The Bookshop Murder by Merryn Allingham

 

 

By: Merryn Allingham

Narrated by: Charlie Norfolk

(A Flora Steele Mystery, Book 1)

In the quiet little town of Abbymead you will find a bookshop, the “All’s Well”.  The proprietor Flora Steel has inherited the place from her beloved late Aunt Violet.  While Flora does her best to keep the shop running, a dead body found between the stacks has dire effects on business, as well as, of course, the poor young chap lying there dead. Flora senses something is not right with the sudden death and enlists the help of the village recluse and crime author Jack Carrington to delve deeper into the mystery in the hopes of getting business back on track.

The story moves along at a decent pace and keeps you interested.  You get a good look at the determination of Flora and for those that like a bit of romance mixed into the mystery there is that as well.  There are a few avenues for suspects and motives so the reader has a few theories they can follow.  The book does have a nice English cozy feel.

The narrator does a nice job overall.  The character voices can be distinguished but not greatly so.  The articulation and speed are on point.

I would give this book four stars as I would recommend it to others looking for a nice cozy read that sets the stage for the series.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

By: Colin Heintze

Narrated by: Nigel Peever

 

Ingerval is a land where funerals are joyous occasions to be celebrated and nobles return as the “undying”.  At least that is what is supposed to happen.  For one King, that is not the case; and his youngest son, Syphax, sets out to discover why. Syphax is a fair man, but not one that likes politics and the power it can bring like his other brothers do.  Nonetheless, he is called to the palace after hearing that his father is dying, which ends up putting him smack dab into a tumultuous battle not only in the literal sense, but also metaphysically. 

While I admit it took a bit to figure out where things were headed, as the story unfolds you get a much better grip on the characters and the tale being told.  It is a unique one that I quite enjoyed.  It is worth hanging in there to find out more. The characters grow on you and begin to take you in to their realm.  As any good story should, you end up rooting for the good guys and disliking the bad guys proving you have an emotional connection to the story.

The narrator does an excellent job giving you an old world feel which ties in perfectly with the account of Syphax and his experiences. The narrator also does a nice job of changing voices to help you discern different characters.  I did enjoy having the background sounds and music, but at times it drowned out the narration and so was a bit distracting. Also, at the beginning at least, the audio sounds a bit hollow. 

I would give this book four stars as I would recommend it to others for the distinctive story line and superb narration, even though there were some issues with the audio and background accompaniments as previously noted.

 

The Seance

Audio book version

By John Harwood

Fiona Hardingham, Simon Vance, Katherine Kellgren (Narrators)

For a girl, growing up in the Victorian era has its own difficulties, but for Constance Langton things are far more ghastly than properly worn bustles and guarded reputations. Her mother is in an everlasting state of mourning over the loss of her youngest daughter Alma and her father is as detached, cold and indifferent as a wet fish. Forlorn, Constance makes a desperate attempt to bring her mother peace by arranging a séance’ which leads to Constance finding herself all alone in the world.

An unexpected inheritance befalls her in the form of an old, dilapidated and crumbling mansion with an ominous history. Constance becomes obsessed with disentangling the web of peculiar and eerie happenings the mansion has held for several generations and in doing so, finds her mind on the precipice of insanity and her life in mortal peril.

The author, John Harwood, does an excellent job of portraying the female character in this Victorian setting, which makes it easy to identify with the characters and follow the storyline with eager interest. The twists and turns of the mysteries surrounding the mansion and Constance’s life bind into a clever, believable conclusion.

I listened to the audio version of the book and I felt the narration was good although it did take me a bit to warm up to one of the narrators. There is one scene in particular where I felt the narration was too loud (even though shouting was taking place), but overall the multiple narrators introduced in separate parts worked quite well.

The story does take its time to build, but is worth the wait. I would recommend this book for its grasp of the era, the intricate story that beseeches being pieced together along with it skillful narration.

Just One Damned Thing After Another

(The Chronicles of St. Mary's #1)

By Jodi Taylor

Author's Website

Sara Ramm (Narrator)

At a place called St. Mary’s you might expect the words ...”and everything went white…” to be followed by some transcendent spiritual experience. However; at this St. Mary’s those words are followed by a jump, a jump in time that transports its passengers to periods in history where they are to observe, retrieve data and log their unobtrusive encounters there. Seems harmless right? Wrong. . Being a historian is not a job for the fearless. Max has already had her fair share of her own turbulent history before she even arrives at St. Mary’s. Once there, chaos seems follow her know matter what time continuum she is in. As if dealing with the complications of being hurled back into a place and time that is utterly foreign and unpredictable wasn’t enough, Max must manage to survive the relationships she shares with her quirky and unconventional colleagues.

Jodi Taylor’s theme to this first in the series of St. Mary’s books is quite a rollicking ride. It has all of the elements you could want: plenty of action, a splash of romance, just a smidge of science fiction, and a spunky, strong-minded (yet quite flawed) heroine that takes you on a unique adventure.

The narration of the story was spot-on and the peaks and valleys of the story really kept me guessing what would happen next. I look forward to reading the next installment in the series to see how the quest continues. I am hopeful that the second in the series will measure up to my now high expectations.

The only warning I would give is that there is some strong language and one explicit scene so if that is bothersome to you, beware. However; I would recommend this book to just about anyone even those that are not science-fiction fans, because the story line holds interest even without the science fiction component.

The Ghost Writer

Audio book version

By John Harwood 

Simon Vance (Narrator) 

Living a very solitary life with his overly anxious mother, Gerard Freeman’s only reason for getting up each day is his pen friend Alice. They share everything from the mundane to the mysteries and secrets that surround Gerard’s mother's past.

Gerard finds his great-grandmother Viola’s ghostly manuscripts and they take him down a shadowy path leading to a dreadfully real crime. Gerard’s passionate struggle to uncover the truth puts him in mortal danger and may just cost him his chance to be with Alice.

When I first began The Ghostwriter, I found it interesting, but I wasn’t awestruck, I just kept waiting for “something to happen”; for a while I thought it never would, but slowly that changed and I was drawn into the intricate account of Gerard Freeman’s life. One thing that really impressed me was the author’s ability to tell a story within a story, in fact at one point a story within a story within a story. To keep the reader engrossed in a tale and then bring them back to be just as engrossed in the overall tale takes an admirable skill, in my opinion. With that said, I was quite puzzled by the ending.

Simon Vance narrates and does a superb job. I have always enjoyed his narration and some of the accents he does makes me forget that it is he alone narrating. The characters come so much to life it also makes me wonder what his real voice is like and where he originates from.

I give this one 4 stars (Which means a very good book. I enjoyed it, perhaps even had a hard time "putting it down". I would recommend this book to others.)

Touch & Go

  Tessa Leoni #2

By Lisa Gardner 

Author Website

Elisabeth Rodgers (Narrator)

“Pain has a flavor” and that flavor is oranges, at least it is for Libby Denbe. But not so long ago when Libby’s life was without pain, a time when her “picture perfect” life really was perfect, the taste of oranges was bliss. She was married to the perfect man, and they had a beautiful daughter they both loved and cherished, their life together was their dream fused into reality, or at least, so she believed.

Now, that time is over. She and her family have been ripped away from their beautiful home into a nightmare that they fear and do not understand. Their perfect life melts away as the dark secrets each of them holds begins to surface while their current predicament gnaws at them both physically and psychologically.

It is up to Tessa Leone and other law enforcement to find them before it’s too late. But even if they can be saved physically, will it be too late to save them from their past?

This was the first book I have read/listened to by Lisa Gardner. Although this is the second in the series featuring Tessa Leone the story follows well by itself. The premise of the book was something that could be heard about on the news which is not normally the type of book I enjoy because of its modern style but some of the lesser characters were quite interesting and kept my attentiveness. However; What was disappointing to me was that they mystery was not challenging. I figured out the predictable conclusion very early on and was just coasting to the end to have my prediction confirmed.

The narrator, Elisabeth Rodgers, does a great job with the accent work of some of the characters, but I did occasionally find the narration a bit lulling. These parts were very minor and overall I would listen to her narratives again and she does believable work.

I would give this book 3 stars overall (my three star rating means – I can finish the book and am at least partially interested/entertained.)

Crescendo (Inola Walela & Steven Hawk #3)

by Deborah J. Ledford
 Christina Cox (Narrator)

Author Website

Officer Inola Wilela finds herself amidst a tumultuous sea of havoc and uncertainty that begins with what seems like a straightforward traffic stop and turns into a battle to save a young boy. The father of the boy, a manipulative mad-man, begins a relentless pursuit to find his son so he can cash in on his inheritance. Inola vows to keep the boy safe but he is determined to locate the boy at any cost, no matter how much violence and bloodshed ensues.

Inola, being the only female police officer for the Bryson City force in North Carolina, is no stranger to psychological competition, but can her fortitude and strength of mind help her “keep it together “ through the raging chaos in both her professional and personal life? Together, with the help of her fiancé Sheriff Hawk, an ex-con of a computer whiz and a streak of luck or two, Inola vows to bring the mad-man down even if it means costing her the badge she so dearly loves.

This police procedural hits the ground running and keeps the action moving. During the few breaks in the action, readers learn more about Inola, what makes her tick, her thoughts and her dreams. I appreciate the author’s ability to capture that we, as humans, often misjudge what others think of us and that sometimes we must take chances to rectify the mistakes we make.
The story moves along quickly, but even so, I was routing for Inola and her comrades and finding myself getting more and more attached to their personalities and abhorring the “villain” increasingly as the story went on; all signs of a well-written story. The last scene admittedly made me cry indicating I was definitely in tune with the characters.

It was a first read for me by Deborah Ledford and I would definitely read another especially if it meant I could find out how Inola and Steven Hawk’s relationship develops.

I would warn readers that there is some strong language in this one, but violence and crime usually lend themselves to this in general.

Christina Cox narrates and does quite a good job “reading” the story, but if you are expecting much in the way of character voices it is not quite there. I found her tone and pace to be right on the mark, but I had hoped for a bit more when it came to the actual voices. This is my personal preference and I would not discourage anyone from this narration as she does a fine job of relaying the story in a genuine manner.

Overall I would rate this one at 4 stars which for me means …Very good book. I enjoyed it, perhaps even had a hard time "putting it down". I would recommend this book to others.

Zombie Eyes (Bloodscreams, #3) 

                                                           by Robert W. Walker

Audio Version - Narrated by Robert Neil  DeNevoe

What starts out as one of New York’s most promising building projects turns into a nightmare when the construction crew unearths a centuries old ship buried deep below ground. The ship, while an archaeologists dream, spreads an unknown contagion and runs rampant through Manhattan.

In order to save the ever-growing army of “zombie-like” citizens from spreading the contamination throughout the country, David Stroud, who is all too familiar with supernatural occurrences, steps in to try and defeat the ancient evil that threatens to destroy them.

This is my first “zombie book” and my first by this author. The archaeological spin of the story made this an appealing read. I particularly liked how characters actions and behaviors were not always consistent when faced with danger and fear. This is how most of us would react I believe.

I also feel this more realistic aspect was shown in the conclusion of the book.
As the story progressed and the action increased, I felt that the story would play out well in movie form and currently this would fit right in with what is popular.

Unfortunately, the narration was mediocre at best. In my opinion, the narrator was somewhat monotone, did not always pause appropriately and I believe even bungled once on a word. The narrator did do a good job with the pace of the story, and some of the voices were done fairly well. I think had the narration been better the story would have pulled me in more.

Overall I would rate the book at 3 stars which for me means… Book considered "okay". I was able to finish the book and was at least partially interested/entertained. I might recommend this book to others if it seemed like something that would be a good fit for them.