Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Choir
By: Sharon Kahn / Narrated By: Suzanne Toren
Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins
A cozy mystery without mystery, and certainly without coziness
There. Does that whole line make me sound bitter? I’m so sorry. Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Choir isn’t a bad book, it’s just that I was expecting more (I was even hoping it was a mystery taking place during Hanukkah. Alas, only the murder happens at the time—the sleuthing goes on further into the year).
The audiobook is part of a series featuring Ruby, the widowed wife of a Rabbi, who just kinda seems to wind up involved in murders and mayhem (like any cozy mystery). This time it’s Serena, a choir member who keels over before her solo during a Hanukkah celebration at Temple Rita. Her death is ruled natural causes, but upon reviewing what’s on her laptop, her body is exhumed and foul play—poisoning—is discovered.
As Ruby joins the choir on a train jaunt through Canada, along with many suspects, she snoops and questions, probes and ponders. As one would expect. One would expect her to get tangled up in webs of deceit and treachery, following leads and red herrings, but there’s none of that in this audiobook. It was kinda a surprise to find out whodunnit, but there were no red herrings along the way, no suspects, no motives offered. Really, it was simply about Ruby going on a train ride with a bunch of annoying people.
And I didn’t really care for Ruby the longer I went through the book. She starts getting involved with a handsome stranger from another choir group, and even though she’s not in an exclusive relationship, she takes great pains to keep her current relationship a secret to the new guy, and she avoids mentioning that she’s dating someone to her cop boyfriend. Totally smarmy to me. She comes off as a deceiver, liar, whatever. Not someone I cared for. And when everything hit the fan, it was barely with a plop, and I didn’t give a toot whether she got out of the scrape or not.
Add to that, Suzanne Toren’s narration is a combination of twang and swagger (rather like a female John Wayne), and the audiobook is just okay. A bit annoying to listen to, a whole lot annoying to mull over. Still, it’s a short book, and if you’re in the mood for a heroine who’s not the run of the mill WASP, Ruby is okay.
But please don’t expect drama, or twists or turns. And for gosh sake, do NOT expect anything festive about Hanukkah!
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