Dead Calm

The Coastal Suspense Series, Book 1

By: Emma Rose Watts

Narrated by: Sandra Murphy

Length: 5 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's Summary

She’s a feisty, ex-US Marshal, he’s a cranky veteran detective, and together, they'll make one hell of a team in the sweltering, mosquito-filled swamps of Florida.

Skylar Reid has spent her entire career hunting down fugitives as part of the country’s most elite task force. After losing her fiance in a tragedy six-months prior, it sent her world into a spin and caused her superiors to slam the brakes on. Now, with the big city in the rear-view mirror and the quiet Panhandle town of Carrabelle in her sights, Skylar takes a position as an investigator for the local sheriffs office and partners with an aging detective.

Within days, Skylar is at odds with the powers at be when the dead body of the chief medical examiner is pulled from a mosquito-filled swamp and deemed a suicide, but she's not convinced. Though quick to dismiss her as a loose cannon, her partner soon agrees when the investigation takes a dangerous turn in a new direction. But can she prove it was murder?

Everyone thinks the sunshine state is beautiful. What if it's not?

©2017 Emma Rose Watts (P)2018 Emma Rose Watts

Fun Florida Mystery Tour

Would you listen to Dead Calm again? Why?

Yes the narrator is first rate she makes the story better then reading the book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dead Calm?

Any of the interactions of the Dynamic Duo.

Which scene was your favorite?

Enjoyed the totality of the book not any particular scene.

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

Yes it was fun and enjoyable.

Any additional comments?

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

Good Story

Dead Calm is a good story that pulled me in. Typically I listen to romances with a few murder mystery or action stories thrown in for variety. It took me a while to warm up to the narrator, but after a short while I thought she did a good performance (3.5 stars) with the various characters. I think I prefer a more dominant voice for police/thriller story. I requested this review copy audiobook and have voluntarily written this review. I thought the author did great with the twists in the story.

On the fence

I am a little on the fence with this one. I enjoyed the story. It is a faced paced mystery with some twists and turns. I am on the fence because the main character, Skylar Reid, is sort of obnoxious and a bit of an alcoholic. She has reasons for being as she is, but this is over the top

Sandra murphy does a good job narrating

Good Narration

Sandra Murphy is good narration bringing the story to life . Some of the characters like Skylar, a feisty woman and the job she is doing.
Given audio for my voluntary review and my honest opinion

intriguing read

Sandra Murphy has done it again. She continues to be my favorite audiobook narrator when it comes to suspense and mystery stories. She has just the right Timber pace and tone to keep you engaged and wondering what will happen next, and in addition to that she peppers in fantastic choices of character voice to really flush things out. I highly recommend to the audiobook version of the story.

Interesting start to a new series

It was an interesting start to the book, I liked that it pulled you into the characters right away. At first, I thought Harvey wasn't ever going to warm up to Skylar, but I was glad that it wasn't one of those books where the characters didn't like each other. I'm also happy to say that it was like a real working relationship, they didn't fall in love or hate the other, it was a nice change of pace from so many other books. Skylar is a bit crazy but in good way and she's tough! They're called to the scene of a suspected suicide of the county medical examiner, but soon figure out that it's murder. There are some interesting twists to the story with the life of the medical examiner not being what they thought. I thought that the narrator did a pretty good job, she didn't pull me out of the story.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Overall it is just okay

The mystery side of this book is okay, but I certainly didn't find it to be a thriller. This story just never pulled me in and I struggled to finish the listen. To be perfectly honest, the narration on this really turned me off. It is not that Sandra Murphy did a bad job, or didn't make a sincere effort, but her voice tones just did not conjure up images of detective, marshal, or police personnel. Perhaps this work would be better served with a different narrator or with a more authoritative voice, rather than the sweet sounding image that came across in this version. In short, this was an OKAY listen, but that is about it, in my humble opinion. A review copy of this audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in return for this unbiased review. If you found this review helpful, please take a moment to click yes below.

An Excellent Mystery

What made the experience of listening to Dead Calm the most enjoyable?

The story itself. Wonderfully written.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Sandra Murphy?

Maybe, just not a suspenseful mystery. She seemed to fall a bit flat in varying the voices and she really didn't bring any punch to emotional lines.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed listening to this book despite not really caring for the narrator's style. The story itself is excellent and wonderfully written.

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

Entertaining

I thoroughly enjoyed Dead Calm! Definitely worth the listen.

The characters are fun, the conversation witty, and yes there are twists and turns in the suspense to keep you listening.

Cranky and tired lieutenant Harvey Baker is trying to live a calm life with yoga and mantras as he considers retirement when he is partnered with brash and reckless ex-US Marshall Skylar Reid.
Meeting by chance, Skylar takes down a thief at a convenience store holdup who was holding Baker at gunpoint, with her casual cockiness. Her first day on the job, a headless body is pulled from the swamps, taking them on a trail of drugs, mobs, and mayhem. Polar opposites these two are good for each other as they solve the murder.

Sandra Murphy does a great job narrating this story. She gets the humor and sarcasm just right to convey the personalities of both Baker and Reid.

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

Good mystery

Good storyline with some suspense, great, entertaining character interaction and good narration. I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.

Really good !!

Emma Rose Watts have done a wonderful job on this one and Sandra Murphy completed it with a perfect narration !

Not my usual genre and still enjoyed every moment of this Audiobook, so much that I can’t say nothing bad about it.

I fully recommend this book for all.


For an honest review I’ve accepted this book for free.