Medicine for the Dead

The Ulrich Files, Book 2

By: Ambrose Ibsen

Narrated by: Jake Urry

Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

The Spirits of Exeter House are Restless

Facing tough times, private investigator Harlan Ulrich takes a job looking after a historic downtown building as a favor to an old acquaintance who's out on business. Settling into the elegant Exeter House for a week-long stay, Ulrich's apartment is beautifully furnished and situated on the top floor, giving him a great view of the city. At first, he thinks it a wonderful opportunity. He's got plenty of coffee, good books to read and the whole building to himself.

At least, that's what he's been told.

It turns out there are others there, in the seemingly empty building. Dark entities that lurk in its shadowed corners.

During his first night, strange things begin to occur. As he makes his nightly rounds, ensuring that the old building is free of intruders, Ulrich finds the place transformed. By day, Exeter House is a treasured local institution. By night, it crawls with the frightening souls of the hateful dead. Tormented nightly by a number of mysterious specters, it's all the investigator can do to hold onto his sanity.

Can Harlan Ulrich tap into the building's dreadful past and quell the spirits that walk its halls, or will he lose his mind trying? Join him as he seeks answers in Medicine for the Dead, a full-length novel of supernatural terror and suspense.

Medicine for the Dead is the second book in the Ulrich Files series by Ambrose Ibsen.

©2016 Ambrose Ibsen (P)2016 Ambrose Ibsen

Suspenseful mystery with the supernatural

I had previous read The Sick House which I enjoyed .Ulrich is an interesting coffee addict and persistent investigator that has to find the truth and kind of a softy. I loved the ghosts and the cat with a lot of twists and turns. Recommend the series to anyone who loves creepy ghosts and mysteries. This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom. Thank you!

second time around

this is the second time I've listened to this book. just as good as the first time.a good ghost story. I also liked the ending.

Another Awesome Collaboration

Great story from the wonderful wordsmith Ambrose Ibsen and great narration by the man with the perfect voice for horror, suspense and thriller novels, Jake Urry. I highly recommend the series. This is the second book but each story stands on its own.

Kudos to Ambrose!!

I truly enjoy your books! I'm hooked on titles featuring the same lead characters. It's rather like dropping by a friends' house to find what he's been up to.
Great story and thank you SO much for keeping the cat!! I think you two needed each other.

Great Paranormal Ghost Story -Kept me glued!

If you could sum up Medicine for the Dead in three words, what would they be?

Scary Suspenseful Intense

What other book might you compare Medicine for the Dead to and why?

The first part of the series. Both books are great!

Which scene was your favorite?

Loved the narrator Jack Urry. He was amazing as usual!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I finished it pretty fast, and I could have read it easily in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

"I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom."

Medicine For The Dead

This was a fun edge of your seat story. As the story unfolds it get more intense like any good thriller. Jake Urry does a fantastic job with the narration and creepy factor.

Wicked Good!

This book was a great read, suspenseful and the reader added mystery. Would recommend to horror fans.

You can really feel the fear

Any additional comments?

The narrator does an excellent job of conveying fear. I like this book was better than the last. I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom for my unbiased review.

I loved the main character!

Medicine for the Dead was an interesting listen. Taking place in Toledo, Ohio, it tells of a private investigator who is 'house-sitting' the renovated historical building for a week. Pretty much as soon as he moves in, things start to happen. It becomes obvious that even though the Exeter House is fine during the day, at night the ghosts come out to play. Left with no other choice, because the police think he's crazy, Harlan Ulrich decides to try to find a way to soothe the spirits. It's as much for his sanity and safety as anything. Unfortunately, there's literally no one he can turn to for help. Even the bartender who has set up shop in the first floor bar would rather accuse him of being a drunk than believe a word he says.That's all pretty normal/expected, right?

Here's the kicker about Medicine for the Dead, and the part that really kept me listening: Harlan Ulrich is one of the most atypical private detectives I've ever read about. He's a complete teetotaler. Has a coffee addiction that is so bad it contributes to him getting evicted from his apartment. He has money problems, like many do, but it's not from gambling or blackmail or anything like that. Instead it's related to something else. Also, I know they say 'courage is doing something even though you're afraid', so technically Harlan is very brave. Technically. Really, though, dude is such a huge scaredy-cat that he quakes in his boots when confronted with the entities at Exeter House. He gulps, shakes, and outright just runs away from things. It had me cracking up because, let's face it, it's a lot more believable than the macho man "I ain't afraid of nuthin'" behavior that so many male characters in these types of books have.

The story moves moves quickly. The Kindle edition is only 139 pages long. The audio book version is about 5 and 1/2 hours long. Jake Urry has a distinctive voice with a naturally pleasing accent. His is one of the few voices I've heard where I can substantially speed up the playback of the audio book without grossly affecting the quality of his voice. I listened to most of Medicine for the Dead at 1.55x speed on Audible. Each of his characters were given distinct voices, and he was good at communicating the nervousness that Harlan frequently felt.

Overall, Medicine for the Dead made my car rides back and forth to work quite pleasing over the course of a week. I'll happily be listening to more of Jake Urry in the future, and wouldn't be adverse to picking up another book in the Ulrich Files.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book free from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.

Harlan is a grumpy old codger!

What made the experience of listening to Medicine for the Dead the most enjoyable?

Yet again I must compliment Jake Urry on the narration, without a doubt he brings the whole tale and situation to life. An exceptionally gifted story-teller with an addictive voice.

What did you like best about this story?

While I enjoyed book one this part captured my imagination on a different level, almost as though Harlan has matured in his role. I now have the pleasure of book three, Darkside Blues.

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

Atmosphere, tension, charisma. Experience the hairs on the back of your neck rising just by listening to him.

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

Now Harlan is a grumpy old codger but I’m learning to like his quirky ways. Intent on being alone he wasn’t too impressed to find he would be sharing the living space with a CAT .. Sparkles met his match in Harlan but eventually a truce is called, this demonstrated a softer side in Harlan and was the turning point for my growing affection.

Any additional comments?

This time he accepts a week long lease in an apartment in return for ‘house sitting’ the majestic Exeter House. All is well by day, he mooches around content so long as he has his coffee, something to read and peace and quiet. As night looms things take on a more sinister feel in the house and that’s when the story livens up. It gets creepy, eerie and tension mounts. Can Harlan defeat the evilness that plagues his mind. Yet again I’m tormented by rats, they tend to appear in these books!My thanks to the author for creating a captivating story and thanks to Jess at An Audiobookworm for the copy which I reviewed voluntarily.