In The Secret of Chestnut Hall by Olivia Swift, Evan Sutherland has just moved into a small mountain community in Colorado and bought Chestnut Hall, which has remained vacant and off the market for the 30 years since the previous owner died. He has hired the gardening firm of Jasmine (Jazz) Summer to put the gardens back in good shape. Very soon the two discover a strong attraction to each other as they work together. There have been rumors of murder, treasure, and everything in between surrounding this mysterious property. So it is with excitement that Jazz finds a piece of wood that, when she moves it, reveals a grotto that no one knew existed. A secret nighttime intruder, a couple old discoveries, and a skeleton uncovered when they were trying to dig a 8hpond lead to many elements of a 30- year- old mystery.
I enjoyed listening to The Secret of Chestnut Hall. It is a short book (3 hours, 6 minutes), so it doesn’t have a lot of room for complex mystery details. On the other hand, it is ideal for someone who doesn’t want to take the time to listen to a typically 6-8 hour cozy mystery. Despite the short length, the book has some creative moments and fun characters. I also liked the setting of working in a garden, making this book all the more enjoyable.
Becky Boyd performs the audio edition of this book. Adding a touch of charm to this already enjoyable book, Boyd certainly increases the listening pleasure with her performance. I did notice a lilt to her reading that didn’t always seem natural, but it was not very distracting, and I still think this book is better off listened to than read visually.
I appreciated getting to listen to the fun The Secret of Chestnut Hall. It was a creative, light- hearted mystery with some interesting details and sympathetic characters. This book was nice, gentle reading, and I give it four stars.
To purchase this book for yourself, click here on Amazon.
