Twinkle Little Star: A Marlow and Sage Mystery

AudioBook Review: Stars: 4 Narration 5 Story 4 Completely unexpected, this book dragged me into the story and wouldn’t let go until the end. Sage and Marlow are back at Detroit University, and apparently things are getting to ‘normal’ again – until Sage runs into someone who appeared from nowhere… And the chase is on. While both Sage and Marlow are on their own paths, their two stories seem to work their way together: Marlow is drawn into the mystery when suddenly transported into a laboratory and there are all of the usual questions: who, why and just what is the purpose. Sage is on the hook for the murder of the woman who simply appeared, and why has Marlow’s father suddenly appeared – to help or to hinder. Having not had the experience of earlier titles in the series, there were some understanding gaps in terms of relationship and background, and just how the teleportation takes a toll – or doesn’t, on the two. All those few questions aside – this was a rollicking, twisty, turn of a story – utterly engaging and totally sending my thoughts off in the wrong direction when choosing the culprit. And those moments, twists, red herrings and tensions were beautifully laid out – when you get to the stunner of an end – you see it couldn’t be any other way. Narration for this story was provided by Reba Buhr and Roger Wayne, and both worked together nicely to play off one another in conversations and conclusions, allowing each new revelation or question to stand out clearly – perfectly appropriate in terms of the mystery elements that are almost never-ending. Clear and distinct tones allowed each character to feel appropriate to the story (they are college-age after all) and still the secondary characters managed to hold their own unique presence, easy to distinguish each of the characters even in the faster paced moments. As an introduction, this was a lovely way to ‘test out’ the series, one that I will be sure to explore the earlier books in the series. I received an AudioBook copy of the title from Tantor Audio for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.