City of Ghosts

A Mystery in Vienna - Book One

By: Shawn Kobb

Narrated by: Will M Watt

Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Vienna. A city of history and culture, where Mozart, Freud, and Beethoven once walked the streets. For American university student Jake Meyer, it is a chance to recover from a family tragedy he left behind. Surrounded by the baroque palaces and charming squares of the city, he hopes to pull his life back together.

However, Jake quickly learns danger lurks in the most beautiful of places and his life takes a deadly turn when he provides a false alibi to an attractive fellow student seen fleeing the murder scene of her ex-boyfriend.

When secrets from a forgotten war are unearthed, the mystery and body count start to pile up at Jake's feet. With only the help of a friendly American consular officer, can Jake survive long enough to prove his innocence to the police?

A debut novel of mystery with international flair, City of Ghosts is sure to please both armchair travelers and amateur detectives.

©2015 Shawn Kobb (P)2015 Shawn Kobb

Listen and be transported to mysterious Vienna!

Would you consider the audio edition of City of Ghosts to be better than the print version?

I think the audio and print versions of this book are equally excellent!

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

The plot kept me engaged and I didn't want to pause at the end of each chapter! The mystery kept me guessing and I felt submerged in beautiful, historic Vienna.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene is when Jake first meets Anna. The author painted a beautiful scene in a Viennese cafe and set the tone for an intriguing plot. It made me want to learn more about the characters and their potential journey ahead.

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

This book made me laugh at times. The author's sense of humor comes through, but the overall storyline is more serious and gripping. Why did the main character make the decisions he did? It's like a movie you watch and yell at the TV screen for the main character not to make a bad decision, but they do anyways and you're excited to see what lies ahead.

Any additional comments?

This is a fun audiobook - a great story and a great narrator. I really enjoyed it!

Excellent performance of a very fun book!

Would you listen to City of Ghosts again? Why?

I would totally listen to this again! Will M Watt did a phenomenal job reading this story. His ability to switch between accents, attitudes, and pitches as he narrates each of the diverse cast of characters is delightful! I felt drawn into the story by Will's narration style, the little hints of attitude and humor (where appropriate) in his tone of voice, and the pictures painted by Shawn's words. I thought it was particularly brilliant that the narrator's natural accent was distinct from the accents of the characters - it made it so clear when someone was talking/thinking vs. basic narration. I enjoyed the entire listen!

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

Even though I had read the book prior to listening to the audio book, I still found myself fully engaged as I listened. In fact, I am inclined to say that I enjoyed the experience of listening to the book even more than I enjoyed reading it to myself! (and I already reviewed the book highly on its own merits on Amazon!) I enjoyed the plot (apart from the listening experience) as it had adventure, a few twists I didn't expect, and even some fun flirtation. Jake and Tess are delightful characters, and I can't wait to read more about their adventures!

Which scene was your favorite?

I know it's a cop-out to say "it's hard to choose".... but...well.... :-) It is! Since for me, this was an adventure particularly for the audio portion (having read the book to myself previously), I especially enjoyed scenes with the three roommates as I got to hear the accent bounce back and forth among the different nationalities.

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

Yes! Unfortunately, the demands of life (a.k.a. kids and work!) required me to listen in installments. I very much enjoyed both the story and the reader.

Any additional comments?

In a spirit of full disclosure, I received a copy of this audio book free in exchange for an honest review. After this experience, I am inclined to purchase the next in the series for myself if Shawn has Will narrate Tower of Fools (book 2 in the series)!

A thriller in Vienna... Yes please!

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast. This was a good book to listen to. I wasn't engaged the entire time, the narrator put me off a bit, and the story wasn't as exciting as the summary had described. Worth a listen tho! The book filled out the vastness of Vienna, and described the character nicely! Can't wait to listen to more by this author!

Enjoyable story

I enjoyed this fast paced thriller set in Vienna. The story and the characters were interesting, and I loved the descriptions of Vienna. Not overly impressed with the ending though, it just seemed too pat. I didn't care for the narrator (Will M Watt) all that much; I didn't think his accent fit the story, but he did a good job with most of the character's accents.

I received this audiobook from audiobookblast for an honest review.

Quirky

Would you consider the audio edition of City of Ghosts to be better than the print version?

I didn't read the print version but I thoroughly enjoyed the audio version.

What did you like best about this story?

It was a fun, easy to follow murder mystery. I didn't lose interest.

What about Will M Watt’s performance did you like?

The narration was wonderful. At first, I thought it was going to become annoying but I grew quite fond of the accent and distinctive character voices.

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

I'm not sure.

Any additional comments?

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.