Dead Calm by Maia Ross – That’s What I’m Talking About…
Audiobook review: Dead Calm by Maia Ross
Picking up shortly after the conclusion of the first story, Dead Calm presents readers with two apparent mysteries. First, beloved club tennis pro Lucas wants to talk to Irma about some threatening letters he received. Second, the builder of a new condo development on Beaver Island appears to have some financial problems, and Irma‘s closest friend Stu purchased one of the yet-to-be constructed condos. However, everything turns upside down when a body is discovered at the groundbreaking event.
I really enjoyed this second story in the Beaver Island Mystery series. I had fun trying to piece together the clues along side Irma and Violet. The mystery is solid with a few twists and turns. Both Irma and Violet find threads and pull at them. I liked seeing them work together and play off one another to solve the mysteries and find the culprit/s.
I like how Violet is gaining back some of her confidence after taking an emotional punch from the betrayal of her business partner. Violet and Irma’s friendship is deepening, bringing with it excellent banter and fun adventures. I love how their give and pull is evening out for a more balanced relationship. Where it felt like Irma was dictating the agenda and pace of things, Violet has started pushing back. I also am enjoying the hints at possible romances for both.
Narration:
Balm: Using a slight British accent, Balm narrates Irma’s first person POV with a deepish and slightly raspy voice fitting for the ex-spy. Balm adjusts the dialogue for most characters, albeit just enough to know different characters are speaking. She tends to be a little higher pitched for females, and softer and lower for males. She adjusts appropriately for mood and emotion. Even though I really enjoy her voice for Irma, I do not like her voice for Violet, which comes off young and whiny. Balm also seems to struggle with the other younger characters and those with straight Canadian/American accents.
Burchard: Burchard uses an upbeat, energetic voice for the first person POV of Violet. The “non-accented” voice is fitting for 40-something, workaholic Violet. Burchard also does a lovely British accent for Irma. Burchard successfully alters dialogue for gender, age, and ethnicity, making each character unique enough to distinguish from one another.
In the end, I am enjoying the deepening friendship between retired spy Irma and techno-nerd Violet. I like how they balance one another and are learning to trust the other as they solve mysteries.
My Ratings
Story: B+
Narration:
Balm: C+
Burchard: B+
Jen
About the Book:
A retired spy, a nerdy city-slicker, a slothful pug, and a tractor full of secrets….
It’s summertime on Lake Ontario’s Beaver Island, and there’s trouble on the horizon. When a remote-controlled tractor goes berserk at the ground-breaking for a new condo development—toppling some magnificent cupcakes in the process—retired spy Irma Abercrombie’s finely-honed paranoia goes into overdrive. And after a beloved local is murdered, she and nerdy houseguest Violet Blackheart are drawn into another island intrigue. As Violet’s vacation steams ahead, she works on reverse-engineering a tractor hack and toys with learning how to conquer her fear of boating, while Irma flirts with the idea of getting closer to a dangerous ex-nemesis.
Hoping to help her struggling company’s bottom line, Violet enters a charity poker tournament on a superyacht—but she might have signed up for more than she bargained on. And will Irma have to become a stowaway if she can’t get her hands on an invite of her own? With the help of her trusty canine sidekick, Mr. Pugglesworth, and intrepid (but nauseous) nerd, Violet Blackheart, retired intelligence agent Irma Abercrombie sets out to find a killer.
Irma’s trying to conquer the world. Violet’s just trying to conquer her vertigo.
Author: Maia Ross
Narrators: Petrea Burchard, Deborah Balm
Series: Beaver Island Mysteries #2
Genre: Mystery, Cozy Mystery
Audiobook Release Date: December 23, 2025
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Length: 9 hrs 4 min
Source: Publisher
Audio Speed: 1.25x
