Menagerie of Broken Dreams

By: James R. Nelson

Narrated by: Matthew E. Berry

Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Young Stephen Moorehouse is excited about his new job. His uncle, a famous movie director, has asked him to travel to Florida and scout out a location to film a remake of a famous 1950s movie. Anxious to do a good job, Stephen discovers the perfect location, which unfortunately, is located next to a bizarre roadside attraction.

A thick fog blowing off the Gulf of Mexico is making it difficult for the beautiful Savannah Blanchard to find a ride as she hitch hikes along Route 90, just outside of Biloxi, Mississippi. Still reeling from the sudden loss of her job, she is hoping her good friend can put her up for awhile and maybe help her get a fresh start. Savannah holds a dark secret which will soon become apparent to the next unfortunate lonely driver who pulls over to pick her up.

Speeding south from Indiana after a brutal crime wave, tormented Willard Ferguson and his 16 year old girlfriend, Anna Mae, leave a wake of death and destruction behind them. Anxious to find a safe haven from the authorities, they end up taking refuge in an odd attraction called Doctor Merryweather's Menagerie. Rather than offering the solace they had hoped for, Willard and his girlfriend find themselves thrust into a grotesque world far removed from anything they ever thought existed. Several seemingly separate events slowly merge into one, as the Menagerie of Broken Dreams pulls everyone into a dark web of danger, deceit, and murder.

©2015 James R. Nelson (P)2018 James R. Nelson

Not my normal

genre choice but spotted it on AudioBook Boom and requested a copy.

I'm glad I did.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the story and the characters.

It was like sitting down on a dreary Sunday afternoon and binging on black and white B movies. For me, a woman almost 60 who cut her "spooky movie" and "Private Dick movies" teeth on the old school black and white B movies...the essence of all those old movies are here in spoken word. I feel a loony saying this, but this book played out in my head like a black and white movie. It's the stuff so many of the movies I watched as a kid are made of.

Teenagers in love go really bad.
Over the top drama queen stars who end up showing their true colors.
The nice guy who gets the right girl but still ends up in a mess.
The woman who was shunned by a hateful father finds peace at last.
The whole town of people who don't fit anywhere, trying to survive and get by...just get by....as they deal with their own struggles inside the community itself....to prevent the local community from burning them out.
The good guy who maybe isn't such a good guy after all.


This isn't just ONE story..it is several woven together in a way that you get invested in each story, each one could stand alone on it's own...and has...in a lot of old school B movies...it's awesome.

The narrator fits right into the "old school" feel of stories. His grasp on dialect, cadence and accents is pitch perfect......his voice isn't smooth but it will lull you into feeling the story as he tells the story. He doesn't "read it".....he tells it thru each character. He handles adding a feminine touch to the female characters in a way that doesn't feel forced, isn't screechy or over pitched.

Locations wise, the author knows his stuff. I have been in all the areas mentioned as the story moves along, even traveled the hi-ways mentioned and he doesn't miss a beat with his descriptions of the areas or the people.

Some rough langue....I'd call it PG 13...overall it is an enjoyable listen without over the top language or gore.

I did receive this book at my request in return for my review.

Amazing story and performance!!

Stephen, Uncle Phillip and Jeanette are back! Stephen is searching for a movie location; Savannah is a beautiful woman with a dark secret; Willard Ferguson and Anna Mae are hiding their own secrets; and all of them are connected which unravels in the story amazingly!

James writes very interestingly and uniquely. He creates an amazing build up that does not disappoint! Matt narrates superbly! His character impressions and accents are amazing, it really seems like there are different narrators for the characters!!

Overall, job well done to both James and Matt!! I will be looking for more from you both!!

Note: This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this objective review voluntarily.

Great story

Intriguing story with sideshow freaks a couple who think their Bonnie and Clyde and the making of a B horror film
Excellent narration and a wonderful setting for a mystery highly recommended
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review

Interesting story

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

Easy to follow plot line. Good story arch and characters. The narrator did a great job bringing life to the characters. I enjoyed listening to this book quite a lot. The fact that part of it's plot was about a movie I grew up watching with my late father was even better!

Good Story

Stephen thinks he hit the jackpot working for his uncle. Going to Florida to find a good location for his upcoming movie. Location had an unusual roadside attraction that lead to problems, mayhem and survival..Good narration added to the story with his clear voice. Given audio for my voluntary review.

Fun & twisted story with many eccentric characters

I enjoyed listening to this fun and twisted story so much, with an abundance of eccentric characters, that I listened to most of it twice. I am eager to listen to other books by this author or narrator. I have already recommended the book to others.

WHAT I LIKED MOST:
*So many quirky, eccentric, well developed characters - yet each one was quite believable and you cared about them
*Humanizing the lives of circus, carnival, and sideshow performers gave the story extra merit
*Lighthearted and sometimes sleazy insights into the independent film industry
*Weaving together of three seemingly unconnected plots into a very unique and creative story
*Narrator easily and successfully toggles through the numerous and varied male and female characters
*Story will make a wonderful and colorful movie or TV series; I'm already thinking who should be cast in the different roles.


WHAT I DID NOT PARTICULARLY ENJOY:
*Willard and Anna were a major part of this story. But, I was left wondering about the chaos that they left behind. I would have liked more details.
*What happened to the lobster man was horrific. Yet, there is so little said about the ramifications.


DISCLAIMER: I was given a review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

this book was given to me at my request for review

loved this book couldn't stop listening to it. loved how all the carnaval people were able to live in peace at the end.

Great narrator, beautifully written and intriguing

I really liked this book. It is a good old fashioned mystery in the best sense. It comes complete with a grim menagerie, eccentric characters, and mysterious happenings. It is very well written, and reveals all very satisfactorily at the end. And, of course, Matthew E. Berry's narration is a delight, he did a great job of bringing the many laughs in this marvelous book. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I’ve listened to all three in this series.

And I now have to say I’m hooked. I don’t read a whole lot of mysteries but will definitely be reading the rest of this series. Author was great in not only keeping you interested but does really well keeping multiple plots throughout the story straight and winds up all loose ends so your not left wondering what happened in any of the plots. Narrator also does very well with different characters male and female and easy to listen to. I was given this audiobook for free in exchange for voluntary honest review . I definitely recommend this series and I didn’t want to go into any details much about the stories as to not give the plots away. But I can’t wait for the next one to come out. New must read author added to my list.

Great Read

Menagerie of Broken Dreams was by James R. Nelson. Stephen Moorehouse is excited about his new job. He was asked but his famous movie director uncle, to travel to Florida to scout out a location to make a movie remake. He finds the perfect location but it is located next to a bizarre roadside attraction. Savannah Blanchard is looking for a ride as she hitch hikes along Route 90, but a thick fog is making it difficult. Unfortunately the next lonely driver who pulls up to pick her up will find out that she has a dark secret. Willard Ferguson and his 16 year old girlfriend, Anna Mae, have left a wake of death and destruction behind them. They are anxious to find a safe place to hide away from authorities and take up refuge in an odd attraction named Doctor Merryweather’s Menagerie. They find themselves in a grotesque world that they never knew existed. I enjoyed reading this book and cant wait to read more by the author.