Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

It happens whenever I listen to an audiobook narrated with a southern accent (at least, with a good one!), and there’s not a blessed thing I can do about it.  And thinking in a drawl for 12-24 hours, while certainly odd for a Utah resident, feels sort of traitorous when you were born and raised in one of the northern states.  On the other hand, the narrator for Sheila Turnage’s Mo & Dale mysteries is so incredibly good that the entire listening experience is delightful; sadly, The Law of Finders Keepers is billed as the last in Turnage’s quartet.

I’m feeling pretty mournful about that.

On the other hand, I did quite enjoy listening to it, and I’m doubly glad because I wasn’t quite sure about the beginning; it was feeling part more-of-the-same with the characters and part a-little-over-the-top with the pirate treasure angle.  As the plot progressed, however, the dynamic among the main (and supporting) characters shifted a bit as the Desperadoes move further into adolescence, and Turnage’s success in weaving that into the mystery made the book for me.  (I’m not saying that some of the treasure hunting adventures didn’t stretch believability a bit, but–eh.  Middle grade mysteries are bound to do some of that kind of stretching.)  There is definitely a mother theme in Finders Keepers, and unlike Little Fires Everywhere–which I listened to fairly recently–Turnage’s book identifies successfully what a good mother should be.  This was a satisfying ending to an excellent series, folks.  Don’t miss Mo and Dale’s search for Blackbeard’s treasure and Upstream Mother!