• The Profiler's Daughter

  • Sky Stone, Book 1
  • By: P. M. Steffen
  • Narrated by: Gabrielle de Cuir
  • Length: 19 hrs and 29 mins
  • 3.7 out of 5 stars (1,733 ratings)

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The Profiler's Daughter  By  cover art

The Profiler's Daughter

By: P. M. Steffen
Narrated by: Gabrielle de Cuir
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Publisher's summary

A grisly murder. A six-year-old eyewitness. A gun from the grave.

The Profiler's Daughter is a psychologically haunting thriller that combines murder mystery, love triangle, and family intrigue in one satisfying page burner.

Sky Stone was born into the wealth and privilege of Boston's oldest Brahmin family but chooses instead to follow in the footsteps of her deceased father, legendary FBI profiler Monk Stone. In the chilly morning hours before the Boston Marathon, when a beautiful university student is found strangled and mutilated, her body left at the base of Heartbreak Hill, Sky returns from self-imposed exile to investigate. Thirty-six hours into the investigation, Sky's world turns upside down when she is fired from the Homicide team. They pin the murder on an innocent man, forcing Sky into a life-threatening game of cat and mouse with the real killer. From the stately mansions of Beacon Hill to the flat scrubland of central Texas, Sky keeps the reader on a razor's edge, culminating in a no-holds-barred shoot-out.

The Profiler's Daughter, the first in the Sky Stone Thriller series, introduces a moody, enigmatic, and brilliant female sleuth with the fierce bite of Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander. As adeptly written as Martin Cruz Smith's complex Arkady Renko novels, this thriller offers an intriguing plot, richly detailed characters, and an astonishing conclusion guaranteed to leave the listener begging for more.

©2012 Paula Moser Steffen (P)2014 Paula Moser Steffen

What listeners say about The Profiler's Daughter

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    558
  • 4 Stars
    556
  • 3 Stars
    314
  • 2 Stars
    157
  • 1 Stars
    148
Performance
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    547
  • 4 Stars
    447
  • 3 Stars
    286
  • 2 Stars
    125
  • 1 Stars
    160
Story
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    542
  • 4 Stars
    473
  • 3 Stars
    295
  • 2 Stars
    114
  • 1 Stars
    140

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

Great title, poor production value

Some wrongly believe you need to suffer through the entire performance, because that's what an audiobook is, before rating it. I couldn't get that far. I'd like to encourage Audible editors to keep its acquisition standards 'high', if not 'higher' to avoid narrators who are terrible at the accents they're attempting, to protect Audible customers from low-quality production values where, for example, the audio editor doesn't take the time to erase the sound of a narrator swallowing between each sentence or dramatically stating each and every sentence to such an extent that it all becomes the same over-dramatized pitch, etc. When Audible does this, we can be more assured of quality (like Breakfast at Tiffany's, say). Because even with the exchange policy, our time is worth something that can not be replaced. Please Audible, be discriminating, offer more guidelines, whatever, but protect us from the poor execution of books.

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62 people found this helpful

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

1st audible book I couldn't finish

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Gabrielle de Cuir?

Anyone! I'm so sorry, but I've listened to over 100 audible books from this site and this is the 1st narrator that I just can't stand to listen to. Her main character voice is fine but every other character voice is terrible! I really tried to look past it. I thought she just might need to warm up a little, so I gave it until Chapter 20...but I just cant do it. In her defense, the dialogue between characters is incredibly cheesy and unrealistic, so she didn't have a lot to work with...

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I'm so disappointed! I was looking forward to a nice long 20 hour murder mystery that I could just sink into. Poor writing and narration never allowed me to form any attachment to the characters because they were all so generic. O well... You win some, you lose some. I definitely lost on this one. :/

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39 people found this helpful

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

What a great find

Would you consider the audio edition of The Profiler's Daughter to be better than the print version?

I didn't read the print version. My wife did and told me I had to download Profilers Daughter as my next listen. I didn't need much of a push as I could tell from how she was reacting when she was reading, it was a real page turner. At least there is one thing we still agree on after 25 years of marriage - Profilers Daughter is a great read!

What other book might you compare The Profiler's Daughter to and why?

Defending Jacob

Have you listened to any of Gabrielle de Cuir’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I'm not sure but I will look for others. It was a good performance. As you know if you listen to many books, a poor performance can ruin a great book. That did not happen hear.

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

I didn't want to stop listening. iI was frustrating at times as I listen in my car. When I arrived at my destination I would be frustrated because I had to stop....or I would keep listening as I did one night in my drive way from mi-night to quarter to one!

Any additional comments?

I was impressed with the character development. Including one particular character I did not like. Steffen really made me despise the character. Not because of something they did...just the way the character"s personality came across. My wife said it was because it reminded me of my old boss. She is probably right. Steffen is descriptive - yet does not over do it just to impress us with an excess of words. The story flows nicely and I was never wondering "OK where is she going now and why is she telling me this" without soon getting the answer.

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38 people found this helpful

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

Could have been good

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The narration ruined much of this book for me, it was overly dramatic, and oddly breathy at points making me think the narrator was ill. Additionally the voices given to a couple of characters were poorly chosen and distracted from the story line.

Would you ever listen to anything by P. M. Steffen again?

Possibly with a different narrator, on the most part I liked Sky though it seemed like her backbone fled at the oddest times, she became a little to "victim". The story of the murder was pretty good but the personal relationships distracted and that may be the first time I have ever had that thought. It could be because I detested the Jake character and the narrator contributed to that dislike.

What didn’t you like about Gabrielle de Cuir’s performance?

Pretty much every thing, her voice when speaking "normally" seemed fine and maybe it is the director I should be blaming but I doubt I would waste a credit on another book narrated by her.

What character would you cut from The Profiler's Daughter?

Part of me wants to say Jake but he was needed at least initially, but if he had gone away I would not have complained. The added layer of his girlfriend seemed unnecessary.

Any additional comments?

In some ways I wish I had read this book, I don't think I would have loved it but I think I would have appreciated the story. I stopped listening a little over half way through and jumped to the epilogue just to get an idea of the ending, it opened up questions that I wanted an answers to, about how they got to that point but not enough for me to listen to the rest of the book.

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31 people found this helpful

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

Bad Performance

Any additional comments?

The narrator really made this a hard listen. She made all characters other than Sky real hard to like and it was very distracting. I might have liked the book with someone else reading it.

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22 people found this helpful

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

Next?

Where does The Profiler's Daughter rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top 5% of my library.

What does Gabrielle de Cuir bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Although the male character's voices were somewhat off, the narration for Sky was right on the mark. I demonstrated a genuine understanding of the regret and angst, as well as the uncertainty, experienced by Sky.

Any additional comments?

Can't wait for the next installment!

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16 people found this helpful

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

Excellent

I am looking forward to more from PM Steffen and I am anxious to read the next installment of this series. While I remember the beginning to be a tad slow, somewhere along the way this story totally sucked me in and I had to make myself put the book down and get to sleep. Lucky for me I can listen to a book and work otherwise I think work would have been put on the back burner.
Even though I think any reader will know who the culprit is, there are enough twists to make you wonder if what you think is right and who the bad guys really are.
Well worth the credit.

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11 people found this helpful

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

Dissapointing

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

This book was more of a romance than a mystery. The narration definitely made it feel like a romance, but the story didn't have enough clout to carry this in the mystery/detective genre.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Very predictable formula

How could the performance have been better?

Different narrator

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

Wonderful first novel

Would you consider the audio edition of The Profiler's Daughter to be better than the print version?

Well, sometimes the writing ran a bit long; so I think it's better on audio.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Profiler's Daughter?

When Sly dons the Balenciaga gown that belonged to her grandmother. Magic.

What about Gabrielle de Cuir’s performance did you like?

Just about everything. I really enjoyed the sections where she talked about Sly's panic attacks and insecurities; the narrator is good at handling these emotional moments without going over the top, and yet she fully explores the emotions. Her accents were very good; having to juggle 5 male Boston cops was amazing; I loved the Grandmother, too. Great Brahmin attitude.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The grandmother made me laugh; as did her sidekick cop who keeps calling her "Darlin." I very much disliked "Jake" her former husband, and really think Sky should move on. But then again, a lot of us want the "bad" guy or gal.

Any additional comments?

This should be a TV series. When's the next one?!?!? ;0) So rarely do we get a strong female lead in a novel who has personal issues, too. Knocked one star off story because in the writing there were sometimes there were repetitive phrases (i..e Sly kept putting things in her pockets.) Also, I really disliked Jake. I hope she gets a new boyfirend in the next installment.

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10 people found this helpful

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

Self-Indulgent and Poorly Executed

I have never given a book this few stars, but I couldn't possibly be more favorable. I felt trapped when, only 2 minutes after the sample portion that I listened to - the author includes a scene of a child molesting a corpse. Um, what? That's not what I thought I was downloading... Hmm. I listen to the entire rest of the book hoping that the little perv will turn out to be essential to the plot. But - SPOILER ALERT - nope. Mere self-indulgent shock value from the author. Who, by the way, may be a psychologist, but you wouldn't know it from the way her cardboard characters behave. She throws in a hypnotist and rats to show off her psych knowledge, yet we never have an actual scene in which hypnosis takes place. And the main character is a psychologist, an expert, who doesn't believe in therapy. Huh? Like a dentist with bad teeth?

The author takes us down numerous rabbit holes that turn out NOT to be red herrings, but random backstory info dumps about minor characters that are completely unnecessary. The main character is so unbelievable that it is comedic. And when she went to Texas, this book had me guffawing. She meets a woman on an airplane for 5 minutes, lies to her, and yet the woman (who realizes she's been lied to) spills her deepest, darkest secret to this Yankee stranger, and then conveniently tells her the town's hidden secrets too. Sure, that would happen. Then the most eligible bachelor in the county falls in love with her in 2 seconds flat. Of course.

But the strangest part was the "dream" sex scene that apparently was supposed to be real between the MC and her ex. It was bizarrely mentioned, but skipped over making me think it was a "dream." They didn't say a word to each other about it, and I kept waiting for the ex to tell her she dreamed it. But nope. Weird because the author has no problem writing a sex scene with her and Mr. Texas near the end of the book.

The author probably had some good ideas when she wrote this book. However it really needed a good editor! I thought I might jump out a window if the narrator (as a male Boston detective) said, "Darling" one more time. The narration was over the top, but I she had to read what was given to her so I don't blame her totally.

Skip this one and pick up some C.J. Lyons, Lisa Gardner, or Tami Hoag instead.

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8 people found this helpful