A Dangerous Duet

A Novel

By: Karen Odden

Narrated by: Billie Fulford-Brown

Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

This dazzling new Victorian mystery from USA Today best-selling author Karen Odden introduces listeners to Nell Hallam, a determined young pianist who stumbles upon the operations of a notorious - and deadly - crime ring while illicitly working as the piano player in a Soho music hall. Perfect for fans of Tasha Alexander, Anne Perry, and Deanna Raybourn.

Nineteen-year-old Nell Hallam lives in a modest corner of Mayfair with her brother, Matthew, an inspector at Scotland Yard. An exceptionally talented pianist, she aspires to attend the Royal Academy; but with tuition beyond their means, Nell sets out to earn the money herself - by playing piano in a popular Soho music hall. The fact that she will have to disguise herself as a man and slip out at night to do it doesn’t deter her.

Spending evenings at the Octavian is like entering an alternate world, one of lively energy, fascinating performers, raucous patrons - and dark secrets. And when Nell stumbles upon the operations of an infamous crime ring working in the shadows of the music hall, she is drawn into a conspiracy that stretches the length of London. To further complicate matters, she has begun to fall for the hall owner's charismatic son, Jack, who has secrets of his own.

The more Nell becomes a part of the Octavian’s world, the more she risks the relationships with the people she loves. When another performer is left for dead in an alley as a warning, she realizes her future could be in jeopardy in more ways than one.

©2018 Karen Odden (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

Victorian Mystery Brother & Sister Combo

Parents- PG13- kept pretty clean
Language- PG - no f-bombs
Violence- PG13 - normal for the genre and nothing too graphic
Sexual Content- PG - attraction, some kissing but kept clean

This is a story of a young woman who lives with her brother who is an inspector for Scotland Yard. She has been sneaking out dressed as a gentleman to play piano at a club to make the money she needs to pay the tuition at the Royal Academy. At work, she gets to know Jack and things start to heat up there, and she begins noticing odd things going on behind the scenes. Then one night she finds a friend beaten and barely alive.... and her world takes a turn as her investigation crosses paths with her brother's investigation and they both are struggling to find those whom they can trust. In terms of a fictional mystery set in the Victorian era, it's quite fun. While some of the injuries and recoveries may be a bit of a stretch it was still a fun read and kept pretty clean.

Narrator- does a great job with all the voice differentiations.

Excellent listen!

I enjoyed the characters, plot and narration and am longing for more from this author / narrator team.

Should be a movie!

A Dangerous Duet is so well written and researched. I felt as if I was watching a movie. I could see, hear, and smell the Victorian era and events. This multi-layered novel has a lot going on and is seemless in its unfolding ....a main character with musical gifts, hopes and dreams and the bravery to go for it, a crime syndicate, tangled relationships, family history, sibling bonds, friendship, love, and suspense. I thoroughly enjoyed being swept into this era and getting to know her cast of characters. The narrator was an excellent choice and I loved her accent! This is the first book I’ve read/listened by Karen Odden, but will soon be reading her first novel, A Lady in the Smoke

ENGAGING, WELL-NARRATED MYSTERY

Know how you can get distracted listening to narrated book? Well, you won’t with this great book. Between the story, which included great pieces of historical facts and excellent research, and its terrific narrator, I found I never missed a bit of it to distraction. A rare combination, and I loved it. Looking forward to listening to the author’s next while I walk. Thank you, Ms. Odden. Please keep writing!

Terrible story

The female protagonist is so dumb and has such questionable morals I had to stop listening. I’m going to exchange it because I feel cheated. Please don’t waste your money on this dull book with unrealistic characters that behave like idiots.