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paula

I was born near Chicago, and moved to Texas 22 years ago. I taught high-school English for probably too many years. Love a good mystery.

Grand Prairie, TX, United States | Member Since 2010

HELPFUL VOTES

9 reviews
47 ratings
0 titles in library
45 purchased in 2013

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FOLLOWERS

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold: A George Smiley Novel, Book 3

UNABRIDGED
- by John le Carré
- Narrated by Michael Jayston
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold: A George Smiley Novel, Book 3

UNABRIDGED (7 hrs)

By John le Carré

Narrated By Michael Jayston

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(83)
Performance
(72)
Story
(71)

In the shadow of the newly erected Berlin Wall, Alec Leamas watches as his last agent is shot dead by East German sentries. For Leamas, the head of Berlin Station, the Cold War is over. As he faces the prospect of retirement or worse - a desk job - Control offers him a unique opportunity for revenge. Assuming the guise of an embittered and dissolute ex-agent, Leamas is set up to trap Mundt, the deputy director of the East German Intelligence Service - with himself as the bait.
Nazir says: "Great Book"
"Exceptional Writer"

Overall
Performance
Story

What did you love best about The Spy Who Came in from the Cold?

The mood and tone reflects the deceptive lives of the spy world. It comes across as believable.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Three Act Tragedy: A Hercule Poirot Mystery

UNABRIDGED
- by Agatha Christie
- Narrated by Hugh Fraser
Three Act Tragedy: A Hercule Poirot Mystery

UNABRIDGED (5 hrs and 47 mins)

By Agatha Christie

Narrated By Hugh Fraser

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(23)
Performance
(18)
Story
(20)

Sir Charles Cartwright should have known better than to allow 13 guests to sit down for dinner. For at the end of the evening one of them is dead - choked by a cocktail that contained no trace of poison. Predictable, says Hercule Poirot, the great detective. But entirely unpredictable is that he can find absolutely no motive for murder.…
Jane says: "The Queen of Crime at her peak."
"MORE COMPLEX RELATIONSHIPS"

Overall
Performance
Story

If you could sum up Three Act Tragedy in three words, what would they be?

THOUGHTFUL, COMPLEX, AND DRAMATIC

What did you like best about this story?

The relationships among the characters were thought provoking and not so simple. The characters themselves were unique but believable.

What does Hugh Fraser bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Drama!

Any additional comments?

Christie's later works to me involve more interesting and darker characters.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Cat Among the Pigeons: A Hercule Poirot Mystery

UNABRIDGED
- by Agatha Christie
- Narrated by Hugh Fraser
Cat Among the Pigeons: A Hercule Poirot Mystery

UNABRIDGED (6 hrs and 49 mins)

By Agatha Christie

Narrated By Hugh Fraser

Overall
(14)
Performance
(12)
Story
(12)

A revolution in the Middle East has a direct and deadly impact upon the summer term at Meadowbank, a picture-perfect girls' school in the English countryside. Prince Ali Yusuf, Hereditary Sheikh of Ramat, whose great liberalizing experiment is coming to chaos, knows that he must prepare for the day of his exile. He asks his pilot and school friend, Bob Rawlinson, to care for a packet of jewels. Rawlinson does so, hiding them among the possessions of his niece Jennifer Sutcliffe, who is bound for Meadowbank.
paula says: "Christie at Her Best"
"Christie at Her Best"

Overall
Performance
Story

If you could sum up Cat Among the Pigeons in three words, what would they be?

Clever, engaging, surprising

What was one of the most memorable moments of Cat Among the Pigeons?

The unveiling of the mystery at the end was the best part. It was more difficult to discover the murderer although clues were fairly given.

Which character – as performed by Hugh Fraser – was your favorite?

He did a great job on all characters.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not one particular moment, but the characters' lives held my interest.

Any additional comments?

This Christie mystery is definitely worth the money.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Endgame: Bobby Fischer’s Remarkable Rise and Fall—from America’s Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness

UNABRIDGED
- by Frank Brady
- Narrated by Ray Porter
Endgame: Bobby Fischer’s Remarkable Rise and Fall—from America’s Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness

UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 29 mins)

By Frank Brady

Narrated By Ray Porter

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(245)
Performance
(167)
Story
(171)

From Frank Brady, who wrote one of the best-selling books on Bobby Fischer of all time and who was himself a friend of Fischer’s, comes an impressively researched biography that for the first time completely captures the remarkable arc of Bobby Fischer’s life. When Bobby Fischer passed away in January 2008, he left behind a confounding legacy. Everyone knew the basics of his life—he began as a brilliant youngster, then became the pride of American chess, then took a sharp turn, struggling with paranoia and mental illness. But nobody truly understood him.
Roy says: "A Trajedy"
"WELL RESEARCHED"

Overall
Performance
Story

If you could sum up Endgame in three words, what would they be?

Interesting, thorough, engaging

Who was your favorite character and why?

Bobby Fisher's inscrutable personality is worth taking the time to discover. I also was impressed by his mother and sister and their relationship to him. There was much I did not know about him

Have you listened to any of Ray Porter’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but he did a great job.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Three were many moments. His actions were like the biographer says brilliant
but sometimes offensive.

Any additional comments?

The book was better than I expected.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
A Murder of Quality: A George Smiley Novel

UNABRIDGED
- by John le Carre
- Narrated by Michael Jayston
A Murder of Quality: A George Smiley Novel

UNABRIDGED (4 hrs and 44 mins)

By John le Carre

Narrated By Michael Jayston

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(57)
Performance
(46)
Story
(46)

Miss Ailsa Brimley is in a quandary. She's received a peculiar letter from Mrs. Stella Rode, saying that she fears her husband - an assistant master at Carne School - is trying to kill her. Reluctant to go to the police, Miss Brimley calls upon her old wartime colleague, George Smiley. Unfortunately, it's too late. Mrs. Rode has just been murdered. As Smiley takes up the investigation, he realizes that in life - as in espionage—nothing is quite what it appears.
Darwin8u says: "Short break from le Carre's brilliant spy œuvre"
"Quality Mystery"

Overall
Performance
Story

Where does A Murder of Quality rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is one of the best mysteries I have read. The writing is excellent and the characters are different. The clues are clear but not obvious.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Had to read in one sitting to discover the murderer.

Have you listened to any of Michael Jayston’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the first time so I cant compare , but I thought he did a good job.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

It is a film.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Unnatural Death: A Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery, Book 3

UNABRIDGED
- by Dorothy L. Sayers
- Narrated by Ian Carmichael
Unnatural Death: A Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery, Book 3

UNABRIDGED (7 hrs and 48 mins)

By Dorothy L. Sayers

Narrated By Ian Carmichael

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(55)
Performance
(52)
Story
(49)

The wealthy Agatha Dawson is dead and there are no apparent signs of foul play. Lord Peter Wimsey, however, senses that something is amiss and he refuses to let the case rest - even without any clues or leads. Suddenly, he is faced with another murder - Agatha's maid. Can super-sleuth Wimsey find the murderer and solve the case before he becomes the killer's next victim?
Jerri says: "Classic Mystery read by fantastic narrator!!"
"Great Mystery"

Overall
Performance
Story

What does Ian Carmichael bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is more engaging and he understands the characters perfectly.

Any additional comments?

Sayers characters are more lively and her writing style is more sophisticated than most mystery writers. Her plots are dated but more original , and I love learning about the British.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Breakfast of Champions

UNABRIDGED
- by Kurt Vonnegut
- Narrated by Stanley Tucci
Breakfast of Champions

UNABRIDGED (5 hrs and 29 mins)

By Kurt Vonnegut

Narrated By Stanley Tucci

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(461)
Performance
(120)
Story
(123)

Breakfast of Champions is vintage Vonnegut. One of his favorite characters, aging writer Kilgore Trout, finds to his horror that a Midwest car dealer is taking his fiction as truth. The result is murderously funny satire as Vonnegut looks at war, sex, racism, success, politics, and pollution in America and reminds us how to see the truth.
Glenn says: "My favorite Vonnegut book"
"Comic Relief"

Overall
Performance
Story

Would you consider the audio edition of Breakfast of Champions to be better than the print version?

A very difficult read for me,
but it was worth it. Made me question just why I was laughing so hard in parts. I guess it made me aware again of all the usual problems of society , but he does it in an unusual and original way. Sorry I missed this one when it first came out.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Hothouse Orchid

UNABRIDGED
- by Stuart Woods
- Narrated by Carrington MacDuffie
Hothouse Orchid

UNABRIDGED (7 hrs and 38 mins)

By Stuart Woods

Narrated By Carrington MacDuffie

Overall
(94)
Performance
(28)
Story
(30)

After Special Agent Holly Barker lets international terrorist Teddy Fay slip through her fingers for a second time, the CIA thinks she might want a long vacation, at least until Teddy is captured and the bad publicity has blown over. So Holly returns to her hometown of Orchid Beach, Florida, where she had been police chief for many years. But a very unpleasant surprise awaits her.
David Laird says: "Not Hot Orchid"
"Disappointing"

Overall
Performance
Story

What was most disappointing about Stuart Woods’s story?

The action is unbelievable, and I know more interesting characters in real life. The plot has holes, but it is still more entertaining than T.V.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
The Detox Strategy: Vibrant Health in 5 Easy Steps

UNABRIDGED
- by Brenda Watson , Leonard Smith
- Narrated by Susan Ericksen
The Detox Strategy: Vibrant Health in 5 Easy Steps

UNABRIDGED (10 hrs and 59 mins)

By Brenda Watson, Leonard Smith

Narrated By Susan Ericksen

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(13)
Performance
(3)
Story
(1)

Regardless of where and how you live, your body is harboring dozens if not hundreds of toxins that could be sabotaging your health. Low on energy? Dealing with chronic illness? Having trouble losing weight? Toxins might be to blame. From your mattress to your toothpaste to your nonstick pans to the food you eat and the (bottled) water you drink - every day your body is bombarded with chemicals that can alter the way your body works.
Michelle says: "The Detox Strategy"
"infomercial"

Overall
Performance
Story

Informative, but with an agenda to sell products. In addition, it would be more credible written by a doctor.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful