The Tenth Nail

By: Kwen Griffeth

Narrated by: Paul J. McSorley

Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's Summary

Nate knelt beside the dead girl. This wasn't his first homicide, it wasn't even the first dead prostitute he'd investigated. It wasn't the first strangling death he'd been assigned to. But this one bothered him.

Maybe it was her youth; she appeared to be in her early twenties. Maybe it was her looks, as death had yet to rob her of her beauty. Maybe she reminded him of his own daughter, Lizzie, who was only a few years younger. Maybe it was something else entirely.

The big detective looked over the body, careful not to touch or disturb her. He had one of the best crime scene technicians, Winston Rawls, and he did not want to make his job harder.

©2016 Kwen D Griffeth (P)2016 Kwen D Griffeth

A real nail biter

Stories like this have generally, one of two things going for them. One, they have interesting characters, ones that seem real and make you want to see what they are up to, or a great mystery, one that just compells you to read on, not knowing what will happen or who the culprit is. This book has both going on, and it is a wonderful ride.

I'll be honest, this is not my cup of tea. I love sci-fi, fantasy, horror and the like but I don't follow real life (seeming) stuff. I deal with a lot of death in my profession (funeral director) and I try to distance myself fro things that can hit close to home. I really don't even watch stuff like police procedurals or murder programs. I am a diehard Holmesian, however, and I do enjoy a good mystery. Still, sometimes a good story comes along and I give it a go regardless of my everyday tastes. I'm glad I did, as the Tenth Nail was spectacular. I also appreciate that the MC isn't a "noble" cop, he is fallible and flawed.

A large part of that success was the narration by McSorely. He slips into the main character like a well worn glove, but still manages to pull off a sexy lady lawyer believably. He continues to impress me everytime I listen, and he was the reason I got this book. Even though I did receive a promo code for this review it in no way influenced my considerations of the material, and in fact, inspired me to be more honest. In fact, getting a code generally makes me harsher as a reviewer as I am more often concerned what someone like Me will decide based on my review.

If this review helped, please press the YES below. Thank you immensely!!!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

The Tenth nail

This book is a great mystery/ thriller . Love Nate and Clare ... And the characters that come into play are fantastically portrayed with written words and the narrator that brought the story to life.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Totally engaging story.

With the death of a young prostitute, Nate Burns, the officer in charge is compelled to promised the young girl that he would bring to justice the person who killed her. Along with his new partner-n-training, Manny Trujilo, they try to find the one responsible but comes up with several dead ends. Still, Nate refuses to give up, though he continues to work on several other cases. It was while in Las Vegas at a detective convention, that though a college, was convinced to seek the help of another. There are so many twists and turns in this story, along with a chuckle or two. You will be totally entrained and continue to listen until the end. The author did a great job keeping you involved and the narrator did a wonderful job portraying each of the characters.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Not as strong as I'd hoped

First I'll say the book started out with great potential. There was the murder and then the cop obsessed with solving the murder. There was quite a bit of time trying to build the relationship between Nate and Manuel, which only begins because Nate's wife pushes him to develop the relationship. Then they go away to a cop convention where we discover Nate cheats on his wife - and right there he lost my respect. He's sharing a motel suite with his partner, who he knows is a dedicated husband, and expects him to stay quiet about the affair. Somewhere along the line I got lost in characters, and solving the case lost importance, which was the entire premise of the novel. Paul McSorley gives another outstanding performance --which, in my opinion is what allowed me to listen to the end. **I was offered this free book and asked to leave an honest review.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Great!

I normally don't get into murder mysteries and cop stories, but this one drew me in. Loved it!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

When will the movie premiere?

Kwen Griffith has mastered the art of setting the scene, character introduction, and dialog. A fast moving mystery with twists and turns!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

A good guy wins in the end story.

I really liked the descriptions of the landscapes. It helped your imagination build on the storyline.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Narrator Paul J. McSorley can read anything he wants to me

A favorite narrator of mine, Paul J. McSorely, does a superb job in relaying this murder mystery. Author Kwen Griffeth takes us along on a murder investigation with a seasoned detective and his newbie partner in New Mexico. Never a dull moment in this one with plenty of twists and turns and suspense along with humour throughout. A slight disappointment: Characters pop in and out within chapters and can be a bit confusing. Other than that, a captivating book. Highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great Listen!

Kwen D Griffeth is a new author to me. I loved the twists this book had. Nate and Clare are a great couple, who have a realistic relationship. I loved how the author added humor to the book as well as writing great suspense, mystery, and thinking outside the box. I could easily relate to the comments regarding voicemail. Some of the characters were very endearing. Paul J McSorey did a fantastic performance with his various character voices and accents. I enjoy it when I can listen and hear exactly who is speaking. I will definitely listen to more books by this author and narrator.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Interesting story, enjoyable listen

The story begins with a prostitute being strangled. Seasoned investigator, Nate Burns, is the Officer in Charge with his new partner Manny Trujillo. There is little evidence and slim chance of the crime being solved, but Nate promises the dead girl to find her killer.

Some of the things Nate did confused me but overall this is a good story that moves along.

As with many other books read by Paul McSorley, I enjoyed listening to this.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Call me!

The first day that Mannie, newly transferred from Narcotics, is partnered with Nate, the couple catch an homicide: a young girl found strangled in 'Lover's Lane'. A prostitute, she had obviously put up a struggle to survive, her nails ripped and bleeding. Real nails, not artificial. Although Nate, " a broken down cowboy who likes to play detective", is no stranger to dead bodies, for some reason he is strangely affected by the murder and promises the dead girl that he will catch her killer. This book covers the period of several months following, the investigation, the people and Nate's life in general.

This is not a fast paced, blood and glory thriller. Instead, it builds a detailed picture of the lives of all of the protagonists and Nate, in particular. But despite the fairly gentle pace there isn't a moment of boredom in this 13± hour book. The characters might not always be likable, Nate, for example, tends to bulldoze his way through everything and everyone, but they feel like real, plausible people with their own, often selfish, agendas.

Matching the slow, emotionally paced story text, Paul J.McSorley's careful and pleasant narration is pace perfect, reflecting the character of the protagonists with excellent and differentiated voices. He reads with understanding, expression and good intonation. Book and narrator meld into one.

With intriguing side stories, internal departmental conflict and a bullheaded lead character who undoubtedly makes life difficult for others as he sticks to his own personal creed of justice, this book is far more than a simple detection mystery. It is a whole slice of life in a police department and the community.

I was very fortunate in being gifted a complimentary copy of The Tenth Nail, at my request, by the rights holder, via Audiobook Boom. Thank you so much - it was simply superb. Ths review is freely given and I can wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys their thrillers with full blooded characters rather than simple, one dimensional shoot outs and car chases. The thrills are still there, the more gentle action gripping throughout.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful