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Title: Louise's War

Author: Sarah R. Shaber

Narrator: Jenny Hoops

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-12-17

Publisher: Sarah Shaber Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

It's 1942. Louise Pearlie, a young widow, has come to Washington DC to work as a clerk for the legendary OSS, the precursor to the CIA. When, while filing, she discovers a document concerning the husband of a college friend, Rachel Bloch - a young French Jewish woman she is desperately worried about - Louise realizes she may be able to help get Rachel out of Vichy France. But then a colleague whose help Louise has enlisted is murdered, and she realizes she is on her own, unable to trust anyone.

Members Reviews:

The audio version of a page-turner!

Louise, a North Carolina widow with blue collar origins, works for a government agency in a time when nobody can really talk much about his or her job. It was also a time when women could be invisible enough to suss out important information and make things happen - if they can live with the danger, the possible consequences if discovered, and no credit whatsoever.

When Louise tries to get her dearest friend out of Nazi occupied France, she uncovers far more than she could have imagined.

The character list is widely varied and multi-racial and cultural. Though there is a lot of sexism and separatism that was usual for the 1940s in the US, we also see a burgeoning feminism and racial tolerance that I found very heartening. Ms. Hoops did a fine job with all her characters. Every voice was distinctive.

I had a hard time putting it down (or turning it off).

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Title: What Edward Heard

Author: Megan Easley-Walsh

Narrator: Robert Anderson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-05-17

Publisher: Megan Easley-Walsh

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The trenches shattered his hearing, but the painting will change him forever.

In Venice in 1566, Francesco paints a portrait of the woman he loves. In 1916, Edward Jamison returns to England from the trenches of the Western Front. Believing that the most life-changing events are behind him, he soon encounters something profoundly more powerful: the portrait of the painted lady. Partly deaf from his injuries in the trenches, he begins to hear the strangest things.

But Edward Jamison is not the only person who has become a part of these mysterious happenings. From Renaissance Venice to the French Huguenots settling in England to the American Revolution in Virginia and beyond, the painted lady has touched the lives of many.

As Edward searches for clues into the painting's past, he's drawn into another mystery, involving a girl with amnesia and the lady of the manor that she works in. All is not as it seems in the quiet English countryside. If Edward is to save himself and all of them, he'll have to face his biggest fears. But, what if the painting has another plan for him?

Members Reviews:

I heartily recommend this book

What Edward Heard is an exciting collection of stories about individuals whose lives are intertwined across time and place. When I read this book, I felt as if I was standing in the trenches of World War I, sailing into Londonâs harbor and the new world, and delving into other life-altering events within the charactersâ lives. As you read this book, be ready to travel across time and location as you live through the events of ordinary people who experience something quite extraordinary. I heartily recommend this book!

Great historical fiction

What Edward Heard is a young adult novel with touches of magical realism that tells the story of Edward Jamison, a World War I veteran, whose life is touched and healed by a mysterious painting. Painted hundreds of years before, the portrait has passed through many lives, pieces of which the reader is allowed to share. In each life, the portrait directs, distracts, but ultimately whispers the truth that each, including Edward, needs to hear.

The historical details of the novel are excellent and ground the reader in the various settings. The experimentation with form is creative and clever without being a distraction from the story of the novel.

Definitely an enjoyable read!

Space and Time

This book was a great read that really spanned a lot of space and time. If you enjoy fiction that is not simply localized in one location and one time then this is the book for you. Top stuff.

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Title: Murder by Monday

Subtitle: The Agora Mystery Series, Book 6

Author: Clay Boutwell

Narrator: Alan Weyman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 37 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-05-17

Publisher: Clay Boutwell

Ratings: 1 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A childhood nemesis. A threat seemingly from beyond the grave. Murder by Monday....

A mysterious letter sends Carl Brooke and Rutherford Nordlinger off to the aid of a man who, accused of murder, is now threatened by the man he is said to have killed.

"Well, hello there," I said with some relief. "I am so very glad it is you."

"Mr. Brooke," Nordlinger said, smiling, "By the handle of the revolver I see coming out of your pocket, it seems you were expecting the devil instead."

"Very close." I motioned for him to enter. "Very close, indeed." I headed to the bureau, returning the weapon to its proper place. "Do come in and have a seat."

Each Agora mystery is a complete and standalone mystery; however, some listeners prefer hearing the stories in order. This is the sixth novella in the Agora series, the others being (in order):

Please search for The Agora Letters for the first five stories in one bundle.

Members Reviews:

Marvelous mystery

Murder mystery fans and historical fiction lovers will enjoy this story. Good page-Turner. Well-written characters and storyline. Enjoy the adventure and share with others.

My review for Murder by Monday

I loved it! I hoped that Casey was innocent too. What a great story! This a must read series! I look forward to the next book!

Is the dead man dead?

This was the first of this series that I had read and I will definitely go back and look for the others in the series. Set in the 1800's, Detective Carl Brooke and his friend Rutherford Nordlinger seek to help a man that Nordlinger had helped when he got out of jail for murder. The problem is, the dead man seems to be alive and is causing our former jailer a lot of problems in his new job as an estate manager. Did he really kill him? You will have to read it to find out.

I did receive and advanced copy of this book. I offer this as an honest review.

Read any of these stories together in set or once by one in order or standalone is fine too. A childhood nemesis

Kindle Unlimited now. these books put me in mind of a mix of Sherlock, Marple, Poirot, but again definitely of Doyle's Watson. Read any of these stories together in set or once by one in order or standalone is fine too.

A childhood nemesis. A threat seemingly from beyond the grave. Murder by Monday... A mysterious letter sends Carl Brooke and Rutherford Nordlinger off to the aid of a man who, accused of murder, is now threatened by the man he is said to have killed.

The Agora Mystery Series - 1 Two Tocks before Midnight - 2 The Penitent Thief - 3 The Peace Party Massacre Available as 3 pack set/4 set I THINK The Curse of the Mad Sheik (The Agora Mystery Series Book 4) The Captain's Play #5

The Agora Letters: 5 Cozy Murder Mysteries*

*see the individual reviews for each of the 5 books

Murder by Monday: A 19th Century Historical Murder Mystery

The Temporal: A Time Warping Adventure

A Temporal Trust: A Time Warping Superhero Adventure (The Temporal Book 2)

Carritos the Assassin : A Temporal Story

and others, check out amazon writer's page

Murder by Victorian Candelight

Victorian mysteries are set during the era of Queen Victoria of England.

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Title: The Secret of Vesalius

Author: Jordi Llobregat, Thomas Bunstead - translator

Narrator: Peter Noble

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 19 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-16-17

Publisher: riverrun

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Frankenstein meets The Shadow of the Wind in a Gothic thriller set in the diabolical city of fin-de-siècle Barcelona.

Daniel Amat has left Spain and all that happened there behind him. Having just achieved a brilliant role in ancient languages at Oxford University and an even more advantageous engagement, the arrival of a letter - a demand - stamped 'Barcelona' comes like a cold hand from behind. He arrives back in that old labyrinthine and near-mythic city a few days before the great 1888 World's Fair, amid dread whispers of murders - the injuries reminiscent of an ancient curse and bearing signs of the genius 16th century anatomist Vesalius.

Daniel is soon pulled into the depths of the crime and eventually into the tunnels below Barcelona, where his own dark past and the future of science are joined in a terrible venture - to bring the secret of Vesalius to life. Gothic and gripping, this historical thriller makes of Barcelona a diabolical character - emerging out of the dark into a new electrical age, aflame with spirit, superstition and science.

Members Reviews:

A 'classic' tale, by which I mean overly familiar

Read some fantastic reviews of this but was surprised at its well worn plot that just didn't feel engaging enough to keep me in the story. The publishing blurb explains that this is a retelling of frankenstein story (although with some phantom mixed in for good measure), but it takes 11 hours before we 'discover' the shocking secret that we'd been told about before we started, and our predicted double twist never happens, the ending merely confirms the first words of the publishing summary. The writing is intelligent but the 19 th century language seems off at times with contemporary references seemingly thrown in (translation maybe responsible), and the mix of mild Spanish accents and bizarre East end London (for the police) is jarring. I got to the end and wondered what all the fuss was about, nothing memorable and personally not particularly pleasurable, but not without some merit for an interesting setting. This would suit anyone looking for a retelling of frankenstein who wanted all the 'finding of the body parts' to fill the novel but isn't curious about the 'monster' itself (it really doesn't feature) and wasn't looking to have any contemporary spin put on the storytelling (prostitutes are big hearted, police are corrupt, business men are in it for a quick return, doctors are behind the times, and no one believes our hero).

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Title: No Saints in Kansas

Author: Amy Brashear

Narrator: Eva Kaminsky

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-14-17

Publisher: Recorded Books

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A gripping reimagining of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood and the brutal murders that inspired it

November is usually quiet in Holcomb, Kansas, but in 1959, the town is shattered by the quadruple murder of the Clutter family. Suspicion falls on Nancy Clutter's boyfriend, Bobby Rupp, the last one to see them alive.

New Yorker Carly Fleming, new to the small Midwestern town, is an outsider. She tutored Nancy, and (in private, at least) they were close. Carly and Bobby were the only ones who saw that Nancy was always performing, and that she was cracking under the pressure of being Holcomb's golden girl. The secret connected Carly and Bobby. Now that Bobby is an outsider, too, they're bound closer than ever.

Determined to clear Bobby's name, Carly dives into the murder investigation and ends up in trouble with the local authorities. But that's nothing compared to the wrath she faces from Holcomb once the real perpetrators are caught. When her father is appointed to defend the killers of the Clutter family, the entire town labels the Flemings as traitors. Now Carly must fight for what she knows is right.

Members Reviews:

Does it work as historical fiction? No. As YA? Eh. As a companion to In Cold Blood? Ehhhhhh.

This book feels to me like someone had a germ of a good idea and decided to go with it, and then never realized that it was only a germ and not a full novel's worth. The story is that of Carly Fleming, a high schooler who attended school with Nancy Clutter. In order to create a new character in one of the most documented towns in literature, Brashear says that Carly was Nancy's secret math tutor. Carly has a fixation on Nancy Clutter that walks just this side of creepy.

The ending is honestly just not good. But it's also not bad. Just nothing happens. It just ends. I'm not sure what I expected, but I felt like I trudged through so much book that I definitely wanted *something* to happen... except it doesn't.

The fact that Brashear is a first time author felt very, very obvious to me, which is a shame. For one thing, Carly's aunt is a super convenient figure, who sends her things like Chanel dresses and Ouija boards and cameras, conveniently timed as the plot needs them. References to Truman Capote and Harper Lee are ham-handed at best. The disdain Carly's classmates feel for her for being from New York City ("the wrong Manhattan," as is repeated probably a hundred times in the book) is unbelievable. It's impossible that everyone would look down on her and not a single person would be curious about the city. And worst, it doesn't work as historical fiction, either. For instance, every kid in the book has their own car. Carly's family seems to have three cars, no less, one of which is a Porsche (on a public defender's salary!). And there's no explanation for how her family ended up in Kansas, aside from a brief mention of her dad having spent some time in Colorado when he was a kid.

In Cold Blood from a Teenage Viewpoint

It's all but impossible not to refer back to Capote's beautiful classic prose and storytelling (fact telling) in "In Cold Blood" and in fact brashear includes many clever references back to Capote's work but that isn't her focus.

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Title: A Regimental Affair

Subtitle: Matthew Hervey, Book 3

Author: Allan Mallinson

Narrator: Errick Graham

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-09-17

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Following his best-selling title The Nizam's Daughters, this is Mallinson's third novel in the acclaimed series combining accurate historical details, breathtaking battles and an involving plot.

It is 1817, and Captain Matthew Hervey has returned from his bloody battles in India to find England in political and economic disorder. The lack of a professional constabulary means the task of policing has become attributed to the army, particularly the cavalry.

Despite the chaos surrounding him, Hervey develops a passionate relationship with Lady Henrietta Lindsey. This results in a marriage that will alter his life and future dramatically.

During battle, a new commanding officer develops a deep hatred for him and withholds a dark secret. Tension amounts as their futures are about to collide, and the consequences will be devastating.

Members Reviews:

Fine read

As always, a fine read on military affairs and life in the nineteenth century Britain. I enjoy this series for the picturesque detail of Matthews's life and of events surrounding him.

If you are a milatary history buff, take time to give it a read. It won't disappoint.

Four Stars

Still loving the series :-)

Great Read

Story of a British cavalry regiment. Great read.

Adventures in the saddle

For fans of Cornwell and O'Brien , a cavalry adventure. Well written and fast moving. I enjoyed it

Five Stars

Very good book.

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Title: The Sabre's Edge

Subtitle: Matthew Hervey, Book 5

Author: Allan Mallinson

Narrator: Errick Graham

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-09-17

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

1824, the Sixth Light Dragoons are still stationed in India, and the talk in the officers' mess is of war. The Burmese are increasingly challenging the Company's dominion, and skirmishes are becoming common on India's borders. A blaze looks set to flare, taking the surrounding provinces with it. With the threat of war on two fronts, British troops must intervene.

Members Reviews:

Following this series is like an addiction

Following this series is like an addiction. I have all of the books lined up and I'm reading them one after the other. I'm learning so much history in a way that is far more digestible than school books ever were. I'm glad that Mallinson's historical fiction is rated to be very well researched, because in this case I don't know much about the period. His detail about horsemanship in all of the books has been accurate.

Great Series

I don't want to review the book. This is part of a series about a cavalry officer from Waterloo through about 1830 or so. It is an engaging story and the characters are developed to the point that I cared about them.

As with all series some are faster paced and more interesting than others, but there is action in all. Even the character's social lives are made interesting. I also happen to like Mallinson's writing style... it can be complex but it makes it all the more interesting for me.

If you are interested in historical military fiction, this is a good series.

Another Worthy Installment

Another worthy and recommended installment to the Matthew Hervey series - the study of the life and culture of a post Napoleonic-era British cavalry officer.

A brief synopsis - the setting of this book confines itself to India and Burma. Again, the sights and culture of India, are vividly described, and serve well as young Hervey wades through the trials and tribulations of both troop life and British governance. Again, there are encounters with noteworthy characters from history. The story culminates with the siege of Bhurtpore fortress. Hervey is less tolerant, more cynical, and much less spiritual - a logical result from Mallinson's previous storylines. He exhibits a natural confidence in his abilities, particularly in dealing with regimental affairs. Again, the action scenes are very well done, especially in regards to the siege of Bhurtpore.

In sum, Mallinson again provides an interesting depiction of India and Burma during the time period, with all its politics and military governance baggage. This book does requires a little more reader patience, as they must wade through a lot more history, historical characters, and the realistic portrayal of the monotony of occupation life. But, the story is well paced, and balanced with new and old characters. There is sufficient military action to keep the reader's interest while he or she wades through the associated items of historical context.

If you enjoy historical fiction of the Napoleonic era, especially the cavalry - try this book, you won't be disappointed.

Postscript: This reviewer was fortunate enough to obtain a copy of Mallinson's latest Hervey installment - "Rumors of War" - which is highly recommended.

Hervey back in England with his regiment, contrives to advance his career further. Hervey over the years has become less naive, wiser, and much more of a 'hardened' professional.

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Title: Munich

Author: Robert Harris

Narrator: David Rintoul

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-31-17

Publisher: Penguin Random House Canada

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Following the success of Conclave comes Robert Harris' new novel, bound for best seller-dom as he returns to the historical terrain of his best-known book, Fatherland.

September 1938

Hitler is determined to start a war. Chamberlain is desperate to preserve the peace.

The issue is to be decided in a city that will forever afterward be notorious for what takes place there. Munich.

As Chamberlain's plane judders across the Channel and the Fürher's train steams relentlessly south from Berlin, two young men travel with secrets of their own. Hugh Legat is one of Chamberlain's private secretaries, Paul Hartmann a German diplomat and member of the anti-Hitler resistance. Great friends at Oxford before Hitler came to power, they haven't seen one another since they were last in Munich together six years earlier. Now, as the future of Europe hangs in the balance, their paths are destined to cross again.

When the stakes are this high, who are you willing to betray? Your friends, your family, your country, or your conscience?

Members Reviews:

Munich Revisited

We go behind the scenes at the Munich Conference of 1938. Hitler and Chamberlain share the stage with fictional characters. The author tantalises us with possibilities and a few twists, making for a solid political thriller.

The story is presented as it might be in a play. Act One begins in Whitehall, the second scene takes us to Wilhelmstrasse ; in Munich we move between the Fuhrerbau and the Regina Palast Hotel. The cast is balanced between the British team â all decent chaps â and the Nazi leadership. Robert Harris seeks to rehabilitate Chamberlain - loving husband, passionate about peace and a tough negotiator.

Into the main event, the author works the lesser known Oster conspiracy. This is where the two narrators come into play. Hugh Legat works in Downing Street, Paul von Hartmann has a post in the German Foreign Office. They knew each other at Oxford, of course! They are fictional but are credible types, if being provided with somewhat cliched backstories.

I found some of the dialogue clunky, which rendered the conspiracy unconvincing. The book would be improved by a map of the different settings, as the action involves much to and froing: corridors and galleries crisscrossed, stairs ascended and descended, corners turned left then right. This reader frequently got lost. Further an appendix of participants in Munich would have helped â just who was who at the conference.

Does it add anything to the vast literature on this subject? I donât think so. Would it not be rather fitting to look at more recent episodes in peace/war diplomacy? Perhaps, but appeasement remains enduringly popular.

Despite these reservations, and some flaws, I found it an enjoyable and easy read.

Not as good as Harris' earlier books

The book is about the Munich Crisis. It begins on 27 September 1938. On the previous day Hitler had delivered an ultimatum to Czechoslovakia that it should surrender the Sudetenland by the 28th September. It ends four days later, the day Chamberlain returned from Munich to London.

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Title: Gentlemen Formerly Dressed

Subtitle: The Rowland Sinclair Series, Book 5

Author: Sulari Gentill

Narrator: Rupert Degas

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-05-17

Publisher: Wavesound Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

After narrowly escaping Nazi terror, Rowland Sinclair and his companions land in London, believing they are safe. But they are wrong. A bizarre murder plunges the hapless Australians into a queer world of British aristocracy, fascist Blackshirts, illicit love, scandal and spies. A world where gentlemen are not always what they are dressed up to be....

Critic Reviews:

"There's an Evelyn-Waugh-meets-Agatha-Christie feel about this series." (The Age)

Members Reviews:

Fantastic series

If you love historically based mysteries , then this series is for you. In each book I learn another little piece of history that in never knew, and of course I then have to read up on.

I am almost finished the current audio books, so I looking forward to more of Sulari Gentles work. I hope to be reading of Roland Sinclairs adventurous in WWII.

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Title: A Talent for Murder

Author: Andrew Wilson

Narrator: Joan Walker, Jonathan Oliver

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-18-17

Publisher: Oakhill Publishing

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Agatha Christie, in London to visit her agent, boards a train preoccupied with the knowledge that her husband Archie is having an affair. She feels a touch on her back, loses her balance but is pulled to safety from the rush of the incoming train.

So begins a sequence of terrifying events. Her rescuer is no guardian angel but a blackmailer, and Agatha must use every ounce of her cleverness to thwart an adversary determined to exploit her genius for murder to kill on his behalf.

Members Reviews:

Sound engineer did a bad job.

This is sort of ok, but the sound engineer did a bad job. She or he has not levelled up the voices so the male voice over artist is very loud and the female voice over artist is not loud enough.

Both actors do a good job, performing to a very high standard, but the variable of sound levels and the sheer boringness of the story, has made me give up after the irritating policeman has found a "dark brown shoe" ... may or may not be Ms Christie''s.

Well, I don't care actually.

I can't cope with the sheer awfulness of the story.