Double Dog Dare

Quick, light and fun with a twist of murder

If you could sum up Double Dog Dare in three words, what would they be?

Beach romp mystery

Who was your favorite character and why?

Cisco, the dog, of course. Why else read books with dog characters? As far as people, I liked Melanie, his young friend, with her playful curiosity and naïveté.

Which scene was your favorite?

Without spoiling the ending, Cisco's high-five trick.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I enjoyed this book. It was fun and fast-paced. Don't get me wrong; it is a murder mystery and there is an element of danger, but Cisco's antics made me smile and gave comic relief to the tenser situations.

Any additional comments?

Well-narrated. The Southern accents are authentic!

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engaged early on

The first I have read from this author, I was expecting a cozy mystery with some doggie highlights. What I didn’t expect was to find myself engaged early on and finding the intersection of mystery and romance working really well for me. In addition, the dog-training tidbits, especially the well-intentioned attempts gone wrong, were entertaining and amusing.

Raine is the heroine of the story, and she is in need of a vacation. Her love interest, Miles has spirited her off to St. Bart’s for a much needed break amongst the rich and famous: a huge change from her quiet life in the Smoky Mountains. Not long after they arrive, there is a murder, and Raine being her curious self has to investigate. The contrast of her more simple approach to life with the more bourgeois atitudes of the other vacationers and residents was a nice inset – the grass isn’t always greener, despite Miles’ glam attempts to spirit her away.

Cisco is a lovely Golden, and very typical of the breed: friendly, goofy and often prone to selective obedience. I couldn’t help but picture that ‘golden smile’ as he meandered through the plot, even when he was bad. Adding in his own daughter and mother, Miles’ showed a side of men that is often lacking in the fiction I read: the nurturing / caring side. It was an interesting subplot to show their interactions and relationships in a unique way, even adding a dash of drama for young Melanie.

Narration for this story is provided by Donna Postel: utilizing pitch and tone changes she deftly moved between characters, accents and story presentation that keeps listeners engaged and easily able to distinguish characters and emotions. Without over-acting or over-reach in the emotional moments, she presented the story beautifully.

A fairly straightforward mystery, some foreshadowing hinted at things to come, without overwhelming the moments in the present, and it was fun discovering Raine’s process as she solved the story. Plenty of background information on the characters was provided, in a way that was not overwhelming but allowed me to feel comfortable early on, and I did not feel as if there were major gaps in understanding characters or story.

Fans of cozy mysteries, a touch of romance with their mysteries and those who enjoy dogs who are a part of the character’s lives in ways that are honest and true to real life will enjoy this audiobook.

I received an AudioBook copy of the title from the narrator via AudioBook Blast for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

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Dog days at the beach!

Would you listen to Double Dog Dare again? Why?

Yes, as I think the second time around I would pick up on clues that I missed during the first listening.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Double Dog Dare?

At the end when the mystery is solved. While I didn't see it coming, it wasn't one of those out of the blue, no it really couldn't have happened that way kind of endings.

Have you listened to any of Donna Postel’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my first book by Ms. Postel. I loved the way that she was able to portray a wide range of characters and make each of them believable. From the joy of a 10 year old child to the concern of that 10 year old's grandmother, all the characters were real.

Any additional comments?

Double Dog Dare is book 8 in the Raine Stockton Dog Mystery series. Raine joins her boyfriend Miles, his daughter Melanie and Cisco, her beloved golden retriever on a vacation on St. Bart's. While there an American actress dies and one of Miles' friends is suspected of murder. Did he do it? Listen and find out!

This was the first book that I had listened to in the series and I wasn't lost for a single moment. Ms. Ball gave enough of Raine's background that jumping in here was ok. I'm looking forward to listening to more books in this series.

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Beach Dogs Mystery Oh My

What made the experience of listening to Double Dog Dare the most enjoyable?

I really enjoyed the narrator Donna Postel.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Double Dog Dare?

Loved the names used for the characters they are family names so that was fun.

Which character – as performed by Donna Postel – was your favorite?

Raine Stockton

1 sur 1 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

An easy, enjoyable mystery

This is my second Raine Stockton dog mystery. It's the 8th book in the series, and the other one I read was the very first book (Smoky Mountain Tracks). I was afraid I'd be bothered by what I'd missed in the intervening books, but the author gives enough background in the course of the story that I could mostly fill in the missing pieces.

This is a fairly cozy mystery, though a child does get put into a bit of danger. It takes place in St. Bart's, where Miles, Raine's boyfriend, has taken her for a much-needed vacation. And of course there is murder involved. Raine tries to navigate the world of the rich and famous, but feels a bit alienated. She misses her mountain home.

The mystery part is pretty straightforward. The author does foreshadow some of what's going to happen from the very first, and there weren't (to me) any real surprises in how the plot worked out. But I liked the way two themes of the plot dovetailed at the end, and echoed each other. (I'm trying to avoid spoilers here!)

I started listening to this book on Wednesday night, and finished listening on Thursday afternoon. A book that keeps me listening straight through is fairly rare! It helps that the narrator has a warm and lovely voice. She does just enough different voices/accents to help keep the characters clearly defined. I liked that Miles' mother's South Carolina accent was just a bit different from Miles' Atlanta accent.

It's an easy, enjoyable listen, and I'm glad I had the chance to hear it.

One note: I was slightly disappointed that she left her Aussies at home. If she'd had an Aussie with her instead of a Golden Retriever, she probably wouldn't have had a dog that would go off with a stranger! Aussies are generally more cautious than that. :) (Yes, I've shared my home with Australian Shepherds for many years.)

Full disclosure: I received this audiobook for free in return for an honest review.

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Another exciting mystery for Raine Stockton!

Great book! I love listening to these mysteries with Raine Stockton. I love how much she loves her dogs! This books doesn't disappoint us either.

Raine Stockton is known for training dogs and always manages to stumble upon another murder mystery. In this book, "Double Dog Dare" Raine is whisked off to a tropical Island (St Bart's) for some relaxation. Miles (Raine's man) took Raine, Melanie (Miles's daughter) and Rita (Mile's Mom) to this Island in a private plane. This way Raine could bring Cisco too (one of her dogs). Miles brought mom to stay with daughter while he took Raine out at night. Once they arrived to the Island, they learned a murder happened shortly after they arrived. Read along as Raine discovers what really happened and what will happen to them. Experience danger and suspense in this mystery.

The author Donna Bell did a great job on this book. I enjoyed the plot with all it's twists and turns. I had guessed several times as I read this the book as to who dun it and I was wrong every time. A very exciting read at that! The narrator, Donna Postel did an awesome job delivering this story to us too. with all her multiple voices and accents. I love reading a series that uses the same narrator in each book making the characters and their voices and accents so much more relate-able and believable!

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Very entertaining - not your expected mystery!

Excellent getting to know Raine, Miles, and more outside usual environment. Narrator did super job with new cast of characters!!! Great listen and still true to original characters.

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Very Entertaining

love love this series such a good book I am downloading the next one keep writing please.

Non stop amazing

this is my most favorite book of all. I love the characters and feel like I Know them personally.

loved this book! can't wait to read the next one

loved this book! can't wait to read the next one, way to go Cisco! high five