Discover the New Releases Audiobooks in Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

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Title: March Violets

Author: Philip Kerr

Narrator: Jeff Harding

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-08-08

Publisher: ISIS Audio Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 45 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The year is 1936 and Berlin is preparing for the Olympic Games. Some of Bernie's Jewish friends are beginning to realise that they should have left while they could, and Bernie himself has been hired by a wealthy industrialist to investigate two murders that reach high into the Nazi Party.

Hard-hitting, fast-paced, and richly detailed, March Violets is noir writing at its best and blackest.

Critic Reviews:

"A brilliantly innovative thriller-writer." (Salman Rushdie)

"Echoes of Raymond Chandler but better on his vivid and well-researched detail than the master." (Evening Standard)

"Taut, brutal, coarse, believable and gripping stuff." (Sunday Telegraph)

Members Reviews:

Missed the mark

An interesting premise, and a book that ought to have appealed. But, why does the main character have an American voice? At first, I thought there would be some explanation -- the hero is some sort of Rick figure who got stranded in Germany in the war, or maybe he had an American parent from whom he learned English -- but no, the story makes clear he spent his life in Germany with German parents. Not sure which is more insulting: the idea that a good person wouldn't have a German accent, or that a presumably mostly American audience can't listen to an accent for the entire length of an audio book. Recommend one read the book, not listen to it. Let your inner voice provide the appropriate voices.

one ain't enough - next, please!

Just finishing this first of three of the series of novels by Philip Kerr - can't wait to dig into the next installment.. notwithstanding that these are rather dark but funny (but only in that 1930's bleak prewar Germany kind of funny) novels.

Good story, annoying narration

Awful pronunciation of German words. Annoying accents and silly voices. Almost made me stop listening.

Traditional detective idioms in an unusual setting

Berlin at the time of the 1936 Olympics, the growing threat of Nazism and a cynical detective investigating a double murder. The main protagonist is narrated with a Philip Marlow-esque American accent, with all the other characters having German accents - a conceit I got to enjoy. A great detective story, enhanced with the historically interesting setting. This is the first in a series, that I'm happily working my way through. Highly recommended.

Interesting, a bit ponderous. Great period detail

A good and very interesting story, prinicipally for the period detail of Germany in 1936. The American accent of Gunther would have been more acceptable had the other excellent voices not been in strongly accented German. The reader is ok though. Whether the Marlowesque dialogue would have been so effective in German accent is something I can't answer.

Story is a bit ponderous and over-written - constant detailed descriptions of walking across the room, opening a door, openings of letters tended to slow the story down.

Kerr also likes you to know how much research he has done - and it's a lot. Good for it's exploration of pre-war Germany under the Nazis, bad in the exposition of hundreds of locations irrelevant to keeping the story moving.

Quite witty and sharp at times but it definitely ain't classic Chandler.

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Title: The Library Paradox

Author: Catherine Shaw

Narrator: Nicolette McKenzie

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-04-07

Publisher: ISIS Audio Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 24 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

March, 1896. Motherhood and work as a private detective don't easily go hand-in-hand, but Vanessa is determined to give it a try, and she has been kept busy by a string of requests asking for her help in solving troubling cases. It is not often, though, that her investigations involve violent death. When three sombre professors knock on her door, Vanessa knows they have come in search of her help. But when they explain the circumstances surrounding their colleague's murder, she begins to doubt whether her modest capabilities will be enough to solve the mystery.

©2006 Catherine Shaw; (P)2007 Soundings

Members Reviews:

Annoying narrator

The reader spoils this slightly disconnected historical mystery, by making all kinds of noises or swallowing. Maybe just poorly edited, but the book in plot and substance also had a similar feeling. It started out slowly and did progress toward the 3/4 mark. Female protagonist with children was a nice thought, but I would give this one a miss and try Anne Perry for something along the same lines but much better written.

Turgid

I read the first book in this series as a paperback and found the plot fascinating. There's certainly another intriguing plot here, but sadly the author's decision to base her literary style on the most verbose and convoluted offerings of what she regards as late Victorian literature gets in the way. The reader can doze off for 10-15 mins at a time without missing anything of note or losing the thread of the plot. What was needed was a stronger editor to remove up to a third of the book. Victorian literary style was capable of pace and suspense. I'm afraid that on this showing paint could dry in less time than Shaw would take to describe the process!

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Title: A Dead Man in Istanbul

Author: Michael Pearce

Narrator: Bill Wallis

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-07-07

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 44 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The undersecretary of the British embassy in Istanbul has died while attempting to swim the Dardanelles Straits. The circumstances of his death have to be investigated, so the Foreign Office sends out an officer: Sandor Seymour, an unobtrusive Special Branch detective.

©2005 Michael Pearce (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Members Reviews:

This series is worth a listen

I'm usually too stingy to spend credits on such short light listens, but I find Pearce's "Dead Man..." series credit worthy. For once, Bill Wallis' sometimes over-the-top narration is either toned down (or has found its fit). I find each novel a decent light historical mystery that -- though never didactic-- always teaches me something about history on top of just evoking period. Peacre writes with a dry humour too -- so that between the history, the mystery and the smiles, the 5--7 hours slip by.

Loved this story read by Bill Wallis

It is personal preference, and, I find Wallis a better reader than Clive Mantle (Dead Man in Trieste). Wallis does capture the personality of our hero Seymour and with judicious pause conveys the spoken and unspoken responses.

Seymour is called in from The Yard because he is a linguist (having learned the languages of the people in his childood neighbourhood). Lovely impressions of British Embassy staff and their interests as well as a glimpse of early 1900's Istanbull. And then there is the murder he is not expected to solve as well as the resolution of the impasse of how to find Jusice.

I would like to know more about the author and when these were written, as distict from being published.

Light enjoyable listen that does evoke a time and place.

British Embassy life in the Ottoman Empire

Initially I thought this murder investigation was set in current times but the Embassy staff use a landau and the customs seem more fitting to the late 19-early 20th centuries. (I must have not registered the stage setting descriptions). The narrator does a fine job of the Upper Crust "Old Boy" speech/narration; although it does get a bit too thick at times for me. Somehow I haven't been able to get into this book so I've taken a break about 5hours into it. I'm not sure if I just can't identify with the characters or am mixing them up. If you like historical tidbits and don't mind a slowish unfolding of a plot then I'd say this isn't bad; but if you have trouble with a strong "Old Chap" accent you might give this one a pass. I'd love to hear what someone else has to say about this book. It could be I'm just not in the mood for it.

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Title: Vienna Blood

Author: Frank Tallis

Narrator: Richard Burnip

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-11-07

Publisher: Oakhill Publishing Ltd

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Winter in Vienna, 1902: a serial killer embarks upon a bizarre campaign of murder. In this second volume of the Liebermann Papers, Liebermann struggles with his own demons, against a backdrop of mystery and terror.

©2006 Frank Tallis; (P)2007 Oakhill Publishing Ltd

Members Reviews:

Vienna Blood

An atmospheric ,clever and addictive novel.Beautifully read one of my favorite listens of the year.

Dissapointed

Would you try another book written by Frank Tallis or narrated by Richard Burnip?

Not for some time,

What was most disappointing about Frank Talliss story?

i could not get past the first few "pages" , no matter how hard i tried,

How could the performance have been better?

the performance was ok,

Any additional comments?

i listened to the first book in the series, liked it and hoped the second one would be even better. Unfortunately, it was not.Different story lines were unrelated and crime descriptions were violent and too detailed...

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Title: Tug of War

Subtitle: A Joe Sandilands Murder Mystery

Author: Barbara Cleverly

Narrator: Terry Wale

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-13-07

Publisher: ISIS Audio Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 52 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Joe Sandilands has been dispatched to France to stay as the guest of a glamorous French war-widow who is determined that Joe should support her claim that a mysterious shell-shocked soldier is her husband. The problem is that four other claimants have identified him differently. Joe decides to investigate the four claimants and picks his way through a tangle of lies, deceit, and manipulation, uncovering a cleverly concealed murder committed during the war years. When he finally discovers the identity of the soldier, he faces an even greater dilemma: he must not only solve a killing in the past, but avert a tragedy in the future.

©2006 Barbara Cleverly; (P)2007 Soundings

Members Reviews:

Fun Fictional History

Tug of War is an entertaining period piece filled with clearly drawn characters and following an enjoyably mysterious plot. The reader is very good.

better than average Cleverly

I listen to Cleverly's Sandilands mysteries for light listens as I go about my chores -Most contain pretty mundane mysteries but with bits of setting and history interest for fans of historical fiction, without the heavy violence of some of the genre. When Cleverly tries to direct her hero into romance, the results can be laughable (must have taken dialogue lessons form Ken Follet). Tug of War avoids the romance and, through memory and mystery, explores bits of the human and darker sides of WWI (like Jacqueline Winspear). She gets more respect as an author from me after this one.

A great WWI tale, but not a true mystery story

If you have been reading this series, you know how wonderful it is. But this is not a mystery. It is a story of WWI and the lives it changed. It is very very good. But for those, like me, that have fallen in love with this mystery series, you may be disappointed.

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Title: The Lady in Blue

Author: Javier Sierra

Narrator: Boyd Gaines

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-05-07

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 18 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

This novel is based on a famous legend of the American Southwest that a strange "lady in blue" appeared to the Native Americans, informing them of the arrival of the first Conquistadors. The Conquistadors initially believed she was the Virgin of Guadalupe. But the truth is far more surprising.

Critic Reviews:

"Sierra's heady tale about a true flying nun should entertain Christian paranormal buffs." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Pathetic

Why should Spanish people speaking Spanish (but in the audiobook speaking English for our benefit) have a Spanish accent? What is worse, bad plot, not a single convincing character.

Not my favorite...

I was expecting a lot from this book based on its outstanding reviews (on other sites); however I was disappointed in it in several ways. The story skips around from five or six different story lines running from the present to the 1600s in the New World. Perhaps it was the audio format that did not work for me but I was constantly rewinding the audio to make sure I was getting everything. This is a religious conspiracy thriller that had some really interesting theories about famous Christians who could bi-locate through time. The focus was on a nun, Maria Jesus d?greda, who could be simultaneously in her convent in Spain and in New Mexico converting the Indians. Marias story alone was fascinating. Unfortunately, although the principals of the story were remarkable, I could not identify with the characters and felt that they were used as tools to tell the story and not portrayed with any depth. In the end I could not wait for this story to be over. It was weak as a thriller but maybe it would have worked better as a documentary.

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Title: Mortal Mischief

Author: Frank Tallis

Narrator: Richard Burnip

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-12-06

Publisher: Oakhill Publishing Ltd

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 35 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Vienna, 1902: a beautiful medium has been found shot dead, and Dr Max Liebermann, a young disciple of Sigmund Freud, is called upon to help his friend Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt investigate her death. The room containing the body has been locked from the inside, and a cryptic note suggests a malevolent supernatural power is at work. Using the new science of psychoanalysis, Liebermann probes the minds of the suspects in an attempt to unravel this bewildering crime.

© Frank Tallis; (P)Oakhill Publishing Ltd

Critic Reviews:

"Tallis' writing and feel for the period are top class." (The Times)

"A mouth-watering view of Viennese café society....well and forcefully written." (Literary Review)

Members Reviews:

Ho-hum Victorian mystery

Would you try another book from Frank Tallis and/or Richard Burnip?

No.

What could Frank Tallis have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

The main characters (doctor and detective) were not well drawn - Doctor was a know-it-all, perfect type, the inspector was just dumb - and he wasn't supposed to be. A really lame plot.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The problem I had with the narrator was I couldn't distinguish who was saying what in dialogue. No enough differentiation. Besides that he was good.

What character would you cut from Mortal Mischief?

All of them - all were predictable and not that interesting.

Any additional comments?

This is the first book in the series; maybe the following ones are better.

It left me hungry for pastry and Strauss.

What made the experience of listening to Mortal Mischief the most enjoyable?

The setting, the city of Vienna at its best, made this an engaging story that was difficult to leave. One tends to forget how important and influential it was. I loved the policeman and the psychiatrist meeting for musical evenings. It made them both whole people with interests and lives of their own. I did worry about the policeman's wife seeing him with the actress. That never seemed to be resolved. But perhaps it will come up in the next book in the series, which is already on my wish list.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I enjoyed them all.

Which character as performed by Richard Burnip was your favorite?

Hard to say. Burnip did an excellent job. His accent was believable, and he managed to do credible women's voices without sounding like he was getting ready for transgender surgery. Always a plus.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

I have no idea what a tag line is, so I have no answer for this.

Any additional comments?

This was a great story and a really interesting opening of what seems like it will be a very engaging series.

Great listening!

Mortal mischief was the first of three Frank Tallis books I listened to on Max Lieberman, psychiatrist who, solves mysteries in Vienna at the turn of the twentieth century. The criminal mystery is not the main theme in the novel.

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Title: A Personal Devil

Subtitle: A Magdalene la Bâtarde Mystery

Author: Roberta Gellis

Narrator: Nadia May

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-15-06

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 165 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

However, when it seems that Mainard will be charged with Bertrild's murder, because no one accepts the oath of a whore that he is innocent, Magdalene, with her handsome friend, Sir Bellamy, decides to investigate.

Critic Reviews:

"In addition to a well-crafted plot, moments of heart-stopping suspense, and a dramatic conclusion, the author provides poignant glimpses into the humanity of her characters, particularly the women of the guesthouse." (Publishers Weekly)

"Yet another authentically detailed medieval mystery featuring a proactive feminist as the detective." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

A life medieval

The Gellis' books have brought to life the many details of a 12th century life that are often overlooked by the academic accounts. And again, she brings to life the people who make life in King Stephen's reign seem real and believable. This tale, however, is the weakest of the three about Madeleine and her knight Sir Belamy. Although the resolution of the mystery is a stretch, it does not dilute the rich flow of the tapestry formed by the complex relationships that were part of human life then, and even now.

Wonderful Period Who Dunnit!

If you like historical mysteries, this one is a delight. The premise is unique, and the characters are so well written that I find myself thinking about them long after the book is done. (I have a total crush on Bell.) There are 3 of the series available here, but the 4th is out -- "Chains of Folly." Once you finish the last book, do what I did, and write to Audible and ask for the 4th. (Roberta Gellis is writing the 5th, "Bishop to King, Check!" even as I write this. By the way -- Nadia May is brilliant! Her various characters voices linger in my mind even now. Great Book!

Another Triumph

This is one of the best historical mystery series.

This book has both great characters who are wonderfully brought to life by Nadia May and a plot that really is a mystery. Excellent!

Better than Ellis Peters

There are only four books in the "Magdal??ne la B??tarde" series of medieval whodunnits. Dammit. This is the fourth and last. Magdal??ne is the mistress of the Old Priory Guesthouse, in Southwark. A brothel. High class, and gentle with the employees... but a brothel all the same. Magdal??ne's relations with all other people are systematically defined by her status: known or unknown, and client or not client. She gets involved in murders. But she has friends, some in high places.

The mysteries are well plotted, but they are primarily backdrops for portraits and landscapes af great talent.

Highly recommended.

Answers Several Unanswered Questions

To me, the plot of this book was not nearly as engaging as the first book in the series was. The mystery wasn't particularly mysterious and it did not capture and hold my attention. However, I appreciated the background information about Magdalena included in this installment. It made her character far more understandable. I also liked the additional information included about her co-workers.

These are not, edge of your seat nail-biting mysteries to me. Rather the author does a great job (I think) of capturing a time and place, giving the reader a better understanding of each, along with those that inhabit it ...

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Title: A Body in the Bath House

Subtitle: Marcus Didius Falco, Book 13

Author: Lindsey Davis

Narrator: Christian Rodska

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-17-06

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 198 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Marcus Didius Falco discovers that rank brings problems, the most gruesome of which is a corpse buried under the tiles of his new bath house. The contractors have fled to Britain where, as the Fates have it, Falco is ordered. A local chief and ally of the Romans is having a Palace built by the Emperor Vespasian. However, the project is running late, and fatal accidents keep happening. Falco, troubleshooting for the Emperor, is without an ally and now next on the list for assassination.

©2001 Lindsey Davis (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Members Reviews:

The More Things Change...

This might be the best of the series. It has the expected combination of fascinating historical detail, fall-down-laughing comedy, and the delivery of cliff-hanging action. The life painted here reaches up through the millenia and touches us as if there's no space between -- we'll all recognize the bickering architects and builders, the pub closers, the extraneous relatives, the salesmen. The narrator bothered me at first -- he sounds almost Australian, which seemed an anachronism -- but I got over it when I discovered how skillful he is. He truly understands Falco and his irreverance, his strutting, his loyalty, his irony, his common sense and his courage. Not good bedtime reading, though, because you'll be laughing instead of sleeping.

Baroom Brawl

If you like far off locations, exotic alluring assassins, everyone and their brother out to kill you, two fisted drinking and barroom brawls, then this book is for you. Many things are recognizable like trying to get reimbursed for your expensed, having shoddy fly by night contractors working on your house, working with family members and avoiding offending people with political pull. It is just too familiar and then suddenly remembering that this all takes place 2000 years ago.

I am a historical type of guy and I really liked reading/hearing the historical facts interwoven with the every day life of adventurous people. Go get um Falco.

Love this series!

I have read and re-read the books, and now am having fun listening to them on audio. Great narration! These novels have a little bit of something for everyone- they're good mysteries, they're an interesting look at the Roman Empire, and the main character is funny. Smart, but also light and entertaining. So far there has only been one book in the series I haven't absolutely loved.

Fun Read

First, I recommend you read the Falco books in order. This was the first Falco book for me and while it was enjoyable on its own, I do think it would have been nicer to know more of the characters. There is a fair amt of dry humor scattered throughout the book which was good. In addition, it was fun to see how universal life problems are handled in ancient Rome (shoddy workmanship, private investigations). It was a bit repetitious occasionally but overall a good book for the bus commute.

The narrator did a good job and somehow even though he was using a gravelly English, 1940s private-eye type voice, it seemed to fit just fine.

One of the Better Series

Again Lindsey Davis pulls it off! If you like historical novels - not just those ones about the wealthy, than this series is for you. The author not only gets the authentic feel of classical Rome but fills it with real characters who have both strength and weakness (both male and female).

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Title: The Russian Hill Murders

Subtitle: A Sarah Woolson Mystery

Author: Shirley Tallman

Narrator: Anna Fields

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-14-05

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 111 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Though her own law firm barely tolerates her and her mother begs her to settle down, plucky young attorney Sarah Woolson flouts notions of proper feminine behavior in this nineteenth-century answer to Legally Blonde. When a woman whose husband has died in a sweatshop fire asks for Sarah's help in finding the culprit, she insists on taking the case against her boss's wishes. Even more scandalously, when several people affiliated with a charity hospital die within a few days of each other, Sarah puts herself in the middle of the puzzle, racing against time to find the killer and defend a Chinese man accused of murder. Imagine, a woman lawyer in court!

Critic Reviews:

"Woolson's role as a protofeminist in the nineteenth century is a sympathetic one, and readers will empathize strongly with the obstacles she faces and the triumphs she achieves." (Booklist) "Tallman has a nice way of setting the stage and moving her plot forward." (Seattle Times)

Members Reviews:

Welcome Back Sarah

I take exception to the Legally Blonde reference; yes, Sarah overextends her experience, but I take her much more seriously than Reese Witherspoon's character. This time out, we get some courtroom drama as Sarah defends a Chinese immigrant accused of murder. All the supporting characters from the first book are here, most notably the ever fun Robert Campbell and Li Ying, with a couple new ones thrown in for future fun. There's even a little romantic interest. This is every bit as enjoyable as Murder on Nob Hill and I'm looking forward to the third installment in the series.

A thoroughly enjoyable listen

I'd read the first book in this series and really enjoyed it, but was a bit hesitant to get the audio book for the second in the series. It not only measured up to the first book, but the reader was excellent. I really like Sarah's character, she's far from perfect (and it shows), and the side characters certainly were engrossing. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series. This book is really well suited to audio, which many books aren't.

"Courage of 10 Dragons"

What made the experience of listening to The Russian Hill Murders the most enjoyable?

Ms Anna makes our heroine come to life as the author intended. Our pirate, Pierce, is yummy and the author did a nice job of weaving him into this story. Make no mistake, this is a period story and the dialogue flowed very well.

What did you like best about this story?

If you like period dialogue and mystery then this will not disappoint. It had a bit of romance, a bit of woman's rights along with a whodunit story.

Have you listened to any of Anna Fieldss other performances before? How does this one compare?

I purchased this book as the late great Ms Anna read it. I will buy The Nob Hill Murder. She had such a rich voice. If you like romance, try Susan E. Phillips series Anna reads.

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

yes as I could not pick out the clue to who did it until very late in the story. The family's joint quest to find the truth, could make this a nice series as this is a big family.