
Essence of Foul Play
An Aroma Wellness Mystery, Book 1
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $20.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Libby McKnight
About this listen
Emma Brennan may have her head in a cloud of eucalyptus, but her feet are firmly planted on the ground in breathtaking Carmel, California, as she prepares to open her new spa business, Aroma Wellness. But all the reiki, shiatsu, and massage in the world can’t help her relax when she’s accused of murder …
Everything is going smoothly as Emma prepares for the grand opening of the spa. The therapy rooms are painted. The sales shop and café are stocked with meditative and delicious goodies, from essential oils to avocado masks and prickly pear massages. The fountain in the Courtyard of Peace is burbling with good vibrations. In fact, there isn’t a whiff of trouble until that morning when Emma is shocked to learn that a rival spa owner has been bludgeoned … with an item from the goodwill basket Emma gave her. Worse, a witness is pointing the finger at Emma …
With the police treating Emma like she’s the only suspect, and the town’s anti New Age anything posse badmouthing her every step of the way, she’s left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Incensed by the accusations but empowered by her cousin, her nana, and her trusted Birman cat, Vivi, Emma reviews the potpourri of possible suspects, determined to uncover the essence of foul play—before she’s cold-pressed for murder …
©2025 Daryl Wood Gerber (P)2025 Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...
-
On What Grounds
- By: Cleo Coyle
- Narrated by: Rebecca Gibel
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Clare Cosi used to manage the historic Village Blend coffeehouse…until she opted for quieter pastures and a more suburban life. But after ten years and a little friendly cajoling from the owner (a fresh pot of Jamaican Blue Mountain was all it took), she's back to the grind. With a sprawling rent-free apartment directly above the Village Blend, her cat Java by her side, and plenty of coffeehouse redecorating ideas, Clare is thrilled to return to work. Until she discovers the assistant manager unconscious in the back of the store, coffee grounds strewn everywhere.
-
-
Stands out
- By Pam on 06-07-13
By: Cleo Coyle
-
Murder, She Barked
- Paws & Claws Mystery, Book 1
- By: Krista Davis
- Narrated by: Jeanie Kanaley
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Holly Miller's life has gone to the dogs. She has no job, her boyfriend's former flame is sniffing around, and a scruffy but lovable Jack Russell terrier is scattering crumbs all over her borrowed car. Just when she thought things couldn't get worse, a troubling phone call about her grandmother sends her rushing home to the family inn on Wagtail Mountain.
-
-
A Decent Cozy Mystery
- By InnerVoice on 01-20-16
By: Krista Davis
-
Meet Your Baker
- By: Ellie Alexander
- Narrated by: Dina Pearlman
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After graduating from culinary school, Juliet Capshaw returns to her quaint hometown of Ashland, Oregon, to heal a broken heart and help her mom at the family bakery. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is bringing in lots of tourists looking for some crumpets to go with their heroic couplets. But when one of Torte's customers turns up dead, there's much ado about murder.
-
-
Fun Culinary Cozy
- By Bookishly on 04-18-18
By: Ellie Alexander
-
Death Among the Stitches
- A Crochet and Crumpets Mystery, Book 1
- By: Betty Hechtman
- Narrated by: Margaret Strom
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Annie Hart, daughter of Bryan Hart—talent agent to the stars—spends her life getting roped into whatever new task her father needs her to do for his VIP clients. So when she inherits a yarn shop in the small Indiana town of Franklin, she is curious to see what it feels like to have something that is solely hers! But when her arrival is greeted by the local law enforcement, Annie senses things are not quite as they seem in this idyllic town . . . everyone knows everybody in Franklin yet when it comes to the death of the shop's previous owner, nobody seems sure of anything!
-
-
Always Rely on Betty
- By chuknzig on 04-03-25
By: Betty Hechtman
-
An American in Scotland
- Scottish Isle Mysteries, Book 1
- By: Lucy Connelly
- Narrated by: Kimberly M. Wetherell
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sea Isle was supposed to be the fresh start Dr. Emilia McRoy dreamed of. Far from the busy emergency room across the Atlantic in Seattle, she hoped to settle down and begin this new chapter as a small-town doctor to the quirky residents who immediately welcomed her. When she stumbles across a dead body, she starts to think that she may not be as Scot free of the drama and intrigue as she initially thought.
-
-
Needs more research
- By avidknitter on 01-08-24
By: Lucy Connelly
-
Six Feet Deep Dish
- Deep Dish Mysteries, Book 1
- By: Mindy Quigley
- Narrated by: Holly Adams
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Delilah O’Leary can’t wait to open her new gourmet deep-dish pizzeria in Geneva Bay, Wisconsin—a charming resort town with a long history as a mobsters’ hideaway, millionaires’ playground, and vacation mecca. Engaged to a hunk with a hefty trust fund, Delilah is poised to begin a life that’s just about as delicious as one of her cheesy creations. Just before opening night, though, Delilah’s plans for pizza perfection hit the skids when her fiancé dumps her and leaves her with a very large memento from their relationship—Butterball, their spoiled, plus-sized tabby cat.
-
-
love a book about pizza and a cat!
- By Kelly on 10-21-22
By: Mindy Quigley
-
On What Grounds
- By: Cleo Coyle
- Narrated by: Rebecca Gibel
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Clare Cosi used to manage the historic Village Blend coffeehouse…until she opted for quieter pastures and a more suburban life. But after ten years and a little friendly cajoling from the owner (a fresh pot of Jamaican Blue Mountain was all it took), she's back to the grind. With a sprawling rent-free apartment directly above the Village Blend, her cat Java by her side, and plenty of coffeehouse redecorating ideas, Clare is thrilled to return to work. Until she discovers the assistant manager unconscious in the back of the store, coffee grounds strewn everywhere.
-
-
Stands out
- By Pam on 06-07-13
By: Cleo Coyle
-
Murder, She Barked
- Paws & Claws Mystery, Book 1
- By: Krista Davis
- Narrated by: Jeanie Kanaley
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Holly Miller's life has gone to the dogs. She has no job, her boyfriend's former flame is sniffing around, and a scruffy but lovable Jack Russell terrier is scattering crumbs all over her borrowed car. Just when she thought things couldn't get worse, a troubling phone call about her grandmother sends her rushing home to the family inn on Wagtail Mountain.
-
-
A Decent Cozy Mystery
- By InnerVoice on 01-20-16
By: Krista Davis
-
Meet Your Baker
- By: Ellie Alexander
- Narrated by: Dina Pearlman
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After graduating from culinary school, Juliet Capshaw returns to her quaint hometown of Ashland, Oregon, to heal a broken heart and help her mom at the family bakery. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is bringing in lots of tourists looking for some crumpets to go with their heroic couplets. But when one of Torte's customers turns up dead, there's much ado about murder.
-
-
Fun Culinary Cozy
- By Bookishly on 04-18-18
By: Ellie Alexander
-
Death Among the Stitches
- A Crochet and Crumpets Mystery, Book 1
- By: Betty Hechtman
- Narrated by: Margaret Strom
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Annie Hart, daughter of Bryan Hart—talent agent to the stars—spends her life getting roped into whatever new task her father needs her to do for his VIP clients. So when she inherits a yarn shop in the small Indiana town of Franklin, she is curious to see what it feels like to have something that is solely hers! But when her arrival is greeted by the local law enforcement, Annie senses things are not quite as they seem in this idyllic town . . . everyone knows everybody in Franklin yet when it comes to the death of the shop's previous owner, nobody seems sure of anything!
-
-
Always Rely on Betty
- By chuknzig on 04-03-25
By: Betty Hechtman
-
An American in Scotland
- Scottish Isle Mysteries, Book 1
- By: Lucy Connelly
- Narrated by: Kimberly M. Wetherell
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sea Isle was supposed to be the fresh start Dr. Emilia McRoy dreamed of. Far from the busy emergency room across the Atlantic in Seattle, she hoped to settle down and begin this new chapter as a small-town doctor to the quirky residents who immediately welcomed her. When she stumbles across a dead body, she starts to think that she may not be as Scot free of the drama and intrigue as she initially thought.
-
-
Needs more research
- By avidknitter on 01-08-24
By: Lucy Connelly
-
Six Feet Deep Dish
- Deep Dish Mysteries, Book 1
- By: Mindy Quigley
- Narrated by: Holly Adams
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Delilah O’Leary can’t wait to open her new gourmet deep-dish pizzeria in Geneva Bay, Wisconsin—a charming resort town with a long history as a mobsters’ hideaway, millionaires’ playground, and vacation mecca. Engaged to a hunk with a hefty trust fund, Delilah is poised to begin a life that’s just about as delicious as one of her cheesy creations. Just before opening night, though, Delilah’s plans for pizza perfection hit the skids when her fiancé dumps her and leaves her with a very large memento from their relationship—Butterball, their spoiled, plus-sized tabby cat.
-
-
love a book about pizza and a cat!
- By Kelly on 10-21-22
By: Mindy Quigley
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
One Sharp Stitch
- A Nimble Needle Mystery, Book 1
- By: Allie Pleiter
- Narrated by: Carrie Coello
- Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's only temporary. That's what Shelby Phillips tells herself when she returns to excruciatingly harmless Gwen Lake after her graphic arts career—and the office romance blooming with it—get tossed like rejected design mockups. Her plan is as simple and fool-proof as a tent stitch: manage the family needlepoint shop during her parents' RV vacation. It's just a month. It's not as if they're retiring . . . right?
By: Allie Pleiter
-
Romancing the Gravestone
- A Jane Ladling Mystery, Book 1
- By: Gena Showalter, Jill Monroe
- Narrated by: Kelli Tager
- Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jane Ladling is the sole proprietor of her family’s landlocked cemetery, Garden of Memories. She’s responsible for the, er, guests, but there’s a slight problem. Well, besides her moody cat, Rolex, and her sixty-two-year-old best friend’s unrequited crush on the sheriff. An extra body now rests in Plot #39. Enter Special Agent Conrad Ryan. He’s gruff, he’s gorgeous, and oh, yes, he kind of suspects her of murder. What’s an innocent—and very single, not that it matters—girl to do? Solve the crime herself. Even if she must turn the small town of Aurelian Hills, Georgia upside down.
By: Gena Showalter, and others
-
Fine, I'm a Terrible Person
- A Novel
- By: Lisa F. Rosenberg
- Narrated by: Jess Moran
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This funny mother-daughter caper story stars seventy-three-year-old, overweight former beauty, Aurora, who is a perpetually broke, eccentric divorcee living in the wealthy enclave of Marin County. When Aurora discovers her father's widow has died, she decides to drive to Los Angeles to see if this means money for her.
-
Yarn to Go
- Yarn Retreat Mystery Series, Book 1
- By: Betty Hechtman
- Narrated by: Margaret Strom
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When dessert chef Casey Feldstein finds out that her late aunt's business, Yarn2Go, has one more yarn retreat scheduled, she decides to go ahead and host the event, despite her complete lack of experience as a knitter. At least the retreat is on the beautiful Monterey Peninsula. But the idyllic setting is soured when a retreat regular is found murdered in her hotel room. Feeling a sense of responsibility, Casey begins to weave the clues together and detects a pattern which may shed light on her aunt's suspicious death.
-
-
Fun mystery...
- By Delia on 05-28-17
By: Betty Hechtman
-
Camper and Criminals Cozy Mystery Boxed Set, Books 1-3
- By: Tonya Kappes
- Narrated by: Johanna Parker
- Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Follow Mae West as she searches for clues to bring killers to justice in this Campers and Criminals Cozy Mystery bundle.
-
-
Maybe it's a Southern thing
- By UpAndAway on 09-02-21
By: Tonya Kappes
-
Steeped in Secrets
- A Crystals & CuriosiTEAS Mystery, Book 1
- By: Lauren Elliott
- Narrated by: Stephanie Richardson
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Even with her life in ruins in New Mexico, Shay feels uneasy about settling into the small seaside town where she grew up on California's Monterey Peninsula, and taking over an estate bequeathed to her by Bridget Early, a woman she had barely known. Her heightened senses—an empathic gift she's had since childhood—go into overdrive upon touring Crystals & CuriosiTEAS, Bridget's eclectic tea and psychic shop brimming with Irish lore and Celtic symbols. They reach a boiling point when Shay looks up to discover a stranger's body sprawled across the shop's greenhouse roof . . .
-
-
Great start to the series!
- By Annabelle2013 on 09-15-23
By: Lauren Elliott
-
One Sharp Stitch
- A Nimble Needle Mystery, Book 1
- By: Allie Pleiter
- Narrated by: Carrie Coello
- Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's only temporary. That's what Shelby Phillips tells herself when she returns to excruciatingly harmless Gwen Lake after her graphic arts career—and the office romance blooming with it—get tossed like rejected design mockups. Her plan is as simple and fool-proof as a tent stitch: manage the family needlepoint shop during her parents' RV vacation. It's just a month. It's not as if they're retiring . . . right?
By: Allie Pleiter
-
Romancing the Gravestone
- A Jane Ladling Mystery, Book 1
- By: Gena Showalter, Jill Monroe
- Narrated by: Kelli Tager
- Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jane Ladling is the sole proprietor of her family’s landlocked cemetery, Garden of Memories. She’s responsible for the, er, guests, but there’s a slight problem. Well, besides her moody cat, Rolex, and her sixty-two-year-old best friend’s unrequited crush on the sheriff. An extra body now rests in Plot #39. Enter Special Agent Conrad Ryan. He’s gruff, he’s gorgeous, and oh, yes, he kind of suspects her of murder. What’s an innocent—and very single, not that it matters—girl to do? Solve the crime herself. Even if she must turn the small town of Aurelian Hills, Georgia upside down.
By: Gena Showalter, and others
-
Fine, I'm a Terrible Person
- A Novel
- By: Lisa F. Rosenberg
- Narrated by: Jess Moran
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This funny mother-daughter caper story stars seventy-three-year-old, overweight former beauty, Aurora, who is a perpetually broke, eccentric divorcee living in the wealthy enclave of Marin County. When Aurora discovers her father's widow has died, she decides to drive to Los Angeles to see if this means money for her.
-
Yarn to Go
- Yarn Retreat Mystery Series, Book 1
- By: Betty Hechtman
- Narrated by: Margaret Strom
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When dessert chef Casey Feldstein finds out that her late aunt's business, Yarn2Go, has one more yarn retreat scheduled, she decides to go ahead and host the event, despite her complete lack of experience as a knitter. At least the retreat is on the beautiful Monterey Peninsula. But the idyllic setting is soured when a retreat regular is found murdered in her hotel room. Feeling a sense of responsibility, Casey begins to weave the clues together and detects a pattern which may shed light on her aunt's suspicious death.
-
-
Fun mystery...
- By Delia on 05-28-17
By: Betty Hechtman
-
Camper and Criminals Cozy Mystery Boxed Set, Books 1-3
- By: Tonya Kappes
- Narrated by: Johanna Parker
- Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Follow Mae West as she searches for clues to bring killers to justice in this Campers and Criminals Cozy Mystery bundle.
-
-
Maybe it's a Southern thing
- By UpAndAway on 09-02-21
By: Tonya Kappes
-
Steeped in Secrets
- A Crystals & CuriosiTEAS Mystery, Book 1
- By: Lauren Elliott
- Narrated by: Stephanie Richardson
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Even with her life in ruins in New Mexico, Shay feels uneasy about settling into the small seaside town where she grew up on California's Monterey Peninsula, and taking over an estate bequeathed to her by Bridget Early, a woman she had barely known. Her heightened senses—an empathic gift she's had since childhood—go into overdrive upon touring Crystals & CuriosiTEAS, Bridget's eclectic tea and psychic shop brimming with Irish lore and Celtic symbols. They reach a boiling point when Shay looks up to discover a stranger's body sprawled across the shop's greenhouse roof . . .
-
-
Great start to the series!
- By Annabelle2013 on 09-15-23
By: Lauren Elliott