Haunting Story, Award-Worthy Performance

Mackenzi Clair is leaving home--or is she finally returning there? This is the unstated question that colors the rich beginning of a book that invites the reader to come home to Donn's Hill as well. Pull up a chair, put on some Chai tea, and grab a plate of lemon squares. But don't get TOO comfortable. This home has a history, and you're about to get a full serving of it.

Enter Mac's world--at twenty-seven years old, she's lost both of her parents and finally ditched that duplicitous boyfriend. She's completely adrift, and finds her focus by returning to the vacation home she remembers so fondly from childhood. Listeners get a complete tour of the place, and we come to love the people in it: the ghost hunting apartment neighbor Kit, Gabrielle the medium, Yuri the show runner, even the unaccountably and perpetually cantankerous deputy-mayor who's got it in for Mac from the start, for no reason at all. Or ... is there a reason after all?

Because there's a reason for EVERYTHING at Donn's Hill, and a complete story-unto-itself for every character. The listener may be lulled into a false sense of comfortably wandering security early in this book, but really, you're kind of being set up, here. Author Caryn Larrinaga knows exactly what she's doing from the start, and you don't want to miss any of the details.

Ghosts, hauntings, poltergeists, and murder--take THAT with your lemon squares, Listener. This book has a real tendency to lure you in and then unexpectedly scare the stuffing out of you, so without spoilers, fair warning.

But half of the dark and comfortably-scented magic of this whole experience is the performance of the young but veteran voice actor Jessica McEvoy. In this particular medium (see what I did there?), there's absolutely no one better. She has an uncanny knack for reading the story exactly as you might hear it in your head, whether the part in question being read is a narrator of her own generation and gender, a middle-aged Russian, a Spanish gypsy psychic, or a ... strangely intuitive cat. Yes. Cat. She plays a cat. And before you tune out, listen to me: she pulls it off. Seriously.

More importantly, Jessica McEvoy has a natural empathy with the full emotional range of the human condition, and she brings reality to situations that are beyond the scope of most people's experiences. Couple that with an instant relatability to the simple pleasures, disappointments, self-doubts and fears that we all feel and express--she draws you in with the authenticity of her voice and delivery. It's really amazing, every time. She's done it before, but it surprises me every time.

Donn's Hill is so, so worth the time and investment. To reveal any more here would be criminal. But do yourself a favor: check it out. Enjoy the experience. It'll be one you don't soon forget.

6 people found this helpful

A fun mystery indeed

Caryn Larrinaga's newest book, Donn's Hill, was a blast to read/listen to and I quite enjoyed Jessica McEvoy's vocal talent as always. She brings the story to life and makes Mackenzie's character her own and the mix of great writing and wonderful character voices makes this audiobook a must-have for any fan.

A simple but well written novel for the entire family, this is a must-have for any fan of mystery on the more casual side.

Check out the Sample and see for yourself if this wonderful tale is worth your time. For me, it was.

2 people found this helpful

outstanding audiobook

Miss McEvoy is an outstanding voice talent with a well written story. drew me in

1 person found this helpful

new adventure with new author and narrator

Returning to a place that held some familiarities, comfort, strain, and maybe a few other things that you may or may not want to forget can be a start to something new and different in your life. I do not want to give anything away but I will say this that I found this to be just the read/listen I needed on the cool fall morning that I began and finished it. Meeting Mac and Striker were delights of this day and continued all the way to the end of this supernatural mystery.

I found this to be a cozy mystery with more.

I was introduced to Caryn Larrinaga's style of relating a story and Jessica McEvoy voice that held my ears glued to the audio.

Starts slow but good characters and great narrator

I chose to listen to this book after receiving a free audio copy from Audiobookworm Promotions. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

Mac moves to Donn’s Hill which she has fond memories of visiting when she was young. As she starts a new page in her life, her psychic abilities are heightened. Her character is developed throughout the story and as Mac learns more about herself, the reader learns more about her as well. The other characters are interesting, some quirky, and although they’re not as well developed as Mac, they add a lot to the story. My favorite character is Mac’s cat, Striker. Actually, I’m not sure if Striker belongs to Mac or if it’s the other way around.

The story started slowly but became more interesting once Mac meets the Soul Searchers, a group who help people find closure with ghosts, and they even have their own show. They’re excited to have a psychic on their team before Mac even realizes that that is what she is. Shortly after she joins the Soul Searchers, Mac finds a body and realizes that it’s the man (poltergeist) who has been haunting her since she arrived in town. She has so many questions once she finds the body! Will she be able to sort things out? Will she be able to find the killer?

Jessica McEvoy does a great job with the different voices in the story. She’s the perfect narrator for Donn’s Hill. This is more a performance than a narration and she brings the story alive. I did have to increase the speed to 1.3X because the narration was a little slow but then it was perfect.

I’m looking forward to listening the next book in the series!

A Fantastic New Paranormal Cozy Mystery

Mackenzie Clair is starting over after catching her boyfriend with his assistant. She remembered Donn’s Hill from her childhood with her mother and decided to start over there. After a rough start she finds a great apartment, a tortoiseshell kitty, and an odd job with Soul Searchers, a local paranormal research group/television show.

But Mac seems to have creepy things happening around her and is seeing ghosts. But when the body of a very prominent resident, Tom Bishop is discovered, things take a turn for the worst. It seems he was involved in scrupulous dealings.

I loved this story! Mac is a good person that has found herself in hard times. I loved the whole paranormal abilities and festival. That would be a blast to attend. Of course, I was left guessing who the killer was and I kind of felt sorry for her too. It doesn’t make what she did right, but I could understand part of it. I also felt Jessica McEvoy did a fantastic job of narrating this story. She drew me right in and didn’t let me go until the end.

I strongly recommend this mystery to those that like a little paranormal twist to a mystery. I’m really excited that I signed up to review all three books. I can’t wait to jump into Donn’s Shadow.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook. I voluntarily chose to listen to and post an honest review.

The story started really dragging

The story started to really drag around chapter 17 or 18. I skipped to the last two chapters and listened to the end. It wasn’t bad but it also wasn’t a great book either. I disagree with the people who didn’t like the narration. I thought it was adequate.

Ghost Points To His Killer

A great start to this psychic series. Mac Claire is stalked by the ghost of a murdered man and is determined to find the answers. Why is he chasing her and who killed him? In her quest, she finds a lot of the town's secrets.

Small town paranormal intrigue

I really enjoyed Donn’s Hill and am downloading the sequel as I write this. I enjoyed the story of this interesting small town, getting to know the characters as our heroine got to know them. Mac is new in town, and she’s about to learn a whole lot about ghosts, murder, tv production and herself. The narrator does a good job characterizing Mac and her cat (sounds funny, but bad animal sounds can pull you out of a story). The other characters “voices” are distinct and clear. Overall an absorbing interesting story, and I look forward to learning more about Mac and her new friends .

Donn's Hill

I absolutely loved this book!Mackenzie loses her father ,then her boyfriend,so she leaves town.She goes to a place she visited as a child.It is full of ghosts,psychics and mystery. Jessica McEvoy was a wonderful narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.'