
#1,736 in Cozy Mysteries (Audible Books & Originals)
#4,290 in Private Investigator Mysteries (Books)

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
4,757 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

I. L. McWherter
5.0 out of 5 stars Knowledge of the unknown
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2023
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This is like many of the Cozy Mysteries out there and, like many others I have read, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. There is more than enough intrigue and suspense to not let you return the book before you finish. The main characters are interesting and as you progress through the story you find yourself understanding their situations more and more. To me one of the most interesting parts of the story has been the knowledge imparted regarding the religion of Wiccan, of which I knew nothing before this book. I am into book 2 and plan to complete the story line of 13 books. Shawn McGuire may not be another Tom Clancy or James Patterson and this may not qualify to be a part of the Women's Murder Club, but she writes a very good mystery novel.
11 people found this helpful
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tenneh
4.0 out of 5 stars Good mystery
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2024
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This was a good story with good flow. It kept me involved through the whole story. Looking forward to the next one in the series.
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KRM
5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing from the start...
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2018
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Once I started reading I was hooked...
I love mystery/romantic/suspense…There is a lot of mystery, a hint of romance to come, and some suspense. What I typically avoid are witchy/ghost type stories. So, getting into this book was a surprise to me. I think what caught my attention, frankly, were the reviews and how folks couldn’t put the book down. It turns out that neither could I. One reason is because I really like Jayne - the main character – and her dog. In fact, all of the characters are interesting. Another, is that this is not some devil worshiping thriller but rather a more fanciful account of the wiccan beliefs and practices. I feel it is a good start to what could be a wonderful series since each character has a story to tell and the focus is more on relationships and crime solving than on what is referred to as a pagan religion. It simply adds more color or quirkiness to the intrigue.

The title “Family Secrets” applies to Jayne and others as well. There are things we with-hold from others and things that others with-hold from us. Memories of childhood only hint at what Jayne now discovers about her grandparents and the eccentric village that exists on their family owned 2000 acres in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

The book is well written and moves along at a nice pace. I enjoyed it and now I am anxious to read Kept Secrets: A Whispering Pines Mystery, the next in the series. Although the book can be read as a stand-alone, you just want to go back for a visit to this quaint touristy retreat. If you take my advice and read this book, prepare to be charmed.

I received a free copy and this my honest and voluntary review.
18 people found this helpful
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CJ
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2023
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Kept me guessing until the end. Wonderful characters and I look forward to reading more about whispering pines secrets in her next book
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_KB_
3.0 out of 5 stars This book is NOT a cliffhanger as some reviews have said.
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2021
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All the people saying this book ends in a cliffhanger clearly don't understand what that means. (There's nothing I hate more than cliffhangers, so I know the frustration when that happens, but this book is NOT it.)

There is a very big difference between a book SERIES where there is a general theme or mystery that carries the story forward into the next books but the main mystery of that particular book gets resolved, and a SERIAL where you're only getting chapters of the whole story and things end in the middle of a scene with no resolution to anything that has been happening - you're literally left hanging.

The general theme/mystery of this series is Jayne finding clues and discovering little by little the whole story about the village and her grandmother, deciding what to do with the house and putting that into practice, while each book has an immediate mystery to be solved.

So, Family Secrets is part of a series, NOT a serial, and there is no cliffhanger. The main mystery (the body Jayne found as soon as she arrived in town) is fully resolved. The who, the how, and the why are fully explained at the end (maybe the resolution was a little too easy, but it was done - we know what happened and why).

Then, the last chapter reminds us of all the things Jayne learned about the village and grandparents that she doesn't fully understand (which will be explored in the next books), and tells us the decision she made about the house and Whispering Pines (which sets the tone for what's to come - again, not a cliffhanger). This is the general mystery/theme to be explored over several books.

Reviewers have complained about the series being called Whispering Pines, but there not being any pine trees mentioned at all. Did this person read the same book as everyone else??? There are several mentions of the whispering pines throughout the book. It is a big thing for Jayne, and she constantly describes it and thinks about the significance.

Others complained about Jayne reaching for her imaginary side arm "hundreds of times" throughout the entire book. She only does it twice in the very beginning, which is a very natural thing for a former cop to do btw.

Another complained about Jayne always mentally describing the looks/clothes of everyone she meets. Again, a very natural thing for a former cop to do (always assessing their surroundings). I thought it was a different way to describe the characters. It made me feel like I was in Jayne's mind and seeing the villagers through her eyes (and better than the author simply telling us).

Some even complained about the author not knowing the difference between Wicca and Witchcraft. I only know the basics about both, so to me everything the villagers were doing seemed natural. Maybe a reader with more experience caught something I didn't. Maybe the author did it on purpose. Remember, this is only book 1 and we don't know the background and motivations of most of the people in the village yet. Maybe someone started out seeing Wicca as a religion and way of life, then decided to move on to Witchcraft - or vice versa, and ended up incorporating both into their daily lives.

To me, this book was a solid 3.5 stars. There were some editing/grammar mistakes, some of the dialogue didn't feel natural or moved the story forward enough (but that could be just me wanting everyone to spill all the beans - pun intended - at once), and the way Jayne "solved" the mystery of the dead body was a tad too easy.

I really like Jayne and a lot of the secondary characters: Tripp, Morgan, Lily Grace, and even Donovan with his darkness. Meeka, the not so good at police work K-9 was also super adorable. Give her all the biscuits, please!

I felt the author did a really good job in keeping me engaged and making me want to discover all the secrets of the town and its residents, and to see what happens to Jayne and her grandmother's house.

On to book 2 now!
53 people found this helpful
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Linda Kelly
4.0 out of 5 stars Witches of Whispering Pines
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2023
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Family Secrets was a very enjoyable book. The bucolic/sinister setting, interesting characters and the mystery kept me riveted. The added fun of witches and spells gave the book a way to weave the story.
3 people found this helpful
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BamaGirl90
5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling from the Beginning
Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2024
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I understand other reviews now, I want to live in Whispering Pines. It was very well described but not overly done. It wasn’t your typical cozy mystery either and I loved that. There was plenty of changes and guessing. I found it so captivating.
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Amy Viergutz
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2024
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Great book Just finished it today
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Top reviews from other countries

Carollizc
5.0 out of 5 stars Charming, really.
Reviewed in Canada on June 7, 2023
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This cozy really is charming. The characters are nice people, well, most of them are. The writing was good too, and the pacing - well, I finished reading this in one go. I tried, but I couldn't put it down. Really, I can't think of a single negative about this book. Go on, indulge. Grab a box of peanut brittle to keep you company while you read. After all, you're indulging.
2 people found this helpful
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Sandra Lacey
5.0 out of 5 stars A Change is as Good as a Holiday
Reviewed in Australia on December 15, 2021
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I thought I’ll just read this story for a change. I wasn’t planning on continuing to power through the whole series! I’m on Book 8 so far. This author has a quirky style but Ms McGuire’s consistency in keeping the story going and the various personalities up in the air and still able to juggle is quite impressive. Also, editing is excellent and misspellings are minimal. Being able to write about a complex scene is a talent this author has developed very well. I also do not miss over sharing of the extraneous mundane descriptions of everyday life. This author keeps that to a minimum and for that I am grateful.

I fully recommend the Whispering Pines mysteries and the advancing stories of Tripp and Jayne. The use of characters of colour is also really good as it often reminds me that not everyone is White. It’s an important skill to incorporate in one’s writings to reflect the way the world is right now.

This is an excellent series and yes, I look forward to reading more from this author. I’m regretting cancelling my Kindle Unlimited subscription. How long will I go before I finally re-subscribe. Stay tuned for more reviews.
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Peter W.
4.0 out of 5 stars Very Enjoyable Read.
Reviewed in Canada on January 26, 2023
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Characters were very interesting, suspense kept you interested throughout the book. I would like to read more of Shawn McGuire.
One person found this helpful
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Janet Jeffery
4.0 out of 5 stars A good plot
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 19, 2021
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It's a book o couldnt put down. Well written. Kept you in suspense.
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A.S.
4.0 out of 5 stars lovely read
Reviewed in Germany on September 19, 2019
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Whispering Pines is a small village hidden in the deep forests. It started as a slightly other Hippy settlement in the early 1960ties, most citizens being Wicca. When Jayne arrives there to prepare the house of her grandparents for sale, the unemployed police officer stumbles over a body and finds herself in the middle of police investigation.
Mrs McGuire describes a nice setting and writes an interesting cozy crime. I am looking forward to reading more about Jayne, her dog and her maybe future boyfriend in this interesting community.
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