shopper from Playa del Rey

I used all my credits for the month and now I'm chomping at the bit to read the 4th book in this series. I was not familiar with this author before starting the series, and I consider his books almost the best find of this year. If he is a new author, I can't help but wonder what he has been doing! The characterization in each of the books is outstanding. The reader forms a relationship with each character, no matter what the length of time said character is in the story. There is violence, bad violence, and parts that can turn a weak stomach, but the violence is appropriate for the time period. Mr. McCammon gives us an in-depth look at New York city as it is growing in the 1700's, still under England's rule.
One quality I most like about this and all the other books in the series is all the little mysteries in the big mystery, all interwoven in a way that kept me rivoted.

I found myself comparing the author to two very different authors: Ariana Franklin and Nelson DeMille! He appears to have Ms. Franklin's ability to weave a tale set in a long gone time period and make the reader see that time period. He definitely has Mr. DeMilles ability to keep the reader on the edge of his/her seat, sometimes feeling empathy for the "bad" guys, but eargerly awaiting the triumph of Matthew Corbett (the main protagonist)!

The narration was top notch. I was not familiar with this narrator before, but I will be looking out for other books narrated by him. His ability to give voice to the many characters is outstanding and ensures the reader "sees" the characters.

I cannot say enough about this author, well, except I do wish Audible would lower the price of his books!

I am an optimist, so when a book appears to be a total whiny waste of my time, I will usually give it atleast a couple more chapters. Because this was Mary Balogh, one of my all-time favorites, I kept listening up to half way through the second part. I finally had to give up. This IS NOT a typical MB book, I should know, my library is full of her books. I kept thinking some one at Audible must have made a mistake. The story line is really stupid, and OMG the 2 main proagonist are hurtful to even listen to! Don't wast your credit!

This book read like a bad B movie. This was a first for me with any KF book, so I had to ask myself if it is possible it was the narrator. The narration felt false and made the book sound rather hoaky.

I must give the narrator his due though, he did the accents exceptionally well.

I have loved all of Kate Morton's books. Initially, this one didn't hold my attention, but because I'd enjoyed all of her prev books I kept listening. I am so very happy I did. Ms. Morton is a master of telling a story within a story. I admit to having great admiration for an author that can sucessfully tell 2 stories, especially when one of the stories is in the past and a protaganist in the now is trying to solve a mystery from the past. This books had some wonderful twists and turns that kept me guessing almost to the end. I didn't always like all of the characters in this book, but felt driven to find out what happened to them. This is a wonderful listen that will keep you engaged! The narrator was ok, her voice was a little too high for my ears, but she did give each character their own distinc voice, and I always like it when a narrator can do that.

The author states at the beginning of this story that if this is your first book by him, read something else first. I agree. The story was engaging, but I had pretty much guessed what the "problem" was half-way through the story. But, if this was his first book, I am impressed with his ability, even then, to keep the reader engaged until the end. I have loved his books since I was first introduced to them and look forward to reading MANY MORE!

I probably would not have finished this book had it not been for the wonderful narration. I downloaded this book and another in the series and literally could not finish the other because it was too hoaky. Now, when someone say's a romance novel is hoaky, that is BAD!

This is my first book narrated by Vanessa Hart. She has a voice very similar to one of my all time favorite narrators, Barbara Rosenblat, only more haunting. I don't remember what the story was about, but I do still hear her voice in my ears.

I was quite excited when I read that this author had won the same award the author of the "Girl With The Dragon Tatoo" series had won. The characters are interesting, and the main story line is good, it has all the elements of character development, mystery, and suspense. That is why I rated it a 3.

Unfortunately, there were so many story lines I found myself zoning out quite frequently, and not having the desire to reverse to see what I'd missed. I love books with multiple story lines, and authors like Elizabeth George and Ruth Rendell, seem to have a talent for tying the story lines together throughout the book just enough to build ones curiosity. This book did not. I felt there were so many story lines the author was trying to pack in that the entire story felt too disjointed.

I listen to many books set in England, Ireland, and Scotland, so I am probably not a good judge of how well the narrator performed the Danish accent, but there were a few times when I felt like he was "falling" into more of a southern United States accent! It was quite disconcerting.

Initially, I thought this book would not be as good as Ms. French's previous books. I was wrong! As the story unraveled I found myself being caught up not only in the mystery, but also the complex personalities, and backgrounds of the characters. There were some unexpected twists, and not all of them twists I necessarily wanted, probably because I like everything to come out alright in the end. This book reveals the complex workings of some peoples minds in a way that left me uncomfortable at times, but thoroughly engrossed also.

This is one of those "stay with you" novels.

When I read one reviewer say "move over Elizabeth George and Ruth Rendell", I immediately got this book. Those two are my absolute favorite authors, ever. Ms. Hill writes ok, the story was engaging, but did not pick up until close to the end, and then all in a rush. What disappointed me the most was when the killer suddenly made a VERY STUPID mistake, a mistake that made him suspect. I would have preferred it to have been much more subtle, something requiring the police (and I guess the author also...) to think.

Would I read another book by SH? Yes, if I were in the mood for a British police procedural.

I remember reading EH's books as a woman in my 20's. They all hinted at desire and passion, but were cloaked in innuendoes. Not this series. I was so excited to see this last installment of the series! The first 4 books had all the intrigue and passion I love in a good historical romance novel. This book had an interesting twist, in that it is the man who is the "innocent". The characters are very interesting, and the mystery surrounding the missing children is slowly built in a manner that had me sitting on the edge of my seat with anticipation of what would happen next. Reading the first books in the series is not a must, but does give a lot of insight into the male protaganist's persona. And the chapter beginnings telling tales of "The Ghost of St. Giles" is a stroke of real genius. If you like historical romances with lots of mystery, intrigue and hot, hot, hot desire, I cannot recommend this series enough.

Also, Ms. McNab, while not quite in Ann Floxniks league, does a very good portrayal of the different voices of the characters.