Silk

The Bloodstone Series, Book 1

By: Chris Karlsen

Narrated by: David Bufton

Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's Summary

It is the time of Jack the Ripper. The widowed Queen Victoria sits on the throne of England. The whole of London is on edge, wondering when or where Jack will kill next. The Palace, Parliament, and the press are demanding the police do more to find him.

In another part of London, rough-around-the-edges war hero Metropolitan Detective Inspector Rudyard Bloodstone has his own serial killer to find. Interdepartmental rivalries, politics, and little evidence to go on hamper the investigation at every turn. In a battle of wills, Bloodstone presses forward following his instincts in spite of the obstacles.

Adding to those problems, away from the strains of the investigation, he is engaged in the ups and downs of a new relationship with a lovely hat maker.

©2014 Books To Go Now (P)2016 Books To Go Now

Historical Romance

This first book in the series is a wonderful historical suspense set in Victorian England. Detective Bloodstone is definitely worth listening to this book for. He is an unassuming hero you can't help but love. I wasn't sure how I would like the book at first as I found the subject matter at the beginning of the book a little disturbing. Nevertheless, I persevered and was glad I did. Chris Karlsen gives us strong and well developed characters. The story is interesting with a combination of suspense, comedy and even a wee bit of romance. The villain is certainly deserving of the label. He believes he is justified in what he does and he gives Detective Bloodstone a run for his money! I look forward to listening to more books in this series based on historical suspense with a touch of romance.
David Bufton did a nice job of narrating.

Horrible acoustics

Great story....narrator was good but there was and echo and constant beeping in the background....very annoying

Amazing series, on of my favorite mystery books

Silk is the story of a powerful, entitled man who enjoys strangling women while in the throes of ecstasy. After he discards them, there is precious little proof to connect the women to him. When the Detective Bloodstone gets close to figuring out the culprit, our villain uses his considerable influence to block him.

I found Silk to be a riveting read. You know who the villain is, you just don’t know if Detective Bloodstone will actually be able to gather enough evidence and if his department will have the political will to pin the murders on him. It’s a political statement as relative today as it was back then. Further, there were compelling subplots, an anti-aging scheme for one, that also made this story great.

Aside from the great plot lines, I love Ms. Karlsen’s writing style. She doesn’t candy coat what life was like in the late 1800’s as is common in historical mystery and romance novels. I love the realism of the time and the realism of the characters. They are all three dimensional and interesting. This series is a real find for mystery lovers. I can’t wait for her next installments.

Boring

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

The narrator's voice could have had a lot more feeling.

Would you ever listen to anything by Chris Karlsen again?

No

Would you be willing to try another one of David Bufton’s performances?

No

Any additional comments?

I guessed this book was written by an American even before I'd checked. A "Mills & Boon" idea of "Olde England" and read by a man who seemed uninterested in the story, with a very monotonous voice and absolutely no feeling.