Download Top 100 Full Audiobooks in Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective Top Rated

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Title: A Shot in the Bark

Subtitle: A Dog Park Mystery, Book 1

Author: C. A. Newsome

Narrator: Jane Boyer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-29-13

Publisher: C. A. Newsome

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 104 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Would you recognize a serial killer if you met one? Talked to one every day? Artist Lia Anderson doesn't, and neither does anyone else who frequents the Mount Airy Dog Park. But a violent death brings Detective Peter Dourson into the close-knit group, and he is convinced someone is not who they seem. As the investigation uncovers secrets, Lia struggles to cope with warring emotions and a killer watches.

Members Reviews:

Stars: Overall 4 Narration 5 Story 3.5

Starting with a prologue that is told in a killers point of view, C.A. Newsome has added an interesting twist to the cozy mystery genre with the inset. While ostensibly the story is focused on a group of regulars at a dog park, the story works on several different levels that may be disconcerting for some readers.

Firstly, the dogs: I am a huge fan of do-related stories, and the particular insets of the many dogs and their associated personalities, as well as their relationships and correlations to their owners is cleverly done. There are several characters introduced in the story, and it does make it a bit more difficult to narrow down the more important players from the group. What is very well done is the cold, calculating and distinctly written and narrated point of view insets from the murderer him (or her) self. Kudos to the author for the stylistic switch: and to the narration by Jane Boyer in which she imbues a harder and more calculating quality to the voicing of those sections. It is a quality that is often overlooked in audiobook narration, particular intention behind a characters narration and tone, and she excelled at this story.

But back to the story itself: I really did enjoy this, even with the lack of a comeuppance for the murderer, or even a sense that you are certain the murderer has been named. Possibly muddled by the many characters, there was a sense that the second book will not only provide the reason for this murder, and fully explain the intentions of the culprit. In this, the mystery portion of the story has the potential to disappoint some readers who want to have a final wrap up that is defined and obvious, but I particularly appreciated the openness and quality of the stylistic differences that made this story unlike any I have previously encountered.

I own this book in two forms, I purchased a Kindle copy, and I was fortunate to win the AudioBook version of the story. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Dog gone it

As a huge dog lover, I had high hopes for this series but I couldn't get past the first few chapters. Maybe if the dogs talked and the humans were quiet...

A Fun Romp in the Park - WOOF Plus rating

If you could sum up A Shot in the Bark in three words, what would they be?

A Good Read!

What other book might you compare A Shot in the Bark to and why?

The sequel, Drool Baby, of course.

Which character as performed by Jane Boyer was your favorite?

Anna

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

Yes

Any additional comments?

An entertaining Sunday read and listen. I read the book but Jane Boyer's narration made it come alive. I had fun hearing about places in my hometown, The Queen City.

Fun story with a twist.

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

Highly recommend this book! Realistic characters.

Listen to this audiobook free with a 30-day trial. Go to http://audiobookspace.com/free

Title: Nobody's Perfect

Subtitle: A Dortmunder Novel, Book 4

Author: Donald Westlake

Narrator: Jeff Woodman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-28-13

Publisher: HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 58 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

It would take a miracle to keep Dortmunder out of jail. Though he cased the electronics store perfectly, the cops surprised him, turning up in the alley just as he was walking out the back door, a television in each hand. Already a two-time loser, without divine intervention he faces a long stretch inside. Then God sends J. Radcliffe Stonewiler, a celebrity lawyer who gets Dortmunder off with hardly any effort at all.

Stonewiler was sent by Arnold Chauncey, an art lover with a cash-flow problem. He asks the thief to break into his house and make off with a valuable painting in exchange for a quarter of the insurance money. Chauncey has pulled the stunt twice before, so it must look real. Hell give Dortmunder no inside help - a shame since, when this caper spins out of control, hell need all the help he can get.

Critic Reviews:

"Wildly funny... Written with Westlakes usual expertise." (The New York Times Book Review)

Contact me for any questions: [email protected]

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Title: Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter

Author: Nancy Atherton

Narrator: Teri Clark Linden

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-22-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 26 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Penguin's popular Aunt Dimity series returns and "loyal fans will be thrilled by every new revelation." (Kirkus Reviews)

Everyone's favorite paranormal detective is back in Nancy Atherton's 13th Aunt Dimity mystery - but this time Lori's supernatural confidante may not be the only one who's not quite dead. Could the cloaked figure Lori's twins saw in the woods near the family's English country cottage really have been a vampire?

Atherton's ever-growing legion of fans and all fans of cozy mysteries will find themselves curling up with a nice cup of garlic- er, tea - for the most spine-tingling Aunt Dimity mystery yet.

Members Reviews:

Don't bother

Unless you enjoy stilted pronunciation. This recording was too painful to listen to. I wish I could return it. Even Data on Star Trek (an android) spoke more fluently than this frustrating reader. So sad.

Fun story, narrator is a difficult listen

Set your listen speed at 1.5 and you'll have an easier time listening to this book. The narrator enunciates every vowel and consonant to perfection. This is all well and good unless it sounds as if she's a computer who can do accents. The long a's and slow speed are pretty distracting. I hope she doesn't talk like this in real life!

The story is fun. I like Nancy Atherton's tales. They're light when you're not in the mood for heavy drama. Aunt Dimity is a spirit who's advice is worldly rather than cosmic, but it's a fun idea of a secret friend.

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Title: Force of Blood

Subtitle: A Woods Cop Mystery, Book 8

Author: Joseph Heywood

Narrator: David Colacci

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 29 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-16-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Late spring, 2007: Michigan in economic free fall, state budgets being slashed, politics reduced to nastiness, state jobs being erased, and personnel furloughed without pay. Grady Service, detective for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in the Upper Peninsula, watches as his colleagues leave the department one by one, leaving him without his old support system. Upon being asked by an old friend to look into unspecified problems his son is facing on the shores of Lake Superior, Service has no idea how complicated his life is about to become. All he knows is that the situation involves something his friend calls "bleeding sand" - and that his new partner, Conservation Officer Donna 'Jingo' Sedge, is the oddest young officer hes ever met, both jealous and suspicious of his role in what she views as her case on her turf.

Service and Sedge become immersed in a centuries-old mystery they must solve in order to deal with the current and more pressing problem: people willfully looting and tearing up a Native American archaeological site. As past and present intersect, summer lightning ignites a forest fire in northern Luce County, and the blaze quickly covers 20,000 acres. The story moves at breakneck speed as Service, nearing three decades as a Woods Cop, finds that expectations seem to be changing on all fronts, personal and professional, and he is not certain he can live up to them.

Members Reviews:

Here is another good story by Joseph Heywood.

The broad character base gets confusing, especially with the strange, made-up names, but it's a good story.

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Title: A Charming Cure

Subtitle: Magical Cure Mystery Series, Volume 2

Author: Tonya Kappes

Narrator: Karen Savage

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 32 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-24-13

Publisher: Tonya Kappes

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 53 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Bubble...bubble... Psychic June Heal's homeopathic cure shop, A Charming Cure, is the most popular shop in the unusual little town of Whispering Falls, Kentucky.

Cures and trouble... June is about to learn she has more than psychic abilities when she attends Hidden Hall, a spiritualist university, leaving her shop in the hands of handsome sheriff Oscar Park. Hidden Hall has an internal war between the Good-Siders and the Dark-Siders, putting June in the middle.

Magic Stirs... Hidden Hall is riddled with every type of spiritualist. Magic is lurking around every corner, even black-magic. Unfortunately, the Ultimate Spell gets into the wrong hands. But it is only discovered after a few spiritualists go missing or end up poisoned to death.

And Trouble Doubles... Madam Torres, June's crystal ball, reveals that A Charming Cure is in shambles along with the rest of Whispering Falls. Will June figure out who has the Ultimate Spell and stop them before they destroy the entire spiritualist community?

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Title: The Ghost Riders of Ordebec

Subtitle: A Commissaire Adamsberg Novel, Book 7

Author: Fred Vargas

Narrator: David Rintoul

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-07-13

Publisher: Random House Audiobooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 13 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

"People will die," says the panic-stricken woman outside police headquarters. She has been standing in blazing sunshine for more than an hour, and refuses to speak to anyone besides Commissaire Adamsberg. Her daughter has seen a vision: ghostly horsemen who target the most nefarious characters in Normandy. Since the middle ages there have been stories of murderers, rapists, those with serious crimes on their conscience, meeting a grizzly end following a visitation by the riders.

Soon after the young womans vision a notoriously cruel man disappears, and the local police dismiss the matter as superstition. Although the case is far outside his jurisdiction, Adamsberg agrees to investigate the strange happenings in a village terrorised by wild rumours and ancient feuds.

Members Reviews:

Love the well-written weirdness of Vargas

If you could sum up The Ghost Riders of Ordebec in three words, what would they be?

Odd, engaging and imaginative.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Vargas always gets me in the end. Although I'm rather astute at guessing who did it, I never quite get it right with Vargas--there's always a twist that catches me unawares. I can't recommend her books highly enough.

A delight to read

This is the second Fred Vargas I've read and I hope the other Commissaire Adamsberg books are put on audio soon. David Rintoul is a great narrator.The characters are interesting and engaging. It's different and quirky so I struggle to compare this author with anyone else. The plot was intriguing, two main story lines both of which were interesting. No loose ends on completion of the book. A delightful book which I can recommend.

Ghostly doings

Adamsburg and his team look into the ghost story of a small Normandy village with its small community and secrets. An interesting tale with a slightly claustrophobic atmosphere of families whose secrets and feuds stretch back generations.

Excellent narrator and despite the slightly incomprehensible and eccentric Adamsburg it is a well-told credible story.

entertaining

Any additional comments?

brilliant entertaining read with lots of circumlocutionary thoughts and talks which was a joy !the French do it differently. (fred vargas is a French author ) . enjoyable story and memorable characters

Very, very odd

If this book wasnt for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

People who enjoy bizarre, ambling scripts with characters you can't empathise with

What was most disappointing about Fred Vargass story?

The characters were very wooden and the plot was pretty thin on the ground

Who might you have cast as narrator instead of David Rintoul?

you could have cast Bob Cat Goldthwaite and it wouldn't have made it any more or less interesting

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Narcolepsy

Any additional comments?

This is the only audiobook I have ever failed to finish. I persevered for 2 thirds of it and just couldn't take any more. It really felt like it had been translated from French to English and no concession had been made to the idiosyncrasies of the two languages.

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Title: The Good Cop

Subtitle: Carter Ross, Book 4

Author: Brad Parks

Narrator: Adam Verner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-06-13

Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 61 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

As long as Newark Eagle-Examiner reporter Carter Ross turns in his stories on deadline, no one bats an eye if he doesn't wander into the newsroom until 10 or 11 in the morning. So it's an unpleasant surprise when he's awakened at 8:38 by a phone call from his boss, telling him a local policeman was killed and Carter will be covering the story, starting immediately. He's baffled when, hours later, there are still no other reporters at the widow's house. And then he gets another call from his boss: the story's off, the cop committed suicide. But when Carter's calls to the police and the morgue are repeatedly blocked, it's clear someone knows more than he's saying about the cop's death.

Members Reviews:

WHERE IS MACLEOD ANDREWS?

Any additional comments?

Go back to Macleod Andrews or lose me forever! Adam is ok, but Macleod has that grit in his voice that makes these books so exciting to listen. Adams voice gives you an entirely different picture of the reporter. Instead of the battered white knight, you get a cocky metrosexual. Not appealing to me. I had a tough time listening to the book as I no longer had any empathy for this main character. SO, I will now make sure to notice who is reading for me before I purchase, he makes all the difference for me.

WHERE IS MCLEOD ANDREWS??

Bring back Mr. Andrews!! The story was good but the performance was barely tolerable.

Hopefully Mr. Parks will go back to having McLeod Andrews narrating his books.

Love this series

I really love Carter Ross! but I really preferred Macleod Andrews voice performance on the first 3 books.

Carter Ross has a pair for sure

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

Previous Carte Ross tales were better, this was a generic version from the three titles that preceded it. Adam Verner although struggled to produce the voices of Tommy, or "T" that I was accustom, did do a decent job.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

In other Carter Ross stories the interns became such a part of the stories, in this installment the intern makes cameo's and although he is a big reason the story steered in the direction it did I really didn't feel attached to him like I did Sweet Thang, or Tommy.

What does Adam Verner bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

Adam, wasn't terrible, but I was use to Macleod Andrews, and the characters he created, Adam didn't really keep that consistent, that said I think he was great.

Do you think The Good Cop needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

It could sequel off, because the investigation was left unclear, but I would leave it alone, not enough interest to go there.

Good book but narrator problems

Like the previous books in the Carter Ross series, I am enjoying this story. I am writing this a little before I am finished with in to vent. Who chose this narrator? Instead of sounding glib, sarcastic, and fun as well as intelligent and a good journalist; this narrator just sounds like a whiney complainer. I have to put the voice out of my head and concentrate totally on what is being said. Leave this narrator behind, and bring back the former narrator.

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Title: An Owl Too Many

Subtitle: Peter & Helen Shandy, Book 8

Author: Charlotte MacLeod

Narrator: John McLain

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-01-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 47 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

When a nocturnal hike turns deadly, Professor Peter Shandy takes an interest in owl spotting

Emory Emmerick comes to Balaclava Agricultural University as a scout for a television station. Although the faculty and students are hardly ready for prime time, Emmericks interest is in environmental programming - a subject that inspires even the driest Balaclava professor to wax poetic. In his search for material, Emmerick joins Peter Shandy and a few of his colleagues on the annual owl-count. And though the television producers loud mouth and heavy feet make him a dismal birdwatcher, none of the academics expect him to make a fatal blunder.

Chasing what appears to be a badly lost snowy owl, Emmerick stumbles into a trap that yanks him into a tree. By the time the professors reach him, hes been stabbed to death. Discovering that the snowy owl was nothing more than a handful of feathers attached to a fishing pole, Shandy concludes that Emmerick was murdered. Plenty of people might like to kill a television producer, but which would-be killer had the gall to make the helpless Nyctea scandiaca an accomplice?

Members Reviews:

A complete and Unabridged Wild Ride

When first released, this book and "Vane Pursuit" of the peter Shandy series were missing the final chapter. Now both are complete--thank you, Audible.

Charlotte MacLeod's Peter Shandy series is always fun, clever, and worth the time invested in reading--and rereading. This one includes many of our familiar favorite characters adding their own unique contributions, but President Svensen and his wife are two of the biggest hoots in the book--owl pun not intended. There are sufficient plot twists and complications and convolutions to satisfy any Shandy fan while our favorite college president has plenty of opportunity to demonstrate why we love him--and his wife. It's always a treat to spend time with Charlotte MacLeod's creations for a bit of clever cozy fun.

who abridged this book?!!??

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Sticking to the book at the end. One of my favorite Charlotte MaCleod books. Been watching for it on Audible and am sooooooooooo disappointed the end was left off!!

And it wasn't even ended at a good point!

What was one of the most memorable moments of An Owl Too Many?

The boat on the river

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He pauses in the middle of a thought

You didnt love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I actually love the print version-the Audible version stinks!!!

Any additional comments?

I feel I've been gyped! I paid for an unabridged book but didn't get it with this one. Left out the end where Peter actually hypnotises fanshaw with fanshaw's own coin! And explains why Emory was killed and how Mr.Debannam asks Miss Binks to marry him!

Look up the pronunciation, drat it.

I have loved Ms. MacLeod's cozy mysteries since they first came out in the 1980s. I was delighted to see they had been recorded as audio books. I will not say more about the stories, which I have re-read many times and enjoyed every time.

About the narrator. In general a good, resonant voice with good, clear diction. Most of his regional accents seem more southern than Massachusettsian, but it is his mispronunciations, quite consistent over the course of several books, that bother me. Row, for instance.

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Title: Snowed Inn

Subtitle: Who-Dun-Him Inn Cozy Mystery, Book 1

Author: Heather Horrocks

Narrator: Flora Plumb

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-25-13

Publisher: Heather Horrocks

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 48 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Mystery buff Vicki Butler plans to kill someone this weekend. Nothing personal, just business. The killer grand opening weekend at her new Who-Dun-Him Inn is all fun and games - until an unplanned dead body makes an appearance.

With a murderer running loose, young widowed mom Vicki is forced to keep her family, guests, and actors safe while searching for clues. Her author guests, also the prime suspects, try their hand at solving this real-life whodunit, in the process hindering the investigation by local law enforcement officers.

Things really go downhill when her twin Liz shows up, trailed by flamboyant Grandma Ross, who announces she's seeking a boy toy among the suspects. When both a local younger man and an out-of-town newshound start sniffing around the inn - and her - Vicki realizes she's got more than just a murderer to worry about.

Can she solve the mystery before the killer strikes again - or will this case of jitters prove to be terminal?

Members Reviews:

Enjoyable

If you could sum up Snowed Inn in three words, what would they be?

Fun, light and entertaining

What was one of the most memorable moments of Snowed Inn?

I liked the family dynamic and banter

Have you listened to any of Flora Plumbs other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

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

Yes

Any additional comments?

I hope to see more in this series.

Narrator doesn't cut it

What disappointed you about Snowed Inn?

The narrator of the story in the book is supposed to be a young widow in her late 20s. The actress they chose was in her late 60s and you can tell. She sounds like an old lady. It ruins the story for me. I can't get past it. I tried and tried.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Different narrator would have helped make this a better book, but there were a lot of things that the writer just expected you to take too big of a leap off the high dive of gullibility.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Flora Plumb?

I don't have any names, just someone younger, and her Italian accent--Mama Mia! BAD!

delightful

i loved it. it's a great cozy murder mystery. a fun read that keeps you guessing.

GREAT STORY!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story with all the twists and turns!!! Fantastic narration. Ready to download the next in the series!

Easy listen perfect book for the car or bedtime.

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

The book has an easy storyline for picking up at any point

Any additional comments?

Friendly language and scene descriptions acceptable for any listeners

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Title: Hit Me

Subtitle: Keller, Book 5

Author: Lawrence Block

Narrator: Richard Poe

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-12-13

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 191 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

The conclusion of Hit and Run found Keller living in a big old house in post-Katrina New Orleans' Lower Garden District, with a new name (Nicholas Edwards), a new wife (Julia), a new career (rehabbing houses), and a baby on the way. It certainly looked as though he was done killing people for money. But old habits die hard, and when the economic downturn knocked out the construction business, a phone call from Dot draws him back into the old game. His work takes him to Dallas, to settle a domestic dispute; to Florida, where he joins a government witness on a West Indies cruise; to Wyoming, where a widow has her husband's stamp collection for sale; and to New York, where he lived for so many years, and where people might remember him.

Members Reviews:

Killer of a story!

I have always marveled at Lawrence Block's ability to make reader's like, even love, Keller, a professional hit-man. Yet, Block has done that, through five books in this engaging, and educational, series.

Keller is living in forced retirement from the job of killing people. He has not trouble living an ordinary life, because Keller is, well, ordinary. He has a wife he loves, a daughter he adores and a passion for philately-collecting stamps. And here Block shows his brilliance at telling a story by making philately seem interesting. Amazing, I always thought it oddly boring. Anyway, Keller has been in the building trade in New Orleans but business has slowed. Keller is not really hurting for money. He spends his days with his family and his stamps. Then, unexpectedly, the phone rings. It is Dot, his former handler. The old banter of their long time friendship/partnership resumes. Listening to Dot and Keller talk is as entertaining as hearing Keller ruminate about stamps or how to kill his target. Dot and Keller pick up as if they had not been forced into early retirement. Keller is excellent at killing people, but not because he enjoys it, but because he has a certain work ethic Keller's wife is aware of what her husband does(he saved her life by killing a man and that's how they met) and she is fine with it. Keller accepts Dot's first assignment and just like that, he is killing again.

Don't pass this up, even if you have not read/heard the first four books. Hit Me can stand on its own. Not every series leaves me wanting more, much less praying for more. But I hope and pray for more Keller stories.

Keller repeats himself....

I enjoyed the first Keller's stories. They are about the unusual character of a professional killer who spends most of his money in collecting rare stamps. Keller is after all a nice guy (well groomed and low profile), a gentle sociopath who does his job with the mix of duty and boredom of a bank clerk ..

This unusual setup and Laurence Block's good writing skills make Keller stories good for a while, but they clearly start getting repetitive .. It is difficult to add new dimensions to the main character or change credibly the routine of a professional killer...