"Jackson Ruck travels to the Verlorland Islands to retrieve his wayward older brother, Henry. But just as Jackson arrives, Henry's farcical career as a British private detective gets a serious boost when he lands the case of a murdered German woman with a massive estate.

Unable to watch his brother fail, Jackson joins Henry's investigation into the strange Henbit family. The dead woman leaves behind a contentious will, angry relatives, and a life full of secrets that Henry must unravel. When a second body appears, it becomes clear that more than Henry's career is at risk."

​This was the first opportunity that I've had to work with Northern Lake Audio and I jumped at it. Cozy murder mysteries are a longtime favorite (here's looking at you Father Brown) and I immensely enjoyed getting the chance to explore this world. Micah Kafka has done a phenomenal job of creating an interesting world, keeping the reader constantly on the hook, and investing in the colorful ensemble of characters that pop up throughout the story. I can honestly say that I was more than a little surprised when the big reveal occurred.

One of the interesting challenges that this project presented me with as a narrator was voicing the character of Henry Pets. He's an American living in a Scandinavian-esque country who is unsuccessfully pretending to be an English detective. The other characters are very aware that he's not in fact an English detective so finding a balance between a believably (and intentionally) bad accent and something that is still listenable for the audience was a fun little tight rope act to walk. 

Another fun challenge was the language of the Verlorland lslands. Micah was incredibly generous in helping with the pronunciation of this fictional language which, as he put it, is a language that was created to be read but be impossible to speak.

For me, this has been a enjoyable foray into the murder mystery genre and I can't wait to see how audiences respond to Micah's inventive world!

Working on this audiobook with Penguin Random House was a phenomenally rewarding experience. The life that Lt. Gen. Lewis B. Puller led is one of the more fascinating and colorful lives I've ever come across. A hero from Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, and the disastrous campaign at Peleliu, he went on to lead the Marine forces during the Korean War, saving countless lives and materiel as he oversaw the strategic withdrawal after the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir. Often referred to as "The Marine's Marine", he is one of the most decorated Marines to ever serve his country and to this day, nearly fifty years after his death, Marine recruits still end their days by chanting "Good night, Chesty, wherever you are!" 

Because so much of the book takes place in the South Pacific, there was a tremendous amount of research put in by the author, my director (Art Insana of Insana Media), and myself as we tackled military jargon and island names that many of us had never heard before. It developed a love in me for military memoirs and I hope to pursue more work like this in the future.

As always, working with Penguin Random House is a wonderful experience and I can't wait for people to get a chance to hear this book and learn more about this amazing human being!