This book kept me hooked. I wanted to know how the story was going to turn out. I will say that this book may appeal to a younger audience more than it did me. Two things gave me pause. First were the narrator's character voices, and second were the decisions by the author for the level of description. There were some things that happened repeatedly throughout the book-- for example, all of the characters blowing on their hot drinks, and people pounding their fists. I didn't feel that there was a need for that type of detail. Personally, I would have enjoyed more background about the locale. Admittedly, this is the second book in a series, so there may have been more of that in the prior offering. All of that being said, I got used to the style of narration as I listened, and the writing is engaging. Overall, I appreciated the work that went into this book, and enjoyed the story. I simply found some of the things I mention here disruptive to my personal enjoyment of the listening experience.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and rate this book.

This was the first book I read from this author thanks to NetGalley. I got the audiobook and once I started reading I didn’t stop till it was finished.

Marcy McCreary is a very talented story teller I feel I didn’t need to read book #1 to understand and enjoy the book. I now want to read book #1 because I’m so invested in this family.
I laughed a lot throughout this book the dialogue is great. The characters are so well developed I could see them all in my minds eye. I really enjoyed the twists and turns as the investigation goes on.

This is a solid read for a great afternoon or two of just get out of your head fun.

This is the second instalment in the Ford Family series and my first by this author. I felt that I would have benefited from reading book one first, so that's my bad.

While I enjoyed the writing style, and for the most part was engaged, I felt it not only started slow but also dragged a little in the middle. I also found myself not being able to keep up and concentrate on all the characters.

That said, the dialogue and descriptions of certain relationships were very well done.

I enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook, she certainly upped the entertainment factor of the book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ALC 🙏

Another interesting and well-paced mystery. I liked coming back to this main character and reading another story. I didn't remember much from the first book but I think this one stands well on its own. The mystery kept me engaged and I found the push and pull of the father/daughter relationship worked well with the story.

But I didn't love this one for my own personal reason. The beginning of the story has the main character sick. She's constantly sneezing and coughing all over everyone - and all her co-workers and interviewees comment on it. It was such a huge distraction for me - as I imaged her selfishly making everyone sick. It was such a huge distraction but that was a personal thing and I think the story, if you can ignore that, is a good mystery.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an audio-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

This book was good, not one of my favorites. While the idea was new and initially intriguing, I did have trouble staying in it at times. Maybe if I read it rather than listening to the Audio, I would have gotten more out of it.

High quality audio murder myatery. The characters are well developed. The story pace once it got going was spot on. The dialogue was spot on and reflective of the characters. There was a hint if cost mystery in places. It was a throughly enjoyable listen. This is the second in a series but coukd be listened to alone.. it had twists and turns. I did gueese the murderer. I loved thd insight into the way the detective pieced it together.
Thank you netgallery and publisher and author and narrator for this cracking 5 star lusten. Highly recommended

A gripping story from start to finish narrator of the audiobook did an amazing job on its pacing and diaologue
It was a just a bit too real for me, reminded me of a true crime podcast

ARC REVIEW ~ thank you, Netgalley!

*spoiler free*

Detective Ford tried and succeeded in making me want to crack the case. An interconnected web, dual timelines, and intricate relationships keep the pace going steadily. This was easy to follow, while staying unpredictable. The characters pull you in.

A solid 4 stars!

I listened to the audiobook versions of both books in this series. The narrator is great! I loved the series so far, the dynamics between Susan and her dad are so neat- part family, part friend and part colleague. Really fun series and I can’t wait for more!

This was a great follow-up to Marcy McCreary's 1st book in this series. I love the interaction between Det. Ford and her father! They are a great unofficial investigative team! There were lots of secrets to uncover but uncover them they did! I am now adding all of Mary McCreary's books to my TBR!


#TheMurderofMadisonGarcia
#NetGalley

I enjoyed this book a lot and I thought it worked particularly well as an audiobook. It was intriguing, with just the right number of twists and revelations and it certainly kept me guessing until the end. I enjoyed the way the storyline intertwined present to past events and the build up was gradual and very aptly crafted. As this is the 2nd book in the series, I have added the first one to my reading list.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an impartial and honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and CamCat books for the ARC of The Murder of Madison Garcia by Marcy McCreary. I enjoyed this police procedural style story of finding out who killed Madison. This story was told in the present by the detective on the case and also in part by the victim’s (Madison) own diary prior to her murder. The audio was great and you do not have to read the first book in this series to understand the storyline. 3.5 stars.

A decent book that I happily listened to without discarding. Believe me, sometimes that is a miracle. This is one of those twisty tales where everyone has motive and everyone is hiding something. I felt the end fell flat but overall I wouldn't not read another by the author

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

As in the first one, this had some well done complicated twists. You do not have to read the first book to get into this, but it helps to have the back ground. A little over done at some points but overall a good read. The narrator did well.

The Murder of Madison Garcia
By Marcy McCreary
Narrated by Rachel Fulginiti
First off, I didn't feel like I needed to read the previous book, (The Disappearance of Trudy Solomon) but if I were going to, the ending to the last book would've been spoiled by this one.
I feel like this was a "cozy" dressed in "hard-boiled" clothing. There were some f bombs tossed about, and some dubious police jargon, but there were too many elements of "cozy"- the addition of Dad as side kick/sleuthing buddy, the ridiculous use of words like "cahoots" and "shenanigans" and the OVER use of idioms such as "up to his old tricks", "hang my hat on", "smell a rat" and so on. The last chapter was riddled with them, I lost count at thirty.
I pegged the killer asap (Okay, I was down to two.
But I had the one, and the other was peripherally involved.), but that is definitely not a point against the book, I rarely don't guess the doer. My mind is obviously more devious than I would like.
There was a lot of hemming and hawing (see what I did there?) toward the end as if the author herself may not have decided whodunnit until the last minute.
For a mystery newbie, or those looking for a, well, hard-boiled cozy, it would be a good bet

I truly enjoyed this audiobook. It seems to be in the same vein as Janet Evonivich's characters. I even caught myself laughing aloud at some of the main character's antics. The story itself was easy to listen to, with a few "F" bombs. The narrator even got the congested sound for when the main character was sick. Overall, this was an entertaining listen.

2.5 ⭐️ This was meh for me. It fell flat. I found it difficult to stay interested in the characters and the story line. The FMC has an interesting back story but it wasn’t enough. Narration was average.

Detective Susan Stone notices a missed phone call and shortly discovers the call was made by Madison Garcia, found stabbed to death in a borrowed car.
The story follows Susan, assisted (somewhat against her will) by her father in an investigation of Madison’s murder as well as Madison’s journal entries leading up to her death.

This was a solidly written police procedural, it was a good mystery but at times seemed to moved very slowly. There are several of pop culture references sprinkled into the story, which I personally do not prefer.

The characters were okay, I enjoyed Susan’s perspective and felt connected to the story of her family that tied into the book. I appreciated that Madison isn’t necessarily a character we are supposed to like. It was a break from the usual “perfect girl whose smile lit up a room” story line.

The investigation was well thought out and there were clues sprinkled throughout that the reader can pick up on if they’re paying attention without being overly obvious.

If you are in search of an “edge of your seat mystery thriller” this is not it. However I still enjoyed this book and would recommend for someone looking for a procedure forward mystery.

This was a fabulous listen that kept me interested until the very end! The narrator was fabulous and made this an easy listen that I didn’t want to stop.

As someone new to Marcy McCreary's writing, I was immediately drawn in by the debut of the series, "The Murder of Madison Garcia." In this story, Detective Susan Ford's routine day takes a sinister turn when she discovers a missed call from an unknown caller, Madison Garcia. When Madison is found dead the next day, Susan is thrust into a suspenseful murder investigation, teaming up with her father, Will Ford, to untangle the web of secrets surrounding Madison's death.

McCreary's storytelling keeps the suspense high as Susan dives deeper into the case, uncovering a myriad of secrets and potential suspects. With its blend of past and present timelines, compelling characters, and unexpected twists, "The Murder of Madison Garcia" is a captivating read that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end.