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  • The Diggers Rest Hotel

  • Charlie Berlin, Book 1
  • By: Geoffrey McGeachin
  • Narrated by: Peter Byrne
  • Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (787 ratings)

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The Diggers Rest Hotel

By: Geoffrey McGeachin
Narrated by: Peter Byrne
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Editorial reviews

After World War II, young police detective Charlie Berlin fights off post-traumatic stress disorder. While on a murder investigation, he stops at the Diggers Rest Hotel. The body of a young girl appears in the back alley, and Berlin must tear apart this small-town world to get to the bottom of this heinous crime. Australian actor Peter Byrne embodies this tough but self-doubting detective. His serious tone suits postwar Australian themes. Fans of this engaging audiobook will be glad to know that it is the first of the Charlie Berlin mysteries.

Publisher's summary

In 1947, two years after witnessing the death of a young Jewish woman in Poland, Charlie Berlin has rejoined the police force a different man. Sent to investigate a spate of robberies in rural Victoria, he soon discovers that World War II has changed even the most ordinary of places and people. When Berlin travels to Albury-Wodonga to track down the gang behind the robberies, he suspects he's a problem cop being set up to fail.

Taking a room at the Diggers Rest Hotel in Wodonga, he sets about solving a case that no one else can - with the help of feisty, ambitious journalist Rebecca Green and rookie constable Rob Roberts, the only cop in town he can trust. Then the decapitated body of a young girl turns up in a back alley, and Berlin's investigations lead him ever further through layers of small-town fears, secrets and despair.The first Charlie Berlin mystery takes us into a world of secret alliances and loyalties - and a society dealing with the effects of a war that changed men forever.

©2010 Geoffrey McGeachin (P)2010 Bolinda Publishing

What listeners say about The Diggers Rest Hotel

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Australian Who Done It - set in 1947

What did you love best about The Diggers Rest Hotel?

Two years after witnessing the death of a young Jewish woman in Poland, Charlie Berlin rejoined the police force a different man. PTSD has him swimming in whiskey and he's n the ropes with his boss. Sent to investigate a spate of robberies in rural Victoria, he soon discovers that World War II has changed even the most ordinary of places and people.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed the relationship between Charlie and Rebecca. And Geoff's humor.

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

A strong Oz accent - LOL! Peter's voice and accent breath life into the tale from down under/

If you could rename The Diggers Rest Hotel, what would you call it?

Murder Motel

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Australian mystery circa late 1940's

Very interesting story and well performed. Looking forward to listening to more books by the author.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Very Australian

An engrossing and entertaining Aussie thilller and detective story whitch was strangely satisfying. Sort of an adult Biggles book.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good Book!

Charlie Berlin is a burned out veteran of WW2 with PTSD and a drinking problem. He is also a great cop! Sent on a special mission to investigate a series of armed robberies in a neighboring district he finds himself in the middle of a strange situation and has few people to trust. Obviously he solves the crime and gets the girl - he is the main character after all. Along the way he has some great adventures and we learn a lot about his inner thoughts and gain insight into the trauma of war. Well done and well narrated. I would have left out the one sex scene though. It was not necessary to further the story and was not very believable anyway. Would have given 5 stars without it.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

decent read

Enjoyed the story but had a very anti climactic ending. Great characters. I will continue reading this series.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Slow and methodical

Excellently written with a superb narrator. Only wish the story had another chapter or two so we can discover how the lead characters personally wound up -- together and career-wise.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Well done

This is a very credible story and characterization for the setting. While the language and attitudes might seem unpalatable now, this is true to the way things were after the war.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Couldn't finish it

I listened for about 2 hours before requesting a return so I feel I gave it a fair shot. This story just didn't grip me. Also, the narrator doesn't come across as a storyteller, more like a movie announcer. He was good, just not the right fit for this story in my opinion.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Like a made-for- TV movie.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Originality

Which scene was your favorite?

None

Any additional comments?

Plot was weak; characters flat; themes are tired, worn out, and could have been written with more skill.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

F bombs, Lord's name in vain, etc

Detailed sex scenes and loads of cursing. Really wanted to know what happens, but the sex scene was too much. May be a good book, but I couldn't finish it.

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