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Librarian

Retired "Okie" librarian & happy to have found Audible for good stories & staying in touch with new authors & books.

OK, USA

ratings
93
REVIEWS
43
FOLLOWING
5
FOLLOWERS
5
HELPFUL VOTES
11

  • Death of a Chimney Sweep

    • UNABRIDGED (5 hrs and 37 mins)
    • By M. C. Beaton
    • Narrated By Graeme Malcolm
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (252)
    Performance
    (159)
    Story
    (157)

    In the isolated villages in the north of Scotland, the villagers rely on the services of the chimney sweep, Pete Ray, and his old-fashioned brushes. Pete is always able to find work in the Scottish highlands, until the day that Police Constable Hamish Macbeth notices blood dripping onto the floor of a villager's fireplace, and a dead body stuffed inside the chimney. The entire town of Lochdubh is certain Pete is the culprit, but Hamish doesn't believe that the affable chimney sweep is capable of committing murder.

    Susan says: "Hamish, Anderson and Blair -- As Usual"
    "A clean & easy murder mystery with local color."
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you listen to Death of a Chimney Sweep again? Why?

    Yes, after awhile I may listen again. It is only 5 hours, pleasant narrator voice, & set in the Scottish Highlands.


    What did you like best about this story?

    It was a good story told without gore or heavy sex. It is set in one of my favorite regions (Scottish Highlands) & peopled with clever villagers & Police Constable Hamish Macbeth.


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

    Malcolm is a great voice for Hamish Macbeth and manages the different accents and genders as a pro.


    Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

    In several places I did laugh out loud. The book evokes pleasant memories of traveling in Scotland.


    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • The Beach House

    • UNABRIDGED (6 hrs and 57 mins)
    • By James Patterson, Peter de Jonge
    • Narrated By Gil Bellows
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (985)
    Performance
    (133)
    Story
    (136)

    Patterson's latest is "a slick, vastly enjoyable thriller." Jack Mullen's relentless crusade to discover the truth behind his younger brother's death puts him into a head-on collision with one of the most powerful and ruthless men in New York. As it unfolds that his brother was involved with some of the richest women and men in America - in ways Jack never imagined - his dream of justice fades. Only if he can somehow beat the rich at their own game will he be able to avenge his brother.

    Barbara says: "Adventure and excitment"
    "A light, sex filled Beach read/listen."
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    I did not return the book, it wasn't that bad. The story is predicable and comfortable in the way an episode of a favorite TV series is enjoyable even though one is familiar with the formula. In the descriptions of sexual scenes it is a little more explicit than I prefer but one knows it is expected in Patterson's books and is there to sell.

    The book's theme seems to exemplify the axiom that "pretty is as pretty does". Patterson in The Beach House discribes life between locals and visitors in the Hamptons as what's pretty on the outside is not necessarily pretty on the inside. To keep all the characters straight it is good to have a good narrator and Gil Bellows fits the bill.

    It is not a waste of a credit as long as your expectations are appropriately low.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Hypnotist

    • UNABRIDGED (17 hrs and 28 mins)
    • By Lars Kepler
    • Narrated By Mark Bramhall
    Overall
    (359)
    Performance
    (263)
    Story
    (259)

    Tumba, Sweden. A triple homicide—all the victims from the same family—captivates Detective Inspector Joona Linna. The killer is at large, and it appears that the elder sister of the family escaped the carnage; it seems only a matter of time until she, too, is murdered. But where can Linna begin? The only surviving witness is the boy whose mother, father, and little sister were killed before his eyes. He has suffered more than 100 knife wounds and lapsed into a state of shock. He’s in no condition to be questioned....

    Watson says: "Suspense for suspense's sake"
    "A Too Dark, Too Graphic, Swedish murder mystery!"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    Hailed by reviewers as the like of Larsson, Nesbo, and Mankel, I found Kepler much more graphic, explicit, and depressing in Scandinavia setting & Nordic dark irrational crime. Scenes are described in matter-of-fact phrases even when describing horrific mayhem, child abuse, incest, graphic sex, and adultery. I found the descriptions too disturbing.

    The story is a complex plot shifting from 3rd to 1st person narration and forward and backward in time. The narrator Bramhall helps keep the number of characters straight and is a good voice for Keplar's book.

    The violence and details are too much for me. I prefer buying another Jussi Adler-Olsen mystery.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Devil's Edge

    • UNABRIDGED (10 hrs and 21 mins)
    • By Stephen Booth
    • Narrated By Mike Rogers
    Overall
    (20)
    Performance
    (14)
    Story
    (17)

    The newspapers call them the Savages: a band of home invaders as merciless as they are stealthy. Usually they don't leave a clue. This time, they've left a body.The first victim is found sprawled on her kitchen floor, blood soaking the terracotta tiles. Before long, another corpse is discovered, dead of fright. As the toll rises, it's up to DC Ben Cooper and DS Diane Fry to track down the killers.

    Tracey says: "A modern English Cozy"
    "Amazing "Peak District" atmosphere to murder."
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    Beautiful descriptions of the English "Peak District" and village life are a major part of the story. I enjoyed Booth's handling of the police procedural side, police inter-office relations, and personal village life. The search for the murder/s is step by step interesting and not a "hard-boiled" gritty murder mystery that makes me depressed after reading. I want to listen to more of Booth's books.

    Roger's narration is great for the story. His voices are not distracting but distinctive to the characters and easy to listen to for the duration.

    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • The Likeness

    • UNABRIDGED (22 hrs and 30 mins)
    • By Tana French
    • Narrated By Heather O'Neill
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (2079)
    Performance
    (1049)
    Story
    (1055)

    Tana French's debut, In the Woods, hit the New York Times best-seller list and drew rave reviews from the Times (London) and Booklist. Picking up six months later, this riveting sequel finds Detective Cassie Maddox still scarred by her last case. When her boyfriend calls her to a chilling murder scene, Cassie is forced to face her inner demons. A young woman has been found stabbed to death outside Dublin, and the victim looks just like Cassie.

    Michael says: "Really on a Different Level"
    "The Irish mystery gets more psychological."
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    Well written and imaginative with excellent narration. The story slows a bit with psychological introspection but everything has a purpose. I loved listening to the Irish accent and O'Neill has an enchanting singing voice. It is a good continuation of the Cassie character from "In the Woods", but I don't believe it necessary to have read "In the Woods" prior to reading "The Likeness". It is a good, strong GP story.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Death in Holy Orders

    • UNABRIDGED (12 hrs)
    • By P.D. James
    • Narrated By Charles Keating
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (464)
    Performance
    (71)
    Story
    (71)

    Atop a sweep of low cliffs stands the small theological college of St. Anselm's. Not far away, smothered beneath a fall of sand, lies the body of one of the school's young ordinands. When Commander Adam Dalgliesh is called to investigate the death, the college is torn apart by another death, a sacrilegious and horrifying murder.

    Jack says: "Outstanding"
    "The business of murder even in a religious school."
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    “Typically James, an excellently written novel and classic mystery. Good description of scenes so the reader knows exactly where they are and what is happening. No sidetracking into romantic or sexual situations, James is all about the mystery and the characters. Keating is an exceptional narrator with all the characters to distinguish he does a great job.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Fear in the Forest: A Crowner John Mystery, Book 7

    • UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 46 mins)
    • By Bernard Knight
    • Narrated By Paul Matthews
    Overall
    (10)
    Performance
    (9)
    Story
    (9)

    June 1195: A tall, brown mare gallops into the sleepy village of Sigford, its rider dragged by the stirrup, the broken shaft of an arrow protruding from his back. The embroidered badge on the dead man's tunic identifies him as a senior officer of the Royal Forest. But with plenty of money still in the victim's purse, the motive is a mystery. When a second forest officer is violently attacked, County Coroner Sir John de Wolfe begins to uncover evidence of a sinister conspiracy. And why is his unscrupulous brother-in-law, the sheriff Sir Richard de Revelle, taking such an interest in the case?

    Librarian says: "Medieval swashbuckling, lots historical details!"
    "Medieval swashbuckling, lots historical details!"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    "Fear in the Forest", is actually #7 in this series but the1st one I read. I had no trouble on this account to catch-up with the story. I like history which there is good detail of 1195 English history: absence of King Richard I, drip down politics of loyalties between King Richard and his brother John, outlaws and nuns, lifestyles of the not so rich nor so famous. A good book.

    I marked down the story to 3 stars only because of the story. It is good, but not suspenseful. I did like the scene of the big fight in the forest. Knight is a coroner in this century and uses his obvious love of science and history to write an accurate story. The narration is perfect. It would rate a movie "G" as it only implies bawdiness of the Medieval Ages.

    I will buy another Knight book, "The Witch Hunter" is the next in the Crowner John series. And I will listen to it when I am in a history mood.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Last Judgement: An Art History Mystery

    • UNABRIDGED (7 hrs and 13 mins)
    • By Iain Pears
    • Narrated By Geoffrey Howard
    Overall
    (46)
    Performance
    (19)
    Story
    (19)

    In an exchange of favors with an art dealer colleague, Jonathan Argyll unluckily offers to transport a painting from Paris back to Rome. It seems routine work, and Jonathan gets to meet his girlfriend, Flavia, who works for Rome's Art Theft Squad. But when a would-be thief tries to take the painting at the train station, and the art dealer seems less interested in his purchase once he sees it, Jonathan wonders why, as events unfold, someone is willing to kill for it.

    Cookiesworld says: "Another Winner"
    "Listen, enjoy, and learn!"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    If you could sum up The Last Judgement in three words, what would they be?

    Art, betrayal, and murder.


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

    Not exactly on the edge, but I did want to keep on listening to all the action.


    Which scene was your favorite?

    In Paris, when Flavia comes back from a night out and describes her adventures. It is comic.


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

    Difficult to say but I think there is an element of a "bait and switch" to the story. So maybe that would be the tag line. If a movie, it would definitely be rated G for General audiences. This book reminds me of the Cary Grant movie "Charade" in its feel and tone.


    Any additional comments?

    This is the second Pears book I have listened to and throughly enjoyed his humor and cleverness in dealing with some serious subjects. I have learned something from every Pears art mystery book with that "spoonful of sugar" he uses in his writing. Howard is a great narrator for these books as he sounds so academic and authoritarian when that is the last way I picture the character Argyll.

    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • Believing the Lie: An Inspector Lynley Novel

    • UNABRIDGED (23 hrs and 8 mins)
    • By Elizabeth George
    • Narrated By Davina Porter
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (331)
    Performance
    (259)
    Story
    (250)

    Inspector Thomas Lynley is mystified when he's sent undercover to investigate the death of Ian Cresswell at the request of the man's uncle, the wealthy and influential Bernard Fairclough. The death has been ruled an accidental drowning, and nothing on the surface indicates otherwise. But when Lynley enlists the help of his friends Simon and Deborah St. James, the trio's digging soon reveals that the Fairclough clan is awash in secrets, lies, and motives.

    Joanne says: "Not Elizabeth George's best..."
    "A shock and disappointment,"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you try another book from Elizabeth George and/or Davina Porter?

    Doubtful. If I do buy another Elizabeth George audiobook/book, it would only be after a complete research into the plot.


    What do you think your next listen will be?

    A cosy mystery.


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

    She is very professional and does a good job separating the characters by voice.


    You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

    No. Only If abridged so that the strong foul language and sexual story bits are eliminated then it might have a murder mystery plot. .


    Any additional comments?

    None of the reviews nor the story summary I read prepared me or warned me of the explicit adult subjects in the book: homosexuality, transsexuals, adultery, and child pornography.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Good Thief's Guide to Paris: A Mystery

    • UNABRIDGED (8 hrs and 20 mins)
    • By Chris Ewan
    • Narrated By Simon Vance
    Overall
    (53)
    Performance
    (49)
    Story
    (48)

    Charlie Howard - globe-trotting mystery writer, professional thief, and poor decision maker - is in Paris. Flush with the success of his latest book reading, Charlie agrees to show a complete novice how to break into an apartment in the Marais. Fast-forward twenty-four hours and Charlie's hired to steal an ordinary-looking oil painting - from the exact same address. Mere coincidence? Charlie figures there's no harm in finding out - until a dead body turns up in his living room and he finds himself evading the law while becoming caught up in a quite outrageous heist.

    Judith says: "Entertaining, witty, AND a good mystery!"
    "A Fun, Fun, Fun Comic Mystery!"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you consider the audio edition of The Good Thief's Guide to Paris to be better than the print version?

    It has to be the best... with the word pictures painted by Ewan & enacted by the excellent voice of Simon Vance, nothing could have been better.


    Who was your favorite character and why?

    Charlie Howard no doubt! It was suggested he was a smooth cheeky thief like a Gary Grant character, & that's true. He is the most likable thief since Grant's "To Catch A Thief".


    Which scene was your favorite?

    Not to give anything away, but the several forays across the roof tops of Paris were most nostalgic & picturesque.


    Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

    Yes, the scenes it inspired made me laugh out loud!


    Any additional comments?

    I took a chance on spending a credit on an author unfamiliar to me but I liked the idea of the story, the reviews were good, & Vance does't do bad books!

    This is # 2 in the "Good Thief's Guide to... " series. It can stand alone on it's own merits, I chose it for the setting in Paris. It is a great comic mystery for a change from the more serious British mysteries I listen to/read. I had just finished Phil Rickman's "To Dream of the Dead" which I enjoyed but needed a well written, lighthearted, romp & this was perfect. A definite G rating like an old Cary Grant movie, worthy of a whole family listen. I have since added to my library all of the Ewan books that are on Audible.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • To Dream of the Dead

    • UNABRIDGED (15 hrs and 30 mins)
    • By Phil Rickman
    • Narrated By Emma Powell
    Overall
    (17)
    Performance
    (16)
    Story
    (15)

    Late December and the river is rising. The Herefordshire village of Ledwardine has not been flooded in living memory but in these days of climate change nothing is certain. Merrily Watkins, parish priest and diocesan exorcist, has learned that one of the incomers is an author who is a figure of hate for religious fundamentalists. Meanwhile, the Hereford police make a gruesome discovery linked to the Dinedor Serpent, a unique prehistoric monument.

    MerylB says: "More more more!"
    "A flood, a haunting, & murder all for Christmas!"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    This is a good mystery enriched with many characters & subjects but be advised & read the "Merrily Watkins" series books by Rickman in reading order. This is not what I did but wish I had. The books are not yet identified as a series on Audible. You may refer to Rickman's author's page on Amazon.com for the correct order. This was my first encounter with Rickman's books but won't be my last.

    "To Dream of the Dead" is a sign of rain & the weather is character in this book. The book is #10 in the series & is complicated with many characters & details of local history, geography, weather, & current political/social interests in England. It is beyond good fiction, it is involving. Many contrasts are involved in the plot, such as between Christianity & other beliefs like paganism & atheism and between traditional & modern police work. It is a detective, amateur sleuth (a female Anglican priest), & supernatural murder mystery. It took awhile for me to catch up to the story all the while feeling a like an outsider. I put some of my confusion down to the narration which I found at times monotone but acceptable. The effort to stay with it was worth the trouble as the story is a well written adult themed but not explicitly graphic novel.

    After finishing the book, I did some research on the author, Phil Rickman. I discovered he has quite a following. Some interesting examples of his fans' attentions are; a discussion group on yahoo, a link on his author page to a tour of places in the Merrily Watkins series, & folk music for sale & sung by a book character. All the attention may be deserved as I enjoyed the mysteries & intellectual questions posed in "To Dream of the Dead". I may start back at the first or switch to his Middle Ages series but I look forward to experiencing more of Rickman's books.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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