Lust, Money & Murder

Books 1, 2, & 3

By: Mike Wells

Narrated by: Sue Sharp

Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Born in the worst suburb in Pittsburgh, Elaine Brogan is bright, beautiful and bold. When her father is falsely arrested for passing counterfeit $100 bills, Elaine vows to become a Secret Service agent and track down the man responsible. After barely surviving the arduous Secret Service Training Academy in Laurel, Maryland, she is transferred to bleak and blustery Great Falls, Montana.

But things do not go as planned, and Elaine soon finds herself betrayed and thrown into an adventure that takes her halfway around the world, from dark and mysterious Sofia, Bulgaria, to Moscow Russia, and finally, to Milan, Italy. In the end, will Elaine find the love and happiness she truly seeks…or will she turn to a life of obscene wealth, power and corruption?

©2011 Mike Wells (P)2013 Mike Wells

Enjoyed the Book and Loved the Audio

Would you listen to Lust, Money & Murder again? Why?

Yes, it's a compelling complex story with lots of nuances to follow, and I'm sure I would enjoy it even more after multiple listenings.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Lust, Money & Murder?

Wow, so many, but that would be a spoiler alert. When she finds out the man that wronged her and her father and inspired her to become an agent will never be caught by her, it changes her.

Have you listened to any of Sue Sharp’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not, but I liked her reading and the variety of voices she used to define the characters.

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

It was emotional and intense during the action sequences.

Any additional comments?

Love this author and highly recommend all his books.

Surprisingly good listening

I do intend to listen more to Mike Wells. He is a good author and the narrator Sue Sharp put the story across.
Thank You
John K

Worthy of Primetime Television

5★ Audiobook⎮ I literally just finished this audiobook less than 10 seconds ago and I’m still heavily breathing from having held my breath during the ending. Wow! This was such a rush. I’m left with a strong urge to go door-to-door proselytizing about Lust, Money & Murder. This audiobook has an addictive quality I’ve only experienced from television shows. You know how certain shows are considered “binge-worthy”? The ones that make you stay up until all hours of the night, compulsively clicking for the next episode. Mike Wells has managed to package all of that into an audiobook series.

Lust, Money & Murder are actually three separate installments (titled “Lust”, “Money” and “Murder”), but I recommend either listening or reading to them in combined form, as I did. If not, the monstrous cliffhangers are bound to drive you crazy.

Wells takes you on a journey with Elaine (the protagonist) that spans the globe, but does so in a way that feels smooth and continuous. There are certain themes in Elaine’s life, and thus in the story, that tie everything together throughout and especially in the end.

I never knew where the story was headed, not even once. I’m usually happy if a story can manage to surprise me once. Being surprised by one good plot twist is just about all I could ask for, considering how much I’ve read. Two well-executed plot twists all but guarantee a five-star review.

I’m sitting here trying to think back and count the times I audibly gasped, jumped forward in my seat, or shot my eyes open in surprise. Not to mention the very huge twist near the end that caused me to shout so loud that my cat has yet to emerge from under the bed. Considering all of that, I feel it’s only fair that Lust, Money & Murder should be awarded at least 10 stars (out of five).

What is most impressive about this story is the fact that it managed to combine well-balanced characters with a well-paced plot. The writing wasn’t flourishy and overly descriptive. It fit the speed and style of the story perfectly. Who wants long, unnecessary descriptions slowing the momentum of an action-thriller story? There were flashbacks and a few POV changes to vary the pace from time to time, but those tactics were used sparingly and with tactfully.

I need to start a petition to have Lust, Money & Murder made into a prime time TV drama. It would make the transition from page to screen extremely easily. I recommend this to anyone who likes shows such as Quantico, Castle (without the humor), Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, and Rookie Blue. Hey ABC, take a hint and option this for television already!

Narration review: As much as I adored the story, this is the type of review that tests my metal as an unbiased reviewer. The story gets a very solid 5 stars, but if I were rating the audiobook separately, it would get 3 or 3.5.

Let me be clear: Sue Sharp did a fine job of narrating the story. Her accents enriched the characters and her voice was lovely. I was even impressed with her tonal range. My complaints have very little to do with her and more to do with the sound quality and production of the audiobook itself.

There were several slip ups in the recording. So many, that I could not neglect mentioning them in this review. Phrases were repeated, there was audible dubbing, and sometimes the sound came and went. I understand that the author produced this audiobook (which I respect) and that instances like this are bound to happen, even sometimes in professional studios.

The good news is that my overall opinion of the audiobook was not affected by these errors, but only because the story and Sharp’s narration were so excellent. If that hadn’t been the case, this would likely be a very different review.

I’m not saying this to discourage you from choosing the audio version of the story, because I believe it is still worth hearing, but to simply fulfill my duty as a forthright reviewer. ♣︎

➜ This audiobook was graciously gifted to me by its author, Mike Wells, in exchange for a review containing my honest thoughts and opinions. Thanks, Mike!

Lust, Money and Murder Books 1, 2 & 3

Would you listen to Lust, Money & Murder again? Why?

I absolutely would. Each novel written by Mike Wells is very fast-paced; with lots of plot twists cliffhangers that leaves you begging for more.
Lust, Money and Murder, being the first thing I read by Mike Wells, was extremely faced-paced, and hit the mark dead on of "Unputdownable Thriller."
Sue Sharp is an amazing voice for the story she's reading, and you can tell that she very much enjoyed doing it. It is a joy to listen to.

What did you like best about this story?

I like the speed at which the story takes off, and how it keeps you hooked on until the very end, trying to figure out what's going to happen next and how Mike is going to tie up "all that stuff" in the end.

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

She brings a lot of expressions that I didn't have when I first read the book on my own; personally, I read rather monotonously, so Sue's voice added depth to the characters, which is something I greatly appreciated.

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

There is so much that happens in the book that there really isn't one particular part that "moved" me. I guess you could say that at least 75% of the book amazed me, and the other 25% surprised me with the way the plot would take sudden turns that are unexpected, but very much welcomed.

Any additional comments?

Sue Sharp is, in my opinion, a perfect voice for the novel. She really brings Mike's work to life, giving it depth and expression that would not otherwise have been there. I really enjoyed reading the book for the first time, and had just as good of an experience out of the second time, as I was listening to it.
After I finished this book, I felt obligated to try out some of Mike's other work, just to see if he could match the enjoyment I got out of this book, and what I found from my experimentation that I enjoyed all of Mike's books.
I would highly recommend this book, especially if it's your first Wells novel: it's the perfect introduction to a great author I'm sure you'll love.

Prett good

I found this book just okay. I didn't struggle to finish it, but I wasn't invested in it either. I would have liked more suspense, wondering what was going to happen. I guessed things fairly easy.

Great Mystery!

PJV Quickie: LUST, MONEY & MURDER by Mike Wells was a surprise listen for me. I expected the book to be good, but I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. The story might not have been the usual character driven, romantically charged novel which frequent my shelf, but the intense plot and the obvious knowledge of the author kept me completely intrigued. LUST, MONEY & MURDER by Mike Wells is a good listen on Audiobook, especially with Sue Sharp as the narrator. If you are looking for a thriller, with political and a few hinted romantic undertones, check out this series. You shouldn’t be disappointed.



Review: Let me state from the beginning that in it’s original form, Wells divided this 250 page book into three parts and published them as eBooks. Lucky for me, Books 1, 2 & 3 were all put together in audiobook format, so cliffhangers were not an issue – even though I can see if you were to read these one by one, how they could be. The books follow the main character, starting at the beginning of her life, for a very flushed out back-story. The character is Elaine Brogan, a very pampered child of a doting father, who while not wealthy would do anything for his daughter. One of those anythings just happens to be steal and cheat. So, when Elaine decides to be a model and gets caught up in some sort of counterfeit operation, her father, instead of admitting Elaine got the money, takes the fall and ends up in prison. Prison is too much for Elaine’s father and he takes his own life, leaving Elaine to fend for herself. Luckily Elaine is smart and driven and she is set on revenge. She blames the man from the modeling agency for her father’s death. She has to find him, she has to put him in jail, like her father went to jail. The only way to do this, she surmises, is by becoming an agent in the Secret Service counterfeit division. So, Elaine focuses on that goal and nothing else.

While the book dragged in the beginning, it accomplished what Wells set out to do. It set the stage, Elaine’s frame of mind, her goals and her motivations. I thought how Wells flushed this out was well done, even though most books will do this quite differently, usually starting the stories with present day and having the character flashback to their past in clips. But, Wells delivered the whole back-story. This technique in the story allowed for the author to “teach” the reader about counterfeiting as Elaine learned about it and the steps she took to establish herself as an expert. Well’s knowledge of intaglio printing, the process of printing money, counterfeiting operations and the government agencies that investigate these operations was the highlight of the novel. I love learning new things while reading fiction and I certainly learned a few things by reading LUST, MONEY & MURDER. As the book progressed, we move away from Elaine’s childhood goals of revenge and on to Elaine’s struggle as a Secret Service agent, which was also a great part of the novel. Elaine is a strong character and she is highly driven throughout the book. It was fun reading about how she made it through training, only to be relegated to nothing field offices and chauvinistic bosses and then finally to her dream position as an expert in spotting counterfeit bills.

It was a good story. Well written and full of wonderful facts. This book was also well worth the read if you are into a bit of thrills. LUST, MONEY & MURDER sets a fast pace and the main character is enjoyable. I enjoyed this story from the beginning to the end. With the addition of Sue Sharp’s narration, who nailed Elaine perfectly, I highly recommend you grab this one via audiobook. Mike Wells was a very competent author and while this book was self-published, I only noticed a few editing flaws and hiccups. The book was very tightly put together.

Some low points of the novel included the fact that the story goes through a few “tell me” moments, where the author does a lot of telling and not the nicely rendered “show” narration. Granted there is a lot of information, so this is understandable. But the information overload at times led to lackluster characters. Elaine was a three dimensional character, but the secondary characters never really came to life for me. The romance in the novel was just slightly talked about, leaving me not feeling it, in turn, leading me to have no emotional desire for an HEA for both characters. Again, this is pretty common in these types of mystery/thrillers, but a girl can hope. The focus of the novel was the plot and the mystery, which it did well and carried the story. I think Wells did a phenomenal job for doing this independently. If you would like to support a great Indie author, check out Mike Wells and his LUST, MONEY & MURDER series.

Recommendations: This is an adult thriller. If you enjoy a good mystery, or more conspiracy charged thrillers, give this one a listen. Fans of novels by Dan Brown or John Grisham might get a kick out of this one.

A great mystery & suspense with a touch of romance

What did you love best about Lust, Money & Murder?

Everything. The pace was brilliant and the story line kept my attention through all the books.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved Elaine Brogan but Nick Le Grange was my favourite character. He is true, honest, street smart, witty and your good/bad boy who doesn't follow the rules. What u see is what u get.

Which character – as performed by Sue Sharp – was your favorite?

All of them but I enjoyed Nick the most when he appeared. I also really enjoy some of the smaller characters like Toni & Dimitri.

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

When Elaine went to go and revisit her father and home town for closure.

Any additional comments?

This is a fantastic story about love, friendship, betrayal, revenge and truth. Elaine's life and journey is easily relatable, filled with good times and tough or dangerous situations. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery and suspense type book with a touch of romance.

Petterson DeMille meet Paretsky and Larsson

Any additional comments?

Elaine Brogan was born in a poor Pittsburgh suburb to a doting working class construction worker father. As a child, he regaled her with tales of fictitious royal ancestors and he provided her with everything she could want or need, even if he had to beg, borrow or steal (mostly steal) to provide it. As a young woman, her aspirations were to enter the modeling profession to stake her fortune. She was content, comfortable and proud of the life she and her father had staked out for themselves. That all changed, however, when a seedy scam artist running a modeling school con set her father up to take the fall on a counterfeiting dodge.

Unable to face life behind bars, Elaine’s father, Patrick Brogan, commits suicide, and Elaine sets out to avenge his death. Men continue taking advantage of Elaine’s naivety and trusting nature through college and into her career in both the Secret Service and the US Treasury Department. Elaine makes a name for herself due to her uncanny ability to spot the flaws in counterfeit US currency, and this attracts the attention of various unsavory types.

Lust, Money & Murder by Mike Welles is a story in three parts. The narrative follows Elaine’s life through a trio of novelettes combined into one story, detouring only briefly toward the middle of the third novella to tell us the story of a Mafioso Elaine becomes entangled with. There’s sex, car chases, cons, moral ambiguity, and descriptions of scenes of both beauty and of utter destitution. The story follows a well-worn path making it sometimes predictable, but it does it all in a way that feels fresh and unique. The writing is informative and inventive. The plots, especially one concerning a smuggling operation, are so believably inventive that one wonders how much of the story is based on true criminal events the author was somehow privy to.

The omnibus is available as an eBook, but I was lucky enough to receive the audio version of the book, recently made available on Audible, Amazon USA, and iTunes. Competently narrated by professional voiceover artist Sue Sharp, the recorded version avoids all of the trappings I tend to dislike in an audio-book. Often, producers feel the need to create a sort of radio-play experience, adding such superfluous Foley-fluff as music, sound effects, and multiple voice actors. Personally, I don’t need those things. An audiobook, in my opinion, should be as much like a reading experience as possible. When I sit down with a coffee and a tablet, I don’t generate the sound of footsteps to set a mood. I don’t bring in women to read the female parts or children to read the kids’ roles. Just give me the story, and let my imagination do the heavy lifting.

To that end, the choice of Ms Sharp was fairly spot-on. With a few exceptions, she kept me inside the story the entire time. Considering that the tale was penned by a man, it actually helped make the feminine voice of the narration more palatable having an actual female voice read the words. Ms Sharp expertly assigned nuanced inflection changes in her voice to represent different characters, both male and female, and her southern drawl and Russian accents were – to my ear – accurate. Unfortunately her Italian accent and her Irish brogue seemed to have been learned watching Mel Blanc or Cid Caesar at work, but that can be forgiven.

I listened to the story over several days while commuting to and from work. The fact that by the second day I found myself actually looking forward to the drive should tell you all you need to know about whether the experience was a good one. I thoroughly enjoyed Lust, Money & Murder. It had a Petterson/DeMille/Baldacci vibe I like, and a female protagonist that I found compelling and sympathetic enough to put me in a mind of Evanovich/Larsson/Paretsky.

Light entertainment.

I finished the book so it wasn't bad but it was more like a television movie than a novel. Entertaining but light. Fortunately I got the 3 books together rather than one at a time as the break points would have been aggravating otherwise.

The title says it all ...

What did you like best about this story?

While Elaine did have some 'duh' moments, she was a woman who could take care of herself. Her time in Secret Service training comes in handy thru out the book. Her determination to get into the Service in the beginning of the book and her later quest for the truth made Elaine a stronger woman.

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

Ms. Sharp did wonders with the accents and the foreign words. I would have never been able to pronounce them. Ms. Sharp made the book even more interesting and kept me wanting more.

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

At over 10 hours, this would be hard to do in one sitting. It is really 3 novella length books packaged altogether. You could break it up by book and not lose any of the suspense.

Any additional comments?

Lust, Money and Murder, Books 1, 2 & 3 is the story of Elaine, a girl from the rough side of Pittsburgh and her determination to avenge her father. As the story progresses, we see Elaine make the decision to enter the Secret Service and what it takes to get there. Her attention to detail attracts the attention of a few people and Elaine is drawn in to 'the other side' of the law. Can she escape and get away from it all? Listen to find out.

Mr. Wells writes a well rounded story of intrigue and suspense. While there were a few cliche moments, all in all this is a story that I would recommend to my friends and family who enjoy a good mystery/suspense novel. Appropriate for ages 17 +