Murder In Chinatown

By: Victoria Thompson

Narrated by: Suzanne Toren

Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Edgar Award finalist Victoria Thompson colorfully portrays the prejudices and hardships of turn-of-the-century New York City.

Called to Chinatown to deliver a baby, midwife Sarah Brandt soon helps search for a missing girl. But nobody seems to know where she is. Has she been sold to a brothel, or has she run off with a secret love?

©2007 Victoria Thompson (P)2008 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"Vividly recreates the gaslit world of Old New York." ( Publishers Weekly)

horrible narrator

the story was fine. I have listened to hundreds of audiobooks over the years and this narrator was the most horrible one I have ever heard. I almost didn't listen to the book. if she is narrating the rest of the series I will not purchase it

The narrator was god awful.

why do they have to ruin a perfectly good story. The other narrator was great. I want to continue the series but just can not stomach listening to this person. it is a shame.

Great story ... poor narration

Frank's voice makes him gruff not at all likeable, but the story is good as usual.

Much Improved Narration

I've been enjoying the titles in this series prior to this one, but the narration ALMOST drove me off - at first. However, a good story can survive a narrator who is learning the ropes, which is what the original narrator sounded like she was doing. It bothered me that there were no accents where there should have been, class distinctions/dialect between characters' voices were non-existent, it was hard to distinguish male from female characters, and ages of characters didn't show up in the voices. The narrator did learn as she went along and later books were getting better, but I doubt the Asian and other accents in this one would have been an easy task. I wish her the best, but I think Suzanne Toren is handling the characters well and the narration is MUCH improved.

Great stories! I love mysteries set in this time frame in New York City. And I am looking forward to bingeing the rest!

Better narrator

Yes, it’s difficult to get used to a new narrator, but this one handles the tone, mood, accents, and character differences much better. However, she’s given the main characters unappealing voices, though she improves them in the next book. For example, for Malloy, it’s an odd mix of old-man smoker’s grizzle mixed with southern drawl mixed with old-time New England private eye. And for some reason, she stretches out his vowels. Sarah sounds more soft spoken than we were used to. I found that increasing the speed makes both Frank and Sarah more tolerable. Stick with it to hear the narrator’s improvements in the next installment. The mystery was good, as usual, with plenty of suspects, twists, and history.

like the series. hate the reader for this one.

The first few books were enjoyable. This story was good. This book was good but the reader made it so hard to listen to. The character voices were cartoon like. Malloy was monotone in voice. The neighbor sounded annoying. Really was looking forward to listening on our trip but it was tough. I see she is the reader for the rest of the books. I don't know if we will try them.

Narrator

I have really enjoyed listening to the previous books in this Sherrie but the different narrator was awful. If I hadn't already paid for the book I would not of listened to it. I will just read the rest. I always have an audio book going because of travel time and some of my down time . I wish I would of noticed the change before I started I might of returned it.

Another Murder!

I did enjoy this story. Hard at first with the change of narrators but I sped up to 1.1 and it made it better. I do miss the previous one though but sure I will get use to this one

Interesting to be in Chinatown and learn some info on the temperature of the times.

New Narrator after 8 Books

The book was excellent, but the new narrator really threw my husband and I off at first. She was good but took some time getting used to.

A new Narrator

I love Victoria Thompson's Gaslight series. I listened to the first eight books as if they were one continuing book.
The change of reader to Suzanne Toren was shocking. I find Frank Malloy's voice by this reader menacing and sarcastic. I have a clear picture of this well written character in my mind's eye, that I know from the first eight books. Fortunately or unfortunately, this picture in my head includes the voice and intonations of the reader of the first eight books. To my ear, there is a mismatch between my impressions of Frank Malloy and the snarky voice Suzanne Toren uses.

There are at least two reasons for this jolting mismatch that may be personal to me. I lived in New York City for 15 years and I know that all New Yorkers don't have to sound like James Cagney either in accent or in passive aggressive sarcasm. And I am a bit infatuated with the Detective .Malloy of books 1-8. He is a strong man who sometimes wonders, in his heart, if he's strong enough. He's a Detective with a tough shell, who inside suffers with his handicapped son and still grieves the lose of his late wife. He is strong willed enough to fight what he sees as an ill-fated attraction to Sara, and yet he undestands that his heart won't be controled. He can't be a little in love, and their society will stand in the way of complete love. He will not compromise Sara in any way so he keeps her just out of his reach. Sara is a strong-willed independent woman who is who she is because of who she was born to be. She has always had the inherited acceptance by New York Society, of belonging to one of the most powerful families in New York. Protecting her non-conventional life, is the power of her family name. Though she doesn't usually flaunt her privilege, she will pull out the 'big guns' when necessary. The fact that her family and Teddy Roosevelt's are close opens a lot of doors that seemed locked to her and Mallory until she reveals her true identity.

Murder in Chinatown is another Victoria Thompson win. I am now starting the second book read by Suzanne Toren. I am trying to meld her voice with my idea of the characters. I will not stop listening to these stories but I miss the voices of the friends I know.