To Kill a Warlock

Dulcie O'Neil, Book 1

By: H. P. Mallory

Narrated by: Therese Plummer

Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's Summary

The murder of a dark arts warlock. A shape-shifting, ravenous creature on the loose. A devilishly handsome stranger sent to investigate. Sometimes working law enforcement for the Netherworld is a real bitch.

Dulcie O’Neil is a fairy. And not the type to frolic in gardens. She’s a Regulator - a law-enforcement agent who monitors the creatures of the Netherworld to keep them from wreaking havoc in the mortal world. When a warlock is murdered and Dulcie was the last person to see him alive, she must uncover the truth before she’s either deported back to the Netherworld, or she becomes the next victim.

Enter Knight Vander, a sinfully attractive investigator sent from the Netherworld to work the case with Dulcie. Between battling her attraction to her self-appointed partner, keeping a sadomasochistic demon in check, and fending off the advances of a sexy and powerful vampire, Dulcie’s got her hands full. As the body count increases, Dulcie finds herself battling dark magic, reconnoitering in S&M clubs, and suffering the greatest of all betrayals.

©2010 H.P. Mallory (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Engaging, but sometimes frustrating

Dulcie O'Neil is an idiot. For some reason this particular genre has a common type: stubborn, impulsive, overly emotional, with very poor judgment, and Dulcie just may be its poster child. She acts first and thinks later, ignoring both very good advice and flashing neon signs reading "Don't go in there!" The question isn't so much "how is she ever going to get out of this one," it's "how did she ever get herself into this one." And, that's just her professional side. She comes with as much emotional baggage as dysfunctional family of four. But, she is also highly principled and fiercely loyal to those she cares about. When she puts her own life on the line, it's to help and protect others.

The plots and other characters are interesting and, when Dulcie isn’t getting in her own way, there’s enough suspense to keep the reader engaged. By the third book, Great Hexpectations, it appears our little girl may be growing up. The narrator, Therese Plummer is very good and does a great job of bring all the characters to life.

All and all, I do recommend the series if you don’t mind periodically rolling your eyes and thinking, “For God’s sake, Dulcie, grow up!”

Unexpected and Fresh!!

What did you love best about To Kill a Warlock?

The storyline!! i was into the book and loving it and when she meets the vampire Bram, i say to myself oh great she ends up with him like in every other book. but she didnt! its so fresh and interesting. and the fact that it wasn't a secret world. i love a fresh storyline!

What about Therese Plummer’s performance did you like?

she made me forget i was listening to her talk and instead i heard the story.

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

all of it. i kept being surprised and honestly thats just a pleasant surprise in any case.

Any additional comments?

great listen! i highly recommend!

A new paranormal maestra? Fun listen!

I was happily surprised by this book for several reasons. First, it was entertaining in the way of Molly Harper or Tate Halloway or Jennienne Frost, with snappy dialogue, a little suspense, lots of urban paranormal, and a little romance. Second, I was surprised I hadn't heard of this author till I went to Kindle>Whispersync>sort by price and found it that way, and 3rd, the unexpected bargain of a fun, entertaining listen free on kindle plus $2 audio and then it high ratings too?!

Therese Plummer is probably on the A list narrators and really added to this great bargain package. That said, it did take me about an hour or two to stop hearing her men sound like Jack and women like Mel from the prolific Virgin River series.

I gave it 5 stars for high entertainment value, fun suspense, edgy urban underbelly details, not being another erotica book (romance(s) is G rated and in its infancy in story arc), Snappy at 7 hours, kept me riveted as I painted, and the high quality narration.

What's even better? The following books in the series are a great bargain if you buy the kindle v first, then the audio attached for total of six bucks. A great entertainment value when you know its gonna be good after spending only two bucks for the first audio.

I've downloaded the next two...you should too!

I actually listened to these more than once

I had no idea what to expect when I started listening to this book because this was the first I "read" (listened to) by HP Mallory. Boy was I not disappointed. This series really kept me interested, and I actually loved all of them so much that when I finished the last one I just started right back at the beginning! ...and then found other books she's written and bought them as well!

So if you've gotten as far as reading this review, stop stalling and just buy it already! You'll have a blast!

hilarious!!

What three words best describe Therese Plummer’s performance?

over the top

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

I laughed through most of it

Any additional comments?

It was a great and easy listen. Also VERY enjoyable!!

to kill a warlock

What made the experience of listening to To Kill a Warlock the most enjoyable?

the story line and the comedy

Who was your favorite character and why?

Dulcie

Have you listened to any of Therese Plummer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I listened to the other Dulcie O'niel books. She is great to listen to because every character sounds different allowing each of them to shine.

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

i did laugh a few times and at the end of every book my mouth drops at the unexpected cliff hanger.

The first 5 minutes are the only good part.

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

Find a better writer.

What could H. P. Mallory have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

She needs to decide what genre she is writing and stick with it. It starts off hilarious then tries to be serious, then tries to be a mystery, then a romance. It never finds cohesion.

Which scene was your favorite?

The opening scene is great. The book falls apart after that.

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

Disappointment. I feel like a wasted a credit on this book.

Any additional comments?

The performance is really good, given what the reader had to work with.

Great entertainment, when commutting

Any additional comments?

A fun story line, very entertaining story - just the type of thing I like to listen to while commuting to work or traveling in the car. Nothing so earth shattering that you cannot concentrate on driving, but interesting enough to keep you awake and engaged in the story, and wanting to get back to the story soon.

Too cute for my taste

It just tooooo kitchy for me. In the first scene our heroine has been turned into something gross and her cookie-baking friend is trying to reverse the spell while baking cookies, which the "thing" devours. Hmmm - not my taste (pardon the pun - or don't).

super cute

I am glad I took a chance on this audiobook! I had the ebook for awhile but the audiobook was on sale so I snagged it and I am so glad I did! It was so good. I couldn't stop listening!

Need to read negative reviews first next time

What would have made To Kill a Warlock better?

I got 3 of the series for price of 2. I was too lazy to read reviews alas and as the overall was high I trusted it. I would like the book better if... Lord, where to start. Just read all 1 star and 2 star reviews on American amazon. I agree with all of it. How did this get published and got made into audio book I never know. It is repetitive. It has far too many dead end stories which are started but never finished. The heroine is fool. The 4 talk "dark" and handsome males are all into her even though she has rather likable (not developed mind) witch friend who is pretty, sweet and smart (unlike heroine). The opened end is so open I could imagine the author, publisher and audio publisher in my mind having dollar signs in their eyes. It makes no sense. I finished it yesterday (it was tough one though) and I still do not know what it was about.

What could H. P. Mallory have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

The original idea sounded fun. Perhaps if the author did actually think it through it could have been enjoyable read. This way it made me wonder if it was self-published without any editor working on it. The repeat of "hades" swearing was so regular it got extremely annoying. The inability to control ire of the main female was just ridiculous. Nobody who is mentally healthy would get angry about nothing as she seems to do. Also I cannot imagine that any type of law enforcement would employ a person who can keep her cool during investigation of murder and would endanger said investigation by blowing the cover.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Therese Plummer?

The narrator was good. The only problem (hence 3 stars) was the English accent of the vampire. It made me wonder if she ever met and Englishman or any kind of Brit. Even I can do better English accent and I am Czech!!! She needs to practice that one big time. It does rather destroy the whole effort.

What character would you cut from To Kill a Warlock?

Ehrm.... This book has so many issues overall that it would have to be completely re-written, characters and all. Therefore all, alas

Any additional comments?

This book might suit some teenage girls as it reads like teenage girl's daydream. Very silly, very unlikely. And as heroine she could do magic and be really gorgeous and have all men having hots for her and she could wear fancy dresses and everybody would be adoring her and she would show them all...

Dulcie is an idiot.

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

I can't think of anyone.

What will your next listen be?

Nothing by H. P. Mallory, that's for sure.

Did Therese Plummer do a good job differentiating each of the characters? How?

She did the best she could with the material she had.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from To Kill a Warlock?

Everything after the first scene in the book.

Any additional comments?

Predictable, clichéd, annoying, and choppy, the book made it very hard to keep on listening. I had to pause so often just to keep the annoyance levels down, I won't be listening to any more. The main character is so incredibly stupid that it makes one wonder how she was able to survive or keep her job. This book is not worth the credits or the time spent listening.

Enjoyed this quirky tale and well read

Would you listen to To Kill a Warlock again? Why?

I would listen again as the characters were great

What other book might you compare To Kill a Warlock to, and why?

Ilona Andrews - Kate Daniels series

What about Therese Plummer’s performance did you like?

Yes well read with goo pace