Middlebridge Mysteries

by Ken Cuperus, Anna Cathcart (Narrator), Eric McCormack (Narrator)

A perfect listen for both longtime fans of the Mistletoe Murders series and newcomers alike!

Middlebridge Mysteries follows Violet Wilner (Anna Cathcart) kicking off her first year at Middlebridge University, living her dream of attending her mom’s alma mater. Inspired by watching her dad, a cop, solve crimes in her hometown, she studies criminology under a renowned but demanding Professor Bellows (Eric McCormack). She has her hands full, juggling her coursework, her social life and her insecurities as she embarks on this next chapter. Between clashes with her roommate, a slow-burn romance, and spending time with her best friend Bonnie, Violet finds herself drawn into mysterious circumstances while navigating life away from Fletcher's Grove. Nothing distracts her more than a good mystery, and Middlebridge seems to have more than its share. Can Violet keep herself safe, get justice for those who’ve been wronged, have a social life and somehow manage to pass all her classes? She doubts it, but that won’t stop her from giving it the ol’ college try!

From Canadian Screen Award winner Ken Cuperus, the creator of Mistletoe Murders, comes the highly anticipated spin-off series, Middlebridge Mysteries, featuring a stellar ensemble cast including Charles Van der Vaart (Outlander) and Mason Temple (Ginny & Georgia). Middlebridge Mysteries takes us back to school and along for a wild ride as Violet finds herself embroiled in unexpected and dangerous situations, with only her wits to protect her.

Genres: Audiobook, Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Young Adult, Suspense, Contemporary

Audible Audio

Published July 24, 2025

Reviews

[Laska · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is SO fun and the production is so entertaining! This one gave such Nancy Drew vibes

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars
This is a spin-off of the Mistletoe Murder audiobooks with the same actress voicing the part of Violet. This audiobook has three separate mysteries set on Violet's college campus. All had interesting plots and were fun to listen to. I love that it's a full-cast audio.

[Mandy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 STARS because it kept my interest and was so much fun. But HOW does Goodreads only give it 3.75 stars and Audible is 4.7.. it’s an Audible Original so it should only be available there and shouldn’t have E Books reviews which is what I usually figure is what sometimes makes these two platforms ratings so different at times….
Anyway,
This is about the teen, Violet from Mistletoe Murders, when she goes away to college. I loved this, the mysteries, the fun banter between Violet and Stewart. And I enjoyed the other characters. Cozy fun mysteries and fantastic sound and editing. I also enjoyed the different actors immensely. Makes this entire production have a feel about it. I really love these kinds of mysteries and production with sound and multiple narrators. I hope they continue making many more of both!

[Addy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first time listening to an audiobook in months. Despite the fact that I haven't listened to Mistletoe Murders, I decided to listen to Middlebridge Mysteries by Ken Cuperus. Admittedly, I had chosen it because Anna Cathart is the main narrator, and I absolutely ADORE her. I was excited to dive in!

Firstly, I want to shout out the narration! It has multicast narration, and every VA did a phenomenal job! I ended up listening to the entire audiobook in one sitting while I folded laundry and cleaned my room. Middlebridge Mysteries follows Violet as she navigates her first year of college while simultaneously unraveling multiple mysteries at the same time. The story was funny, and while I was able to figure out bits and pieces, for the most part I didn't predict the endings of each mystery. This was such a fun read, and I could definitely see myself listening to it again!

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun little spinoff as we await the next instalment Mistletoe Murders! It was fun following Violet and the mysteries at her school (which felt more like a prep/boarding school than actual university lol).

3.5⭐️

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty good. The MC was a little too high-strung for me to really enjoy the stories (Honestly, she was giving me anxiety). And while some of it felt super convoluted, it was still good.

[msleighm]

Audiobook. DNF.

I'm not a fan of audio drama so I didn't get past the first sentence.

[Thomas (ReadWithThomas) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞?!”

If you love Mistletoe Murders, you’ll love this spinoff featuring Sam’s daughter Violet!

Violet Wilder is in her first year at Middlebridge University, studying criminal law under kind but demanding Professor Bellows. She is learning to balance her studies, new friendships, and a potential romance, while being pulled into multiple campus mysteries that have her wondering: can she successfully juggle it all?

I thought that the episode featuring Middlebridge University and Violet’s tour from season 3 of Mistletoe Murders would make for a great spinoff, and sure enough, it does not disappoint. I appreciated the returning characters of Bonnie and Stuart from said episode, as a longtime listener, even though this can easily be a standalone. With its full cast, sound effects, and theme music, this audiobook truly has an immersive listening experience that has you captivity solving mysteries alongside Violet. There are three main episodes/chapters: Field of Broken Dreams, about a football player wrongly accused of using steroids, Dude Where’s My Corpse, about a cadaver that is taken from the university medial lab, and Under Pressure, about a former student’s research being stolen. Anna Cathcart continues to shine as Violet, bringing warmth, humour, and a bit of anxiousness to her performance. Eric McCormack balances being a tough professor with a compassion for Violet and her quests for justice. I also adored Mason Temple as frenemy Stuart and Charles Van der Vaart as love interest, Hunter. I hoped for more of Harrison Shue as new friend Nigel; hopefully he will show up again in future instalments. The mysteries aren’t too shocking with their reveals, but feel satisfying, especially as they balance suspense with the overwhelmed feeling being a student at university can bring.

Middlebridge Mysteries is an engaging audiobook that would be perfect autumn listening. It’s a wonderful addition to the Mistletoe Murders world, and with its setup at the end, has me greatly looking forward to Violet’s sophomore year!

[Laurie • The Baking Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS Middlebridge Mysteries is a young adult spin-off of the Mistletoe Mystery series from Audible. Violet Wilner, who we met in the original series, is now attending Middlebridge University where she happens upon a trio of crimes.

With a younger main character, the story has more of a coming-into-herself kind of vibe as Violet navigates school, her social life, romance and being on her own. She's a decent main character - she's smart, but unfortunately she lacks common sense which gets her into trouble but makes for some interesting situations for listeners.

Narration: This was a well-narrated audiobook complete with some famous Canadian voices, a full cast and background sounds.

Overall, this was a decent spin-off, but I prefer the original series and hope there are plans for more Mistletoe Mysteries.

[Christy Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy Drew-like character goes to college. Cute. I’ll probably read the others-good for when you want something light and cozy.

[Alisa Chapple · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say, I’m just Anna Cathcart’s biggest fan! This kept me very entertained during my morning walks.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

listened to this on audible, loved anna cathcart's narration! hope she gets the opportunity to narrate more audiobooks x

[Dianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so much fun to listen to. I hope they do more episodes!

[Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.7 ⭐️

[Amancay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right in line with the Mistletoe Murders, this spin-off is full of great mysteries, and a strong female voice amateur detective. I love the young adult/college vibe here!

[CyberBookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mistletoe Murders series is so popular that a little side character, Violet Wilner, got her own spin-off series. While Violet is off at Middlebridge University, she can’t help but take after her Christmas store owner boss Emily Lane and her dad, Detective Sam Wilner, and gets herself caught up in some campus crimes and mysteries.

Violet is still a young student, so the mysteries she gets wrapped up in have been suitably downsized in scale, appropriate for her age, skill level, and setting. Violet’s personality can still be a bit much. She can get overly loud and excited, but her “detective noir” inner dialogue and Anna Cathcart’s performance take the edge off what was otherwise an annoying young sidekick character in the main series. Professor Bellows is also great. He’s stern and no-nonsense, but always willing to listen to Violet and take her seriously, while still grounding her when she starts flying too far off the deep end.

Overall, this was exactly the kind of spin-off I wanted. Three mysteries to solve, a solid cast of characters, and a lighter scale that suits Violet perfectly. It’s not trying to reinvent the formula, just give Violet room to stand on her own, and that approach really works here.

[Melissa Schommer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Audible listen - production and voice actors were exceptional.

[Chidimma Ozor Commer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title + Author: Middlebridge Mysteries — Ken Cuperus
Format: Audiobook

Why I picked this up:
I wanted a short story where the main character was a headstrong crime solver. Violet Wilner is no pushover, starting her first year at Middlebridge University. To be honest, I was unaware of the Mistletoe Murders, from which the spin-off Middlebridge Mysteries series comes.

What it’s really about:
The book reframes how a high strung and strong willed young woman solves crimes in between her first year classes at Middlebridge University.

What stood out:
The wild scenarios in which Violet finds herself... or rather puts herself into.

Who this is for / not for:
Great for anyone who enjoyed the Mistletoe Murders... or enjoys a good, cute crime solving story.

Bottom line:
I liked Violet and the story was cute enough.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Field of Broken Dreams:
Violet is in college and meets a football player named Hunter who is going to get kicked off of the team for taking steroids but he swears that he didn’t take them willingly, someone must have slipped them into something he ate or drank. Violet sneaks into the locker room and catches the kicker, Nigel, messing around the quarterback’s locker and the next day the QB ends up in the hospital with a steroid overdose. Violet also notices urine samples in the coaches office and realizes that the coach was faking the QB’s drug tests. But who was slipping the steroids to the other unsuspecting players? It was Nigel’s girlfriend, Candice, who tried out for the team as a kicker and was laughed at so she plotted her revenge. 4 stars

Dude Where’s my Corpse:
Violet’s friend, Bonnie, who is in the medical program is in trouble because her cadaver has gone missing. Violet knows where it went because she saw it at a frat party. When she goes back to talk to the guy who brought the corpse to the party he lies to her. But she soon thinks that the crisis is over when the body is back at the hospital. Except it isn’t the same body but one stolen from the morgue. Who would want to take Bonnie’s cadaver and why? It turns out it was Bonnie’s physician adviser. He had treated the man in the ER before he died and misdiagnosed him so he wanted to cremate the body before Bonnie could figure out his mistake. 3 stars

Under Pressure:
It is the end of the semester and Violet needs a final project for her criminology class. She works with her roommate Krista’s boyfriend, Derek, who works on the student paper to come up with an idea. A bio student died the year before from cancer after working on some groundbreaking DNA research, research that was never published. Now, suddenly, her former advisor and illicit boyfriend, Professor Miller, is publishing a new book on the same topic and is expecting a Nobel prize. Derek gets spooked and is pushed off of the project but Violet keeps doggedly working to find proof, which she finally gets with the help of the victim’s sister and her pre-med a friend, Bonnie. Violet uses the info to expose the professor at his book launch party where he is arrested. She gets a B+ in her class and is asked by the professor, along with her nemesis Stewart, to help him with a project next school year. I guess this means that we can look forward to more stories! 4 stars

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Three stars.

Middlebridge Mysteries is a young adult mystery series about Violet Wilner's first year at Middlebridge University, where she balances college life with solving a series of campus mysteries. The series, written by Ken Cuperus (creator of Mistletoe Murders), is available as an audiobook and features Violet getting into trouble as she tries to navigate coursework, friendships, and potential romances while solving crimes.

So obviously I listened to this in audiobook format (it’s an Audible Original production). Similar to other Audible Original recordings I have listened to, I enjoyed the background noises and atmospheric sounds. It does add to the enjoyment of this type of audiobook. There are others that are “dramatised” versions which I don’t like anywhere near as much. For this book, the sounds etc added to the enjoyment of listening to it, and helped make it feel more immersive. Like I was someone walking nearby and happened to be listening to the events in the book. This is broken up into three different mysteries. My favourite was the first one by a long shot. It was like there was less effort put into the mystery and mystery solving parts of the other two. Violet also annoyed me. I don’t like the continuous need to make the main female characters in YA stories the same stereotypical way. What I mean is, smart but apparently with no common sense and constantly putting themselves in dangerous situations (whilst knowing that they will be dangerous situations) without making a plan or just be flagrantly careless. Anyway, this was still an entertaining jaunt and I mostly enjoyed the experience of listening to it.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Middlebridge Mysteries follows Violet Wilner (Anna Cathcart) kicking off her first year at Middlebridge University, living her dream of attending her mom’s alma mater. Inspired by watching her dad, a cop, solve crimes in her hometown, she studies criminology under a renowned but demanding Professor Bellows (Eric McCormack). She has her hands full, juggling her coursework, her social life and her insecurities as she embarks on this next chapter. Between clashes with her roommate, a slow-burn romance, and spending time with her best friend Bonnie, Violet finds herself drawn into mysterious circumstances while navigating life away from Fletcher's Grove. Nothing distracts her more than a good mystery, and Middlebridge seems to have more than its share. Can Violet keep herself safe, get justice for those who’ve been wronged, have a social life and somehow manage to pass all her classes? She doubts it, but that won’t stop her from giving it the ol’ college try!

Easy listen and fun characters...Violet finds ALL the mysterious happenings at Middlebridge and she's good at figuring things out! Loved feeling like I was there, with the sounds of doors opening and closing, papers rattling and fun background noise. A fun listen.

[Poly Dell'amore Purple · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,2/5

Este libro fue muy entretenido de escuchar, definitivamente en performance se lleva 5 estrellas, porque Anna realmente le dio una chispa a Violet que me hacían disfrutarla de solo imaginarla. En mi menté podía verla con sus gestos y expresiones.

El estilo del misterio es muy "scooby-doo" en el sentido adolescente y algo "silly" en la investigación, pero llegando a resultados serios de todas formas. De los tres casos, mi favorito fue el tercero, el segundo fue el que menos me gustó, pero me encantaría que se volviera una serie y tener más casos para seguir conociendo a Violet, Scott y al profesor Bellows, en especial con ese ganchito que dejaron al final.

Es una "lectura" simple, pero realmente la disfruté. A pesar de ser de misterio es ligero, es algo juguetón y messy.

---
T 9/10
E 8/10
C 8/10
P 9/10
A 8/10

42/50

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fast, fun, and fluffy offshoot of the Mistletoe Murders. Violet Winters was introduced as the daughter of a policeman in that series but now she is starting school at the illusterious Middlebridge University. Her mom's alma mater and Violet's dream school. She is working on graduating with a degree in criminology, but she has to make time to study and not be so distracted by mysteries. Mysteries like a missing cadaver, a professor who may or may not have completed his own work, and football players who are popping positive on drug tests yet claiming they are clean.
Violet was a little annoying and made a lot of bad decisions but it didn't seem outside the scope of a teenager who is just figuring out how to make her way in the world. It just made her a little more annoying than I thought she needed to be.

[Katelyn Park · Rating 3 out of 5]

🤬Language Rating: 0/5
🌶️Spicy Rating 0/5 (no kissing or real romance)
📖Plot Rating: 4/5
⭐️Final Rating: 3/5

✨this is a spoiler-free review✨

This was really interesting and Violet cracks me up. I surely hope the slow burn is between Stewart and Violet, and not Hunter and Violet. Academic rivals to lovers is way better than whatever is happening between Hunter and Violet. But there isn’t much romantic tension between characters, the description really wasn’t lying about slow burn romance 😂

Honestly this would have been a five star book if it weren’t for Bonnie and her “girlfriend”. As a Christian, I don’t condone LGBTQ relationships, and one of the mysteries centered around theirs, which was annoying to me personally.

This is definitely a good listen if you, like me, are desperate for more mistletoe murders. It is cool that it looks at Violet’s entire year of college too!

[Ime Corkery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Middlebridge Mysteries by Anna Cathcart, Ken Cuperus, Eric McCormack

adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0

Easy Listening Mystery ( Gives Nancy Drew in 2020)
What I love 💕:
💕Set at a university
💕Academic rivalry students and faculty
💕multiple mystery’s almost like episodes
💕Amateur sleuth
💕 Criminology professor & student


What’s not my cuppa tea ☕️:
☕️ Not available in any other format than audiobook


Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Violence

[Rhyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Queer rep: none

Enjoyable listen! I’m learning I love the “Dolby atmos” books audible creates. As usual, the cast did a phenomenal job and the sound engineering was superb. I felt like I was watching a movie!

I feel like this is a mystery that is appropriate for middle school age and above.

This book was about a first year college girl who was a curious and perceptive criminology student. We followed her through several sleuths to solve on-campus crimes/mysteries. It was an easy, lighthearted read and the crimes weren’t difficult to predict (which is a new experience for me!).

I was really hoping there was a part two released, but I don’t see one.

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was going to wait until the new year to start this (as a bribe and something to look forward to!) but I couldn’t resist. I was looking for something to fill the whole after I finished my Mistletoe Murder series re-listen so I dove straight in.

I’ve always loved Violet’s character and I loved the college setting too. It has the same awesome vibes and mystery as Mistletoe Murders but really comes into its own as its separate spin off.

I was so excited when I heard Violet had her own Audible series and for me, it was done perfect justice! I really enjoyed it :). No doubt it’ll be added to my list to listen to every year with MM.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an entertaining spin-off from the Mistletoe Murders series. I liked the college setting, but Violet drove me a little crazy at times.

Violet, daughter of police chief/love interest from the Mistletoe Murders series, is now in college and has her own crimes to deal with. This book has three stories for Violet to solve. It has fun side characters and interesting scenarios. I did get a little annoyed with Violet with her flakiness but she always brought it together in the end. If you like the MM series, I think you'll enjoy this one as well.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a dramatic reading audiobook with different actors for each character. The actress who voiced the main character has a very bubbly voice. I love it. Very suitable for an 18-year-old college student. I very much enjoyed the Mistletoe Mysteries. They were lighthearted and fun. Violet is a freshman at Middlebridge University studying criminology.she encounters three different mysteries that she solves. They are fun and short.

[Marios · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant and easygoing listening experience, establishing a comfortable atmosphere that is perfect for a casual listen. While the narrative is engaging enough to keep you company, it doesn't delve deeply into its themes or characters, leaving the overall impression a bit shallow. It's a charming diversion that doesn't demand too much from the listener, ultimately earning a fair 3 out of 5 stars for its enjoyable, yet somewhat insubstantial, mystery.