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Shop nowDamsels in Distress
This audiobook uses AI narration.
We’re taking steps to make sure AI narration is transparent.
Learn moreA renaissance fair is coming to the relatively quiet college town of Farberville, Arkansas. Though resistant to getting involved, Claire Malloy, local bookseller and mother of the perpetually petulant teen Caron, finds herself drawn into the strange inner workings of the group putting on the fair. But a dark mood falls over the festivities when one of the organizers is a victim of arson, and her body is found in the burned wreckage of her rented house. Someone is definitely dead—but is it murder?
Joan Hess was the author of the Claire Malloy Mysteries and the Arly Hanks Mysteries, formally known as the Maggody Mysteries. She was a winner of the American Mystery Award and the Agatha Award (for which she was nominated five times), a member of Sisters in Crime, and a former president of the American Crime Writers League. She died in November 2017, four months after the publication of The Painted Queen.
C.J. Critt is a much-admired audiobook performer who has appeared on and Off-Broadway, in stand-up comedy, solo performance, and poetry slams. She is a Cable Ace winner and staff writer for Radio Disney.
Reviews
“If you’ve never spent time with Claire and her crew, I feel sorry for you. Stop reading this nonsense and hop to it. You’ll see wit and humanity all wrapped up in a nifty murder mystery.”
“A wonderfully written cozy filled with well-developed characters and nonstop suspense.”
“Hess fans will find much to entertain them while eagerly anticipating Claire’s wedded bliss in upcoming episodes.”
“C. J. Critt delivers an entertaining performance, imbuing Claire with quirkiness and spunk. Critt smoothly alternates between belligerent teenagers and frustrated adults who prefer the world of fifteenth-century lords and ladies.”
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