A Murder in Time

Kendra Donovan Mysteries Series, Book 1

De: Julie McElwain

Narrado por: Lucy Rayner

Beautiful and brilliant, Kendra Donovan is a rising star at the FBI. Yet her path to professional success hits a speed bump during a disastrous raid where half her team is murdered, a mole in the FBI is uncovered, and she herself is severely wounded. As soon as she recovers, she goes rogue and travels to England to assassinate the man responsible for the deaths of her teammates.

While fleeing from an unexpected assassin herself, Kendra escapes into a stairwell that promises sanctuary but when she stumbles out again, she is in the same place - Aldrich Castle - but in a different time: 1815, to be exact.

Mistaken for a lady's maid hired to help with weekend guests, Kendra is forced to quickly adapt to the time period until she can figure out how she got there; and, more importantly, how to get back home. However, after the body of a young girl is found on the extensive grounds of the county estate, she starts to feel there's some purpose to her bizarre circumstances. Stripped of her 21st century tools, Kendra must use her wits alone in order to unmask a cunning madman.

©2016 Julie McElwain (P)2017 Tantor

A lot of forensics

There really wasn't much time-traveling at all. She went back and stayed there. She used her expertise to solve the murders-mystery. A lot of forensics were involved. The plot was pretty good, but the male voices were just okay.

Good story, annoying narration

I enjoyed the story started reading it first then transferred over to audio to finish it. Almost couldn't finish it due to the narrator's horrible interpretation of the mens voices. She did fine on the female reading but the male readings is bad enough to almost ruin the entire book. I won't be able to listen to the next one if she's reading it, I'll just have to put it on hold until I have time to do finish the book version.

Just plain fun

Cleverly plotted with a whodonit that keeps you guessing. Just enough history added to please fans of "light" historical fiction.

Everything I Love In A Book…

From a young age books became my world. My parents never cared what I read. I read everything from The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux to Sweet Valley High/University by Frances Pascal to Les Miserable by Victor Hugo to The Ugly Duckling by Iris Johansson to To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee to Remember Me by Mary Higgins Clark to the Fear Street Series by R.L. Stine. As an adult, especially when I became a librarian, my literary word expanded far past anything I could imagine. The first time I read Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, my world turned upside down, as avid readers will know, with the thrill of a book series you wish you could forget just to turn around and read it for the first time again. This book combines the excitement of time travel with the murder mystery of novels set in current time and does it beautifully. Julie McElwain presents a captivating 19th century English countryside mystery that keeps you holding on until the last second. I read this book when it first came out. I found it on Audible a couple of days ago and decided to experience it in this format especially when I learned that the series continued past book three. I’m looking forward to listening to the entire series this week! Lucy Rayner, your narration is fantastic. You bring McElwain’s world to life!

Too Much Cussing

The storyline of this move quickly and was very entertaining. The reader did a great job with several different voices, and I have already downloaded the second book. However, the first few chapters had far too much cussing. In my opinion, anybody as intelligent as Kendra Donovan would not have used the F word so frequently.

It’s ok to have additional actors

Sometimes one person narration was rough- sometimes it is worth the investment in having other voices improves the story.

Fantastic Book

Very well written, extremely entertaining and well worth waiting for the next book. Julie McElwain has the magic of writing engaging and exciting books. More PLEASE!

I must be tone deaf; no problem with the narrator

Everyone's ranting and raving about the narrator. I didn't notice any problems. I loved the storyline and wish I could be half as good as the author. Kendra is my hero, living in a hotbed of male chauvinists while bringing to the 1800s skills that few men or women in 2020 can conquer. This too reflects upon a brilliant author. Her character development is impeccable and her transitions between books are sublime. I've listened to all four and actually, by the end of book one, I was a fan. Now I'm a dedicated fan. I watch Julie McElwain's page for more releases. She beats Stephen King in my single credit a month. Get past the reviews about rotten narration and enjoy Kendra, out of time, out of place, and making her way even in a hostile world.

Couldn’t finish bc of performance

The narrator tries to do a different voice for every character and they often come across as absurd and silly. I couldn’t finish the book because I couldn’t take it seriously. I wish they could have read it less ridiculously, and the story wasn’t good enough to bare through it. Sorry, not a favorite.

Five stars for the story, One for the narration

The narration was ploddingingly slow, I recommend speeding it up to 1.25 to get it anywhere close to the normal Audible narration speed. The means voices, particularly the Duke and Marquis, were gravelly and grating and expressed absolutely no change in emotion throughout. I would buy books from the author again but not narration by this performer.