This collection contains the novella Spring Thaw along with these short stories: Killing Bid, Beauty to Die For, Countdown to Murder, Lucky Dog, The Gnarly Rehabilitation Program, and A Gnarly Christmas. If you’re new to Lauren Carr’s works, this is a great collection to jump into, giving you a sampling of her various inter-related mystery series.

For me, the Gnarly stories were my favorites. Spring Thaw was fun and it’s always interesting to see how an investigator tackles a cold case but I don’t recall it as vividly as Gnarly tacking assassins, dognappers, and fake birds residing on someone’s hat. Still, there’s something endearing for a woman on her death bed still attempting to prove her son innocent. I liked the little twists and turns in this tale.

The entire collection is like picking up a group of old friends. Perhaps I’ve heard their stories many times and yet I still enjoy hearing them tell the tales again. In many ways, these mysteries make me think of the old Perry Mason stories – usually someone finally spills the beans in a mess of emotions and that’s how the mystery is finally solved. While that may be a little cliched, it’s still immensely satisfying.

The Gnarly Rehabilitation Program is hands down my favorite story in this collection. These dognappers (Bert and Ernie) had no idea what they were in for! Hahahahahaha! I love how Gnarly plays with his victims before getting the big guns out. A Gnarly Christmas had a similar theme with some ill-informed assassins going up against the clever dog.

Killing Bid had it’s fun moments as well. I liked that auction setting and the mysterious and glamorous estate of a now-deceased film star. Of course, Gnarly only wants the bird on a fancy hat. Mac Faraday unintentionally bids a small fortune on a silly outfit, much to his chagrin. Meanwhile, Countdown to Murder had it’s chilling moments. Single red roses now have a new meaning for me.

Over all, it’s a great little collection of Carr’s works showcasing many favorite characters, especially Gnarly. And that large skunk cat. 5/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book. My opinions are wholly my own.

The Narration: Mike Alger does a great job as Mac Faraday. I like his voice for all the mysteries though I have to say that the number of his voices are limited. For instance, he uses the same voices from mystery series to mystery series for the most part so it’s a little hard to tell from the voices alone which crime-fighting duo is featured in each story. Perhaps that’s why I like the Gnarly stories so much as they stand out clearly. Alger’s pacing is perfect, his female voices are feminine, and there were no technical issues with this recording. 4.5/5 stars. ( )

I have "listened" to a handful of Lauren Carr's books. However, there are still many books that I have not "listened" too yet. This is a fun sampler of short stories. A nice introduction to new readers of Lauren Carr and her books. It gives the readers a chance to get to know some of her main characters from the various series. Of course, my favorite stories involved Mac Farady and Gnarly. I am a sucker for a good dog story or any story featuring animals. Than, there is Mac, who I have gotten to know pretty well now.

The first story in this audiobook is more like a full length story. It is the longest. There was a twist or two thrown into the storyline. Overall, while I may not have loved each story on their own or overall this audiobook, it is one to listen to. Another reader did mention that most of these stories were not new as they had been previously featured. So, fans of this author who have read the prior books have been warned. Although, they may not mind revisiting with old characters. Kind of like family. ( )

This audio is a culmination of a few short stories, including, Chis Matheson, his mother & daughters, David O'Callaghan, the, now, District Attorney Thornton and his wife, Homicide Detective Cameron Gates, Mac, Archie and, who else but Gnarly! Of course, there are other interesting characters which the tales are based on their stories.
The first story involves retired Federal Agent Chris Matheson, plus, his mother Doris, and retired police dog, Sterling, whose day begins normally, except Chris is a chaperone for his daughter's field trip. As he awaits on his daughter, Doris discovers the news about a murder case being reopened, since a new witness has come forth. A former close friend of theirs is the one accused! The man is accused of murdering a minister. Chris and Doris are convinced thus isn't possible.
There is a humorous , suspense tale of Mac & Wife, Archie, along with another wealthy couple, attending Mac's first estate auction. In addition to the mystery and suspense, this is full of hilarity, involving Mac and Gnarly!
The action and humor is a delightful introduction to the other following tales.
Another favorite was an episode in the life of District Attorney Thornton and his wife, Homicide Detective Gates. Attorney Thornton was called in the middle of the night by his cousin, a doctor, at the request of a dying woman. She had failed to get enough information on her own to prove her son innocent of a murder he was convicted of. Her dying wish was to have Thornton prove hs innocence before shed dies... She only has days to live!
The action and adventure just keeps increasing as the narrator reads the story.
Each story was a very entertaining suspenseful tale. Lauren always creates characters one feels one knows and creates scenes in a manner that the reader feels he/she is there.
The final one were especially entertaining because Gnarly was "Showcased". It was truly hilarious!
Lauren Carr is a very talented author. Each of her books captivates its reader and keeps him/her guessing "who done it" until the very end. There is always a little humor and romance in her stories. However, there was some rougher language, in a couple of them, than she usually uses. The couples sometimes talk of sexual things, but there are no explicit scenes in any of her books.
I didn't care for the Narrator, Mike Alger, at first, because he sounded like he was a commentator on a sports channel, rather than narrating a suspense/romance story. As he progressed in his narration, his "voices" grew stronger and his voice "grew on me", so to speak. I actually became impressed how well he did the various "voices" without sounding the same or confusing any of them! I feel my first impression if him was incorrect.
On the whole, I offer a Five Stars rating for the tales, Four and a Half on the Narrator, ending in a Five Stars rating. ( )

I was curious to see how Lauren Carr would do with a short story, she does so well with full length novels. It was no surprise that I loved them…ALL. Long or short, she can spin a tale that keeps you spellbound.

Spring Thaw, the novella gets us started. Chris would be chaperoning his daughter on a class trip to Hershey Park. I’m guessing they’ll find more than chocolate. His faithful companion, Sterling, went most everywhere with him. He is a retired police dog who had been injured in the line of duty. Sterling’s undercover getup had me cracking up. Fabulous critter with huge personality.

The collection features many of the characters from her series, from human to critter. Kept me laughing and pondering, trying to cypher the ending as I read. Standing in line? Waiting in the doctor’s office, any time you have a few minutes, you can read one of these shorts.

I especially loved A Gnarly Christmas. Talk about an exceptional character, Gnarly steals the show. Ends on such a sweet note, perfect for the holiday season.

I loved them all. Lighter than her novels, but still plenty of villains and danger to go with the smiles and laughter.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Spring Thaw by Lauren Carr.

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