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Title: Porcelain Doll

Author: Joe Cosentino

Narrator: Derick Snow

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-05-17

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Is art imitating life in 1982?

Jana Lane, ex-child star, is doing a comeback film about murder. When a crew member is killed on the set, it looks like Jana could be next. Thickening the plot is Jana's breathtakingly handsome and muscular leading man, Jason Apollo, whose boyish, southern charms have aroused Jana's interest on screen and off.

Will Jana and Jason stop the murderer before the final reel, or end up on the cutting room floor in this fast-paced whodunit with a shocking ending?

Members Reviews:

A good, clean Cozy with plenty twists

I enjoyed this book when I read it so I thought I would give it a listen as well. Either way, you choose will work since the book is intriguing. I love these mysteries, finding them fun, lighthearted with a touch of suspense. The ending is a big surprise and there are lots of twists to keep you on your toes. I like the humor and Joe's style where it sounds like a screenplay. It is fresh and fun, a great escape from the humdrum of life. I found listening to it doing cores made things go faster.

I will say the narration was just Okay. I did like Derick Snow's voices for the characters and the dialogue but the regular reading seemed a bit choppy. I will continue listening to this series.

If you like lighthearted suspense, cozy mysteries, child stars grown up, actors, quirky caracters, and a good clean story you will enjoy this.

Great cosy mystery with some excellent surprises

This is an enjoyable, cosy murder mystery that has some great twists. Set in the 1980s, just as AIDS was starting to rear its ugly head, it truly has the feel of that era. It touches on topics that were still not widely accepted back in 80s, showing the prejudice and narrow mindedness of the time well. The characters are great and I loved how Jana used the skills she learned as a child actor to help her amateur sleuthing. The narrator did a good job with the characters, giving them individual voices and personalities. This is an entertaining story that has intrigue, suspense, humour, colourful characters, some great surprises and you are kept guessing who the killer is right to the end.

unique and entertaining

This book has a unique style that fascinated me. It has all the elements of a good traditional cozy mystery, with fun and quirky characters, subtle clues, red herrings, and a surprise (but well earned) ending. At the same time, it deals with current social issues, has a witty and sarcastic sense of humor, has some romance, has heartwarming main characters, and has supporting characters that that push the envelope without going over the top. The story kept me guessing with the clues visible but well disguised. The narrator does a good job of moving the story along and distinguishing the characters.

I was disappointed.

This audiobook, which I received free for an honest review, was very disappointing. I don't like giving negative reviews, but I didn't like this book. The author over uses description, very much over uses adjectives, and uses constant comparisons to attempt to advance the plot. I don't need a list of the flowers in the garden, or a description of every item of clothing everyone wears, or the colours of every room, or furniture, etc., etc., etc.

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Title: The Fig Eater

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Jody Shields

Narrator: Patricia Kilgarriff

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-02-17

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

When a young woman's body is discovered in the summer of 1910 in Vienna, the inspector's wife is certain the figs found in her stomach during the autopsy are the clue to the identity of the murderer - for there are no fresh figs in Vienna at this time of year.

Members Reviews:

More about the era than the crime; it certainly ...

More about the era than the crime. Not the book I expected, but well written, with interesting characters, intriguing relationships and fascinating details about beliefs and crime-solving techniques circa 1910. I liked it.

Five Stars

Excellent story with an interesting slant.

The Fig Eater

Read the book for my mystery book club. I didn't like the back and forth and the French words on comments. Seems it broke the trend of the story. It's a good read, but not at the top of my list. Someone else might love it, as some of the book club members did.

Hard to read

I felt the writing was disjointed and hard to follow. The descriptions were very good but the characters were unclear regarding their interactions. It was more work than pleasure to read it.

very unsatisfying ending

I felt this story was difficult to stick with. I put it down and picked it up over the course of over a month, primarily because I generally try to finish any book I have begun. The references to the inspector's criminal training was extremely tedious. It wasn't until the end when I was reading the questions for book clubs that I discovered a primary theme was "hysterical women" of the time. I felt the ending was abrupt and unsatisfying. It didn't naturally flow for me.

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Title: The Wolves of Freydis

Subtitle: A Carter Devereux Mystery Thriller, Book 2

Author: JC Ryan

Narrator: James Cramer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-31-17

Publisher: JC Ryan

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Carter Devereux's idyllic world had been shattered and catapulted into chaos and with it, the fate of humanity.

With a traitor in their midst who seems to stay one step ahead of them, it is a race against time for Carter Devereux and a team of Special Forces operators who must fight evils never before encountered.

Can they identify the traitor in their midst, free the captives from an unknown location, and stop the evil from sweeping in and changing the world as we know it?

The Wolves of Freydis is a full-length novel, a fast-paced suspense-thriller about human history and an international political conspiracy with tentacles reaching across the globe into the highest hallways of power. It is the second book in J C Ryan's Carter Devereux Mystery Thriller series, the sequel to Nothing New Under the Sun.

Members Reviews:

Great sequel for Nothing New Under the Sun

Ive been looking forward to listening to this audiobook since Book 1s ending snuck up on me. JC Ryan did a great job of pulling together characters with seemingly nothing in common. The book begins with a little back story, so those who didnt read Book 1 are not in the dark. The pace was fast and I found myself listening to the audiobook in 2 days.

I really appreciate the relationship between Carter (main character) and his team. All were close and most worked together in the business after leaving government acronym jobs, ie CIA, FBI, etc. I didnt give 5 stars because I thought the ending was a little predictable too soon; but maybe I caught on quick. Nevertheless, this book has its twists and turns, and it does not disappoint.

I really appreciate JC Ryan changing the narrator from Book 1. James Cramer performed wonderfully, especially with a large cast of characters.

If you choose this audiobook from Audible, please take note. I was not able to download the book on my main device (iPhone) or secondary. Audible was good at attempting to solve the issue, but it never worked. I finally listened to it using my smart tv. This platform bound me to my couch in order to listen, but it was well worth it!

I was given a complimentary copy of this audiobook in exchange for my unbiased review.

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Title: The Killer Who Hated Soup

Author: Bill A. Brier

Narrator: Jarman Day-Bohn

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-13-17

Publisher: Bill A. Brier

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The Internet? Never heard of it. Smart phones? Who you kiddin'? We're talkin' 1956.

Energetic and eager to make his mark on what Time Magazine called the next great boom town, Bucky Ontario leaves his Louisiana home and hops a bus to Defiance, Oklahoma, a town not particularly adverse to murders, just the embarrassment of them. While helping his friend, Kindra, search for a ring that once belonged to her dead mother, Bucky is told, "Find the baby, find the ring."

Members Reviews:

Great whodunnit

I'm skeptical of period pieces so when one delivers, I'm a happy camper.

The main character was the embodiment of multi-faceted. I liked him, then I didn't, then I did. And the whodunnit was a big 'ole 'WHAT?!'

It took me awhile to get into the narration but once I settled in, I enjoyed it.

It wasn't until I finished that I discovered this book was the first in a series. Win!

Mystery set in 1950s Oklahoma

In this novel, go-getter Bucky Ontario is determined to make a place for himself in the town of Defiance, OK. He is given a provisional position at a town car dealership. He finds himself in the middle of a town mystery as he tries to unravel a tangle of murder, family secrets, and politics. I like Bucky overall because of his "get up and go" attitudes.

I found myself getting mixed up in all the characters and situations as they were introduced. The plot thickens and twists with each new chapter.

The narration is very well done and brings the characters to life.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Great!

I really enjoyed this story and all the twists and turns. Fun and fast-paced, this book kept me interested all the way through. Narration was well done.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. The fact that I was gifted this book had no influence over my opinion of it.

Murder and Corruption in Small Town America

Set in the late 1950s, The Killer Who Hated Soup tells the story of a series of murders (not all related) through the eyes of Bucky Ontario, a young jack of all trades who works as a car salesman, photographer and unofficial murder investigator in a small mid-western town. Brilliantly well told the story twists and turns through the plot filled with murder, suspense, small town corruption and illicit sex, looking back at a different time with a blend of nostalgia, humour and brutal honesty.

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery and all of it's tangled who-dunits.

1950s

As this audio book is set in 1956 Oklahoma, this mystery is solved without all the technological advantages of today. The characters were interesting and the plot had surprises right to the end, when you realize that all the clues were in plain sight. I look forward to reading more of Bucky Ontarios adventures as a Photographer/sleuth/car salesman in the future installments. The narration was well done.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Title: Altar of Resistance

Subtitle: World War Two Trilogy, Book 2

Author: Samuel Marquis

Narrator: Fred Filbrich

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-11-17

Publisher: Samuel Marquis Books, LLC

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The gripping story of the Italian Campaign and Nazi Occupation of Rome in 1943-1944 through the eyes of the Allies, the German Occupiers, Pope Pius XII and the Vatican, and the Roman Resistance. Book 2 of the best-selling, award-winning World War Two series.

Critic Reviews:

"Altar of Resistance is a gripping and densely packed thriller dramatizing the Allied Italian campaign...reminiscent of Herman Wouk's The Winds of War." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Samuel Marquis picks up his World War II trilogy with Altar of Resistance, a well-researched and explosive ride through war-torn Rome with Nazis, booming battles, and intense cat-and-mouse chases.... Grounded in historical fact but spiced up with thrilling imagination with the fate of the world in balance." (Foreword Reviews)

"Marquis is a student of history, always creative, [and] never boring.... A good comparison might be Tom Clancy." (Military.com)

Members Reviews:

Great Read

Great read. I will certainly purchase another novel by this author.

Five Stars

Great values

Love Samuel

The best.

Meh

Interesting story line but don't care for the writing style. Too redundant and too eager to tell "the other side".

Nasty Nazis

Great story about those nasty Nazis. Very entertaining. I have now read 3 books by this author and enjoyed them thoroughly.

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Title: All the World's a Stage

Subtitle: Erast Fandorin, Book 11

Author: Boris Akunin, Andrew Bromfield - translator

Narrator: Jonathan Coote

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-05-17

Publisher: Orion

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Eliza Altairsky-Lointaine is the toast of Moscow society, a beautiful actress in an infamous theatre troupe. Her love life is as colourful as the parts she plays. She is the estranged wife of a descendant of Genghis Khan. And her ex-husband has threatened to kill anyone who courts her. He appears to be making good on his promise.

Fandorin is contacted by a concerned friend - the widowed wife of Chekhov - who asks him to investigate an alarming incident involving Eliza. But when he watches Eliza onstage for the first time, he falls desperately in love.... Can he solve the case - and win over Eliza - without attracting the attention of the murderer he is trying to find?

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

Members Reviews:

Theatrical to a fault

I imagine Akunin is drawing from a narrative style that dictates the plot line, characters, comic timing etc and if I do a bit of research Ill appreciate the novel more. That being said, I dont think the plot was grand enough for a Fandorin novel. It was a sweet tale with minor intrigue and twists but for the most it part it just puttered along. Fandorin was made to look a bit of a fool, owing to his being blinded by love but he was far too illogical and misguided than his previous detective successes should logically allow for. The voice acting was very good for the most part but Ive rated it down because the Japanese accent of Masa was so objectionable it bordered on racist. It reminded me of Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffanys, rather than a Japanese man who had been by the side of Fandorin for 30 plus years. By this stage Masa should have a much stronger command of Russian (in the case of this audiobook, English). Masa also seems much the same character as the early books, one dimensional with little growth or development. It was enjoyable so I gave it a 3 overall but story and performances deserve a 2 due to the points mentioned above.

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Title: A Dangerous Language

Author: Sulari Gentill

Narrator: Rupert Degas

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-05-17

Publisher: Wavesound Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Volunteering his services as a pilot to fly renowned international peace advocate Egon Kisch between Fremantle and Melbourne, Rowland is unaware how hard Australia's new attorney general will fight to keep the 'raging reporter' off Australian soil.

Add a disgraced minister, an unidentified corpse and an old flame who will not be denied and once again Rowland Sinclair stands against the unthinkable, with an artist, a poet and a brazen sculptress by his side.

Critic Reviews:

"Clever Gentill. Blithely slotting real people and events into a crime series set in the 1930s.... Once again, telling the fictional from the real is part of the fun." (Sydney Morning Herald)

"Strong plots, and wonderful characters...there is so much wonderful reading in the entire series." (Austcrimefiction)

Members Reviews:

enjoying this series

While this is not Rupert Degas' best narration, it is still pretty good.

The writing of Sulari Gentill may at times seem a bit style driven and superficial, and still the story is addictive and good fun. For now 3 stars with an option to change my mind.

The bits of history, the news reports and such do place the story in time and puts attitudes in their place. At first I found the 'name dropping' annoying, now it makes sense

There was great writing in the 1930's and a lot of the historical cozy style stories appear to treat the past as quaint. Given Sulari Gentill's research into the time I think this quaint, over the top presentation is deliberate, and dare I say, without prejudice, "high camp" and meant to be a bit silly.The poking fun at stuffy respectability fits alongside the big political movements. With the horror and outrage.

My own vision of the 30's with the felt hats and sartorial finesse for men, the stylish caps and feathers with well fitting ensemble for women wearing gloves of course,does see the light of day here. The depression, the union movements are here too along with folk on the wallaby track.

The bottom line is these stories are just plain enjoyable.

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Title: The Quiet Child

Author: John Burley

Narrator: MacLeod Andrews

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-08-17

Publisher: Harper Audio

Ratings: 1 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

From the award-winning author of The Absence of Mercy comes a gripping and darkly psychological novel about family, suspicion, and the price we are willing to pay to protect those we love the most.

It's the summer of 1954, and the residents of Cottonwood, California, are dying. At the center of it all is six-year-old Danny McCray, a strange and silent child the townspeople regard with fear and superstition, and who appears to bring illness and ruin to those around him. Even his own mother is plagued by a disease that is slowly consuming her.

Sheriff Jim Kent, increasingly aware of the whispers and rumors surrounding the boy, has watched the people of his town suffer - and he worries someone might take drastic action to protect their loved ones. Then a stranger arrives, and Danny and his 10-year-old brother, Sean, go missing. In the search that follows, everyone is a suspect, and the consequences of finding the two brothers may be worse than not finding them at all.

Members Reviews:

Not for me.

I felt it was a little bit slow moving.

Five Stars

A great read

loved everything about this book

loved everything about this book! would read it again!!! i kept saying, "didn't see that coming" all the way thru the book!

But a good read.

It didn't end well for me !!! you really had to concentrate on what was happening or it got confusing ( for me at least). But a good read.

Five Stars

Great read.

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Title: The Devil's Feast

Author: M. J. Carter

Narrator: Sam Dastor

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-01-17

Publisher: Isis Publishing Ltd

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

London, 1842. There has been a mysterious and horrible death at the Reform, London's newest and grandest gentleman's club.

A death the club is desperate to hush up.

Captain William Avery is persuaded to investigate and soon discovers a web of rivalries and hatreds, both personal and political, simmering behind the club's handsome façade - and in particular concerning its resident genius, Alexis Soyer, 'the Napoleon of food', a chef whose culinary brilliance is matched only by his talent for self-publicity. But Avery is distracted, for where is his mentor and partner-in-crime, Jeremiah Blake? And what if this first death was only a dress rehearsal for something far more sinister?

Members Reviews:

Evocative thriller.

MJ Carter has dished up yet another evocative thriller. Blake and Avery are drawn reluctantly into the halls of the Reform Club to solve another case. It is in these hallowed portals that they meet the famous Alexis Soyer and his vast array of kitchen staff. With assistance and obstruction from Club members, they begin to unravel a poisonous plot.

Too much food

This isn't as good as the two previous books in the series. It's as if the author got hold of a lot of historical information about Victorian food and famous chefs and cobbled a story around them. The descriptions of the meals are too long winded and detailed and became boring, and the solution to the mystery wasn't believable.

A bit of a let down.

Better than expected

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

I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys crime friction / historical fiction. It's well paced with engaging interactions between the characters.

What did you like best about this story?

Avery's conversations with Matty.

What about Sam Dastors performance did you like?

He does the 'period' voice without overdoing it. He also doesn't sound silly when doing female voices.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

If you can't take the heat...

Any additional comments?

I guessed who did it right away, first time ever for me. This means that either I've listened to too much crime fiction or it was a tad obvious. I was disappointed as I don't try very hard to work it out and like the surprise at the reveal at the end. Never mind. I still enjoyed this book very much.

like rough and ready Holmes and Watson.

excellent stories with twist. will look forward to the next outing. excellent narration as well.

As good as last book, brilliantly read

Where does The Devil's Feast rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

In the top ten

What other book might you compare The Devil's Feast to, and why?

Difficult to compare. Some historical detail but doesn't overwhelm story

Which character as performed by Sam Dastor was your favourite?

Sam Dastor is brilliant; probably Blake and the Committee Members

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

Too long for that but I did want to find out the ending

Any additional comments?

Well worth a listen, in essence a good murder mystery

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Title: The Trials of Sherlock Holmes

Author: James Moffett

Narrator: Alexander Clifford

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-06-17

Publisher: MX Publishing

Ratings: 2 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

It is a cold London morning in 1887, and the discovery of a dead man in an abandoned house plunges Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson into a series of eight trying cases that will test the friendship of the two companions and threaten the safety of the country itself. From a staged murder to an impossible suicide, the theft of a national document to the disappearance of an entire family, London's foremost consulting detective and his faithful companion must seek out the clues and venture into the very heart of each mystery. All the while a sinister force, lurking amid the busy streets of London, stalks their every case, testing their own mental and physical prowess; ultimately they require the assistance of their closest allies, including Mycroft Holmes and the unsophisticated Inspectors Gregson and Lestrade. Will Holmes and Watson be able to avert the approaching threat that appears to be vengefully heading straight for them?

Members Reviews:

Something's missing here

The sudden and unexplained leap in events from chapters 8 to 9 indicate that a chapter probably went lost during the recording session. The narrator's sometime laboured breathing is very apparent during the whole of the audio book. The switch from Holmes' account back to Watson's epilogue is too abrupt.