Irenehope

Adelia is sent from Salerno to Cambridge, requested by Henry II, and ordered by the King of Sicily, to look into the deaths of several children in medieval Cambridge. She arrives with Simon of Naples, a Jewish fixer and Mansur her Saracen manservant. Adelia is a doctor who "reads bodies." She is strong, straight talking, and devoted to science. She is also broadminded & has a sense of humor. On the road into town she cures a local Prior which gives her the beginnings of support in the town. The support grows as her unique qualities, and those of her companions, attract help from other people in town.

I will not give anything else away.
It's a must read. It combines everything I love in an Audible book: history, mystery, intelligence, humor, characters you care about, an excellent reader, and great writing.

It wasn't bad, but I kept wondering if the character really was supernatural. She seemed to have retained all of her human qualities, but few of the supposed vampire improvements. She got tired, made rookie errors, and didn't drain the bad guys when the opportunity arose and she needed sustenance.
But it was well- written and funny.
I'll think about listening to the next book in the series, but only if nothing better comes along.

Ms Ross did a good job.

As the sister of a chef, I get to go out with my brother and his pals whenever I'm in town. Tony sounds just like them: funny, scatological, sarcastic, profane and opinionated. I'd love to have him join us, he'd fit right in. He writes like he talks, and that's a very good thing.

As another die hard SVM fan, I've been waiting for this book to come out, hoping for the promised pivotal conversation between Eric and Sookie. It doesn't happen. We were told it would be a darker book, and it is. But the essence of Eric and Sookie is that they share the same joie de vivre, that they are two sides of the same coin. This is missing in the novel.

It seems like True Blood, the TV series, has had some influence on the characterization. Plus, it does the characters a disservice to keep avoiding personal growth. Sookie's immaturity continues though events that would change the world view of any sentient being.

There was not as many humorous or loving scenes as before and I also agree that it needed to be further proofread.

So now we begin the grim wait for #10. Hoping against hope that our questions will finally be answered, and that the characters regain their joie de vivie.

I loved this series from the beginning. The first was the best, and this, the third novel, is second. Number two left me unsatisfied.

As always, Ms. Franklin's history is well researched, and her people are more real than some of my neighbors. No one is all good or bad. Henry II is an enlightened but manipulative monarch. The Bishop Of St. Albans, Rowley, is as conflicted about his passion for Adelia as before. And Adelia herself is as intelligent, independent & inquisitive as always. Some of the actions might be a bit far fetched to us in the 21st century. I can never get my head around the all encompassing religious faith, laws, and pressure from the Catholic church that was the norm in the 12th century. The Pope had the power to bring down monarchs, and the church could declare a death sentence on anyone it decided was a heretic.

At the end of the book, you know some changes will be made. I hope those changes have King Henry
and Bishop Rowley playing larger parts in book#4.
We'll have to wait now, alas, to see.

Well, that would clean up the town, wouldn't it. Which town? Any one you'd like to send him to. And it would be done in such an outrageous, profane, honest and hysterically funny way, that even the losers would chuckle. Before they tried to kill him, of course.

Because that's the point of Brookmyre's Parlabane books; trying to kill Jack before he puts your butt in jail! But for us lucky readers, we laugh through the entire reading, if we can understand the narrator. Luckily, after listening to many books with accents from the UK, I can understand it pretty well. Perhaps not all of the slang, but I can guess at the meanings.

I visited Audible UK in order to buy this book. I wish Audible would make all of Mr. Brookmyre's books available here. (I saw them in my local indie bookstore for the first time recently.)

The first book I ever bought on Audible was "Quite Ugly One Morning." I was hooked, both on the author & Audible.

"Rubber Ducks" concerns spiritualists, life after death, religion and fraud. If you don't see the connection between the first three and the last, you will be offended. If dirty language offends you, you will be distressed. But if your view of the world is a bit skewed, your sense of humor a bit warped and the idea of believing what you read in the newspaper a bit skeptical, you will love this book.

After enjoying "A Dirty Job" I thought I would be entertained, but no such luck. I know the characters are supposed to be juvenile, but I don't care. The book should have been in the "teen" section.

I hate wasting my credits!

This novel, #4 in the Southern Vampire Mystery series is pivotal. Audible SVM fans have been waiting for it to complete our set. Since another four novels continue the series after this one, I can't write @ the plot, but many of the twists in the next four,(& the 9th book due out this spring), depend on this sexy and exciting episode. So for SVM fans it's not to be missed.

For new fans of the Sookie Stackhouse novels who watch True Blood on HBO, you'll find the books different from the series. They are lighter & more humorous. The plots are better, the dialogue not as self-conscious & Bill is NOT the hero.

The narrator of this entire series is Johanna Parker. She is first rate at giving distinct personalities to each character. She deserves a prize. I hope that she's back to read #9.

Sue Henry has always been one of my favorite novelists, but this outing she's seems more like she had to come up with a book to fulfill a contract, rather than enthusiastically creating a new entry in her series.

OK, so I got a little obsessed! After watching True Blood for the last few weeks, I decided to read the novels that they're based on. I could find only #5 and #7 in my library, so decided to use the credits I so carefully hoard on Audible. Paper or player, these books were the Hagen-Das of my week. Kept going back for just one more! Didn't talk to my husband all week! Didn't even leave the house all week!
Audible, where is #4? I'm second on my library's list for #4...that could be 6 weeks! How will I last?
Review:
The Narrator is great! She IS Sookie! And everybody else.

The books are fun & sexy. Very sexy.They are full of imaginative ideas that make up a plausible world. Sookie is tough, sweet and very smart. She figures things out quickly & takes action. Her specialty is thinking outside the box that the vampires live in.

I think that this book, #8, has some more interesting plots twists than a few of the others and also has some nice cues for the future.

Big question...Eric or Bill?...or someone else?

There aren't that many books written in the first person, by an old man reminiscing. Nor are there many books written about circus life. This book compared favorable with the two others I've read. The plot was a bit predictable, but all in all it was a memorable read. It brought you back to the Great Depression & the hardness of life. It also introduced you to characters who made the best of things & developed friendships & loyalties along the way.I loved the animals, each with his/her personality. I thought this was a part that could have been expanded on. I cared about the people, and both endings were completely satisfying. In fact, I wish the story had continued a little more. And yes, I did sit in my car to finish chapters.