The Murders at Astaire Castle

Mac Faraday Mystery, Book 5

De: Lauren Carr

Narrado por: Dan Lawson

Never tell Mac Faraday not to do something.

Spencer's police chief, David O'Callaghan, learns this lesson the hard way when he orders Mac Faraday to stay away from the south end of Spencer's mountaintop - even though he owns the property. It doesn't take long for Mac to find out what lies on the other side of the stone wall and locked gate, on which hangs a sign warning visitors to Keep Out!

Topping the list of the 10 top haunted places in America, Astaire Castle is associated with two suicides, three mysterious disappearances, and four murders since it was built almost a century ago - and Mac Faraday owns it!

In spite of David's warning, Mac can't resist unlocking the gate to see the castle that supposedly hasn't seen a living soul since his late mother had ordered it closed up after the double homicide and disappearance of Damian Wagner, a world-famous master of horror novels.

What starts out as a quick tour of a dusty old castle turns into another Mac Faraday adventure when Astaire Castle becomes the scene of even more murders. Mac is going to need to put all of his investigative talents to work to sort out this case that involves the strangest characters he has run into yet - including a wolf man. No, we're not talking about Gnarly.

©2013 Terri Lynn Zaleski (P)2014 Terri Lynn Zaleski

Mystery & Suspense...with a Few Spine Tingles

If you could sum up The Murders at Astaire Castle in three words, what would they be?

Mysterious Twists & Turns

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mac Faraday. I think he's always my favorite character besides Gnarly, of course. He's rational, reasonable and has great character chemistry throughout the books.

Any additional comments?

Listening to the story gave the series a different voice for me. I have read a few of the Mac Faraday mysteries--and; unfortunately, I had voices in my mind for the stories as I read. In my mind, the narrator was female--and I had imagined "voices" for the many characters. The male narrator for this audiobook caused my imagination (and attention) to struggle for a while to settle into the story and even to accept the familiar characters. I listened for a couple of hours--and then listened again. Once I settled into the narration--I was able to focus more on the storyline. (And--this really has nothing to do with the storyline or the narration--it is purely me telling other series readers-turned-listeners that they may not, immediately, feel the same connections they have had to Carr's past stories.)

Carr combines her usual vivid mix of suspense with character interaction. The introduction leads readers to suspect a stronger paranormal spin than readers/listeners will encounter through the book. While the paranormal aspect is less than I had anticipated; readers/listeners will find typical Carr twists, suspense, and character dialogue as they move through the story. Listeners will need to focus on the story. The storyline seemed a little complicated at times. I am not sure if it was simply harder for me to focus on the spoken word--or if I wasn't devoting the proper attention while listening--but, I had to re-listen at times to keep the storyline and characters in order. The story is a good one--but, it did not seem to be as concise and coordinated as previous books in Carr's series.

Expect some chills. Paranormal aspects will rear their heads at times to give readers a few chills along the way. I do think these aspects are more spooky with the spoken narration than they would have been had I read them!

Would I recommend The Murders at Astaire Castle by Lauren Carr? I did like the story and I did enjoy listening to the narration. I don't think I liked this book as much as other books from Carr's series--but, I really wonder if I, personally, wouldn't have liked it more if I had READ it rather than listened..The storyline was a little more difficult to follow than in previous books--and the narration seemed to cause my attention to wander. I liked the story--and I did appreciate the spine-tingles from the occasional, paranormal angle--but, I think I really may have enjoyed the whole story more had I read it! If you are an audiobook fan--you will probably love it. For those "paper-page-holdouts", like I am, you may want to read the book instead!

ABSOLUTELY ASTOUNDING. LOVE THE PLOT.

Another hit from Lauren Carr. I like the plot. Exciting and intriguing. I like that the series continue with all the interesting characters. Mac Faraday and David, his brother continue to work together to help solve crimes. The love lives of the the brothers are also very interesting. There are lots of action and the antagonists are truly evil. Very good series!

The Murders at Astaire Castle by Lauren Carr

If you could sum up The Murders at Astaire Castle in three words, what would they be?

Mysterious, Enjoyable, Wonderful

Who was your favorite character and why?

So Mac asked Hector to tour the old castle. David comes by following Mac and Hector. Mac gets out of the jeep and asked what David is doing. Now David commits to being with Mac and tries to protect Mac even though if he does not know if he will be able to.

Which scene was your favorite?

The author got me intrigued with what it happens at the beginning, but she really does with the wolfman. I could not wait to see what would happen. Who is Wolf man? She put a bit of a supernatural in this book and it a good book for the month of October. I come away with the fact that I wish to know more about this wolfman and whatever happens to him.

Fantastic!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The Murders at Astaire Castle is a fantastic, adventure (and murder packed!) audio book that you don't want to hit pause - you don't want to miss what happens next to Mac Faraday and Gnarly!

This novel was intense, full of mystery and suspense. You need to give the audio book (and I am sure the novel as well) your full attention. There are lots of murders and information that you can easily miss if you are not paying full attention. I found myself going back at some points to ensure I had key figures right (editors, authors, etc..). The story evolved in such a way that I did not expect! What began as a superstition that you thought was easily solved, turned into a cycle of past murders that prompted a new set of murders! Just when you think the story can not possibly make another twist, it did! It was very well written and thought out. The ending was nothing what I expected but was incredible. It literally blew my mind!

Gnarly (you have to give such a cute character some love!), was his usually spunky and hard working dog! He makes me laugh with his antics (garbage dump diving) but is such a hard working, intelligent partner. He played a big part as usual in this novel.

The Murders at Astaire Castle was an intense, suspenseful murder mystery that you will truly love! It is a definite must read.

Another terrific story from Lauren Carr!

The more I read of this author, the more I enjoy her. Amusing novels with solid mysteries that always include numerous suspects and bodies alike. The twists and turns this time take us to a haunted castle, unsolved old murders, a missing writer, a mysterious wolf, and more. It’s exciting to explore the castle while trying to figure out who might be the killer. Great fun!

See if you can piece the puzzle together to find a killer. You’ll have fun doing it. Ms. Carr is very clever at hiding the guilty party until the end.

Looking forward to seeing more of Lauren's books on Audible.

You can read the entire review on Mystery Suspense Reviews.