Viva Durant, teen detective, is back in New Orleans to crack her latest case! This audio original features original music from the creator, Ashli St. Armant, and an engaging performance from Audible Hall of Fame narrator Bahni Turpin.
Now that she’s returned to New Orleans for Thanksgiving break, Viva is charged with figuring out the truth behind a mysterious bout of illness traced back to a local creole restaurant called Madame Bouchard’s. Were customers poisoned on purpose, or was it a simple cooking mistake? And who could be behind the chaos? Viva only has a week to solve the culinary mystery, and to do so, she’ll have to contend with a longtime rivalry, rumors of voodoo magic, and Thanksgiving dinner with her extended family!
Listeners will love the continued detective adventures of Viva Durant and her stern-yet-spirited Gram!
Viva is back in the Audible Original Viva Durant and the Madness of Madame Bouchard. This time, she’s teamed up with her grandmother – who is an excellent detective – to clear the name of the renowned New Orleans chef, Madame Bouchard. Accused of poisoning her diners, Madame Bouchard is in danger of losing everything she’s worked so hard to build.
This case is a tricky one. And there’s a lot more on the line than her previous mystery. But Viva is up to the challenge. It all comes down to the details this time, and Viva will need to pay really close attention.
Another fun addition to the Viva Durant mysteries, and I hope there are more eventually. I could see how this series could get a little addicting to listen to. My only complaint is the breaks between chapters are really really long. Long enough that I thought my device had stopped playing for some reason.
Viva’s search for the silver buttons has her traveling all over New Orleans and the surrounding area, and if even half of the locations are real, then I need to take a trip.
Fun surprises scattered along the journey really made this story a lot of fun.
Viva Durant, New Orleans’ youngest detective, is on a quest to solve a jazzy mystery involving hidden treasure, while exploring the city’s unique culture, history, and music. This family-friendly audio original features original jazz music from the creator, Ashli St. Armant, and an enthusiastic performance from Audible Hall of Fame narrator, Bahni Turpin.
Plucky 14-year-old Viva Durant heads to New Orleans every summer to spend time with her loving but stern grandmother, known as Gram. After Gram reads Viva an article in the local paper about a missing treasure related to the world-famous song, “Miss Mary Mack,” Viva traverses the Crescent City on an epic adventure to solve the mystery. Along the way she meets some of the city’s most colorful characters as her journey takes her to the French Quarter, a jazz club, a creepy cemetery, and even the circus. Can Viva rise to the occasion and solve this musical mystery? Listeners will find Viva Durant and the Secret of the Silver Buttons a joy to listen to!
When Viva Durant hears about a missing treasure linked to a set of silver buttons. She just has to follow the clues and see if she can find them. Her investigation takes her deep into the jazz history of New Orleans, and she has a chance to visit some pretty incredible places.
While she tries to keep her sleuthing a secret, she’s still a kid, so she ends up finding ways to get assistance in some pretty inventive ways. She never gives up, even when she seems to be facing a dead end, and her intelligence and persistence just might pay off.
This Audible Original title is a great listen for middle graders that love to solve puzzles.
A short and sweet audio novella that’ll leave listeners wanting second helpings, You Can Thank Me Later follows an unforgettable family over the course of three Thanksgivings.
When the Dickenson clan sits down for Thanksgiving dinner in 2016, it is the last holiday when their tight-knit family will ever be the same. Oldest brother Pete and his wife are expecting their first child. Youngest sibling Sophie is too busy running her restaurant, The Little Plum, to bother with any kind of social life. And middle child Charlie’s happy, uncomplicated life as a Midwestern science professor is upended when his wife Annette is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Knowing this will be her last Thanksgiving, Annette asks Sophie to look after Charlie after she’s gone. Which would be a lot easier if Charlie didn’t show up with an insufferable new girlfriend at the next holiday meal.
From the best-selling author of The Overdue Life of Amy Byler, this heartwarming novella embraces the spirit and gratitude of the holiday, and shows how a family’s love can endure anything.
You Can Thank Me Later by Kelly Harms is an Audible Original (only available there as of writing this). Sophie Dickenson is telling the story of several Thanksgiving dinners with her siblings – where is the chef and host (mostly). This is an interesting way to really capture how much can change over the course of a year. Each Thanksgiving there are changes, big and small and sometimes world-changing, that we get to glimpse as Sophie gets ready for and serves dinner.
At first I was a little hesitant about this whole concept of telling stories through Thanksgiving dinner – but Sophie won me over from the first minute when her voicemail greeting – it was a gem. And as I got to know a little about her siblings and their families through the messages they left, you could just her the love among them. But don’t worry, this isn’t a story told in voicemails, it was just enough to give me a small glimpse into who these people were before they all showed up to eat.
You Can Thank Me Later is a quick listen that really brings out all the feels. Be careful if you listen in the car, because you may tear up a few times – pull over if necessary.
