Lavender's Blue

Liz Danger, Book 1

By: Jennifer Crusie, Bob Mayer

Narrated by: Cris Dukehart, Eric G. Dove

Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

From the NY Times Bestselling duo that wrote Agnes and the Hitman, the first book in the Liz Danger series.

Liz Danger has returned home after fifteen years to deliver a giant teddy bear for her mother’s birthday (color: Guilt Red) when a cop with a great ass picks her up for speeding, fixes the missing lug nuts on her back wheel, pulls her out of a ditch, doesn’t give her a ticket, and helps her avoid her family. This is a man with real potential. The rest of the day goes downhill, starting with her finding out that the only man she’s ever loved is getting married to Lavender Blue, the most beautiful woman in southern Ohio. Really, the best thing in her day is that cop with the lug nuts.

Vince Cooper still isn't sure about being a cop in Burney, Ohio, a place he just moved to six months ago, since Burney is full of some fairly odd people spaced between long stretches of boredom. Still, considering the dangerous, difficult life he had before Burney as an Army Ranger and New York City cop, boredom is good. Then he picks up Liz Danger for speeding and life gets a lot more interesting. And when he picks her up again in the local bar the next night, he starts to realize that “interesting” doesn’t begin to describe what’s going to happen to him if he pulls Liz into his arms and his life.

As Liz navigates her dysfunctional family, her flamboyant boss phoning in from Chicago, her still-interested ex, her bridesmaid dress from hell, a dachshund with issues, a disaster of a wedding, assault, murder, and three hundred and ninety-three teddy bears, Vince shows up to get her through, even though he knows that the real peril for him in Burney is the one who came with her own warning label, Liz Danger.

LAVENDER’S BLUE: Would it kill you to go home and see your mother?

©2023 Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer. (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Narrators Cris Dukehart and Eric G. Dove combine their talents to tell the tale of ghostwriter Liz Danger's return to her small hometown of Burney, Ohio.… Dukehart voices Liz in a steady, no-nonsense tone, perfectly matching her matter-of-fact personality. Dove brings Vince to life with a deeply masculine performance. Burney has a large cast of characters, and both narrators aptly capture their unique qualities.“—AudioFile Magazine

Cris Dukehart

Cris Dukehart gave Liz Danger SOUL! I completely loved the voice she gave the character - it was a delight to listen to her read the book.

The narrators did a great job letting me picture the different characters by their different tones and accents!

I loved the story! I loved the mystery and the romance! Great audible! Can’t wait to start the next one!

Mystery and humor? Yes!

Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer are hilarious and wonderful writers with dialogue and plot and small town relations and murder or was it an accident? What a wild ride with Liz and Vince and the gang in Burny, Ohio. So glad I do not live there but so happy to visit. Up next, "Rest in Pink."

Narrators Cris Dukehart and Eric G. Dove did a fine job using duet and dual narration.

Great read

Love how quirky this book is just like some of Jennifer Cruise’s previous books. So enjoyable, such great characters.

At last! So ready for this book!

I’m a long time fan of Jennifer Cruise's work and have all of her other books which I’ve read and listened to many times so was very excited to see a new series by her and Bob Mayer.(already bought 2&3) I love the characters and the story kept me interested from page one. I appreciate the personalities and the way she develops her characters. They seem like people I’d like to meet. Would definitely recommend this and any of her other books!

Worth The Wait

Thanks Jenny and Bob! So happy you’ve teamed up again. Great story & characters. Looking forward to the next one!

Liz Danger Rocks

When she wore a t-shirt with two crows labeled "attempted murder" and taught a 7-year-old to sing Birdhouse in Your Soul, I knew I was hooked. Great fun!!

Good Narration. Quirky, Witty, A Little Dark

This is my first Jennifer Cruise book. Also my first Bob Mayer book.

I did enjoy the book. It was different in a way I couldn't quite put my finger on until I started writing the review. The book started out kind of lighthearted and goofy with a number of quirky characters and situations.

Right at the point where I was starting to get upset at Liz caving in to everyone's requests, things seemed to take a darker turn. Secrets were uncovered, murders occurred, the hateful relative became even more hateful, and the dying friend. It was a weird series of twists and turns.

I did enjoy Liz and Vince's developing romance. I liked Peri. Things got a bit more interesting when Anemone made her appearance in town. I also enjoyed the narration.

I am fluctuating between 3.5 and 4 stars. I know I will definitely move on to the next book.

Wow! Surprising Good!

4.5 Stars for me!

I thought that this was going to be a fluff, easy listen in the 3-4 Star range... I was pleasantly surprised. Our MCs are both in their 30s and very relatable. Some of the action was over the top but even that was handled well. If you are looking for a story where the h has 18 Os in 5 minutes, this won't be your story. There are some spicy scenes but are brief and a light R rating.

The h is going to her small hometown after being away for 15 years. She freaks at at the turn into town, guns it and gets pulled over by our H. Her car then breaks down causing her to stay longer. At this point, I am thinking this will be that 3-4 Star listen.

Madness ensues with her high-school ex, crazy family, the ex's fiance and a host of other characters. I won't say more except that this is one of the best romantic comedy stories I've listened to. Many have such forced humor (there is some but it is not overdone) and scenes that are cringy. I found myself laughing several times and even getting choked up in a few scenes.

This story also deals with the impact of alcoholism on families and fatal effects of war.

Note: I took away 1/2 Star for 2 things attributed to the H in his duty as a Police Officer.
1. If an officer fires his gun in the line of duty, he/she has to go on desk duty until an investigation is done. The H probably would have been fired for what he did.
2. The H says he won't give a ticket to people of color but will if they are a white male. He should not be a police officer unless he is willing to enforce the law regardless of the race, color, gender or religious beliefs of the people he comes into contact with.

A whole level of Blue

Love this audio.
Once I saw who the narrators were I had to get it. I’m a big fan for Cris Dukehart and Eric Dove . This story had everything you want in a story. Funny moments, especially between Liz Danger and Vince . There is a murder ( Lavender Blue ) Liz gets hit in the head by someone that threw a rock at her . There is someone out to get Liz. Liz also finds out who her father this , she was wondering who it was all her life. There is lots of levels to this story both authors wrote an extensive world-building and deep character development story .

Cris Dukehart, Eric G. Dove performance was fantastic, very smooth, they played the characters spot on