Discover the New Releases Audiobooks in Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

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Title: The House of Smoke

Author: Sam Christer

Narrator: David Thorpe

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-31-16

Publisher: Hachette Audio UK

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 21 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Big Ben chimes in the first seconds of the first day of 1900, the start of a fresh century. Inside London's oldest gaol, preparations are afoot to hang Victorian England's deadliest assassin, a man wanted for two decades' worth of murders.

Cold-blooded killer Simeon Lynch has lived a brutal and glorious life in the employ of the House of Moriarty - the most feared criminal enterprise in the world. Now, as he faces the noose, Simeon learns dark truths about his master, about Sherlock Holmes and about his own past. Truths that make him determined to escape and kill again....

Follow Simeon's bloody footsteps through the capital's cobbled alleyways, wretched workhouses and flash taverns as he crosses swords with Sherlock Holmes and the villainous characters of Victorian London.

Critic Reviews:

"You can almost feel the cold weight of the old stones pressing down on you. This is one of those very rare books that is capable of both thrilling and chilling the reader." (James Becker on The Stonehenge Legacy)

"Well-plotted and well-executed, this is a chilling and clever thriller." (Daily Telegraph on The Turin Shroud Secret)

"Smart, slick and effective." (Daily Mail on The Stonehenge Legacy)

Members Reviews:

Disappointing

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

No. I was sorely disappointed overall, as I was expecting more Sherlock Holmes and less of the Moriarty gang. However, insight into how the gang began (this author's premise, that is), was well thought out.

Would you recommend The House of Smoke to your friends? Why or why not?

No, narrator dragged out the story

How did the narrator detract from the book?

For me, the narrator dragged the story out by reading too slowing, his voice was not to my liking after a few chapters, and I ended up listening to it at 1.25 speed. That made the book easier to follow.

Could you see The House of Smoke being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No.

Any additional comments?

The ending was a surprise, but left me hanging, although, if there is a sequel, I won't read or listen to it. I've had enough of the Moriarty gang and their murderous, sociopathic thugs for a long, long time.

Wow!

Would you listen to The House of Smoke again? Why?

I would definitely listen to this wonderful story again...I felt I was there watching, listening and smelling each moment ....immersed in a time and place that only this author and narrator could take me.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved to hate Simeon...he was bad, he was good....he loved, and he hated..a true criminal that evolved from the darkest of circumstances.

Which character as performed by David Thorpe was your favorite?

Simeon

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The entire tale had me laughing one moment, angry and tearful the next.

Any additional comments?

David Thorpe took the words of this fantastic novel, and made it come alive. I cannot possibly give away any more about story or plot....this is a gem that needs to be discovered.

Good story...

I enjoyed this tale...I am a sucker for Gothic, Edwardian , and Victorian short stories and although this was full length I listened just about right through it...the narration was terrific...the ending was predictable, a set up for a sequel most likely...

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Title: Half a Lifelong Romance

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Eileen Chang

Narrator: Emily Woo Zeller

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 42 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-19-16

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

From one of 20th-century China's greatest writers and the author of Lust, Caution comes an unforgettable story of a love affair set in 1930s Shanghai.

Manzhen is a young worker in a Shanghai factory where she meets Shijun, the son of wealthy merchants. Despite family complications, they fall in love and begin to dream of a shared life together - until circumstances force them apart. When they are reunited after many years, can they start their relationship again? Or is it destined to be the romance of only half a lifetime?

This affectionate and captivating novel tells the moving story of an enduring love affair and offers a fascinating window onto Chinese life in the first half of the 20th century.

Members Reviews:

super

wonderful book. rich psychological portraits. one of the best narrators I have ever heard. listen.

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Title: The Passenger

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: F. R. Tallis

Narrator: Chris MacDonnell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-15-16

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

This supernatural thriller from F. R. Tallis takes listeners beneath the wartime seas of the stormy North Atlantic in 1941, where not all those onboard are invited.

It's 1941. A German submarine, U-330, patrols the stormy waters of the North Atlantic. It is commanded by Siegfried Lorenz, a maverick SS officer who does not believe in the war he is bound by duty and honor to fight in.

U-330 receives a triple-encoded message with instructions to collect two prisoners from a vessel located off the Icelandic coast and transport them to the base at Brest. A British submarine commander, Sutherland, and a Norwegian academic, Professor Bjrner Grimstad, are taken onboard. Contact between the prisoners and Lorenz has been forbidden, and it transpires that this special mission has been ordered by an unknown source high up in the SS. It is rumored that Grimstad is working on a secret weapon that could change the course of the war.

Then Sutherland goes rogue, and a series of shocking, brutal events occur. In the aftermath, disturbing things start happening on the boat. It seems that a lethal supernatural force is stalking the crew, wrestling with Lorenz for control. A thousand feet under the dark, icy waves, it doesn't matter how loud you scream.

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

great book

Subtle horror on a U-Boat

F.R. Tallis is a horror writer, but he isn't Stephen King. That's not a

criticism by any means, but rather a forewarning that if you're

expecting Stephen King's style of story-telling, this isn't it.

Tallis is subtle. Tallis writes from the assumption that horror is

internal, in the mind as much as in the external world. And it works.

"The Passenger" is something a little different for Tallis. It's a war

story, which he himself admits is in the vein of "Das Boot." It's about

German submariners in World War II. Some may (as in the case of "Das

Boot") object to a portrayal from the German point of view and the

sympathy shown for the Germans.

But to think that the novel is pro-Nazi would be to seriously

err. Tallis walks the fine line between showing feeling for the hapless

souls caught up in the war, and supporting the regime that drove

them. In the novel we come to care about the fate of the human beings on

both sides. The characters are well-drawn and three-dimensional.

The novel starts with U-330, commanded by Siegfried Lorentz, picking up

two very special prisoners in a high-seas transfer. After that, things

start to really go awry.

Quite a few pages are spent describing U-330 hunting its prey, British

ships, and then withstanding counter-attacks from destroyers or

anti-submarine aircraft. There are some close calls before U-330 returns

for some time in port, in France.

Strange things have begun to happen aboard the ship, and even during the

port call, they continue. Then, U-330 goes out on patrol again ...

There are no screaming monsters or possessed dogs. The horror in this

novel is pervasive, always lurking in the background, but seldom

explicit. Tallis shows his genius in his ability to carry along the

reader and develop the same sense of horror in the reader's mind as he

creates in the minds of the characters.

The ending comes as no surprise, but that's not a problem, as that sense

of inevitability is an essential part of the narrative.

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Title: Spoils of Victory

Subtitle: A Mason Collins Novel

Author: John A. Connell

Narrator: Rob Shapiro

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-02-16

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 40 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

From the author of Ruins of War comes an electrifying novel featuring US Army criminal investigator Mason Collins, set in the chaos of post-World War II Germany.

When the Third Reich collapsed, the small town Garmisch-Partenkirchen became the home of fleeing war criminals, making it the final depository for the Nazis' stolen riches. There are fortunes to be made on the black market. Murder, extortion, and corruption have become the norm.

It's a perfect storm for a criminal investigator like Mason Collins, especially when his friend, CIC Agent John Winstone, claims that a group of powerful men are taking over the lucrative trade. But before he can fully explain, Winstone - and his girlfriend - are brutally murdered.

Determined to uncover the truth, Mason plunges into a shadowy labyrinth of coconspirators, including former SS and Gestapo officers, US Army OSS officers, and liberated Polish POWs.

As both witnesses and evidence begin disappearing, it becomes obvious that someone on high is pulling strings to stifle the investigation - and that Mason must feel his way in the darkness if he is going to find out who in town has the most to gain - and the most to lose....

Members Reviews:

Second in the series...

"Spoils of Victory" is American author John Connell's second book in his "Mason Collins" series. Set - so far - in post-war Germany, Collins is a policeman who is hired by the US Army to investigate criminal activity in occupied Germany. The first book in the series - "Ruins of War" - was set in Munich. This one is set in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a resort community in the mountains south of Munich. (It was also the site of the 1936 Winter Olympics.)

Something very rotten is happening in Garmisch. Mason Collins has been sent there after getting into trouble while solving crimes in Munich. People in Garmisch - innocent or not-so-innocent - are turning up dead. Some are turning up quite unattractively dead, with missing body parts. As the body count rises, Collins and his aide, Abrams, set out to investigate the active black market in the town. Basically, everything 's for sale - food and other necessities of life now in short supply in post-war Germany - and the black market trading seems to involve almost everybody around. Germans, American GIs, former concentration camp inmates - everyone's on the take. Connell's world of Garmisch-Partenkirchen seems to be gray and murky. All his characters, except for Collins and Abrams, exist in a mist of murder and cheating. And because everyone's murky, there are very few characters who are not drawn as caricatures. Now, that's not a criticism; if the reader cared for all those getting butchered, "Spoils of Victory" would be as depressing as a Scandinavian crime novel.

"Spoils of War" is an entertaining novel about that "murkiness" of post-war morals. It may be about 50 pages too long, but it makes good reading. I'll look forward to Connell's next "Mason Collins" novel.

A Cinematic Page-Turner

With non-stop action which leaps off the page, and a complex, beleaguered, almost anti-hero main character, Spoils of Victory is a cinematic page-turner, in which Mason Collins brings to mind the iconic American GI-disobeying-orders-but-for-the-right-reasons from films such as Inglourious Basterds and even The Dirty Dozen.

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Title: The Black Dahlia

Author: James Ellroy

Narrator: Jeff Harding

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-28-16

Publisher: Isis Publishing Ltd

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A neo-noir crime novel from the legendary crime novelist James Ellroy.

Los Angeles, 15th January 1947: a beautiful young woman walked into the night and met her horrific destiny. Five days later, her tortured body was found drained of blood and cut in half. The newspapers called her 'The Black Dahlia'. Two cops are caught up in the investigation and embark on a hellish journey that takes them to the core of the dead girl's twisted life....

Members Reviews:

One of the great noir stories

One of the great noir stories, albeit one that could have ended a few chapters earlier. The last two twists were unnecessary. The first 9/10ths were brilliant

Excellent performance by Jeff Harding, except for a hilariously bad Scottish accent. American performers generally cannot do Scottish or Irish accents and only spoil things when they try to.

Great book, great narrator, but that Scottish accent!

The narrators voice has to match the tone and mood of the book for me to be able to enjoy an audio book and not find their voice/accent a distraction. Jeff Harding was a perfect narrator for this dark, moody LA based novel, an insight into so many types of pain and a story where every character is morally corrupt. It's a wonderful novel and Harding is great- but, that Scottish accent he attempts is nothing short of ridiculous. I don't know what he's basing it on, but it sounds like Mrs Doubtfire doing an impression of an Irish person at panto. Its absolutely dreadful. If only someone else had read those parts.

The Black Dahila - good read but some parts quite disturbing & some readers light not like the choice language in book

The Black Dahila - good read but some parts quite disturbing & some readers light not like the choice language in book

Jeff's narration great as always

Well worth the pay off

Seemed to deviate a bit but the all comes together. Awesome story and story telling. Well worth the read..... Or listen.

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Title: The Plague of Thieves Affair

Subtitle: A Carpenter and Quincannon Mystery

Author: Bill Pronzini, Marcia Muller

Narrator: Meredith Mitchell, Mark Peckham

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-26-16

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Can the true identity of the Sherlock Holmes imposter be revealed at last?

Sabina Carpenter and John Quincannon are no stranger to mysteries. In the five years since they opened Carpenter and Quinncannon, Professional Detective Services, they have solved dozens, but one has eluded even them: Sherlock Holmes or, rather, the madman claiming his identity who keeps showing up with a frustrating - though admittedly useful - knack for solving difficult cases. Roland W. Fairchild, recently arrived from Chicago, claims the man is his first cousin, Charles P. Fairchild III. Now, with his father dead, Charles stands to inherit an estate of over $3 million - if Sabina can find him and if he can be proved sane. Sabina is uncertain of Roland's motives but agrees to take the case.

John, meanwhile, has been hired by the owner of the Golden State brewery to investigate the "accidental" death of the head brewmaster, who drowned in a vat of his own beer. When a second murder occurs and the murderer escapes from under his nose, John sets out to find the trail of the criminals - and to ensure he keeps his reputation for catching them. But while John is certain he can catch his quarry, Sabina is less certain whether she even wants to catch hers. Holmes has been frustrating but useful and even kind. She is quite certain he is mad but quite uncertain what will happen when he is confronted with the truth. Does every mystery need to be solved?

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

Good author, good book

Good read

Interesting characters and good plot.

Five Stars

Good read

An Entertaining Historical Detective Novel

PLAGUE OF THIEVES AFFAIR is the fourth entry in Marcia Mullerâs and Bill Pronziniâs historical detective series featuring Sabina Carpenter and John Quincannon. The two spend the novel working on separate casesâQuincannon is looking for the killer of a brew master at a local steam beer brewery, and Carpenter is hired to protect a traveling exhibition of very expensive reticules, handbags, being displayed at a local gallery. Quincannonâs inquiry goes sideways when his suspect is found shot dead behind not one, but two locked doors, and the police rule it a suicide. Quincannon doesnât agree, and he determines to solve the mystery of both murders.

Meanwhile, back at Carpenter and Quincannon, Professional Detective Services, Sabina is approached with, potentially, the solution to the vexing mystery of the true identity of a man who claims to be Sherlock Holmes. It is vexing because Mr. Holmes has the bad habitâat least in Quincannonâs mindâof dropping in on many of the agencyâs cases and, using flawless deductive reasoning, solving them before disappearing again. The estate wants Sabina to find the Sherlock impersonator, whose real name may be Charles P. Fairchild III, so it can determine if he is mentally fit to inherit the estate.

PLAGUE OF THIEVES AFFAIR is an adept, entertaining, and intriguing whodunit. Its setting is a well-developed late-Nineteenth century San Francisco. There are several descriptions of the business climate, a quarry with little regard for crushing a house or two to get its desired stone is the best, giving the story a sense reality and place. Quincannon is gruff, intelligent, and deeply in love with Sabinaâa name as alluring as any in fiction.

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Title: The Devious Dr. Jekyll

Subtitle: Electric Empire Series #2

Author: Viola Carr

Narrator: Beverley A. Crick

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 38 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-10-15

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 25 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Solving the infamous Chopper case has helped crime scene physician Dr. Eliza Jekyll establish her fledgling career in the chauvinistic world of Victorian law enforcement. But the scrutiny that comes with her newfound fame is unwelcome for a woman with a diabolical secret. And there is the mercurial Royal Society agent and wolf man Remy Lafayette. Does he want to marry her, eat her, or burn her at the stake? Though Eliza is uncertain about Remy, her dark and jealous shadow self, Lizzie, wants to steal the magnetic and persistent agent and usurp Eliza's life.

It's impossible to push Remy away when he tempts her with the one thing she can't resist: a bizarre crime. The search for a bloodthirsty ritual torturer dubbed the Pentacle Killer draws them into a terrifying world of spies, art thieves, and evil alchemy, where the price of immortality is madness - or damnation - and only Lizzie's dark ingenuity can help Eliza survive.

Members Reviews:

Not my cuppa

This is the second book in a series, but it was not the fact that I had not read the first one that made this audio book difficult to finish. I felt that the plot dragged on and on. I love a good mystery, but this was not it for me. About 3/4 of the way in I almost abandoned ship, but I was marginally interested in the hero of the story so I stuck it out. I enjoyed the ending, but it took forever to get there! And I prefer my romance to not be G-rated, so a tad disappointed about that. I am not a fan of the third wheel trop, so that was a huge negative for me (this was a carry over romance from book 1). It was not the worst book I have ever read, nor the worst I have listened to. I did manage to finish in about 3 weeks when I can usually finish an audio recording in two days.

That being said, I enjoyed the narrator quite a lot.

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Title: The Arnifour Affair

Subtitle: Colin Pendragon Mysteries 1

Author: Gregory Harris

Narrator: Edward Hibbert

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-13-15

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

When a carriage bearing the Arnifour family crest - a vulture devouring a slaughtered lamb - arrives at the Kensington home of Colin Pendragon, it is an ominous beginning to a perplexing new case. Lady Arnifour's husband has been beaten to death and her niece, Elsbeth, left in a coma. Is the motive passion, revenge, or something even more sinister?

Police suspicions have fallen on the groundskeeper and his son, yet the earl's widow is convinced of their innocence. Even as Colin and his partner, Ethan Pruitt, delve into the muddy history of the Arnifour family, a young street urchin begs their help in finding his missing sister. Ethan, regrettably familiar with London's underbelly, urges caution, yet Colin's interest is piqued. And in a search that wends from the squalid opium dens of the East End to the salons of Embassy Row, the truth about these seemingly disparate cases will prove disquieting, dangerous, and profoundly unexpected....

Members Reviews:

Dry

This is such a dry story, I had no interest for what would come next, I felt no climax, I was forced to read this garbage for school

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Title: Captain in Calico

Author: George Fraser

Narrator: Derek Perkins

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-13-15

Publisher: HighBridge, a Division of Recorded Books

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

On a tranquil evening in the Bahamas, Calico Jack, long wanted on counts of piracy, makes a surprise appearance at the governor's residence and asks for a pardon for himself and his men. A deal is brokered after Jack reveals the motive for turning himself in: love. When Jack last set sail from the Bahamas two years ago, he left behind a beautiful fiancée, and he recently learned that she remains unmarried.

What the governor does not reveal to Jack is that while he was off pirating, his beloved has become betrothed to a new man - the governor himself. It doesn't take long for this truth to come to light, and after embarking on a new romance with famous Irish pirate Anne Bonney, Jack is quickly transformed back into a thieving captain in calico.

Contact me for any questions: [email protected]

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Title: Move Your Blooming Corpse

Author: D. E. Ireland

Narrator: Jan Cramer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-06-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 24 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In the second book from talented writing team D.E. Ireland, famous literary characters Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins once again come to life as a hilarious investigative team. Move Your Blooming Corpse explores the Edwardian racing world and the fascinating characters who people it, from jockeys to duchesses, in this delightful traditional mystery that will appeal to fans of British mysteries.

Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins are at the posh Royal Ascot, the biggest horse racing event of the season. Eliza's father is the new co-owner of a champion racehorse, and Eliza and Henry are excited to cheer the Donegal Dancer on to victory. However, their idyllic outing takes a serious turn when a victim is trampled during the Gold Cup race and someone is found murdered in the stables.With time running out before the upcoming Eclipse Stakes, she and Higgins investigate jealous spouses, suffragettes, and the colorful co-owners of the Donegal Dancer. But can they outrace the murderer, or will there be another blooming corpse at the finish line?

Members Reviews:

fantastic! !!

what a great book! loved the story line and the narration was amazing! ready to download the next book.

Funny and fun mystery

The story is lightweight for easy listening and I didn't know who did it until almost the end. But the narrator was horrible. She read as if she were reading to kindergarten children, slowly and with little emphasis. It was difficult to differentiate between the characters. I may consider future stories only if the narrator changes.