Discover New Releases Audiobooks in Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

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Title: Nature of Evil

Author: Robert W. Stephens

Narrator: Dick Hill

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-06-12

Publisher: Robert Stephens

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Rome, 1948. Twenty women are brutally murdered, their throats slit and their faces removed with surgical precision. Then the murders stop as abruptly as they started, and the horrifying crimes and their victims are lost to history. Now over 60 years later, the killings have begun again. This time in America. It's up to homicide detectives Marcus Carter and Angela Darden to stop the murders, but how can they catch a serial killer who leaves no traces of evidence and no apparent motive other than the thirst for murder?

The only cryptic clue they have to go on is the three letters "MAI" the killer carves into the flesh of his victims.

Members Reviews:

Not My Cup of Tea

Would you try another book from Robert W. Stephens and/or Dick Hill?

No.

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

I think the end for me was relatively predictable - right from the beginning. This is a "been there - done that" kind of story. I believe that it could even have been classified as a bit confusing at times. I frankly was not overwhelmed by the ending.

Which scene was your favorite?

Although I didn't have a particular favorite, I think the one incident that might have had some emphasis was the conversation regarding the meeting between the father and son which was apparently questionable. This could also be a spoiler and the description is therefore limited.

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

No.

I Fink you Freaky

What did you love best about Nature of Evil?

Nature of Evil takes you on an emmotional rollercoaster... Love... Lust... Murder! The story draws you into the unlucky life of Marcus Carter, a detective with plenty of emmotional baggage. You really start to feel for this guy, and the hardships he is forced to endure. Just when you think things can't possibly get any worse... Boom! Robert W. Stephens hits you with another surprise.

SEX! If you're tired of stories closing the door when the characters go in to the bedroom, then this is the story for you.

Another thing I love is the turmoil going on in these character's lives. A priest believes he is a fraud, because he thinks other priests can hear god. After the death of his wife, a detective fights lonliness with prostituition. A Brother and Sister's relationship is already circling the drain,then get's rocked by shocking murders. Even the victims are conflicted!

If you like testing your logic skills on murder mysteries, see if you can solve this one before the last chapter.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I'm torn between the Demon and David Lombardi. I really enjoyed Lombardi's journal entry's and Dick Hill's performance was the cherry on top. Hill does a great job with Lombardi's accent and emmotions. Plus, every time you're listening to the journal it gets pretty gruesome, gotta love that. The Demon is just what you think, a little devil on your shoulder convincing you to make the wrong choices. It takes someone really twisted to follow the requests that thing makes. It can be good to be bad, but the demon is downright evil!

SGT Ramsey is just a BADASS. I'm suprised the guy didn't kick ass all the way through the story!

Which scene was your favorite?

The sex scenes were great, but I really loved the details in the crime scenes. I felt like I was actually standing amongst the carnage in this story.

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Title: The Marlowe Conspiracy: A Novel

Author: M. G. Scarsbrook

Narrator: David Lazarus

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-11-12

Publisher: M. G. Scarsbrook

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

With only a few days to clear his name, he quickly enlists the aid of a young William Shakespeare - one of the few friends he can still trust. Together, they race through Marlowe's tangled life of crime, espionage, and noble connections to expose the conspiracy and save him from the hangman's noose. But will anything save a man as troubled as Marlowe?

Members Reviews:

Not for Lovers of Marlowe

Sorry to say Marowe as James Bond and Shakespeare as a slack jawed sidekick was not appealing or entertaining. Made me long for the actual writers though.

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Title: Wolf's Remedy

Subtitle: A Jack Vu Mystery, Book 2

Author: Doc Macomber

Narrator: Jerry Lyden, Giz Coughlin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-03-12

Publisher: Floating Word Press

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Set against the backdrop of present day politics, Wolfs Remedy explores one secret cadres mission to right the atrocities of World War Two. But when do avenging angels cross the line to become killers? Follow Air Force investigator Jack Vu as his hunt for a murderer exposes a long hidden government cover-up of American and Nazi looting of Jewish art.

When this art begins to mysteriously reappear on the porches and doors of Holocaust survivors, Jack narrows his search to a bonded group of senior citizens who served together in the European theater in the waning days of the war. As this aging band of Robin Hoods leads Jack Vu through a maze of clues and suspects, he is forced to narrow his focus and open his mind.

Should he enforce the laws of the land or answer to a higher authority? These men on their last mission are doing angels work. The return of these stolen treasures represents the lives of those wrongly taken. With his own history in war torn Vietnam and subsequent years in the Killing Fields, Jack has a strong compass when it comes to revenge and reparations. The question is how to balance the two.

This historically accurate tale and the moral choices and actions by these unforgettable soldiers present thought provoking questions that will linger long after this satisfying thriller reaches its conclusion.

Critic Reviews:

Doc understands the seamier side of life as only a man who has pursued this path can. His characters are complex, loaded with contradictions and wholly believable. (Dan Schilling, veteran of multiple special ops missions and co-author of The Battle of Mogadishu)

As addictive and satisfying as my first tattoo, Wolfs Remedy left me craving more. (Lyle Tuttle, tattoo legend and historian)

Lean back, crank the throttle open, and hang on. This turbo charged tale is as gratifying as a Harley hitting the open road. (Jason Rogers, co-owner, Columbia Motorcycle, Harley Davidson)

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Title: Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon

Subtitle: Burton & Swinburne, Book 3

Author: Mark Hodder

Narrator: Gerard Doyle

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-03-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Africa, 1863. Sir Richard Francis Burton is an explorer, a linguist, a scholar, and the king's agent - or is he a puppet being manipulated by forces he cannot understand? A race to find the source of the Nile! Algernon Charles Swinburne is a famous young flame-haired poet, thrill-seeker, and follower of the Marquis de Sade. For him, pain is pleasure, and brandy is ruin!

Here they are, back to where the adventure began. It is 1863, but not the one it should be. Time has veered wildly off course, and moves are being made that will lead to a devastating world war. Prime Minister Lord Palmerston believes that by possessing the three Eyes of Naga he'll be able to manipulate events and avoid the war. He already has two of the stones, but he needs Sir Richard Francis Burton to recover the third.

For the king's agent, it's a chance to return to the Mountains of the Moon to make a second attempt at locating the source of the Nile. But a rival expedition led by John Hanning Speke stands in his way, threatening a confrontation that could ignite the very war that Palmerston is trying to avoid!

Caught in a tangled web of cause, effect, and inevitability, little does Burton realize that the stakes are far higher than even he suspects. A final confrontation comes in London, where, in the year 1840, Burton must face the man responsible for altering time: Spring Heeled Jack!

Burton and Swinburne's third adventure completes the three-volume story arc begun in The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack and The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man.

Members Reviews:

A Weak End to a Great Series

I really enjoyed this trilogy but it has to be said that this closes the series more with a steam powered whimper than a clockwork bang. Burton and Swinburne are still great personalities but unlike the previous books the additional characters start to feel a bit like narrative cannon-fodder. That's not to say this is a bad book, it's not and I enjoyed it. I just feel that it doesn't bear up to the previous two exploits and so gets 3 stars through basis of comparison.

good story but........

Where does Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

Quite high just ashamed about the ending.

Would you recommend Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes. But only if they have read the other books. It's full of action and thought provoking ideas.

Which character as performed by Gerard Doyle was your favourite?

All of them. gerard Doyle does a very good job on all the characters voices.

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

There was a few parts that made me smile and one real sad part. One of the characters sacrificed their life for a plan to work. It brought a tear to my eye.

Any additional comments?

The story was good full of action but it had the finish of a ironic short story. Plus can get a bit confusing with all the theories on time travel.

99% brilliant

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

Although you can listen to this as a stand alone story - it is far more resonant if you have read/listened to the previous two in the trilogy. I loved the first book, felt quite ambivalent about the second but was blown away by the third until literally the last couple of minutes - hated the ending.

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Title: Fatal Induction

Subtitle: A Professor Bradshaw Mystery, Book 2

Author: Bernadette Pajer

Narrator: Malcolm Hillgartner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-01-12

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 14 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The race to win an electrical competition incites Professor Benjamin Bradshaws obsession for invention in this sequel toA Spark of Death.

The contest winners telephonic system will deliver music of the Seattle Grand Theater to homes throughout the city, and Bradshaw is confident he can win. But he is diverted by a peddler and a child gone missing, while the assassination of President McKinley drops Bradshaw and the entire nation into shock.

When Bradshaw discovers that the peddlers child may have witnessed a murder, he follows her trail, which takes him to the Seattle waterfront below Yesler Way and into the seedy underworld of bars and brothels. Frustrated by the police departments apathy and caught between power struggles, he doesnt know whom to trust. Each step of his investigation entangles him deeper in crime and corruption until he realizes that, to save the peddlers child, he must transform his contest entry into a trap to catch a killer.

The Professor Bradshaw Mystery series features Benjamin Bradshaw, professor of electrical engineering at the University of Washington. Bradshaws electrical, forensic, and investigative skills, combined with a keen understanding of human nature, once againbring the Seattle Police - and murder - to his doorstep amid the social and scientific turmoil of the early 20th century.

Critic Reviews:

[A] quaintly charming and idiosyncratic sleuth. (Publishers WeeklyonA Spark of Death)

Plenty of historical details and an eclectic cast of characters, plus a well-constructed plot and terrific pacing. (Bookliston A Spark of Death)

Abreathless journey from beginning to end. (New York Journal of BooksonA Spark of Death)

Members Reviews:

A cerebral mystery

This mystery and its predecessor are great fun if you like historical fiction, unusual methods of murder/mayhem, and an intelligent hero. You'll figure out whodunit before the hero, but he's probably more naive than you are, and a scientist rather than a detective. I like the arcane vignettes into what it was like when electricity was still something of a novelty. There's just enough electrical theory to make it understandable without descending into technical jargon that bores rather than enlightens. The reader doesn't get in the way of the story. His accents are different enough you can discern the characters, but not so broad as to be difficult to understand.

EXCELLENT, WELL WRITTEN AND NARRATED.

This is a great series . I enjoyed it so much and I am downloading the next two books. I do hope Bernadette Pajer will write more on this series. Professor Benjamin Bradshaw is a wonderful, intelligent and good man. I also hope in future series he will have the courage to tell his son his when he is older the secret he is keeping from him. His dedication to truth and justice is so appealing. Wonderful series!

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Title: Prague Spring

Subtitle: A Simon Wolfe Mystery

Author: David Del Bourgo

Narrator: Bob Walter

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-20-12

Publisher: Infinity Publishing

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

San Francisco Police's Inspector Simon Wolfe is blackmailed with his past as a Nazi assassin, while political forces try to stop him from investigating the murder of a teenage boy. When Inspector Wolfe falls in love with the dead boy's psychiatrist and must protect her from a rogue Nazi operative, he is forced to come to terms with his uncompromising notions of justice that were formed when he was a prisoner in Theresienstadt and Auschwitz.

This gripping tale of murder and deceit interweaves history and mystery against the charged and colorful background of Berkeley in 1968.

Members Reviews:

A superior police thriller suffused with history

Would you consider the audio edition of Prague Spring to be better than the print version?

I have no idea. I've only listened to the audio edition, which I enjoyed very much.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Prague Spring?

There are many of these moments, as expected in a good thriller. The first scene stands out: Simon is an assassin working for the Hagannah preying on an ex-Nazi in San Francisco in 1952. Also, Simon's flashbacks to his harrowing experiences as a Jew in Nazi occupied Checoslovaquia are memorable.

What does Bob Walter bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

I'm sorry to say his performance is a downside to this audio book. His rhythm is very slow, and although I'm sure he means it to be thoughtful, it turns out to be a bit exasperating.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I would have liked to, if I had had the time!

Any additional comments?

I'm looking forward to more books by Del Bourgo. He's an intelligent writer with a deep sense of history.

Brilliant Mystery!

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

Recomment highly. Great story, well paced, interesting setting and background.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Prague Spring?

The scene where the assasin is interrupted by a young boy.

Which character as performed by Bob Walter was your favorite?

Simon Wolfe

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Never do that.

Any additional comments?

Compelling social, political and historical elements to the story.

The perfect marriage of story and reader

Every now and then, an audiobook offers the perfect marriage of story and reader. Such is the case with David Del Bourgo's Prague Spring and his chosen reader, Bob Walter. Mr. Walter finds just the right tone and inflection for both major and minor characters, no matter their age, ethnicity, or gender -- but particularly Simon Wolfe, Del Bourgo's complex and engaging hero. As presented by Mr. Walter, each player has its own, distinctive voice -- and each rings remarkably true.

But of course, even the best of readers could not bring an ordinary book to life. That obstacle, however, is not present here. Del Bourgo's story is smartly, beautifully told. He expertly interweaves Holocaust horrors with late-`60s unrest, grizzly murders with adolescent love. And he does so through the eyes of a protagonist who is as rich and multi-dimensional as they come -- part survivor, part assassin, part investigator, part realist, and part romantic.

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Title: The Mapping of Love and Death

Author: Jacqueline Winspear

Narrator: Julie Teal

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 02-24-12

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

It's 1932 and the remains of missing cartographer Michael Clifton are found in a former battlefield in France. When it's clear he was murdered, his wealthy parents hire Maisie to find the woman who wrote a series of love letters discovered among Michael's belongings. The lover identifies herself only as "The English Nurse".

While tracking down the elusive woman in an investigation that ventures from London's most exclusive drawing rooms to its most downtrodden neighbourhoods, Maisie must also wrestle with memories of serving as a nurse herself in the Great War - memories that she has tried so hard to obliterate.

Members Reviews:

Fabulous

Wonderful series of books, keeps you listening and interested from start to finish

Can't wait for next one

The Mapping of Love and death

A lovely book,nice characters and a great story line, I will be looking out for more from this author

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Title: The Red Coffin

Author: Sam Eastland

Narrator: Steven Pacey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-22-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The sequel to Eye of the Red Tsar. It is 1939. Facing the secret threat of Nazi Germany, Stalin has placed his hopes on the F-34 tank, a 30-ton steel monster known as the 'Red Coffin' to those men who will soon be using it. But the design is not yet complete. And when the weapon's secretive and eccentric architect is found murdered, Stalin sends for Pekkala, his most trusted investigator. However, Pekkala is not the only one whose loyalty is divided....

Members Reviews:

The Red Coffin

Really good series of books and excellently narrated by Mr Pacey. Well worth a punt if you like exotic historical who done its.

Sam Eastland loses the plot

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Started off well enough, but the premise that one man, could drive a T34 inside a truck across western russia, and then drive across the Polish border in the T34 and this would prompt Germany to invade the Soviet Union, is too far fetched.

Germany that still does not have incorportaed the Skoda arms factories into the Reich, nor does it have a land border with Soviet Union. Unless of course Poland sides with Germany.

Stalin according to Sam Eastland is bending backwards to appease Hitler, so the Soviet union can prepare for war. This was true in 1941, after the fall of France, up until then the boot was on the other foot. The Red Army and Air force at this time are the strongest in the world. Far from a policy of apeasement, Stalin is fighting a proxy war against Germany in Spain and in 1940, moves into western Romania within striking distance the only oil fields Germany needs to fight the western allies. A move that confirms Hitlers belief that Soviet Union will strike against Germany soon.

Also the T34 cannot be driven and fought by one man, there are no seperate drivers and machinegunner compartments, the crew is not 5 but 4.

Has The Red Coffin put you off other books in this genre?

No

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Title: The Eighth Veil

Subtitle: A Jerusalem Mystery

Author: Frederick Ramsay

Narrator: Robin Field

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-07-12

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 13 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The Eighth Veil is a mystery set in first-century Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles.

A murdered servant girl is found in the palace of King Herod Antipas. The prefect, Pontius Pilate, is in attendance. The populace has already been buzzing over the brutal death of one of their prophets, John, known familiarly as the Baptizer, and scandal is in the air.

Pilate wants no trouble and insists that there be an independent investigation into the murder. But Antipas will have none of Pilates men in the palace, and Pilate doesnt trust Antipas. So Pilate turns to Gamaliel, the chief rabbi and head of the Sanhedrin, and coerces him to do the detective work. Gamaliel is a Talmudic scholar, not a sleuth, and he at first struggles; however, he is soon won over to the assignment as he learns more of the dead girls background and that of the other major players in the drama, particularly Antipas foster brother, Menahem. Soon, Gamaliel, in Sherlockian fashion, begins to fit the pieces together, or, as his Watson Loukas says, strips the veils from his personal Salome. Pilate, in spite of his impatience with the pace and direction of the investigation, is rewarded when it turns out that the girl is not the mere servant that everyone had assumed.

Meanwhile, the Battle of Actium and the fascinating histories of Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Herod the Great, Mark Antony, and Augustus Caesar become critically entwined with the investigation. And the figure of Jesus, the rabbi from Nazareth, with his ragged band of enthusiasts and his habit of annoying Caiaphas, the High Priest, moves enigmatically in the background.

Critic Reviews:

Ramsay skillfully weaves historical fact into his story, all the while blending brisk action with excellent characterization. (Publishers Weekly on (Stranger Room)

Members Reviews:

Just LOVE the Jerusalem Mystery books!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Eighth Veil to be better than the print version?

Yes indeed

Who was your favorite character and why?

Rabin Gamaliel is my favorite character along with Lucas the physician. Lucas seems to be a prod when Gamaliel hits a stump in his investigation. Gamaliel's honesty and his need to not vilify anyone till he has all his facts in tact is something we could use today.

Terrible narration and awful dialgue

I am returning this book. The narrator's voice is awful which makes the bland dialogue and weak story even worse. I couldn't get past the first few chapters.

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Title: Cadfael: The Virgin in the Ice (BBC Radio Crimes)

Author: Ellis Peters

Narrator: Philip Madoc

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-01-12

Publisher: BBC Worldwide Limited

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Shrewsbury, 1139. The bloody civil war between King Stephen and Empress Maud has swept through the country towards the rural security of Brother Cadfaels monastery. The citizens of Worcester have fled, among them two orphaned children of noble stock, together with their tutor, a young nun. A Benedictine monk in whose care Lady Ermina and her brother Ives were left, comes to the Abbey to ask if the children have been seen. Although it would be hard to miss Ermina, a young girl of striking beauty, no one has seen the missing pair or their companion. Cadfael sets off to lead the search for the missing trio, through the rugged wastes of snowbound Shropshire, following an elusive trail across a lawless land - until the discovery of the body of a young woman, frozen beneath the ice, adds a chilling new dimension to their journey. Starring Philip Madoc, Sir Michael Hordern and Douglas Hodge and dramatised by Bert Coules.

Members Reviews:

Radio play.

What did you love best about Cadfael: The Virgin in the Ice (BBC Radio Crimes)?

I had read the book years ago, but had forgotten a lot of the details. I really enjoyed revisiting the story in the form of a radio play!

What I liked best was Ellis Peter's (the author's) ability to recreate the thinking of the time, and the cultural differences between people then and now - while also showing that human nature has not really changed at all, over the centuries. This story also clearly shows the real dangers of winter, in the days before house insulation and central heating, and brings to life the difficulties ordinary people experienced during that period of history.

What did you like best about this story?

As a detective story, the clues are there for the listener, but not too obvious, so that the final outcome is not easy to guess. It keeps you interested right to the end.

Which character as performed by Philip Madoc was your favorite?

Of course I like Cadfael, and Philip Madoc's performance as the veteran soldier turned monk was very good. But I have always really liked the character of Hugh Beringar, the Deputy Sherriff, and the actor in this play gave a good interpretation of this character, too.

Any additional comments?

Ellis Peters has created very believable characters, and the time and place in which the Cadfael series is set comes alive as you listen (or read). She has a compassionate touch, and great understanding of human nature.

The Virgin in the Ice

Where does Cadfael: The Virgin in the Ice (BBC Radio Crimes) rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

One of the better books. Good telling although I think overall I prefer a reading to a dramatisation.

What did you like best about this story?

Classic Cadfael - keeps you guessing. Well written characters in an interesting historical period.

What does Philip Madoc bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you had only read the book?

Philip Madoc's Cadfael is stronger, a little rougher around the edges than Jacobi's version - more believably a soldier and definitely more of a welshman

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

No tears - its not that kind of story, but the little twist at the end is an emotional moment

Any additional comments?

This is a story I know very well and there was one niggle that while small is repeated so often that it might discourage me from repeated listening.