The Murders at Astaire Castle

By: Lauren Carr

Narrated by: Dan Lawson

Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's Summary

Never tell Mac Faraday not to do something.

Spencer's police chief, David O'Callaghan, learns this lesson the hard way when he orders Mac Faraday to stay away from the south end of Spencer's mountaintop - even though he owns the property. It doesn't take long for Mac to find out what lies on the other side of the stone wall and locked gate, on which hangs a sign warning visitors to Keep Out!

Topping the list of the 10 top haunted places in America, Astaire Castle is associated with two suicides, three mysterious disappearances, and four murders since it was built almost a century ago - and Mac Faraday owns it!

In spite of David's warning, Mac can't resist unlocking the gate to see the castle that supposedly hasn't seen a living soul since his late mother had ordered it closed up after the double homicide and disappearance of Damian Wagner, a world-famous master of horror novels.

What starts out as a quick tour of a dusty old castle turns into another Mac Faraday adventure when Astaire Castle becomes the scene of even more murders. Mac is going to need to put all of his investigative talents to work to sort out this case that involves the strangest characters he has run into yet - including a wolf man. No, we're not talking about Gnarly.

©2013 Terri Lynn Zaleski (P)2014 Terri Lynn Zaleski

Fantastic!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The Murders at Astaire Castle is a fantastic, adventure (and murder packed!) audio book that you don't want to hit pause - you don't want to miss what happens next to Mac Faraday and Gnarly!

This novel was intense, full of mystery and suspense. You need to give the audio book (and I am sure the novel as well) your full attention. There are lots of murders and information that you can easily miss if you are not paying full attention. I found myself going back at some points to ensure I had key figures right (editors, authors, etc..). The story evolved in such a way that I did not expect! What began as a superstition that you thought was easily solved, turned into a cycle of past murders that prompted a new set of murders! Just when you think the story can not possibly make another twist, it did! It was very well written and thought out. The ending was nothing what I expected but was incredible. It literally blew my mind!

Gnarly (you have to give such a cute character some love!), was his usually spunky and hard working dog! He makes me laugh with his antics (garbage dump diving) but is such a hard working, intelligent partner. He played a big part as usual in this novel.

The Murders at Astaire Castle was an intense, suspenseful murder mystery that you will truly love! It is a definite must read.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Another terrific story from Lauren Carr!

The more I read of this author, the more I enjoy her. Amusing novels with solid mysteries that always include numerous suspects and bodies alike. The twists and turns this time take us to a haunted castle, unsolved old murders, a missing writer, a mysterious wolf, and more. It’s exciting to explore the castle while trying to figure out who might be the killer. Great fun!

See if you can piece the puzzle together to find a killer. You’ll have fun doing it. Ms. Carr is very clever at hiding the guilty party until the end.

Looking forward to seeing more of Lauren's books on Audible.

You can read the entire review on Mystery Suspense Reviews.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

The Murders at Astaire Castle by Lauren Carr

If you could sum up The Murders at Astaire Castle in three words, what would they be?

Mysterious, Enjoyable, Wonderful

Who was your favorite character and why?

So Mac asked Hector to tour the old castle. David comes by following Mac and Hector. Mac gets out of the jeep and asked what David is doing. Now David commits to being with Mac and tries to protect Mac even though if he does not know if he will be able to.

Which scene was your favorite?

The author got me intrigued with what it happens at the beginning, but she really does with the wolfman. I could not wait to see what would happen. Who is Wolf man? She put a bit of a supernatural in this book and it a good book for the month of October. I come away with the fact that I wish to know more about this wolfman and whatever happens to him.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

S-o-o-o good! Great ending!

I listened to this book and the reader is terrific-most important when listening of course. The story is clever, the characters are fleshed out, the dogs are a delight and the writing is good. This is fiction so suspend insistence for perfection and enjoy.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Beware the castle ghosts

This is the fifth book in the Mac Faraday Mystery Series, and the second book I listened to. Like ‚Old Loves Die Hard‚, this can be read as a stand-alone novel. All the characters and their connections are properly introduced, and although it is clear that we’ve moved on in time, I never felt I missed something.

In this book, the focus is more on David and his past, than it is on Mac Faraday. And David has an interesting past, a good deal of which is connected to the haunted Astaire Castle, a property belonging to Mac Faraday and of which the latter had been ignorant until now.

Strange things used to go on at the castle, and the moment Mac Faraday gets involved, the series of murders starts afresh.

It is all very mysterious, and once again, the ending is perplexing (good job that I’m not a private investigator). There’s even some paranormal activity, but it is believable, considering the whole circumstances.

I really like the characters of Mac Faraday, Archie, David, and the rest, but I absolutely love Gnarly.

He’s such a great dog, and all his antics grant some comic relief. I laughed out loud on occasions, I really pictured Gnarly doing what he did. In my eyes, he is readily the best character in this series.

Last week, I said I’d love to explore the area at Deep Creek Lake, but I’d give that castle a wide berth (fortunately, it is fictional).

Dan Lawson did a wonderful job at narrating the story. I have to say that I enjoyed this narration more than the one I wrote about last week. The characters were very distinctive, especially Hector, the Australian. I’ll certainly listen to other books by Dan Lawson, his take on the novel convinced throughout — as did the story. It drew me in right from the start and is a true page turner.

My thanks go to Laura Fabiani from iread booktours who provided me with a free copy of this great audio book.

Another Gnarly Story

Where does The Murders at Astaire Castle rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I would have to say that The Murders at Astaire Castle ranks among the top five audio books I have listened to so far. The narrator Dan Lawson did an amazing job pulling me into Lauren Carr's mystery.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character would have to be Gnarly. Gnarly is a canine character who brings a lot of laughs into this book and the Mac Faraday Mystery series. I love the fact that he is realistically written and yet still very personable.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene in the Murders at Astaire Castle would have to be the first time the characters become aware of the wolf man. I liked the addition of a supernatural element to the mystery.

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

For me the most moving part was when all of the pieces of the puzzle started to come together in my head as I started to solve the mystery for myself. I really loved the moment of suspense between coming up with my own theory and finding out what really happened.

ABSOLUTELY ASTOUNDING. LOVE THE PLOT.

Another hit from Lauren Carr. I like the plot. Exciting and intriguing. I like that the series continue with all the interesting characters. Mac Faraday and David, his brother continue to work together to help solve crimes. The love lives of the the brothers are also very interesting. There are lots of action and the antagonists are truly evil. Very good series!

Never tell Mac Faraday not to do something

Would you consider the audio edition of The Murders at Astaire Castle to be better than the print version?

Equally as entertaining and engrossing

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Murders at Astaire Castle?

When the men find themselves locked inside the castle

Which scene was your favorite?

What starts out as a quick tour of a dusty old castle turns into another Mac Faraday adventure when Astaire Castle becomes the scene of even more murders.

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

I was enthralled

Any additional comments?

Never tell Mac Faraday not to do something.

Spencer’s police chief, David O’Callaghan, learns this lesson the hard way when he orders Mac Faraday to stay away from the south end of Spencer’s mountaintop—even though he owns the property. It doesn’t take long for Mac to find out what lies on the other side of the stone wall and locked gate, on which hangs a sign warning visitors to Keep Out!

Topping the list of the ten most haunted places in America, Astaire Castle is associated with two suicides, three mysterious disappearances, and four murders since it was built almost a century ago—and Mac Faraday owns it!

In spite of David’s warning, Mac can’t resist unlocking the gate to see the castle that supposedly hasn’t seen a living soul since his late mother had ordered it closed up after the double homicide and disappearance of Damian Wagner, a world-famous master of horror novels.

What starts out as a quick tour of a dusty old castle turns into another Mac Faraday adventure when Astaire Castle becomes the scene of even more murders. Mac is going to need to put all of his investigative talents to work to sort out this case that involves the strangest characters he has run into yet—including a wolf man. No, we’re not talking about Gnarly.

A haunted castle! Gnarly to the rescue!

Note: Even though this is Book 5 in the series, it works just fine as a stand alone novel.

Set on Spencer Hill, in Deep Creek, Maryland, Mac Faraday won’t balk at exploring his property in full, and that includes the Astaire Castle which has been closed up since his biological mother passed away. It’s haunted and even his own half-brother David O’Callaghan (local police chief) thinks it’s a very bad idea to go exploring the castle. The Astaire Castle is the site of suicides, disappearances, and murders. As Mac Faraday, retired homicide detective, delves into the castle’s history yet more bodies turn up, and he and David are soon forced to reopen the case of the missing horror writer Damian Wagner.

This was an entertaining story, especially for the Halloween season. This tale has the haunted castle, a missing horror writer, and a wolf man! And that’s just the opening few chapters to this book. Mac and David argue like brothers and there’s a real friendship there even if they disagree on things. Hector, the blunt Australian, was a favorite character as well. I liked his (sometimes snarky) humor. Gnarly, the big friendly, food-oriented German shepherd, often stole the show.

While the men get to do most of the action and decisions for the book, there are a few ladies that stand out. Archie, Mac’s lover, has some role attached to the police department, though the details of which remained a bit fuzzy to me. While the guys often left her behind as they went off to adventure, she did have her moments with her gentle teasing, easing info out of this character or that. Chelsea with her medical condition and her service dog, Molly, also added to the story, specifically as an interesting love interest for one of the characters.

The wolfman was an interesting touch and one I didn’t expect. It definitely added a dimension to the book. The reveal of who did it came as a surprise as well. The wrap up left me wondering if there was a supernatural element to the story after all. All told, my only quibble is that I would have liked the ladies to be a bit more involved. Other than that, it was a pretty fun read.

I received a copy of this audiobook from the author (via iRead Book Tours – thanks!) at no cost.

Narration: Dan Lawson makes a great Mac Faraday. He sounds decisive and also captures the characters fondness (and sometimes exasperation) for Gnarly. His female voices were believable. His voice for David was similar to Mac’s (which makes sense since they are related) and he kept it distinct from Mac’s most of the time.

Another great Mac Faraday novel

I received a free copy of the audiobook from the author.

I have read several Mac Faraday books and have enjoyed them all. This one is my favorite so far. I didn't pay attention to what installment The Murders at Astaire Castle was and somewhere along the line, I realized that this book occurred before some of the others I've read. Once I realized that, it was fine because I learned some of the history of the characters that I hadn't known before.

The Murders at Astaire Castle is full of mystery and non-stop action. There are always a lot of characters in Mac Faraday novels, but the more of them I read, the easier it gets to keep them all straight. Gnarly, Mac's dog, has to be my favorite character. He is cute, loveable, and so funny! I could just picture him dumpster diving!

I like Lauren Carr’s writing style because it’s easy to follow and she doesn’t get bogged down with lengthy descriptions. The dialogue is especially enjoyable. The narrator, Dan Lawson, did an excellent job keeping all of the voices separate. The only thing I'd suggest is that if he does any more of these that he make David sound a little less wimpy. He's definitely not a wimp but somehow that is how his voice came across (but I could still tell him apart from everyone else which is most important).

I definitely recommend The Murders at Astaire Castle. I thought I had this one figured out but it has a couple surprises. Best of all, even though it's part of a series, it stands on its own. If you like audiobooks, this one is done well. I enjoyed listening to it in my car.