• Mazurka

  • LeGarde Mysteries, Book 3
  • By: Aaron Paul Lazar
  • Narrated by: Lou Hecker
  • Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (18 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Mazurka  By  cover art

Mazurka

By: Aaron Paul Lazar
Narrated by: Lou Hecker
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.95

Buy for $19.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Music professor Gus LeGarde is about to embark on a European honeymoon with his new wife, Camille, when his socially challenged brother-in-law receives a mysterious invitation to visit an ailing relative in Germany. Siegfried can't travel alone, but the newlyweds have no qualms over bringing him along.

Unfortunately, their idyllic vacation takes a dark turn at the first stop in Paris, when Gus and Siegfried are caught in a bloody street brawl with a group of neo-Nazis - and a flawed news report frames Siegfried for the murder of one of their leaders, thrusting him into the deadly group's crosshairs.

After a narrow escape, Gus manages to bring his brother-in-law safely to Germany, where he hopes to both salvage the rest of the honeymoon and explore the shocking family secret that awaits there. But the events they've set in motion have far-reaching consequences, and the ruthless leader of the terrorist faction has lethal plans in store for Gus, Camille, and Siegfried - and ultimately, the world.

The author's alternate suggested listening order for the LeGarde Mysteries series:

1. Double Forté 2. Upstaged 3. Mazurka 4. FireSong 5. Tremolo 6. Don't Let the Wind Catch You 7. The Liar's Gallery 8. Spirit Me Away 9. Under the Ice 10. Lady Blues 11. Voodoo Summer

©2008 Aaron Paul Lazar (P)2016 Aaron Paul Lazar

What listeners say about Mazurka

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    11
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    11
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Narration

Another great story in this series, dealing with neo nazis, bloony street fights, and his new brother in law who is challenged is targeted, by a news reporter err. Gus and Camille are on their honeymoon, and get caught in the circumstances of what is going on around them. The leader of the group is out for revenge against them now. Well written and enjoyed the narration bringing out the tension this was causing. Given audio for my voluntary review and my honest opinion

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Mazurka

This is another installment in the Gus Legarde series.I love these books,but I am glad this is fiction!lol Lou Hacker is the perfect narrator.I was given this book free by the author,narrator or publisher.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The musical connection

Any additional comments?

Mazurka is a thrilling story that weaves family, suspense and romance threads together, only to bring forth the essence hiding underneath. As the title suggests, that essence, to me, is music. Gus, a music professor, states at the beginning, “Most days I played Chopin’s mazurkas, nocturnes, waltzes… My soul was being cleansed as my fingers danced over the ivories.” His late wife, Elsworth: had a passion for his music, too, instilled in her since childhood, so their love used to resonate on that note, as well.

On a honeymoon trip with his new wife, Camille, who has a history of abuse at the hands of her ex-husband, Gus is so gentle, so patient with her. Right from the start, this trip does not go as planned. “Hope glinted momentarily behind her long lashes util the plane quaked again.” The love scene is delicately described. Later, they visit places near and dear to his heart. “This is where he composed his last Mazurka, Camille.” And on second thought, he realizes, “I realized that when I sat at home in front of my old Mason and Hamlin piano and lost myself in one of Chopin’s melancholy nocturnes, I was closer to his genius than when I stood in front of this old building in Paris.”

But even in this romantic location, which is so vividly captured in this book, trouble is brewing, when they are faced, time and again, with members of a neo-nazi group. “There is a great deal of fear out there now, fear of those fanatics organizing and gaining some political momentum.” There are chase and escape scenes that will leave you hanging by your nails… Until, in the end, a revelation that harkens back to the musical theme, when they discover a precious, never before published manuscript by Chopin, for the woman in his life. Thus, love and music are woven together once more, even in the face of fear and mishaps. “My hand trembled as I held the precious manuscript under the light.”

The audiobook narrator, Lou Hecker, did justice to the writing, giving voice to Gus, giving a hesitant, soft voice to Camille, and endowing the other characters with different accents and intonations. I enjoyed his performance.

Highly recommended. Five stars.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The honeymoon from hell

From the terrifying weather their plane encounters on the way to Paris, to getting caught in a neo-Nazis street demonstration, our hero/heroine are not having an ideal honeymoon. Every time they think they've avoided trouble, something else happens. Hang on to your seat and enjoy the ride!

I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an unbiased review.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing listen!!!

This book was a suspenseful, satisfying page turner. The narrator smoothly transported you through the plot's twists and turns, hooking you from beginning to end. Highly recommend! 


I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily decided to review."

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Nazis Aren't the Only Problem Here

An academic and lover of classical music, in particular Chopin, our main character Gus is a family guy and widower who has just remarried and finds himself up against neo-Nazi’s. The dialogue and a trove of novice-level contrivances kill what could have been a more interesting story.

While trying to work out through a difficult situation, Gus asks himself (and presumably the reader/listener), “Should I chance it with my beloved bride?"

This kind of stilted language constantly tossed me out of the story. I don't know anyone, including the academics who are in my circle of friends, who phrases words in this way. I suspect most of us think in a kind of shorthand when conversing with ourselves, at least I believe I do. Then again, I am no academic, so what do I know? Only that some things do not sound right, and when they do not sound right, they do not ring true. After a while the interruption of flow made even the placement of “twittering birds” or a “cerulean Parisian sky” seem forced, strained.

The author’s turns of phrase were among other oddities that wedged between me and the story. For example, in the story CNN splashes the faces of Gus and his brother-in-law across every television in the world. Gus not only sees his image first hand on a Paris hotel television screen, Interpol representatives warn him that, thanks to the news clips, he is now recognizable nearly everywhere he went. Still Gus and his wife, even after a harrowing escape from bad guys who clearly recognized them, took daily walks and frequented neighborhood shops. There’s another scene where this same couple suspect the bad guys have again spotted them, but the good news is they are located in a public place where police are usually easily accessible (I’m being deliberately vague to avoid spoilers). Mind you, this couple is in a country they know little to nothing about. Instead of asking someone for the police, they get in a car and drive away, using dark, infrequently traveled country roads and this is when, suddenly, it occurs to them to contact the police, but they have no idea where they are or where a police station is located, and-- of course-- Gus left his cell phone in the States.

Another point of distraction / destruction is the conveniences of the storyline (again I will not say much here in order to avoid spoilers). Simply put there are far too many unrealistic saves and “cheating” turns.

Instead of being connected and engaged with this story, I spent most of the listen at bay, standing on the sidelines and challenging myself to come up with word usage and story structure that could have given the narrative more grip. This is no Bueno-- or perhaps I should say "ce n’est pas bon."

The narrator did an okay in a very general sense. Perhaps for this story, he was not the best choice. His voice, like the cover art and dialogue, projected a younger character than the author described in the book, and this was another source of contention as I found myself in a perpetual state of mentally reconciling the divergences. Some of the accents did not seem authentic, and his female impersonations were too heady— falsetto.

I was gifted with this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Thanks AudioBook Boom!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another success for Lazar!

Would you listen to Mazurka again? Why?

Yes, the characters get more developed and you appreciate the plot better.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Gus was brave, resourceful and very sensitive to Camille's needs.

What does Lou Hecker bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His voice helps you visualize the characters and love them.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Siegfried was declared dead. It did escalate the tension.

Any additional comments?

"I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom."

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
Listener received this title free

good

Loved it !! this story. the narrator is so fantastic it's like your really there!! good overall

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Listener received this title free

Reminded me . . .

As I listened to this book I was reminded that there will always be people in the world that want only their own views and goals to be accepted by others. They are willing to do anything and go to any lengths to eliminate those who are different or disagree with them. Philosophies such as those have started wars, killed millions and are slow to fade away. This story was a good example of that and though it was fiction it was a good illustration of what happens even today. I was reminded of what is going on in our country even now in 2020. May God protect us from repeating history!

This book in the Gus LeGarde Series was a lot more intense than the previous books I've read. Having said that, it was a thought provoking book. I don't know how I would have reacted had any Germans crossed my path; I was not born during WWII nor did I know any Germans during my childhood. I do remember my mother being very negative about the "Japs" when I was small, years after the war, though I think it was a general dislike because one of her best friends was a Japanese lady. I can understand the feelings of people who lost family members in the war. This story really brought to light that we need to be aware that this kind of thing is still going on with groups in our country at present, with many of them still promoting such plans and ideas the same as the Nazis. The story also offers a lot of positive thoughts about the people who work to stop the actions of these groups.

The story of family history is very interesting. Knowing that the personal family side is fiction, the historical information is fascinating. I am a true music lover and Chopin is one of my favorite composers. I've spent many hours at the piano playing his music. Also from the family perspective, the story is wonderful. It illustrates the true meaning and importance of family and family heritage.

I am definitely ready for more of this series! I should mention that the narrators that work with Mr. Lazar have been top notch!

I requested this audiobook from Audiobooks Unleashed and have voluntarily left this review.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Listener received this title free

Outstanding!!

This is a really interesting story to start with, but the great narrator makes it even better! The characters were so clear and so perfect for the characters!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!