Discover Most Popular Audiobooks in Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective Top 100

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Title: Under the Dog Star

Subtitle: A Rachel Goddard Mystery, Book 4

Author: Sandra Parshall

Narrator: Tavia Gilbert

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-19-11

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 52 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Something terrifying is happening to the dogs in the mountain community of Mason County, Virginia. Pets are vanishing mysteriously and missing dog posters cover the waiting room walls at Dr. Rachel Goddards veterinary clinic. A pack of feral canines roams at night, attacking livestock in a desperate search for food. Now a prominent physician, Gordon Hall, has been found dead in his yard, his throat torn open. Sheriffs Department investigator Tom Bridger believes the killing was premeditated murder, with a trained attack dog as the weapon.

Are these seemingly unconnected events somehow related? Tom thinks they are, and he suspects theyre connected to the resurgence of an old problem: illegal dogfighting.

Dr. Halls son insists that the feral dogs killed his father, and he organizes a group of men to find and shoot the animals. Rachel and her friend Holly Turner make enemies by trying to rescue the dogs and move them to the sanctuary that Holly has created. Tom, in love with Rachel and worried about her safety, must divide his time between the feral dog problem, the search for the dogfighting operation, and the hunt for Gordon Halls killer.

Could it be that one of Halls five childrenthree adopted, all emotionally starved by their parentsholds the key to his murder? Why is the youngest Hall child so frightened that she begs Rachel, a stranger, for help? Tom and Rachel face two killers, one human and one canine, and discover a more complex web of lies and brutality than they ever imagined.

Critic Reviews:

Spine-chilling tension from cover to cover. (Kirkus Reviews)

Members Reviews:

Depressing Storyline

The storyline involves dogfighting, such a sad and disgusting crime that I couldn't finish the book. It was probably well written but too graphic for my personal tastes.

I don't find any entertainment value in stories about sociopaths who enjoy torturing innocent animals or people (BDSM). Perhaps this book should have been named "Fifty Shades of Canines"

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Title: A Case of Bad Taste

Subtitle: A Morning Shade Mystery

Author: Lori Copeland

Narrator: Cristine McMurdo-Wallis

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-27-11

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 18 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Award-winning author Lori Copeland has published dozens of romances and inspirational novels. A Case of Bad Taste, set in a small Arkansas town, brims with homespun humor and unforgettable characters. When a series of break-ins shakes up the town, novelist Maude Diamond spots fresh material for her next book. A crook is sneaking into peoples houses - and redecorating them!

Members Reviews:

original

original story, funny, cute but repetitive details that made the first several chapters drag on

Adorable

This story, and the way it is presented, makes for an entertaining and relaxing atmosphere. Parts of it made me chuckle, which is something I haven't done for awhile. All the characters are endearing and I love the hometown setting. The lessons learned are easy to apply to everyday lives.

wonderful christian book

I love lori copeland's books. grandma is as funny as ever. my favorite of her in this book is when one of the dogs found her false teeth, took them and put them under them bedskirt. when they discovered, grandma took them and scoured them royally with comet, figuring if comet was used to scour other things clean, then it would make her teeth clean to get rid of the dog's germs....only problem was they just did not taste very good when she put them back in her mouth...I can't imagine why!!! anyway I thouroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. author's books are always clean and no illicit sex at all...yeah!!!!

boring

What disappointed you about A Case of Bad Taste?

I kept waiting for the story to begin. But after a while I realized I wasted a credit.

Would you ever listen to anything by Lori Copeland again?

doubt it

Whiny, preachy, dissappointing

I thought I was getting a nice cozy mystery. Imagine someone breaking into houses and redecorating them. Sounds like a hoot.

What I got was a whiny, boring piece of Christian fiction that takes a long time to end. The main character is a Christian writer who can't seem to get on the bestseller list and whines about it all through the book. She also has her mother inlaw and daughter, both widows, like herself living with her. This has so many possibilities but sadly went nowhere. Plus, more whining. The mystery wasn't even mentioned till the third chapter or so. And not a lot after that. I didn't really want to finish the book, but I did want to find out who was behind the break ins. Sadly, even the ending was pretty senseless.

This book is about this woman and her problems and how everything happens for a reason and how God has a plan...and that's it. If you are looking for a good mystery then skip this.

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Title: Safe House

Subtitle: A Burke Novel #10

Author: Andrew Vachss

Narrator: Phil Gigante

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-29-10

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 36 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

In Burke, Andrew Vachss gave readers (and listeners) of crime fiction a hero they could believe in, an avenger whose sense of justice was forged behind bars and tempered on New Yorks meanest streets.

In this blistering thriller, Burke is drawn into his ugliest case yet, one that involves an underground network of abused women and the sleekly ingenious stalkers whove marked them as their personal victims.

Burkes client is Crystal Beth, a beautiful outlaw with a tattoo on her face and a mission burned into her heart. Shes trying to shield one of her charges from a vengeful ex with fetishes for Nazism and torture. But the stalker has a protector, someone so informed, so ruthless, and so connected that he need only make a few phone calls to shut down Crystal Beths operation for good - and Burke along with it.

Sinuous in its complexities, brutal in its momentum, Safe House is Burke at the edge of his nerve and cunning. And its Vachss at the peak of his form.

Critic Reviews:

"Scorching...the prose is accomplished, stylized and flinty; the plot is direct and commanding. (Seattle Times)

Vachsss reverence for storytelling is evident in the blunt beauty of his language. (Chicago Sun-Times)

Members Reviews:

Not for Women ...

... unless you enjoy pornography, which I don't. Nonetheless, I am listening to Vachss entire Burke series, in sequence, because it does have some significant redeeming qualities: excellent writing, excellent plotting, and excellent narration. If only Andrew Vachss would stop indulging in his ridiculous male sexual fantasies .... (His books would end up a lot shorter!) You stand forewarned: You will hear the "F" word quite a lot. You will have to put up with a lot of misogyny. The female characters are constantly not only offering themselves to Burke, but literally o themselves upon him, poor guy. (Burke is described as not too good looking, not in very good shape, and he chain-smokes all day long. I guess that he must have something else going for him ....) We hear frequently about how much Burke is enjoying felatio, but not how he is offering the corresponding service to his partner. The female characters act dingy, and Burke calls them "little girl," or "bitch," interrupts them in the middle of their attempts to communicate with him, and treats them like dirt. ("I have had so much sex with so many women in my life. Some of them I even liked.") The only other author to whom I could even remotely compare Andrew Vachss would be James Ellroy; but Vachss writes even darker and angrier. I probably would never read the Burke series in print; but Phil Gigante's narration has me totally addicted. Gigante can do . He has the most amazing vocal repertoire of any narrator that I have listened to. I don't even know, for sure, what his natural voice sound like, because he can do so many voices and so many accents so well. It almost justifies the purchase of one of Vachss' Burke series audiobooks just to hear Gigante doing Mama -- the Chinese matriarch of Burke's gang--family. He does Mama spot-on. Gigante can not only do many different male voices in conversation with each other, but also many different female voices as well; and switch between them instantly when they interrupt each other.

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Title: Footsteps of the Hawk

Author: Andrew Vachss

Narrator: Phil Gigante

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-05-10

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 37 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

A pulse-quickening new crime novel featuring Burke, ex-con, private investigator, and rumored hit man who harbors a pathological hatred for those who prey on children.

In Footsteps of the Hawk Burke himself is in danger of becoming a victim. Two rogue cops are stalking him. The coolly seductive Belinda Roberts wants him to free a man charged with a grisly string of rape-murders. The brutal and half-crazy Detective Jorge Morales may be trying to frame Burke for the same crimes. What ensues is a novel of high-wire suspense and nightmarish authenticity informed by an insiders knowledge of the city where everything from flesh to other peoples cellular phone numbers is up for sale.

Critic Reviews:

Vachss waves a powerful light across a city landscape that few writers go near and none portray so convincingly. (Los Angeles Times)

Members Reviews:

X-Rated Family

In Burke's world, the word "family" means something different from what most of us think of as family. See, Burke never had a biological family -- his mother threw him away at birth, his father was unknown, and the State of New York (its orphanages, foster homes, and prison system) raised him -- so he had to grow a soul-family: fellow convicts, prostitutes, con artists, chiselers, and other bottom-feeders. I am just listening to Vachss' amazing Burke series for the first time in sequential order; and I am watching several penetrating qualities emerge, in the process. First: The Burke series is dark, savage, violent, not easy to listen to, and not for everybody. Second: The Burke series is all about , according to Burke's definition. Third: Andrew Vachss is a brilliant, talented, sex-obsessed, angry, misogynistic author. Fourth (and this is what keeps me listening): Phil Gigante is a brilliant, immensely talented narrator; and the Vachss/Gigante team was made in heaven. Fifth: The Burke series really, needs to be listened to in sequence. Don't start here, with "Footsteps of the Hawk" (the eighth book in the series). It is not the best entry in the series, and you will miss a lot of character development. (The "family" members in this long-running saga -- and the ways in which they each get adopted into the "family" -- play an important role in the Burke series.) If you want to dive in, start at the beginning, with "Flood," and brace yourself for the chill.

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Title: False Allegations

Author: Andrew Vachss

Narrator: Phil Gigante

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-05-10

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 33 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Burke, ex-con, mercenary, and rumored hit man, makes his living by preying on New Yorks most vicious predators and occasionally avenging their innocent victims. But in Andrew Vachsss mercilessly suspenseful new novel, Burke nds himself working the other side of the street, where guilt and innocence are as disposable as the sheets in a Times Square hotel . . . and as dirty.

Critic Reviews:

Burke is the toughest talking rst-person narrator since Mike Hammer. (Los Angeles Times)

Vachss . . . writes hypnotically violent prose. (Chicago Sun-Times)

Members Reviews:

... reading the Burke books in order and have really enjoyed them. This is the exception

I've been reading the Burke books in order and have really enjoyed them. This is the exception. It was preachy and the antagonists were not very interesting. There was a lot of social science in the book but very little action. What little character development we saw was in very short, cryptic flashbacks with Burke that didn't lead anywhere.

I would recommend the Burke series without hesitation but suggest that a reader can skip this one without missing anything

Burke is the best.

Vachss's Burke is a classic character; the almost perfect anti-hero for today's Hollywood genres, the great protagonist for the 40s Film Noir (excepting the subject matter.) This novel shows a man who simply wants the truth, regardless of how unpleasant it may be.

Vachss is a fantastic and descriptive writer. His Burke novels are wonderful, engaging and thrilling. I hope they keep on coming

Vachss is a fantastic and descriptive writer. His Burke novels are wonderful, engaging and thrilling. I hope they keep on coming forever!!

they are a great read-I am sad that I finished the series

I have every single Burke novel, they are a great read-I am sad that I finished the series.

Disappointed

I am a big fan of Vachss, and felt each book in his series was better than the last. However, i thought False Allegations was a big step backwards.

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Title: Burn: An Anna Pigeon Mystery

Author: Nevada Barr

Narrator: Joyce Bean

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 30 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-03-10

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 28 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Anna Pigeon, a Ranger with the National Park Service, is on administrative leave from her job as she recovers from the traumas of the past couple of months while the physical wounds have healed, the emotional ones are still healing. With her new husband busy and back at work, Anna decides to go to stay with an old friend from the Park Service, Geneva, who works as a singer at the New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park.

Anna isnt in town long before she crosses paths with a tenant of Genevas, a creepy guy named Jordan. She discovers what seems to be an attempt to place a curse on her a gruesomely killed pigeon marked with runic symbols and begins slowly to find traces of very dark doings in the heart of post-Katrina New Orleans. Tied up in all of this evil magic are Jordan, who is not at all what he appears to be; a fugitive mother accused of killing her husband and daughters in a fire; and faint whispers of unpleasant goings-on in the heart of the slowly recovering city.

Now it will take all of Annas skills learned in the untamed outdoors to navigate the urban jungle in which she finds herself, to uncover the threads that connect these seemingly disparate people, and to rescue the most vulnerable of creatures from the most savage of animals.

Critic Reviews:

"Anna's complex personality continues to elevate the series, and the ranger's sojourn to New Orleans further energizes this always reliable series." (

Publishers Weekly)

"There's a reason why this story needs to be set in the Big Easy, and Barr develops the narrative carefully, never letting the eerie black-magic elements overshadow her solid and suspenseful plotting. A definite winner." (

Booklist)

Members Reviews:

YUCK!

I agree with many others, this book is awful. I am not yet finished with the book and I am going to finish it. This book contains a fair amount of vulgar words. I am so disappointed in Nevada as I really liked her others stories of "normal" killers in National Parks. Come on Nevada, get Anna out of her funk and back to work and home with hubby.

Shocking Disapointment

I agree with all the previous commenters! What a dark and "off kilter" of the Anna Pigeon series! I was always such a fan of the beautiful prose and descriptive quality of the parks and areas Anna was sent to, and so in this one I saw such a departure from Nevada's usual I wondered if it was ghost written! I realize the topic is "relavant" but not to a park ranger's perspective! So totally upset that if this had not been a book in the latter part of the series, I would never have read on to the others.

I was very disappointed in this novel

I was very disappointed in this novel, I must admit, and maybe part of the reason was the sad topic. However, it was due mostly to the fact that the reason I enjoy Nevada Barr just wasn't there. Her experiences, descriptions, and interactions with the National Parks hooked me from her first novel. All that was lacking here. To me, it was just another run of the mill mystery. But one disappointment out of so many novels can be forgiven!

Never again

I've never felt raped by words before, but after reading this one, I felt a strong urge for a hot shower.

This is extremely disappointing considering that Nevada Barr was always a favorite author.

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Title: The Messenger of Athens

Author: Anne Zouroudi

Narrator: Sean Barrett

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-04-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

When the battered body of a young woman is discovered on a remote Greek island, the local police are quick to dismiss her death as an accident. Then a stranger arrives, uninvited, from Athens, announcing his intention to investigate further. His methods are unorthodox, and he brings his own mystery into the web of dark secrets and lies. Who has sent him, on whose authority is he acting. And how does he know of dramas played out decades ago?

Critic Reviews:

"This powerfully atmospheric mystery embraces Mediterranean passion, mythic meddling and patriarchal persecution. First-time novelist Anne Zouroudi proves a natural at the dark arts of writing Euro-crime." (Independent)

Members Reviews:

Worthwhile and compelling, but tragic

Once the tourists have left and summer is over on a small, desolate, Greek island life is grim and miserable. The men are rough and dour, working to make some kind of living from the land or sea. The women are used, repressed and submissive. Despite contact with the tourist trade in the summer the islanders are still bound by harsh traditional and restrictive social standards and have no tolerance for anyone wanting to change or progress. Both men and women indulge in continual criticism and malicious gossip. The narrator perfectly captures both atmosphere and characters.

An authoritative stranger arrives on the island and, despite active opposition by the locals, determines to find who is responsible for the death of a young woman. As we gradually discover this may not necessarily be any one person and through flashbacks in time we gradually see her story unfold, intertwined with those of other islanders. The stranger , who calls himself "Hermes", never explains where he comes from and never claims to be a detective. He at least adds some light relief with his thoughts and comments and he is someone we can actually like. We are left to speculate whether he may have truly been "Messenger of the Gods".

In this dreary claustrophobic environment with no prospect of any improvement or enjoyment in life I was surprised they hadn't all jumped off the cliffs. For the first two hours I nearly scrapped this book, but had to find out what happened, so kept on listening and was very glad I did.

I appreciated, rather than enjoyed, this unusual and interesting story, Its descriptive writing helps you visualise the island clearly and even begin tounderstand the sad people. You feel completely drawn close to observe the whole tragedy from outside, right through to a strangely satisfying ending.

The messenger of Athens

Great detective novel on a Greek island. Become involved in the life of the small island and their culture. Exciting and with interesting character development. Zouroudi is easy to listen to and a most enjoyable audio book.

Just who is Hermes?

Superbly written glimpse into Greek island life with two excellent mysteries. Who killed the young wife, cleverly resolved by the second mystery Hermes, who has to be more than he seems.

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Title: The Dramatist

Author: Ken Bruen

Narrator: Gerry O'Brien

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-03-10

Publisher: ISIS Audio Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 39 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

The impossible has happened: Jack Taylor is living clean and dating a mature woman. Rumour suggests he is even attending mass.

The accidental deaths of two students appear random, tragic events, except that in each case a copy of a book by John Millington Synge is found beneath the body. Jack begins to believe that "The Dramatist", a calculating killer, is out there, enticing him to play. As the case twists and turns, Jack's refuge, the city of Galway, now demands he sacrifice the only love he's maintained, and while Iraq burns, he seems a step away from the abyss.

Members Reviews:

Standard Bruen fare full of J and Guards

What did you like best about The Dramatist? What did you like least?

Best was the sober Jack Taylor, worst was the portrayal of the Gardaí in ignoring obvious clues found with bodies and the non realistic ease that Jack had in getting hold of evidence.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Ending came in a rush - would have preferred a bit more build up

What does Gerry O'Brien bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

Gerry O'Brien is the whole reason I listen to Bruen books (I have never read one). O'Briens use of inflection, tone and accent creates realistic characters and scenes.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Probabaly not however it would be good to see how close my mental image of the characters is to the chosen actors.

Any additional comments?

Reasonable effort and typical Bruen fare. Especially good if you have been to Galway

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Title: The Stonecutter

Subtitle: Patrik Hedström and Erica Falck, Book 3

Author: Camilla Läckberg

Narrator: Eamonn Riley

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 03-11-10

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 52 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

The remote resort of Fjällbacka has seen its share of tragedy, though perhaps none worse than that of the little girl found in a fisherman's net. But the post-mortem reveals that this is no case of accidental drowning.

Local detective Patrik Hedström has just become a father. It is his grim task to discover who could be behind the methodical murder of a child both he and his partner, Erica, knew well. He knows the real question - and answer - lies with why. What he does not know is how this case will reach into the dark heart of Fjällbacka and the town's past, and tear aside its idyllic façade, perhaps forever.

Members Reviews:

Bad writing and bad narration

This is a very disappointing book. I only listened to the whole thing as I had paid for it but it didn't get better and I won't be investing in any other Camilla Lackberg novels. The writing quality is not good. It's rubbishy and reads like a chick-lit 'crime novel' written by a teenager. Most of it is about babies rather than being a crime novel and the characters are more than wooden - they come across as smug and unreal (not to mention annoying). The narrator is a terrible match too - he has a tone of jollyness all the way through which is not a good fit. All in all, I wish I hadn't forked out anything for this book, it didn't deserve it.

Yuk!

The Stonecutter's beginning suggested a gripping mystery. The set up of plot and MAIN characters assured me of a good "whodunnit." Then one unlikeable and unnessessary character after another was added. The storyline veered from a mystery to how many despicable acts can people commit. I really felt disgusting after finishing this book.

Fabulous, believable plot ... Worth a look !

A fast moving story well told and well narrated. A pleasure to listen to. Believable and humanly flawed characters who were going somewhere in a strong plot. More please !

Great. Amazing ! I love this audiobook.

Camilla Lackberg is the best ever !!! Amazing books!

BEST OF THE FOUR I HAVE LISTENED TO SO FAR.

I thought the narration was superb. The story had me drawn in. Loved it.

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Title: Grnt stv [Green Dust]

Author: Sara Bldel

Narrator: Judith Rothenborg

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-10-10

Publisher: ArtPeople

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Detective Louise Rick is put on the two cases: the murder of a young girl and the murders of two crime reporters - who seem to have had something to do with the drug trade.

Der bliver travlhed i drabsafdelingen p Kbenhavns Politigrd, da der i samme weekend indlber melding om to mord. En ung pige findes kvalt i stre Anlg, og en journalist er blevet drbt i grden ved Royal Hotel. Kriminalassistent Louise Rick kobles p sagen om den unge pige, men involveres ogs snart i det andet drab, da det viser sig, at hendes bedste veninde, Camilla Lind, kendte den drbte og er opsat p at grave i sagen. Louise prver at forhindre veninden i at blande sig i noget, hun ikke kan overskue, men Camilla er ikke typen, der lytter til gode rd, og da hun kontaktes af folk fra narkomiljet, tager sagen en dramatisk vending.

Please note: This audiobook is in Danish.