Diane Dabczynski has narrated 13 audiobooks on Listento.it by 2 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.9★ across 33 ratings. The most-rated is The Rent Collector.
The Rent Collector
Summary
Survival for Ki Lim and Sang Ly is a daily battle at Stung Mean Chey, the largest municipal waste dump in all of Cambodia. They make their living scavenging recyclables from the trash. Life would be hard enough without the worry for their chronically ill child, Nisay, and the added expense of medicines that are not working. Just when things seem worst, Sang Ly learns a secret about the ill-tempered rent collector who comes demanding money - a secret that sets in motion a tide that will change the life of everyone it sweeps past. The Rent Collector is a story of hope, of one woman's journey to save her son and another woman's chance at redemption. It demonstrates that even in a dump in Cambodia - perhaps especially in a dump in Cambodia - everyone deserves a second chance.
©2012 Camron Wright (P)2013 Shadow Mountain
English Trifle
Summary
What begins as a holiday trip for amateur sleuth and cooking aficionado Sadie Hoffmiller and her daughter, Breanna, turns into a bizarre mystery. First comes the discovery of a dead body in the sitting room of an English manor belonging to the family of Breanna’s boyfriend, who is also heir to the family title. When the body comes up missing, Sadie and Breanna are stranded at the estate until the police can clear them to leave. Armed with a jogging whistle, her personal recipe collection, and an unfailing sense of American justice, Sadie begins her own investigation to find the killer. But when she seems to encounter one dead end after another, Sadie wonders if anyone is telling the truth - or if the case is really as hopeless as it appears to be.
©2009 Josi S. Kilpack (P)2013 Shadow Mountain
Fortune Cookie
Summary
Sadie Hoffmiller has always liked things to be just so. A place for everything and everything in its place. Order over chaos. And of all things Sadie should be able to control, her own wedding is at the top of the list. With the big day just three weeks away, Sadie is busily adding the final touches to her wedding plans, but the arrival of a mysterious letter from San Francisco changes everything. The only person Sadie knows in San Francisco is her older sister, Wendy, whom she hasn't seen or heard from since their mother's funeral nearly 15 years ago. Sadie has faced off against murderers and criminals in recent years, yet the possibility of reconnecting with her sister is both overwhelming and frightening. Sadie soon discovers, however, that the letter is just the beginning when Wendy's world turns out to be a place of unanswered questions, twisted truths, and more than one person with a motive for murder.The more Sadie digs into her sister's past, the more she places her own future at risk.
©2014 Josi S. Kilpack (P)2014 Shadow Mountain
Lemon Tart
Summary
Award-winning author Josi S. Kilpack introduces a new series of culinary “cozies” that is sure to tantalize mystery lovers. In this debut volume, cooking aficionado turned amateur detective Sadie Hoffmiller tries to solve the murder of her beautiful young neighbor - a single mother who was mysteriously lured from her home while a lemon tart was baking in her oven. At the heart of Sadie’s search is the woman’s missing two-year-old child. Whoever took the child must be the murderer, but Sadie is certain that the police are looking at all the wrong suspects - including her!
©2009 Josi S. Kilpack (P)2013 Shadow Mountain
Key Lime Pie
Summary
When Sadie Hoffmiller's new friend, Eric Burton, receives word that his missing daughter's body may have been found in Florida, he immediately packs his bags, but Sadie is determined to stay home and prove to everyone that she is not a busybody. But when she senses Eric is hiding something, Sadie is compelled to take action. Before she knows it, she's in the heart of Miami, trying to piece together a trail littered with broken relationships, mysterious strangers, and forged documents that might just provide Eric the answers he's been desperately searching for - or reveal a truth he may not be ready to face. Sadie must also face a difficult question: Where is her heart leading her? Onward into Eric's adventurous arms? Or back home to the stable and steady Pete Cunningham? If only love was as easy as following a recipe. Once again, Sadie finds herself in the company of some colorful characters and on the hunt for some good old-fashioned Southern cooking. But despite the drama and intrigue, all Sadie really wants is to go home. . . as soon as she does just one more thing.
©2010 Josi S. Kilpack (P)2013 Shadow Mountain
Tres Leches Cupcakes
Summary
Sadie Hoffmiller has relocated from Colorado to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and is starting a new job as an informant for the Bureau of Land Management on an archeological site. The sun and dirt blocks her initial excitement about the job, but she makes the best of it, using her baking prowess to help her gather background information on her fellow "dirt geeks." Being in the middle of nowhere and digging up artifacts from hundreds of years ago is supposed to keep Sadie out of trouble - until recent burials are found on the ancient site. Before Sadie knows it, she's arrested for starting a bar fight, a new friend is missing, and she's worn out her welcome in Santa Fe in more ways than one. But when a trip to the annual hot air balloon fiesta in Albuquerque leads to even more danger, she begins to wonder if she'll ever be safe... from herself.
©2012 Josi S. Kilpack (P)2012 Shadow Mountain
Devil's Food Cake
Summary
It's been years since author Thom Mortenson has been back to Garrison, Colorado. As part of the committee who invited the best-selling writer to speak at the library fundraising benefit, Sadie Hoffmiller wants everything to be perfect - right down to the homemade devil's food cake she baked herself. Certainly, murder was not on the menu. When Thom's manager ends up dead on stage, Sadie immediately offers her guidance and expertise to investigators. But when the police refuse to take her seriously, Sadie has no choice but to pursue justice on her own. With her son, Shawn, at her side, her reputation on the line, and a full cast of characters - including a suspicious photographer, an inquisitive reporter, and a helpful, handsome neighbor with some useful skills - Sadie Hoffmiller is once again on the case. But the devil is in the details, as they say, and as Sadie digs deeper into the mystery, she discovers unexpected ties to another tragedy, one as dark as the chocolate in Sadie's world-famous devil's food cake.
©2010 Josi S. Kilpack (P)2013 Shadow Mountain
Banana Split
Summary
Sadie Hoffmiller has survived eighteen months of nonstop adventures filled with murder, deceit, and danger. She could really use some rest - and maybe even some time to heal - relaxing in the tropical paradise of Kaua'i. However, palm trees and sunshine are not as effective a medication as Sadie had hoped. And when she finds herself entangled - literally - with a dead body, she is forced to face the compounding fears and anxieties that are making her life so difficult to live. Her determination to stay out of danger and to focus on overcoming her anxieties soon takes a backseat when she meets 11-year-old Charlie, the son of the woman whose body she discovered near Anahola Beach. Charlies has some questions of his own about what happened to his mother, and he is convinced that only Sadie can help him. If only Sadie were as confident in her abilities as Charlie is. With the help of her best friend and a local social worker, Sadie dives into another mystery with the hope that, at the end, she'll be able to find the peace and closure that has eluded her.
©2012 Josi S. Kilpack (P)2012 Shadow Mountain
Blackberry Crumble
Summary
The word is out about Sadie Hoffmiller's amateur detective work, but it's not the kind of publicity Sadie wants. When Jane's article threatens Sadie's reputation in the community, she accepts her first investigation-for-hire and travels to Portland, Oregon - if only to give herself some space from her whispering neighbors. And from Pete, who is sending her mixed signals about their budding relationship. Sadie hopes the Portland air will clear her head, and she is eager to get to work for May Sanderson, who has suspicions about her father's untimely death. Putting her detective skills to the test, Sadie delves into a complicated past that includes a business partnership that didn't end well, several unsavory family secrets, and more than a few motives for murder. Sadie is afraid she might crumble under the pressure, but in a new place with new recipes, she finds herself more determined than ever to uncover the answers buried in scandal, insatiable appetites, and pure and simple greed.
©2011 Josi S. Kilpack (P)2013 Shadow Mountain
Rocky Road
Summary
It was supposed to be a girls' weekend in scenic St. George, Utah, that would include shopping, trying out the local cuisine, and participating in a breast cancer fund-raiser. The fact that one of the organizers of the fund-raising event, a local doctor, had disappeared two months before was not supposed to be Sadie Hoffmiller's problem. When Sadie learns that her friend Caro and Caro's cousin, Tess, have started a grassroots investigation into Dr. Hendrick's disappearance, Sadie graciously refuses to be a part of it. With her wedding to plan and her most recent case still fresh in her mind, Sadie is determined to leave this case to the police - until she meets the ex-wife of the missing man. How could she not ask a few questions...that lead to more questions...that lead to a small town and even more questions? When the local police ask her to be their eyes and ears, Sadie can't help but jump in with both feet. Before she knows it, she is on the rocky road of another investigation and following a convoluted trail of good intentions, hidden motivations, and philanthropy turned big business.
©2013 Josi S. Kilpack (P)2013 Shadow Mountain
Wedding Cake
Summary
"Didn't I tell you you'd never be free of me?" When Sadie Hoffmiller receives a threatening, anonymous text message just days before her wedding, she's determined not to let it interfere with the celebration she has carefully planned for months. But when the threat changes from a distant fear to a frightening reality, Sadie realizes just how much she's underestimated the situation. Desperate to put an end to the game she's been forced to play, Sadie, her fiancé, Pete, and her children pull out all the stops - resolved to stop running and see justice done. What they don't know, however, is just how far Sadie's nemesis is willing to go and just how many people may be hurt in the process. There's no turning back for anyone in this riveting conclusion to the 12-volume series, and the question becomes whether or not Sadie will have a future left when the game finally comes to an end.
©2014 Josi S. Kilpack (P)2014 Shadow Mountain
Pumpkin Roll
Summary
Sadie Hoffmiller believes in her abilities as a cook and as a detective. She believes in the beauty of a perfectly baked pumpkin roll. She does not, however, believe in ghosts. As Halloween approaches, Sadie is looking forward to spending her favorite baking season of the year making delicious New England recipes in Boston, Massachusetts, with her favorite leading man, Pete Cunningham, as they babysit his three young grandsons. When the boys insist that Mrs. Wapple, the woman who lives across the street, is a witch, Sadie and Pete are anxious to distract the boys from such silly ideas. Sadie tries to befriend Mrs. Wapple, but when her foolproof plate of cookies fails to work its magic, she is left with more questions than answers. And Sadie has never been one to leave a good question unanswered. The more she investigates, however, the stranger the answers become. And when Sadie learns the eccentric Mrs. Wapple has been attacked in her home, she knows time is running out. As the unexplained occurrences escalate, Sadie finds herself embroiled in yet another mystery with life-or-death consequences. Can Sadie discover whoever - or whatever - is behind the mystery before anyone else gets hurt? Or will this be the last time Sadie takes the case?
©2011 Josi S. Kilpack (P)2011 Shadow Mountain
Baked Alaska
Summary
Sadie Hoffmiller is looking forward to an entire week cruising the Alaskan wilderness with her two grown children, Shawn and Breanna, and her boyfriend, Pete. Not only will they all have the chance to get to know one another better, but Sadie will finally be able to help Breanna plan her upcoming wedding. They board the ship with high expectations of a well-deserved vacation. And except for the mysterious woman on the ship that Shawn seems to know but will not discuss, and the fact that Breanna's future mother-in-law has already hijacked the wedding plans, and the unexpected death of a passenger in the middle of the buffet line, Sadie's vacation would have been perfect. As it is, Sadie will need all her investigative skills to navigate the deep waters of the mystery that is soon swirling around her family. Amid her growing fears for the future, Sadie must also come to terms with the fact that her role in the lives of her children is changing and that even the best laid plans can go awry when a secret gets thrown into the mix.
©2013 Josi S. Kilpack (P)2013 Shadow Mountain