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Imogene Duckworthy, eager PI assistant, wants to be on her own. She finds a rental house where her four-year-old daughter, Nancy Drew Duckworthy, and Drew's pet pig, Marshmallow, are allowed. The rumors are that the house is haunted. It's no rumor there's a dead man in the bathtub when she inspects the house, though. A long-lost relative is the logical suspect, but can Immy let her Uncle Dewey be railroaded for a crime he, possibly, didn't commit?

153 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2012

57 people want to read

About the author

Kaye George

53 books268 followers
Kaye George is an award-winning novelist and short-story writer who writes cozy and traditional mysteries and a prehistory series, which are both traditionally and self-published. Her two cozy series are Fat Cat and Vintage Sweets. The two traditional series feature Cressa Carraway and Imogene Duckworthy. The People of the Wind prehistory mysteries take place within a Neanderthal tribe. She has a suspense novel coming out in early 2025 called SOMEONE IS OUT THERE, and a new cozy series starting in 2026 featuring Comfy Cat. About 50 or more short stories have also been published, mostly in anthologies and magazines. With family scattered all over the globe, she makes her home in Knoxville TN.

Homepage: http://kayegeorge.com/

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5 stars
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4 (16%)
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6 (24%)
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2 (8%)
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1 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Profile Image for Amber Foxx.
Author 14 books73 followers
January 12, 2025
This third Imogene Duckworthy mystery is equally entertaining as the first two. Immy has decided that she's an adult now and needs to have her own home. The place she rents is somewhat iffy. Her young daughter sees the picture of it and says, “haunted house.” Drew might be right. A dead body, realtors behaving suspiciously, people going in and out who ought not to be going in and out of the house, a peculiar neighbor, and possibly a ghost, make this an adventure Immy did not bargain for when she got such cheap rent.
I enjoyed time with Emmy, Ralph, Drew, Hortense, and the wonderful pet pig Marshmallow, who played an important role in his own way in helping to uncover the crime hidden in the spooky haunted rental house. Immy’s progress toward becoming a PI is still amusingly uneven, but she never gives up.
Profile Image for andrea.
302 reviews
April 15, 2023
This series is over for me. I just cant stand to read another one. Series started out with mildly interesting characters that just got more and more annoying each book. Mysteries were always incredibly weak but this one was the worst. Case wasn't even actually solved by our amateur detective...just circumstances revealed the answer.
Profile Image for Cyn Taylor.
Author 35 books14 followers
May 20, 2018
Cute, cozy mystery. Wish the ghost had appeared more often. My fave character was Ralph. Pretty unassuming for a cop and a great man to have around. Recommend for anyone who wants an easy and fun beach read.
79 reviews3 followers
November 11, 2015
This is one of those light cozy mysteries where the everyday life of the characters is almost as important as the crime being solved, and where setting is as important to its enjoyment as are events. The mystery itself was competently constructed, and contained some nice twists and a few surprises, though only a little real suspense.

What bothered me about this book, however, were the characters. I can understand young, naïve and eager, but the heroine of this book often was also inept and clueless, and her eagerness was over the top. I prefer my heroines smarter, more observant, and more competent in all respects. This one missed clues that were so obvious they practically smacked her in the face.

While I did enjoy some of the other characters, most were so overdrawn that they became annoying; the heroine’s mother being a perfect example. Her use of language, which was no doubt intended to make her quirky and unique was just so unbelievable that it rang entirely false. No one talks like that, not even a well read librarian.

Few authors can create good child characters. The child in this book was fairly well done, and the relationships between the little girl, her mother and her grandmother were credible and sometimes charming. I must say that, in many ways, the most enjoyable character in this book was the pig.

The narrator gave a competent performance, and while I sometimes found her presentation of characters a little strained, she did have good expression, pronunciation and speech rate.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for this unbiased review via the courtesy of AudioBookBlast dot com.

Profile Image for Lilmissmolly.
1,036 reviews
October 9, 2015
I just finished the Audible version of Broke: An Imogene Duckworthy Mystery by Kaye George, which is an entertaining cozy mystery. It is easily listened to in a few sittings and is essentially a piece of "brain candy" (think chocolate for the brain).

The story centers around Immy Duckworthy who is a secretary for a private investigator with aspirations of becoming a PI herself. With her delusions of grandeur, Immy's character reminds me a bit of the Barney Fife character from the 1960's The Andy Griffith Show. In this story Immy, her daughter, and their potbelly pig move out of her mother's doublewide trailer and into an old rundown house that should be condemned. The mystery in the story is who killed the dead guy found in the bathtub of her new house? Another question is why do so many people keep trespassing in her house, even after the locks are changed?

Veronica Newton's narration was good. She generally had good pace, inflections, and tone. I also liked the differing voices between the genders. I received a copy of this audio in exchange for an unbiased review.
Profile Image for Lynn Farris.
123 reviews47 followers
February 10, 2013
This is the third book in the Imogene Duckworthy Mystery series by Kaye George and I hope it won’t be the last. The first book in the series was nominated for an Agatha Award for best first novel and I believe each successive book has improved as they have progressed. (See my reviews of Choke and Smoke.)

In this book, Imogene Duckworthy decides to move out of her mother’s trailer and into her own home. However, she can’t find too many places in her price range, which will allow her daughter, Nancy Drew’s pet pig, Marshmallow.

She rents an old broken down house, rumored to be haunted. Upon inspection, she finds a dead man in the bathtub.

Read the rest of the review at http://www.examiner.com/article/read-...
Profile Image for Julie.
38 reviews2 followers
October 4, 2015
"This audio book was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com." I really enjoyed the story plot..I am in to the whole haunted house ghost thing. and throw in an adorable kid and cute pet pigs and you have yourself a winner. I didn't enjoy how Imogene is supposed to be a P.I. but to me she is very ditzy, It is hard not to like her, but not much of a P.I. I loved Ralph the cop..such a sweetheart..Imogene is very lucky to have him. This audio book is a fairly quick read a little over 7 hours, so sit down, kick back and enjoy the adventures.
Profile Image for Deedra.
3,933 reviews40 followers
September 21, 2016
Imogene Duckworthy wants to be a PI,on her own.She now works for one,but does her own investigations in work time in the workplace.She has a daughter,Nancy Drew Duckworthy,Drew,who has a pet pig named Marshmallow.The narrator ,Veronica Newton,was ok for this project but the voice of this kid set my teeth on edge.Immy moves into a house,at age 22,shes lived with mom up until now.Turns out the place is haunted and she lives near a fire bug.So much happens in such a short amount of time!Immy seems like a fairly dumb person,taking chances with not only her life but everyone elses.
I was given this book free for an honest review.
Profile Image for Maggie.
Author 41 books404 followers
November 5, 2013
Imogene Duckworthy, her daughter, and their potbelly pig move into a tumble-down place that some say is haunted. Imogene’s not worried about a ghost, but there’s nothing fictional about the dead guy in the tub or her uncle trespassing in the house.

On the cusp of becoming a P.I., Imogene decides to solve the case. Her precipitous action puts her in harm’s way and riles up her neighbor, her landlord, and her realtor.

Lots of laugh-out-loud moments in George’s mystery. It was easy to read and to keep the characters straight. My fav character? Hardworking and very handy boyfriend, Ralph.
Profile Image for Deborah.
113 reviews1 follower
October 6, 2015
This was an interesting story but the writing needed some improvement. The sentence structures were a little awkward and it was really emphasized by the narration. There were also instances where the narrator got confused and used the wrong voice. The ditzy main character is one of those that you will truly love or truly hate. For all its faults, it was an enjoyable read.

"This audio book was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."
576 reviews
December 1, 2012
Recd 11/26 & finished by next morning. A ghost, pig, mystery what more could a reader ask. Well there was more in addition to funny authors characters were substantive & believable. Must read more about that pig & her people.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews

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