Pineapple Cozy Mystery

I’ll admit, I rolled my eyes at first. *Another* cozy mystery? But *Pineapple Cozy Mystery* disarmed me within chapters—partly because it *knows* you’re skeptical, and it leans into that. The premise—a serial killer targeting amateur detectives—could’ve been gimmicky, but Vansant uses it to skewer genre clichés while still crafting a legitimately tense mystery. The kills are creative (a poisoned quiche at a book club? *Chef’s kiss*), the red herrings are plentiful, and the humor lands more often than not. That said, the middle act drags slightly with one too many ‘almost got caught’ sequences, and a subplot about a missing parrot feels like filler even by cozy-mystery standards. Rosemary Benson’s performance is a masterclass in tonal balance. She handles the rapid-fire banter between Charlotte and her best friend with the timing of a sitcom pro, and her ability to pivot from snarky internal monologue to genuine panic sells the stakes. My only narration nitpick: her male voices occasionally veer into caricature, especially the love interest, whose gruffness borders on parody. Still, the audiobook’s energy is infectious—Benson makes even the silliest moments (a chase scene involving a golf cart and a rogue flamingo) feel urgent. If you’re burnt out on saccharine small-town mysteries but still crave the puzzle-box appeal, this is your palate cleanser. Just don’t expect to predict the twist—Vansant plays fair, but she’s sly about it.