Tone Death by Christy Barritt

Tone Death is the third book in the School of Hard Rocks series. Christy Barritt can always be counted on to have interesting off-beat characters and/or unusual situations. Tone Death is no exception. The main character is a widower, Camryn Paine, who has an extraordinary sense of hearing - Hyperacusis.

As the story opens, Camryn is with her friend, Jinky, in a recording studio, watching her friend’s niece, Annie King, film her next video for her YouTube channel. Jinky is concerned because Annie had been getting deadly threats. Annie makes a good living with her YouTube channel focusing on ASMR - Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response - because some people get pleasure from listening to the sound of people eating. With her super-sensitive hearing, Camryn finds the sounds disgusting, but she perseveres through Annie’s chopping and slurping a variety of foods. Then Annie starts to eat a live octopus. The octopus objects to being eaten and suctions itself to Annie’s face. Moments later, Annie drops to the floor unconscious.

Camryn is no detective; she is in charge of publicity at a famous music conservatory. However, her deceased husband - was it accident or murder? - had worked at a security firm, and her father has been in jail as a con artist, so she knows crime from both sides of the fence. Add to that a burning curiosity and a commitment to know the Truth, and you have a talented amateur who will stop at nothing to find the facts and bring a criminal to justice.

When it is learned that Annie was actually poisoned and her assistant is arrested for the crime, Camryn begins to snoop around with an old flame, who is also a Western music star. Danger and surprises come throughout the story, including an unsuspected villain.

This book is another winner from one of my favourite authors. Although I still prefer Gabby - Squeaky Clean Mysteries - and Cassidy - Lantern Beach, Camyrn Paine holds her own against these giants. One of the nice things about Christy Barritt is that she often releases the Kindle version of her new books for under $2 - and sometimes a set of 3 or 6 for even less per book. This allows even those on tight budgets to enjoy great reading. So keep your eye out for new releases! Still, $5 - $6 is a tremendous value for any Christy Barritt book. Be sure not to miss them!

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