Series ✦ Penny’s Take 🎧 Audiobook
Death, Taxes, and a French Manicure (Tara Holloway)
Diane Kelly · 2017
🎙 Narrated by C.S.E. Cooney
73/100
👍 Worth It
A genuinely fresh premise — an IRS special agent who actually knows tax law — gives this cozy mystery real procedural teeth beneath the Southern humor and romantic fizz. Kelly's Golden Heart Award is earned; the voice is sharp and the comedy has bite. C.S.E. Cooney's warm, comedic Southern inflection is a strong match for Tara's character, making the audio version a legitimate step up from print.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
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🎙 Narration: excellent C.S.E. Cooney is an award-winning narrator whose comedic timing and consistent character voices are specifically praised for this series. The audio version is well-served by her performance.
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Verdict receipt0–100
Faith & family safety68
Substance / usefulness72
Craft & writing76
Originality74
Evidence & accuracy79
Hype vs delivers76
Age-fit72
👁 Human-eye gut-check72
Penny’s verdict73
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