Get the Most Popular Audiobooks in Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

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Title: Die a Little

Author: Megan Abbott

Narrator: Ellen Archer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-26-06

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 40 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Shadow-dodging through the glamorous world of 1950s Hollywood and its seedy flip side, Megan Abbott's debut, Die a Little, is a gem of the darkest hue. This ingenious twist on a classic noir tale tells the story of Lora King, a schoolteacher, and her brother Bill, a junior investigator with the district attorney's office. Lora's comfortable, suburban life is jarringly disrupted when Bill falls in love with a mysterious young woman named Alice Steele, a Hollywood wardrobe assistant with a murky past.

Made sisters by marriage but not by choice, the bond between Lora and Alice is marred by envy and mistrust. Spurred on by inconsistencies in Alice's personal history and possibly jealous of Alice's hold on her brother, Lora finds herself lured into the dark alleys and mean streets of seamy Los Angeles. Assuming the role of amateur detective, she uncovers a shadowy world of drugs, prostitution, and ultimately, murder.

Lora's fascination with Alice's "sins" increases in direct proportion to the escalation of her own relationship with Mike Standish, a charmingly amoral press agent who appears to know more about his old friend Alice than he reveals. The deeper Lora digs to uncover Alice's secrets, the more her own life begins to resemble Alice's sinister past, and present.

Critic Reviews:

"Abbott...crafts a stylish, sensuous tale with picture-perfect period trappings. "(Publishers Weekly)

"She does nail a similarly hushed and lurid tone in a tale that smolders like the night's last, forgotten cigarette." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

Disappointing

I had really high hopes for this book. I'm a fan of film noir, and it seemed as if this would fit right into the genre. However, it turned out to be "noir lite."

The story was jumpy and often confusing. I found that I had to keep rewinding to figure out what I had missed. The narrator gave us glimpses of herself, but mostly it came off as hypocritical--the good girl who condemns her sis-in-law for her behavior, all the while apparently not being the "nice girl" she'd have everyone to believe she was. Also, the relationship between the narrator and her brother came off as a little seedy, if not quite incestuous. Plot devices were entirely dropped/never resolved, and at least one character shows up as a minor one to begin with and then has a larger part later on--for no good reason. Some things were explained in too much detail, and some were completely glossed over, leaving you to wonder how/why/when that had happened.

Technically, the book wasn't edited well at all. There were multiple repeated lines, and at one point, the studio engineer could be heard cueing the recording! Very distracting, to say the least.

I gave the book two stars solely because it wasn't the worst thing I've ever listened to. Nonetheless, it was, by far, not the best either.

Mafia and prostitution?

Any additional comments?

What an interesting view into a mixed world. The brother/husband as a policeman, perhaps intentionally, doesn't see the world in which he married. The sister narrator and main character tries hard to find answers to more and more confusing and inconsistent aspects of her sister-in-law's life.

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Title: The American Boy

Author: Andrew Taylor

Narrator: Alex Jennings

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs and 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-05-05

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 74 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

England, 1819. Two enigmatic Americans arrive in London and soon after, a bank collapses. A man is found dead on a building site; another goes missing in the teeming stews of Seven Dials. A deathbed vigil ends in an act of theft and a beautiful heiress flirts with her inferiors. A strange destiny links each of these events to the American boy Edgar Allen Poe, brought to England by his foster father and sent to the leafy village of Stoke Newington to be educated. Soon the intrigue enmeshes a poor schoolmaster, Thomas Shield, who struggles to understand what is happening before it destroys him and those he loves.

©2003 Andrew Taylor; (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Critic Reviews:

"Jennings reads with such enormous variety that we are consumed by his characterizations....The listener becomes completely absorbed with the persona of the novel." (AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

Engrossing,historical mystery

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The writing is incredibly vivid and totally enthralling. It is a mystery, with many threads. It is not fast paced, but clues and details are gradually revealed until finally it all comes together at the end.

Much of the pleasure of the listen comes from the historical backdrop for the story. I love the details of life in the early 19th century. The author draws a fabulous picture of society, the social conventions, the dress and acceptable etiquette observed by the affluent through to the extreme poverty, filth and violence endured by the poor. Life in a boys school and the acceptability of thrashing and the apparent inevitability of bullying are also fascinating to hear about.

The narrator is quite wonderful too. He does a great job with portraying the various English, American and Irish accents of the characters and he really added to my enjoyment of the book.

I have to admit that the involvement of the schoolmaster throughout the story is at at times a little contrived but this did not detract from my enjoyment. The child Edgar Allen Poe does appear throughout the story and although he is integral to the tale, any child would have served to play the part just as well. So don't read this just because you are a fan of Poe, that may result in disappointment.

All in all a rich and vivid picture of early 19th century London, with a cleverly woven mystery to keep you guessing.

Repeat of

Not word for word at first but the same plot and people. And finally the same words. So if you have bought "An Unpardonable Crime" dont get this.

An absolute must

An exceptional book and recording. The reader is the best I have heard - and I'm a keen Audible fan! - and the plot very well constructed. What's the audio equivilent of 'un-put-downable'? This would be a great gift to someone not too sure if they wanted to go the audible route. It displays, so well, what a blast a well read audio book can be. So, I guess you can see I liked it!!

Excellent!!

This is a thoroughly enjoyable listen. The narrator does a great job and keeps the listener engrossed.

The plot weaves its way with many twists and turns. Although Edgar Allen Poe is a relatively minor character in the story, I have been inspired to find out more about his life as a result of listening to this.

This is a highly recommended book.

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Title: Killer Smile

Author: Lisa Scottoline

Narrator: Kate Burton

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-30-04

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 15 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Mary DiNunzio gets a terrifying telephone call while she's working late, then goes home to find a shadow lurking at her front door. When a lawyer close to her turns up dead, Mary begins to suspect that the case she's been working on, involving the suicide of an Italian-American in an internment camp during World War II, may not be ancient history after all.

©2004 Lisa Scottoline; (P)2004 2004 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic Reviews:

"Scottoline skillfully weaves a complicated, gripping, and fast-paced tale, at turns comical, nerve-wracking, and enlightening." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

As well read as written

A very well written, witty and nicely read audiobook. Dan Brown should read this to reference how to structure a plot for a book and not a movie!

You'll be smiling by the end of this book!

Scottoline is best know for her medical thrillers. This book, which covers territory personally familiar to her, is much, much better and less formulaic. Not a thriller, but definitely a mystery to be solved, it is handled deftly, with humor and is thoroughly enjoyable.

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Title: The Intelligencer

Author: Leslie Silbert

Narrator: Jan Maxwell, Alfred Molina

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-14-04

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 28 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In 16th century London, Marlowe embarks on his final intelligence assignment, hoping to find the culprits behind a high-stakes smuggling scheme.

In present-day New York, grad student turned private eye Kate Morgan is called in on an urgent matter. One of her firm's top clients, a London-based financier, has chanced upon a mysterious manuscript that had been buried for centuries, one that someone is desperate to steal. What secret lurks in those yellowed ciphered pages? And how, so many years later, could it drive someone to kill?

As Kate sets off for England, she receives a second assignment. An enigmatic art dealer has made an $11 million purchase from an Iranian intelligence officer. Is it a black-market antiquities deal, or something far more sinister? Like Marlowe, Kate moonlights as a spy, her P.I. firm doubles as an off-the-books U.S. intelligence unit, and she is soon caught like a pawn in a deadly international game. As The Intelligencer's interlocking narratives race toward a stunning collision, and Kate closes in on the truth behind Marlowe's sudden death, it becomes clear that she may have sealed a similar fate for herself.

Critic Reviews:

"The pace is quick and the action fascinating." (School Library Journal)

Members Reviews:

Tries to do too much - doesn't succeed

This is a great premise and it could have been a fascinating book, but it tries to pull two complicated plots together - mideast espionage and Elizabethan spy rings - unsuccessfully. In trying to do too much it doesn't do anything well.

The best story line was the Christopher Marlowe intrigue but there was not enough of it. The Elizabethan spy ring is fascinating but the presentation is sketchy and brief making you want more - then you don't get it.

Possibly suffering from abridgment, it is basically a competently written but unbalanced story that has some good passages.

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Title: A Little Yellow Dog

Subtitle: An Easy Rawlins Mystery

Author: Walter Mosley

Narrator: Paul Winfield

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-03-00

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 18 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Easy Rawlins may have left the streets, but he hasn't been forgotten. The world is changing faster than he can keep up. Now, the police believe that Easy is involved in a double-murder. And old enemies are waiting to get even. His boss wants to fire him. His old friends aren't the same, and his new friends might be his death. Easy wants back into his careful little life, but that door is closed. A murderer is running loose somewhere. And a little yellow dog plots revenge.

Listen to a conversation with

.

©1996 Walter Mosley; (P)1996 Audio Renaissance Tapes

Members Reviews:

Ezekiel (Easy) is a Mystery in Hisself

I absolutely loved this book. Walter Mosley did not disappoint in this book or any of his books that I have read. It is a definite page turner and just when you think you have figured out the crime, nope, you're wrong. The way the pieces are put together is excellent.

Five Stars

my husband loves these books

Little yellow dog and a grey eyed death filled in ...

Little yellow dog and a grey eyed death filled in so many spaces in Walters six books just goes to show you to read them in order

Little yellow dog and

This is a true to form Easy Rawlins tale

This is a true to form Easy Rawlins tale, with twists and turns that keeps the reader wanting to know more. The ever faithful friend, Mouse returns, as a more subdued person. Of course we were convinced he had died in a prior tale, but the wonders of a herbalist and his wife Etta Mae bring him back to life. Easy uses his street smarts to solve the mystery. In this story we meet his to be girlfriend, Bonnie.

not as good as other "mouse" books...

it took time to get to the plot and was slow moving throughout...

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Titolo: Il senso del dolore

Sottotitolo: L'inverno del commissario Ricciardi

Autore: Maurizio de Giovanni

Narratore: Paolo Cresta

Formato: Unabridged

Durata: 6 hrs and 9 mins

Lingua: Italiano

Data di pubblicazione: 02-09-17

Editore: Emons Edizioni

Valutazioni: 5 su 5 su 5 voti

Categoria: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Riepilogo Editore:

1931. La primavera si fa attendere e un vento freddo sferza le strade di Napoli. Al Teatro San Carlo, il grande tenore Arnaldo Vezzi viene trovato morto nel suo camerino prima della rappresentazione de "I Pagliacci", la gola squarciata da un frammento di specchio. Artista di fama internazionale, venerato dal pubblico, amico del Duce, il cantante è un uomo egoista e meschino, con parecchi nemici.

Il primo caso del commissario Ricciardi della Squadra Mobile della Regia Questura di Napoli.

©2007 Maurizio de Giovanni (P)2017 Emons Italia srl

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Title: Uncommon Danger

Author: Eric Ambler

Narrator: Simon Poland

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-21-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 46 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Kentons career as a journalist depends on his facility with languages, his knowledge of European politics and his quick judgement. Where his judgement sometimes fails him, however, is in his personal life.

When he travels to Nuremberg to investigate a story about a top-level meeting of Nazi officials, he inadvertently finds himself on a train bound for Austria after a bad night of gambling. Stranded with no money, Kenton jumps at the chance to earn a fee helping a refugee smuggle securities across the border. Yet he soon discovers that the documents he holds have far more than cash value and that they could cost him his life...

Members Reviews:

Intelligent, fast-paced thriller

I recommend Eric Ambler to fans of John LeCarre and Alan Furst. The setting of Uncommon Danger is Europe in the early years of naziism and fascism. The story reminds me of something that Alfred Hitchcock might have made into a film a la "The 39 Steps." The protagonist is like a seedier version of the sort of character that Jimmie Stewart might've played in a movie.

The story really moves and despite the age of the book I never felt like I was having to make allowances for it or that it was dated. Ambler writes with vivid details and with economy. He has the knack for incorporating details that at first seem to be merely descriptive, and turning them into crucial elements of the plot, so it really keeps you on your toes.

Simon Poland does a fine job with the narration.

Not as bad as sitting in a room full of ants

This book took me a while to get through, for the simple reason that my tires whining along the pavement was more entertaining than this audio book. The lead character was unlikeable, and his cohort made no sense, you never learned his motives for constantly pulling the journalists fat out of the fire, and you never learned the villeins motives either, it seemed everyone was trying to kill each other over some pictures the significance of which was never clear. So as you gather I did not care for the plot, or lack of one. Another thing the politics of this book were beyond stupid, a guy from Stalinist Russia trying to save a Brit from corrupt capitalists over -?- never defined, they just wanted those darn pictures. Anyway the narration was well done, I will give it that but as a war time British spy novel, one of the worst I have ever heard. Gravely poor plot, poor character development, long bouts of tedious poorly written dialog.

Not recommended.

Solid thriller

Yet another solid thriller from Eric Ambler. What I appreciate most is the dynamics and spareness: he says what he has to say - and no more - to keep the reader engaged and the plot unfolding at a good pace.

Good Story, Good Writing

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

This is a classic spy novel written by one of the originators of this genre. It is story that will grab your attention quickly and hold it throughout. The writing and narration are both excellent.

great "noir" writing

Night trains, dark streets, seedy hotel rooms, body on the floor, fire escapes, car chases, desperate border crossings, creative ways of killing enemies, elegance and odd little Englishmen set the scenes for secrets, spies and betrayal. WW11 is on the way and alliances are sought while a freelance jouno is worrying about how to pay a few small debts.

Well narrated, great writing in this classic 'noir' intrigue.

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Title: The Phantom Detective, Volume 1

Author: Gary Lovisi, Gene Moyers, Whit Howland, Robert Ricci

Narrator: David Gilmore

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-13-17

Publisher: RadioArchives.com

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The man in the mask.

High atop the Clarion Tower, a blinking red light begins to pulse signaling one of New York City's most illustrious, vigilante heroes, the Phantom Detective. In reality, he is Curtis Van Loan, a debonair playboy millionaire well known in the society columns of all the major dailies. What is hidden from the public is Van Loan's dedication to law and order. A decorated combat pilot during World War I, he is an expert fencer, ju-jitsu master, and speaks a dozen foreign tongues fluently.

Hidden in his Park Avenue penthouse is a secret closet containing clothing of all descriptions and sizes. Along the wall are weapons; automatic rifles, sub-machine guns. There is also a miniature lab along with an extensive make-up kit that allows him to don different faces as his mission requires. Forget the silly top hat featured on the old pulp covers, while in action the Phantom Detective wore a belted topcoat, a fedora, and black domino mask. He carried a .45 automatic and a hidden knife in his left sleeve.

This popular pulp icon returns now to once more battle villainy and crime in five new cases by Gene Moyers, Whit Howland, Robert Ricci, and two from Gary Lovisi. Each recaptures the fun, excitement, and thrills of this classic hero from the past - the Phantom Detective!

Members Reviews:

Halt! And Read!

Whit Howland develops perceptive [to some, tongue-in-cheek] characters in short-hand. Whether fleeting innocent bystanders, short-lived criminals, or good-guys, they exist without long introductions. As a fan, since his private-eye clown, Huey Dusk, I look forward to--and acquire--any publication in which his writing appears. The theme of "Politics of Personal Destruction" could not be more timely. His contribution to The Phantom Detective is that of a team player.

Pulp Thrills

This anthology actually contains five stories featuring The Phantom Detective: The Phantom Menace by Gary Lovisi; Circle of Despair by Gene Moyers; Campaign of Destruction by Whit Howland; Harbor Lights by Robert Ricci; and The Devilâs Minions by Gary Lovisi: The Book starts off with a great cover by Pat Carbajal, with some good illustrations inside. My only complaint is that the interior artwork should have featured scenes of action, not just people standing around, or a car parked in front of a building. The pulps gave us many pages of action scenes.

Gary Lovisi starts the book off with his tale, The Phantom Menace, where the mayor sets the police against the Phantom. But as we quickly learn, heâs getting his orders from someone else. Gary always gives us a good story.

Gene Moyersâ tale, Circle of Despair could have been in a pulp Phantom Detective issue, as far as Iâm concerned. Itâs my favorite yarn in this anthology because the author did his homework, and this even smells like pulp. There were more than the usual editing problems in it, but not enough to damage the story. Oh, the Phantom becomes the Shadow at one point, which should have been caught by an editor. Twenty years previous to this tale taking place a group of college friends belonged to an un-American group, and now someone is blackmailing them, and a reporter may have discovered it.

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Title: The Black Orchid

Subtitle: A Lady Jane Mystery, Book 2

Author: Annis Bell, Edwin Miles - translator

Narrator: Sue Pitkin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-25-16

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 19 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A desperate letter from her best friend sends Lady Jane rushing from her cozy Cornwall home to the remote reaches of Northumberland. Alison's frantic plea for help hints that something sinister is going on in the gloomy halls of Winton Park, so Jane braves the misty moors in the dead of winter to get to her pregnant and bedridden friend.

A menacing sense of doom grips Jane the moment she arrives at the isolated Victorian estate. Charlotte, the lady of the manor, suffers mysterious fits and fainting spells, while her husband ignores his family to obsess over his orchid collection and the pursuit of the elusive and priceless black orchid. When Lady Charlotte's maid is found dead on the moors, Jane realizes that sickness and greed are not Winton Park's worst afflictions. Now they have a murder on their hands.

Only someone as inquisitive and determined as Lady Jane can uncover the dark secrets that link these events. Can she do it before another life is lost?

Members Reviews:

Sheer Escapism

Despite requiring significant suspensions of disbelief over the unlikely situations the characters often put themselves in, the books in the Lady Jane series make for fun reads. The characters are entertaining, the plots zip along and there appears to be reasonable fidelity to settings and history. (I have no patience with supposed historical novels that aren't true to their place and time.) I can't fairly comment on the accuracy of the translation from German, but the English reads well, so I assume it's well done. If you like historical mysteries and aren't too hung up on credibility, this book will bring you a couple hours of enjoyment.

I enjoyed the relationship between Jane and David

The Black Orchid (A Lady Jane Mystery Book 2) is a cozy mystery with an historical setting.

I enjoyed the relationship between Jane and David, they had their differences but knew how to combine the love they had for each other, David's protectiveness and Jane's independence.

Not only a corsage

The history of rare orchids comes into play in this wild 1860s London murder mystery. You won't be able to stop reading so get a pot of tea and a comfy chair to thoroughly enjoy the day.

I'm hooked bring on more lady Jane

It's interesting to read mystery that is in 1850 and a women was able to solve it while dealing with all the restrictions of that time.

Very enjoyable

This novel is very well written and the characters are fascinating. I had a hard time putting it down .

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Title: Gallows Thief

Author: Bernard Cornwell

Narrator: James Frain

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-22-05

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 81 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

But Rider Sandman, whose qualifications for the post are nonexistent, discovers that the painter is almost certainly innocent and, as he peels back the layers of a corrupt penal system, he finds himself pitted against some of the wealthiest and most ruthless men in Regency England who want to keep the truth hidden.

Critic Reviews:

"Traditional historical mystery readers should cheer." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Awesome

At first I thought Oh No!!!! Bernard has written a lemon but after what seemed to me a slow start it was terrific all the way especially when you decide you know who the killer is and at almost the end you find out whether you are right or not :) Thank you again Mr Cornwell for a well written interesting novel Hopefully he will write a sequel to it

Fine Historical Escape

The prolific Mr. Cornwell has created another set of intriguing circumstances and captivating characters. This one hasn't yet spawned sequels, but it is worthy of doing so.

Gallows Thief

This is a bit of a different book for Cornwell. It is interesting to note how our justice system has improved since those days. The sights and smells of the City of London post Napoleonic was as if I was there. The reader James Frain did a good job. This is the first book I have heard him read. Lots of suspense and action even if there was none of Cornwell's famous battle scenes. I wonder if this is a beginning of a new series.

Excellent narration and story

Audio quality is less than desirable though. Still, wonderfully entertaining. I recommend this to anyone that enjoys a good thriller/mystery

Great Historical Mystery

Would you listen to Gallows Thief again? Why?

The slow start made me think that I downloaded a lemon. When the book picked up, I was hooked!

I would listen to it again while I'm knitting just to hear James Frain cursing :D

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ryder because he's so full of grit.

What does James Frain bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

James Frain used different voices for the characters. It added interest to the story and it was so much fun to listen to. I was easier for me to visualize different characters.

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

There were definite funny moments in this book. Some of the characters are just so sarcastic.

Any additional comments?

I have to find more James Frain narrations.