April's Fool

A Sam Cable Mystery, Book 1

By: Scott Bell

Narrated by: J. Scott Bennett

Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

When Sam Cable, Texas Ranger, is assigned to protect a volatile and controversial candidate for US Senate, April Marie Fortney, his life is turned into a daily dose of hell on toast. Just when he thought the situation couldn’t get worse, he wakes up next to her dead body...with no memory of how he got there.

The investigation focuses on Cable, highlighting him as the newest poster boy for an intense debate on racial relations. Racing against an impending indictment, he digs through a web of conflicting motives, politically-driven ambitions, and the past of the murdered woman, desperately seeking the truth before time runs out.

His only ally is feisty FBI agent Rita Goldman, whose sense of justice is as profound as her lack of field experience. Cable doesn’t know if the rookie agent will help prove his innocence or be the one to bury him.

©2019 Scott Bell (P)2019 Scott Bell

Fun!

I need constant new books for my commute to work, and I tend to rate them on whether or not I am looking forward to my commute because I want to listen to my book. The only word for this book is Fun! It was a fun story and fun to listen to; light and kept me engaged. And yes, I definitely was looking forward to my commute home to get more time with this story! Getting the next 2 books in the series was a definite Yes!

The narrator does a good job with the likable, good ole boy voice of Sam Cable. But did he have to make Rita Goldman such a horrific shrew??? I thought she was going to be the "bad guy" with how evil her voice sounds. It made it hard to like her with the awful voice the narrator spoke her lines with.

Entertaining

Good listen and fun story with some decent twists. Liked the “chemistry” between the ranger and the FBI protagonist. Great narration!

Edgy and Enjoyable

Sam Cable, Texas Ranger, is working security for US Senate Candidate, April Fortney. When he wakes up in her room, naked; finds her dead; and has no recollection of why he’s there or what happened, he knows he’s in trouble. It isn’t long before he’s fighting for his freedom with the help of his brother, friends, and an unlikely FBI agent. They’re up against some tough people, busily avoiding being tailed and ducking flying bullets.

This was an enjoyable mystery to listen to. It’s a bit of a police procedural, but mostly, it’s a look into Sam Cable’s life. The story takes you along on the ride to determine if Cable is as good as he seems.

The narrator was perfect for the story, and he’s very easy to listen to. He managed to get all the accents right, and it was always easy to tell which character was speaking. He did a great job with the female FBI agent, going back and forth between her “professional” voice and her New York accent. He truly brought the characters to life. I hope I have the chance to listen to the next book in this series. I’d love to know if that FBI agent makes another appearance.

I will add a warning: this book has racial overtones. April Fortney was a black woman. Her husband takes her death as an opportunity to rile up racial discord as he steps into her candidate shoes. There are other instances of racial abhorrence concerning blacks, whites, Hispanics, and Jews. If this bothers you, you might want to find a different book to listen to/read. To me, it seemed fitting for the world we’re presently living in and made the story more realistic.

I received a free Audible copy of this book from the narrator. While I thank him for his generosity, it had no effect on my review. All opinions in this review express my true and honest reactions to this audio book.

Intriguing and Funny Murder Mystery

I received this book for free. I am voluntarily leaving this review and all opinions expressed herein are mine.

This is the first book in the Sam Cable Mystery series. Sam is a Texas Ranger who is assigned to guard a Judge running for a Senate seat. Their relationship is not great but Sam is dedicated to his job. One day, Sam wakes up naked in a hotel room and lying next to him is the body of the Judge. He has no memory of how he ended up in the Judge's hotel room or how she ended up getting murdered. What's worse - the FBI are pounding on the hotel room door - how can Sam explain this?

This was a mystery which grabs you from the very beginning and doesn't let go - it's chock full of action, red herrings and some good humor. Sam is a well developed main character and his interactions with his brother Matt are realistic and warm - as the best ribbing is from those who know you best. Every chapter begins with a quote to set the tone - which I enjoyed. I'm am looking forward to more of Sam's adventures.

The narrator, J. Scott Bennett, did a great job. He completely embodied the character of Sam. I have become a great fan.

Very good!

I received a bonus code for an honest review. Excellent story line read by a skilled narrator. I started listening while walking my dog and kept listening every opportunity I had. Will be looking for another in the series.

April's Fool

I liked the characters in this book and their relationships. Even after I finished listening to the book I was still thinking about the story . All in all I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read something fast paced.

Good detective story

This story has an interesting start, but is more a detective story (mystery) than a thriller.
It's mostly from the point of view of the ranger that gets framed for murdering the black judge woman he was suppose to be protecting, but there are some parts with the female FBI detective that decides to help him.
The detective story is very well mounted, and we try to find more clues with barely any leads.
The biggest handicap for me was the narrator. Though he is pretty good, he fails with the females voices. A point to improve.

Great Mystery

Absolutely loved the narrator. He did an amazing job with each of the characters. This was an amazing story had me on edge the entire time.

Funny murder mystery - Texas Ranger style

What a funny, rollicking crime thriller! This is the first in a series by Scott Bell, and I listened to the audio format of the book. Be warned though, it is liberally sprinkled with F-bombs and other swearing. If you're put off by that you may want to avoid this book.

The story opens with our main character, Sam Cable - Texas Ranger coming out of a drug induced blackout laying naked next to the dead body of the a female Senatorial candidate that he was meant to be guarding. The scene, even though it involved a dead body, was with written with a lot of tongue in cheek humor. From there the story line rockets off. The sly (and not so sly) humor continues throughout the book.

This is jam packed with action, and moves at a quick pace. I loved the interactions with Sam and his older brother, Matt.

The narration was outstanding. The only thing that bugged me a little was that the female lead came from the New York City area. Her accent for the most part seemed more Irish than New Yorker -- her voice was the one I liked the least. But for the plethora of characters presented in the book, overall the narration was great.

"Thanks" to the narrator, J Scott Bennett, for the free Audible credit in exchange for an honest review of this audio book.

Very very good

This was a very very good listen. It has a great combination of mystery, murder, suspense and drama. The narrator does a great job of bringing each character to life.