Cold Revenge

By: Jo A. Hiestand

Narrated by: James Lyne

Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's Summary

One year ago, Marta Hughes won a purse-choking sum of money at a local casino. She never returned home. Her body was discovered in a ditch 12 miles from her home; her car was back in her driveway.

Linnet Isherwood cannot let her friend's unsolved murder rest. She convinces ex-cop Michael McLaren to return to the work he loves. He sifts through a confusing web of lies, misconceptions, and veiled motives. Are anonymous late-night phone calls, a vanished hitchhiker, and a stalker wielding empty beer bottles somehow related to the case? Or maybe the woman he broke off with is seeking revenge....

©2015 Jo A. Hiestand (P)2017 Jo A. Hiestand

I’d Prefer Reading the Book to Listening to it

The narrator had a charming, easy listening voice when I sampled the audiobook. However, I discovered he was not ideal for this book. I had not noticed him giving different voices to the characters. This is not always a negative thing. In this case, it is.
I mention this for two reasons - another reviewer claimed he did; and he did not pause long enough between different characters during dialogue, making a listener stop and rewind or plug through it, hoping it wasn’t important.
To add to criticism, he rarely paused as he read.

I liked it, but I did not enjoy it. I really need a Read, Not Listen to the Book Shelf, because this clearly falls in that category.
I would listen to another book by this author, but not if it’s with this narrator. Shameful, really. I truly enjoy the authentic accent for the book and do hope he improves with time.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Very descriptive and interesting characters

The actor did a great job, and brought a depth of warmth to the story. I did like the characters and enjoyed the ‘who done it’ element and the ending was very satisfying

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Gripping!

So many twists and turns! Totally enjoyable read. The narrator made the book come alive with changing accents. Sometimes when you read a mystery, the gaps in the plot are so evident and sometimes as wide as the Grand Canyon, but not so in Cold Revenge! Hope to read lots more from this author.

Great Mystery!!

A great mystery with many twists and turns. James Lyne did a great job with the narration. Looking forward to the next in the series. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Fun Start to a Mystery Series

Where does Cold Revenge rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I love a good mystery and this one was a little more laid back, maybe slower to pull you in, but being the first in the series it was introducing characters and their backstories. It has hidden stories inside the main mystery which does add some more intrigue. Overall a fun mystery and is one that I would recommend to people that enjoy a good detective mystery book.

What about James Lyne’s performance did you like?

James Lyne does a great job with the character voices and is a pleasure to listen to.

Any additional comments?

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Cold Revenge

Cold Revenge The McLaren Mysteries, Book 1
: Jo A. Hiestand

This murder mystery has multiple mysteries within. There are many twists and turns to get to the resolution. A very interesting British story.

The narration was well done. The characters were well portrayed by James Lyne.



I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Good mystery book with good narration

This started out a little slow so I had some difficulty getting into it but as I listened more I started to get sucked in. The story didn't move along quick enough for me but it kept my interest fairly well. I feel this is a good start to a series as the main character is a likable, hard working detective who puts a lot of time and effort into his work. It made me think of some of the old time detective novels. James Lyne did a fantastic job with the narration. I enjoyed listening to him. I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.

Great storyline, great voice too.

Would you listen to Cold Revenge again? Why?

I read Cold Revenge when it first came out and I loved its main character Michael McLaren, former cop. This is really well-written to begin with. Full of mystery, a little British but not so much we Yanks can't understand and enjoy the story, and full of twists and turns. Now I'm hearing it read by a great British voice and that makes it even more real. Truly, a good voice reading such a great story just really makes this a treat.

What other book might you compare Cold Revenge to and why?

Every one of her McLaren series is great but I've also begun to read her "A Peak District Mystery" series. They are great too. First one is "A Staged Murder"

Which scene was your favorite?

I can't pick out a favorite. Hearing this read by such a good voice made it almost impossible to turn off. Didn't get a thing done but I loved listening.

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

Guess I answered that above.

Any additional comments?

Read and listen to the series!

Slugs aren't always under the first rock you turn

McLaren used to be a police detective. He loved his job. But a fight with a colleague forced his resignation - it was that or face prosecution. He also left his fiancé and moved back to his old home.
One year later, he was working as a dry stone waller, when he was approached by a woman asking for his help. Her friend had been murdered the same night that they had visited a casino together and the friend had won a quarter of a million pounds. Neither the killer nor the money had been found despite an extensive police investigation. She wanted McLaren to take the case. It seemed hopeless. A year had already gone by since the body was found and McLaren didn't have the full facilities available to the police. He wasn't even a private investigator. But this is what he had been good at, what he loved to do. So he said that he'd look into it.
But then other things started happening to him, too. Threatening. Strange. Was it his old girlfriend out to take revenge? Or was it something far more sinister?

This book is set in England and narrator, James Lyne, performs it expertly, becoming the disgruntled McLaren as well as giving distinctive and appropriate voicings to all of the numerous other characters with different accents and cadences. His reading made this book far more pleasurable to hear.
The story itself is convoluted, sometimes slightly confusing, and although the character of the main protagonist is clearly drawn, the admitted trait of hiding his emotion actually seems at odds with what occurs. His is not a character with with this reader was able to empathize. That said, it was an intriguing book made enjoyable by the excellent narration and the appearance of certain other helpful colleagues along the way.

My thanks to the rights holder of Cold Revenge, who freely gifted me a complimentary copy at my request, via Audiobook Boom. Definitely a good listen and recommended to readers who like to try to solve a mystery themselves, set amongst the police procedural of the English countryside.

Really liked it!

Any additional comments?

I liked the narrator in this book. It took me a few minutes to get used to his voice but once I got into the story I found that the narrator suited the book and he voiced all the characters well, so I knew who was saying what, as well as voicing out the accents.

The book itself was interesting, it took me a while to work out who did it and I liked how he found the clues before he figured it out, it felt realistic.
It can be read as a standalone.
I would highly recommend it!

A great example of this genre

Great start to a new series.
This is the first of the author I have read/listened to. And look forward to reading more from her. This book is a great introduction to the authors work - a stand alone novel the first in the series. Strong characters with a lot of twists to the plot.
Narration is good with clarity of accents, and keeps the book moving along.
I wanted to listen in one sitting, practicality made it my weekend of listening.

I received a free copy of this book at my request and voluntarily leave this review.

Compelling Mystery

Mike Maclaren is a flawed yet intriguing protagonist in a compelling and unpredictable story. Multiple mysteries and captivating characters, highly recommended.