Mambo and Murder by C.S. McDonald – 5 Star Book Review

Three ballroom dancers had been murdered over forty years ago. Wow, that’s one old cold case.

Welcome to one of the February 1st stops on the Matrimony, Mayhem, and Murder tour with iRead Book Tours (schedule linked) and C.S. McDonald. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, excerpts, exclusive content from the author, many reviews of several Fiona Quinn books, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.

This is my first of three stops on this tour! Come back tomorrow for my review of the headline title, Matrimony, Mayhem, and Murder, and on the 3rd for a three pack of mini-mistery reviews for Fiona Quinn Quick Mystery audiobooks 2-4.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.

About the Book

Mambo and Murder
Fiona Quinn Mysteries Book Six
by C.S. McDonald

Print/eBook
Published 31 October 2021
McWriter Books
Page Count: 160

Audiobook
Published 11 March 2019
McWriter Books
Length: 4 hours and 9 minutes
Narrator: Maren Swenson Waxenberg

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

Three ballroom dancers had been murdered over forty years ago. Wow, that’s one old cold case. What’s more, the murderer thought to have been killed during a police chase has resurfaced in Pittsburgh. Yikes! How can that be? Worse, ballroom dancing simply isn’t Detective Nathan Landry’s forte. After weeks of practice, Nathan still has two left feet. Can Fiona step in to guide Nathan through this dancing debacle or will it take forty years for the detective to find his footing? Double yikes! Join Fiona and Detective Landry in this high-stepping whodunit!

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My Review

My Rating: 5 Stars
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I was granted complimentary audiobook access to Mambo and Murder by C.S. McDonald as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title with iRead Book Tours. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

I absolutely love the Fiona Quinn series so I jumped on the chance to review several more. This one did not disappoint! Detective Nathan Landry has a cold case to solve that requires a little undercover work. Unfortunately for him, the undercover work requires competitive ballroom dancing skills, which he does not possess, and early dance training with his detective partner end disastrously with a broken ankle for his partner and a bruised ego for Nathan. Fiona’s turn! This former ballet dancer turned kindergarten teacher already has plenty of detective experience, and she has *a* dance background, how hard can it be?

This one was such a fun ride! My early suspicions proved accurate this time (sometimes these surprise me in the end) but I don’t mind that the mystery wasn’t too difficult to suss out. Honestly, I think I’m just getting used to the way these books go and I had a good hunch. The plot is indeed tight and well written.

I also love how these books always have a secondary mystery that ties into the main conundrum in the end. This time Fiona’s long-deceased (but not absent) grandmother is finally receiving letters from her sister that never made it to her when they should have decades earlier. Could these letters, or whoever else’s mail is being uncovered and just now delivered, hold important clues to Fiona’s current case? You’ll have to read (or listen) to find out!

As usual, Maren Swenson Waxenberg’s narration is top-notch as well. I find her pleasant and easy to listen to at any playback speed, and while she doesn’t push her voice into wildly different character voices (which I appreciate, it doesn’t always work out well for some narrators) I never have any trouble keeping track of who’s speaking, what was spoken dialogue and what was internal thoughts, etc. I forget I’m listening, honestly. It sounds and feels like just a variation of the voice in my mind when I read for myself. True that doesn’t mean anything stands out, but in this case that’s a good thing. The story is allowed to shine and the delivery feels natural and easy.

As I usually comment on any of McDonald’s cozy mysteries, these do all stand on their own quite well and you could jump into any of them as a first read. If you want to start here or skip to here without reading all five of the previous books, you absolutely can. With that said, do try to read the first book first, I think it’ll make a little more sense if you meet the main cast as they were intended to be introduced before following them on the rest of your adventures. That goes for the Fiona Quinn books and the Owl’s Nest books.

About the Author

For twenty-six years C.S. McDonald’s life whirled around a song and a dance. Classically trained at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School, The Pittsburgh Dance Alloy, and many others, she became a professional dancer and choreographer. During that time, she choreographed many musicals and an opera for the Pittsburgh Savoyards. In 2011 she retired from her dance career to write. Under her real name, Cindy McDonald, she writes murder-suspense and romantic suspense novels. In 2014 she added the pen name, C.S. McDonald, to write children’s books for her grandchildren. In 2016 she added the Fiona Quinn Mysteries to that expansion. She decided to write the cozy mystery series that everyone, including teens and tweens, can read and enjoy. Presently, the Fiona Quinn Mysteries nine books with a tenth slated for 2021. The books are also available on audio, narrated by Maren Swenson Waxenberg. Cindy’s newest venture is The Owl’s Nest Mysteries. Once again, she has set her cozy mystery in Pittsburgh. The female protagonist, Alexa Owl, is much different from Fiona Quinn. The Owl’s Next Mysteries has a little grit, a little time travel, a little romance, and a whole lot of cozy! Ms. McDonald resides on her Thoroughbred farm known as Fly by Night Stables near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Bill, and her poorly behaved Cocker Spaniel, Allister.

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Giveaway Alert!

Autographed copy of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER (a Fiona Quinn Mystery), plus a delightful book bag (one winner) (USA only) (ends Feb 11)

MATRIMONY MAYHEM AND MURDER Book Tour Giveaway

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