Urban Shaman

The Walker Papers, Book 1

By: C. E. Murphy

Narrated by: Christine Carroll

Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Joanne Walker has three days to learn to use her shamanic powers and save the world from the unleashed Wild Hunt.

No worries. No pressure. Never mind the lack of sleep, the perplexing new talent for healing herself from fatal wounds, or the cryptic, talking coyote who appears in her dreams.

And if all that's not bad enough, in the three years Joanne's been a cop, she's never seen a dead body, but she's just come across her second in three days.

It's been a bitch of a week. And it isn't over yet.

©2005 C.E. Murphy (P)2006 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A swift pace, a good mystery, a likeable protagonist, magic, danger, Urban Shaman has them in spades." (Jim Butcher, author of the best-selling series The Dresden Files)

we need more like this

Would you try another book from C.E. Murphy and/or Christine Carroll?

I already have. It was a good read. Ilike any story that non. Believers get converted and what a better combination then Irish wand Native American.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Urban Shaman?

The race between. Her car and the golden mare.

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

Her ability to portray strugggling belief.

What would have made this romance irresistible?

Jo needs a little bit more girl in her.

Any additional comments?

Great series cant wait for more.

Not romance

I don’t understand why this was listed under romance, there was no romance in the book at all a lot of action and paranormal stuff but if you are wanting a romance I wouldn’t recommend this book

Loved it

I enjoyed reading the books a long time ago. I also enjoyed listening to the story. Highly recommend this book.

A bit lacking

I am torn between 2.5 and 3 on this one. I really liked Gary's character ALOT! Overall, the story was just lacking for me. It had a couple of good elements but sort of bounced all over and never really came together. It felt like a poorly done cross between the Mercy Thompson series and the Cainsville series.

The narrator killed it

I have to say that I really enjoyed the book itself--the main character is witty and smart (though hardheaded), and the whole plot is well done. Unfortunately, the narrator was awful. It seemed like she had not put any thought into how she was reading--she put emphasis in completely the wrong places, ran some sentences together and was very choppy in others. In short, I wished I'd read this book in hardcopy rather than listened to it. The sequel, Thunderbird Falls, has a much better narrator! Bottom line is that if you can get past the reader of this one, the story's really good.

Highly Entertaining

Very enjoyable. Great characters in this quirky story. Can't wait for the next one. I recommend this one.

Anita Blake meets Jane Yellowrock

I wanted to like this more but didn't. It didn't have the same character development as Anita Blake. The first AB book is a little slow but the whole world is spelt out and by doing so since it is Anita's perspective, you get a good handle on who she is and what she is about. I felt like this was the 2nd book in a series where a lot of assumptions are made because you as the reader already know but I didn't therefore I didn't care nor connect. Being the shaman vibe this reminded me of Jane Yellow rock from the SkinWalker series. It is as personal as AB but it had more nature/natural themes. JY has more Native ties than this series. It is more urban and unfortunately missed the Shamanic lure and culture such as the Coyote character. In this book the coyote was loosely based on the Shamanic representation of Coyote. I wanted more lore, culture, background and development. Interesting idea, cheap execution. Could have been more, could have been better.

Great Female Lead!

Joanne is a great example of what I look for in a strong female lead. She is feisty and strong but very real and believable as a character. The story gets trippy now and then and it really makes you stop and think about your connection with the Universe which is pretty cool. The story is compelling and drives forward making you want to continue listening. I really enjoyed it!

It was ok

Any additional comments?

It was about 1/2 stuff happening and 1/2 explaining what was happening. Was a little tedious but i finished it so it wasn't all bad. Not excited to listen to the next book.

Shamanism lite

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Most shamans have to study for years to acquire the craft. One near-death experience andJoanne Walker is tripping. After a while, the texture of her visions takes on a sameness.

What was most disappointing about C.E. Murphy’s story?

See previous answer. Character and motivations of the gods kept changing.

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

Carroll is new to me. I wish she had better pronunciation of the name Siobhan.

Was Urban Shaman worth the listening time?

In the end, it was not very interesting