The Mystery Woman

Ladies of Lantern Street Series, Book 2

By: Amanda Quick

Narrated by: Justine Eyre

Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

The new Ladies of Lantern Street novel from Amanda Quick explores the crimes, passions, and paranormal secrets of Victorian London.

Under the plain gray skirts of Miss Beatrice Lockwood’s gown, a pistol waits at the ready. For Beatrice is a paid companion on a secret mission - and with a secret past - and she must be prepared to fight for her life at any moment.

Yet she is thrown oddly off guard by the fierce-looking man who joins her in foiling a crime outside a fancy ball - and then disappears into the shadows, leaving only his card. His name is Joshua Gage, and he claims to know Beatrice’s employers. Beyond that, he is an enigma with a hypnotically calm voice and an ebony-and-steel cane....

Joshua, who carries out clandestine investigations for the Crown, is equally intrigued. He has a personal interest in Miss Lockwood, a suspected thief and murderer, not to mention a fraudster who claims to have psychical powers. The quest to discover her whereabouts has pulled him away from his mournful impulses to hurl himself into the sea - and engaged his curiosity about the real Beatrice Lockwood, whose spirit, he suspects, is not as delicate as her face and figure.

He does know one thing, though: This flame-haired beauty was present the night Roland Fleming died at the Academy of the Occult. Guilty or not, she is his guide to a trail of blood and blackmail, mesmerism and madness - a path that will lead both of them into the clutches of a killer who calls himself the Bone Man....

©2013 Amanda Quick (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Very Slow Start!

What did you love best about The Mystery Woman?

I did not think I would like this book! The book was very slow to get to the point. I had to go through over 8 chapters to get into this book. After 8 chapters it start to get suspenseful! I am very glad I stuck with the book! I did enjoy this book, but you really need patience to listen to this book!

What did you like best about this story?

It was extremely suspenseful once you started to get into the story!

What about Justine Eyre’s performance did you like?

She was adequate not the best but ok.

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

Definitely No!

This narrator nearly destroys a good story

I love Amamda Quick and her stories. This narrator could be so much better if she could learn not to have this odd affected speech.

excellent story, don't care for the narration

can't stand the narration. didnt finish listening to it. Will check the book out of the library to see how it ends.

SADLY Ms QUICK I HAVE TO GIVE THIS PNR 3.5 STARS

Well I really love Amanda Quick aka Jane Ann Krentz, and have just about everything that has been/is being released by her ...... so you can imagine how it grieves me to say that this story was sadly lacking the usual intensity. It was like eating chilli without much spice - edible? yes, nourishing? maybe, enjoyable? perhaps - but it just had no real kick to it that makes you lick your lips and go Mmmmmm.

Everything was just NICE - the characters were nice, the story was a well written nice historical PNR, the romance had a nice slow build-up and was nice - well you get the picture and it smacked of events that happened from her past books. There were a few sexual encounters but these weren't explicit.

Worth a credit? I find her books irresistible and I can't help myself from downloading them so I guess that's a YES - but I wanted, and was expecting, more than 'nice' from a paranormal book, by a great author that has murder, mysteries and secrets.

Predictable but still interesting with past echos

I came across Amanda Quick (Jayne Ann Krentz) Arcane series years ago as well as her Harmony series (Jayne Castle) and she became one of my must have authors under her various pseudonyms.

This is an Historical, Mystery, Paranormal, Fantasy romance

The Ladies of Lantern Street are private investigators, with the Flint & Marsh agency, who accomplish their tasks discretely for their clients by posing as Paid Companions, Governess's or in other guises. Each has a paranormal talent.

Beatrice Lockwood in her new profession with Flint & Marsh is hiding from her past after her previous employer was murdered.

Joshua North doesn't believe in the paranormal but has the reputation of being able to find things, is after Beatrice believing she is blackmailing his sister.

Unfortunately if you have read/listened to Amanda Quick's previous books you will feel this book contains reflections/echos of earlier stories, both from the Arcane Arc and various stand alone novels. Nightmare gas anyone, I could list many more such instances but it would spoil an enjoyable listen and reveal too much of the plot.

This is still well worth the listen and well worth the price (Audible version)

The narration by Justine Eyre, whilst not on a par with Anne Flosnik, Joyce Bean or Josephine Bailey does not totally ruin the listen

I would recommend this this book to all that like Historical paranormal fantasy and even those who, like male lead in the book, do not.

Story telling

I believe that if the narrator had been better the story actually would have been more interesting. I can imagine the voices that I would have put to the characters and the inflections that I would have read into them. The narrating just ruin the storyline.

Very enjoyable

The individual voices were not as distinct as I like, however you could still tell the differences. The story is excellent. In written form it is a book you can't put down. As an audio book it means you don't have to!

Story Line

I enjoy all her books, I pre- order sight unseen. I usually make sure I have the whole day free when one of her books is released so I have time to finish it in one day (I know I won't be able to put it down until the end)

The reader totally ruins the interest in this book

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

a reader less inclined to making every word sound like "purple prose"

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

simply not the author's best effort

What didn’t you like about Justine Eyre’s performance?

constantly overdone melodramatic reading

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

disappointment in the author and disgust at the reader.

Any additional comments?

gave up on listening after 24%. Obtained the print copy and completed the book. Much better.