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Barbara Venkataraman
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Death by Didgeridoo (Jamie Quinn Mystery Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Barbara Venkataraman (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 out of 5 stars 994 ratings

Attorney Jamie Quinn is on a six-month hiatus from practicing law to deal with her beloved mother's death. Rarely leaving the house, she shares most of her days with her late mother's cranky cat.

But soon, Jamie is forced into action by a frantic call from her Aunt Peg, whose autistic son Adam is in police custody and suspected of murdering his music teacher, a once-famous rock star named Spike.

It's up to Jamie to find the real killer. The problem is, Spike seems to have had more enemies than he had friends, and Adam had confessed to the murder already. Can Jamie piece together the evidence and bring the murderer to justice before it's too late?

A delightful, light mystery set in the small town of Hollywood, South Florida, Death By Didgeridoo is the first book in Barbara Venkataraman's Jamie Quinn Cozy Mysteries series.

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  1. Book 1 of 6
    Jamie Quinn Cozy Mysteries
  2. Print length
    102 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    13 Nov. 2013
  6. File size
    2.0 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Shop this series

 See full series
There are 6 books in this series.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00GVJ4WOY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Next Chapter
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 13 Nov. 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.0 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 102 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 6 ‏ : ‎ Jamie Quinn Cozy Mysteries
  • Customer reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 994 ratings

About the author

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Barbara Venkataraman

Barbara Venkataraman

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Award-winning author Barbara Venkataraman is an attorney and mediator specializing in family law and debt collection.

She is the author of the Jamie Quinn Cozy Mystery series, as well as: Teatime with Mrs. Grammar Person; The Fight for Magicallus; If You'd Just Listened to Me in the First Place; Quirky Essays for Quirky People; and the Flash Fiction Shorts series.

She has won the Indie Book of the Day award twice, the Book of the Day Award, a gold medal for memoir in the Readers' Favorite Competition, was a finalist in the Kindle Book Awards twice, and won first place in the Amateur Detective category of the Chanticleer Murder & Mayhem Mystery Writing Competition.

Her popular Jamie Quinn Cozy Mystery Series includes: Death by Didgeridoo, The Case of the Killer Divorce, Peril in the Park, Engaged in Danger, Jeopardy in July, and Malice in Miami.

Her recent non-fiction: Accidental Activist: Justice for the Groveland Four, a memoir she co-authored with her son about lessons he learned while working to exonerate four men falsely accused of a terrible crime in the Jim Crow South.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
994 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy the book's humor and find it to be a well-thought-out murder mystery.

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3 customers mention ‘Humor’3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book amusing.

"A fast moving, quirky murder mystery. Made me laugh and had me guessing...." Read more

"...Loved the style of writing , the humour and the story. The only reason why I didn’t give the full 5 stars is that it was so short. I wanted more." Read more

"A fast moving, amusing and well-written story. Recommended even though I felt the ending was a little rushed." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Mystery content’3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the mystery content of the book, describing it as a well-thought-out murder mystery with a cozy feel, and one customer mentions it kept them guessing throughout.

"A fast moving, quirky murder mystery. Made me laugh and had me guessing...." Read more

"Yep relatively light-hearted mystery with some humour thrown in and an engaging heroine and her crew altogether an easy comfortable read" Read more

"...You really root for Jamie to find the real killer and save her cousin, and I love Duke and the way he and Jamie interact, and wish I had a friend..." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well thought out murder mystery
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 June 2024
    Verified Purchase
    A fast moving, quirky murder mystery. Made me laugh and had me guessing. It would have been nice if it were a bit longer but that didn't detract from its appeal.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars fabulous
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 March 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. Loved the style of writing , the humour and the story. The only reason why I didn’t give the full 5 stars is that it was so short. I wanted more.
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  • marian holding.
    3.0 out of 5 stars Cosy is murder
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 June 2022
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    Yep relatively light-hearted mystery with some humour thrown in and an engaging heroine and her crew altogether an easy comfortable read
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Death
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 April 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Got to say that was a very weird way to die but so glad for Adam that it was solved
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  • Miss Clarke
    4.0 out of 5 stars Amusing.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 May 2018
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    A fast moving, amusing and well-written story. Recommended even though I felt the ending was a little rushed.
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  • Lolah
    5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended if you like cozy mysteries with strong characters
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 July 2019
    Verified Purchase
    This first book in the Jamie Quinn Mysteries series is a great introduction to the characters. You really root for Jamie to find the real killer and save her cousin, and I love Duke and the way he and Jamie interact, and wish I had a friend like Grace. I highly recommend this book if you like cozy mysteries with strong characters, and am looking forward to reading the other books in the series.
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  • Stephanie Jane (Literary Flits)
    3.0 out of 5 stars Fast paced mystery
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 January 2017
    Death By Didgeridoo is the first novella in what is currently a series of four. It is narrated in the first person by our Florida family-law heroine, Jamie Quinn, who suddenly finds she has to up her game to criminal lawyer to help her Asperger's cousin, Adam, when he becomes the main suspect in a high profile murder case. I liked the character of Jamie. She is forthright, but able to admit her weaknesses, professionally and personally, and we never found her put into unbelievable situations for the sake of the plot. I like her taste in sandwiches too! Other characters aren't so well defined and I would have liked to know more about Aunt Peg and Adam particularly.

    As the Jamie Quinn series are cosy mysteries, I knew I would be safe from encountering any gruesome murder details and Venkataraman concentrates her tale primarily on the different investigative steps required in order for Jamie to solve the crime. At just 93 pages that approach makes Death By Didgeridoo a very fast paced read which is exciting, but I would have been happy for it to slow down here and there to allow us to appreciate more detail of the Florida setting. However, the denouement is nicely thought through and ultimately satisfying. I look forward to spending more time with Jamie in the series' second book.
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  • REL
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 June 2023
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    I liked it
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • H. W. Stone
    5.0 out of 5 stars The title and the main character's name got in the way,
    Reviewed in the United States on 31 May 2022
    Verified Purchase
    An interesting treat that I almost did not read because of the title and the main character's name.

    The title is "Death by Didgeridoo" and only the rare person who knows what a didgeridoo is goes into this story with even a clue as to blunt force trauma being involved-- and unless I sent a text or an email, none of the people I told about, even though they are murder mystery focused were able to find it without the word spelled correctly. One search engine had a two letter off version of name finally pull it up-- on page six of the possible links. "Jamie Quinn" is the name of a well known male actor, and searching by the name of the main character was a wash out, too, so it is not that easy to casually mention and have the other person find it quickly. If it starts with "ya gotta spell it just right, right" it made referral difficult.

    I have been on a kick of reading pocket novels-- these things one notch longer than a short story and a notch shorter than a novella. It took me a month of digging to find that name "pocket novel" being used, and it seems this length "freestanding story" is most popular around major wars, epidemics, dust bowls, major depressions, events or circumstances where you need the work to be very short to feel confident you will finish it. In good times and times of peace without an epidemic knocking on your door, then people feel more comfortable in going with longer work, and in really great times the books get longer and longer and longer, sometimes subdividing into "a book" being one component of a very long work. Strangely enough, the pocket novel and the "longer than the highway novel in segments" seem to overlap, with free standing "normal novel length" work showing up in the good times.

    As a pocket novel, this was exceptional. The lawyers actually sounded like lawyers, which is very rare in the crime genre or murder mystery flavored work. It turned out the author is actually an attorney, so the language is dead on perfect for lawyers, and that helped greatly, and explains why the careful explanation as to flavors of lawyer needed was clearly addressed. Even most of those "legally trained" lawyers who write fiction don't carefully keep the voice and tone right, or to address the conflict language. Doing it right is a big plus, and makes the story work better than 99% of this genre.

    No, it was not perfect. and the "railroad the kid" action by the police seemed improbable simply because a bent out of shape person younger acting than his age just does not work as a killer, and their normal response is to look for who used the kid to cover their tracks. It is kind of like a flag for the homicide guys.

    I usually veer away from the violent crime story, but this was the story of a woman trying to force herself to be an adult after a family death, and it had a large component of character growth. That made the murder(s) second tier to character growth and is attractive in its own right.

    There was a dearth of misspelled words, and a drought of confusing sentences that require multiple readings to figure out what is happening. That is a plus factor in my opinion, but a lot of mystery or crime work seems to thrive on spelling to confuse and confusing the reader to slip past the clues. I felt it was really a nine out of ten, or in the five star scale, a five out of five stars.

    The characters are real, the situation has very real conflict levels, and it actually was more building the story and less of the pulling "a rabbit out of a hat" storytelling.

    It was worth the read.
    .
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  • Janice J. Richardson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining
    Reviewed in Canada on 5 August 2020
    Verified Purchase
    A delightful light, fun read. The characters are diverse and likeable, reflecting the real world. Jamie, the protagonist, is a mess. But she is spunky and determined and she steps up. Great start to the series.
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  • Carmem Swire
    5.0 out of 5 stars História leve e bem humorada
    Reviewed in Brazil on 12 August 2017
    Verified Purchase
    A trama não é complexa, mas a história é leve e bem humorada, para uma leitura sem compromisso. Boa para salas de espera e viagens rápidas. Gostei.
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  • Carolyn
    4.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable cosy mystery
    Reviewed in Canada on 11 August 2019
    Verified Purchase
    A short enjoyable cozy mystery with humour and interesting characters. Just the book I needed to relax between eye surgeries. Jamie is a reluctant lawyer lacking a social life. She lounges around her home with a cat which doesn’t like her. Her mother recently died and she doesn’t know her father, except she had been told he was a bad man.

    A call from her distraught. aunt gets her out of the house. Her 21-year-old autistic cousin has been arrested for the murder of a rock star, Spike, who was also his music teacher and who was battered to death with a didgeridoo. What makes it worse for the young man is that he confessed.

    In order to save her cousin, Jamie receives help from a friend and a sleazy PI. She begins her own investigation into the murder and finds she enjoys playing detective. Jamie discovers that a number of suspects had cause to kill Spike, and the case involved jealousy, affairs and violence among his circle. On the other hand, her cousin considered a Spike his best friend and is emotionally distraught over his death.

    After the case is solved, Jamie is interested in the work of a private detective and asks the PI to help her find out about her father. I plan to read more books in this delightful series.
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  • Maree Croxon
    4.0 out of 5 stars Finding your place in life can help you live it
    Reviewed in Australia on 24 October 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Sometimes we all need that spark to get us out of our dark place. I enjoyed the characters and would be interested to read how they develop.
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