Get the Most Popular Audiobooks in Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective Popular Authors

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Title: The Victoria Vanishes

Author: Christopher Fowler

Narrator: Tim Goodman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-05-08

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 218 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Bryant is convinced that he saw them as they looked over a century before - is elderly detective losing his mind? Then it becomes clear that a number of women have met their ends in London pubs and the likeliest suspect seems to be a mental patient. But knowing who the killer is and catching him are two very different propositions.

As their new team at the Peculiar Crimes Unit goes in search of a madman, the octogenarian detectives ready themselves for the pub crawl of a lifetime, and come face to face with their own mortality...

Members Reviews:

Another great Bryant and May

What did you love best about The Victoria Vanishes?

As always, the story kept me guessing to the end without witholding clues or information

Who was your favorite character and why?

Bryant - he's sherlock but older and grumpier

Which character as performed by Tim Goodman was your favorite?

Bryant - Tim Goodman really makes the old man pop

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

Yes, I looked for opportunities to listen to just a few more minutes, just a few more!

Recommend highly

Excellent delivery. I appreciated it was just the text. No music or anything added. Christopher Fowler's Bryant and May books are fantastic reads. Anyone who has been to or is interested in the city of London will appreciate the history he includes.

Enough of the Home Office

I'm not sure if I'll read another book in the series. I've skipped around a bit. I'm tired of the same issues in each book with Cassabian (sp?). He's always sneaking around, using public funds for his dirty deeds. His character needs to be revealed for what he is and written out!

Dated

This was obviously an old story which had been 'updated' by the insertion of references to modern technology. The characters were straight out of the 1960s. I wish it had been a more honest book. The premise was interesting, but it was a character driven work and the characters only just limped over the believable line for me. An OK listen, but not one I'll go back to.

brilliant thriller

This is another fantastic book about the fabulous older detectives Bryant and May.Rich characters with a plot that could rival any other.Definately among the best ever,try out the other books by Christopher Fowler.

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Title: Murder in the Rue de Paradis

Author: Cara Black

Narrator: Carine Montbertrand

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-27-08

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 31 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Recipient of a starred review from

Library Journal, Cara Black's novel follows a chic heroine into the recesses of French society. When her ex-lover returns from Egypt, Aimée accepts his marriage proposal. The next day he's found dead, and she begins tracking clues pointing toward an international conspiracy.

©2008 Cara Black (P)2008 Recorded Books

Members Reviews:

a typical Cara Black mystery

Most murder mysteries follow a set formula, especially those with a central protagonist whose history and mannerisms become familiar to their readers, and Cara Black's Aimee Leduc series is no exception. What makes hers especially interesting are the historical, geographical, architectural, and cultural details of her carefully researched settings, each mystery set in its own Parisian neighborhood. Her plots move swiftly and she sustains our interest to the end. Cara Black's stories, though,deserve to be read by someone with a more colorful voice.

Trivial Paradis

The writing in this novel is truly trite. The narration is highly irritating; she combines a normal New York accent for the dialog with an occasionally correct French accent for the French names, streets, etc. I found the combination just about unbearable. I managed to listen for only 51 minutes, so I don't know whether the plot was an interesting one or not. However, I am not hopeful about that parameter either.

Interesting book, melodramatic narrator

I love Cara Black's books, but the reader here was impossible for me to listen too. Most of the time far too slow - listened on double speed for a while. However, beyond this, the rather flip style trivialized the heroine for me and made the story too unconvincing. Very disappointing indeed...

Intriguing Paris Mystery

Any additional comments?

Murder in the Rue de Paradis is a decent detective novel set in an amazing city. Narration is a quite slow but easy to follow. I did not like how the story line cuts scenes to introduce and revisit different characters, it's abrupt and confusing at times. The mystery is intriguing although the terrorist plot is not my cup of tea. I did enjoy the book and will certainly continue reading the Aimee Leduc series.

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Title: Death's Half Acre

Author: Margaret Maron

Narrator: C.J. Critt

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-24-08

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 95 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Margaret Maron's Judge Deborah Knott mysteries set in rural North Carolina are cherished by discerning readers who value authentic characters and intriguing plots. As housing sprawl creeps across the land, farmers are feeling the pinch. County commissioners have been making lucrative land deals in secret, and now murder brings Deborah and Sheriff Bryant into the middle of a major dispute.

©2008 Margaret Maron; (P)2008 Recorded Books

Members Reviews:

One of Her Best

I love listening to Maron's books. Judge Knott is a believable character. I am never bored and I learn something about an area of the country I do not really know. Whether print or audiobook it's always fun.

Warm Narration

I just can't get enough of CJ Critt's narration! The setting of local politics wasn't quite as interesting as some Maron books but the mystery was good and the characters strong.

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Title: Dynamite Road

Subtitle: A Weiss and Bishop Novel

Author: Andrew Klavan

Narrator: Andrew Klavan

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-17-08

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 45 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

The trail of blood that ensues brings them dangerously closer to Weiss's old nemesis, an expert gun-for-hire known only as Shadowman, and to a plan set to climax with an act of audacious violence and a murder that would be impossible for any killer but one....

Members Reviews:

Fantastic Read

I couldn't stop listening to this book. Andrew

Klavan is maybe the best story teller that I have

ever heard or read. You will want to listen to the

books in order: Dynamite Road then Shotgun Alley

then Damnation Street.

very impressed!

I knew nothing about this author, but took a chance based on the preview I listened to. I really enjoyed the characters, the suspense, and the fact that the characters all have their own faughts. I really enjoyed the author as narrator and I plan to listen to his follow up to this book next.

Disappointing book, flat and uninteresting

This book wasnt for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I am not really sure, I am going back to James Lee Burke, Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, etc.

What could Andrew Klavan have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I question whether or not this book had a good editor or publisher, I found Bishop and Weiss characters very unemotional and one-dimensional

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Andrew Klavan?

Needed a professional narrator like George Guidall, Titus Welliver, Will Patton, anyone but Scott Brick

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

I am not sure but I can only assume the author gave the book his maximum effort

Any additional comments?

This is probably my first and last Andrew Klavan listen, sorry Mr. Klavan

Awful

What would have made Dynamite Road better?

Dynamite Road would have been better if the small sliver of a plot had more to it.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I am now listening to Predictably Irrational.

What does Andrew Klavan bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

I thought Klavan was a very good reader. He acted out the character's voices well and in a non-distracting way. He was among the best readers I've heard.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Dynamite Road?

I think Dynamite Road had enough real meat to be a short story, which is a shame. The characters, though stereotypical, were fun. He created a huge build up to what was ultimately a wafer thin story.

Any additional comments?

I really enjoy Klavan's political writing and enjoyed Empire of Lies.

Awesome!!!

Love Klavan. Loved this story. Well told by the author himself. I almost couldn't put down the iPhone. But, unfortunately I had to when the 3 year was in the room (language). Otherwise, great story, and well told. Looking forward to other audio books from Klavan.

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Title: A Carrion Death

Subtitle: Introducing Detective Kubu

Author: Michael Stanley

Narrator: Simon Prebble

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 19 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-07-08

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 234 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

But when Kalahari game rangers stumble on a human corpse midmeal, it turns out the murder wasn't perfect after all. Enough evidence is left to suggest foul play. Detective David "Kubu" Bengu of the Botswana Criminal Investigation Department is assigned to the case.

The detective's personality and physique match his moniker. The nickname "Kubu" is Setswana for "hippopotamus" - a seemingly docile creature, but one of the deadliest on the continent. Beneath Kubu's pleasant surface lies the same unwavering resolve that makes the hippopotamus so deceptively dangerous. Both will trample everything in their path to reach an objective.

From the sun-baked riverbeds of the Kalahari to the highest offices of an international conglomerate, Kubu follows a blood-soaked trail in search of answers. Beneath a mountain of lies and superstitions, he uncovers a chain of crimes leading to the most powerful figures in the country - influential enemies who will kill anyone in their way.

A memorable detective makes his debut in this gritty, mesmerizing thriller. Set amid the beauty and darkness of contemporary Africa, A Carrion Death is the first entry in an evocative new series cutting to the heart of today's Botswana - a modern democracy threatened by unstable neighbors, poachers, and diamond smugglers. Those trying to expose the corrupt ringleaders will find themselves fighting for their lives.

Critic Reviews:

"Intricate plotting, a grisly sense of realism, and numerous topical motifs...make this a compulsively readable novel." (Publishers Weekly)

"A first novel saturated with local color....[Audiences] may be lured to Africa by the landscape, but it takes a great character like Kubu to win our loyalty." (The New York Times Book Review)

Members Reviews:

Such a treat gets rarer and rarer

Kubu is a richly enjoyable character, surrounded by a fine ensemble. The writing is quite funny. Even the dog is funny. This might really be only a 4-star -- there are far too many characters, perhaps because way too much time is spent on bit players; some of the schtick gets repetitious, such as the drinking; the mystery gets game-y in that the reader isn't privy to many of the facts that Kubu discovers; and the POV bounces all over the place. But, with the fresh story, fascinating locale, and likable characters, I've gone for a 5.

AUDIO: The reader is adequate but has a limited vocal range, so it's often difficult to figure out who's speaking.

Hot and Arid

The story moved along, was believable and the local color was nice.

It's also good to see that race relations in Southern Africa are so improved at least as far as the police are concerned.

The use of Shakespeare phrases was a nice touch.

The description of orgasms could have been left out since it added nothing to the story.

Maybe the obligatory sex was added to remind us this is a "modern" book.

A Carrion Death and Detective Kubu

What made the experience of listening to A Carrion Death the most enjoyable?

Exciting mystery

Who was your favorite character and why?

Detective Kubu, He has a funny bone to tickle you, amongst the murders

Have you listened to any of Simon Prebbles other performances before? How does this one compare?

He is a genius. The different dialects are spot on.

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Title: Last Known Victim

Author: Erica Spindler

Narrator: Susan Ericksen

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-24-08

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 198 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

As the rescue efforts unfold, a grisly discovery is made at one of the massive refrigerator "graveyards". One of these metal hulks contains six human hands - all female, all right hands. The press has dubbed the unknown perpetrator "The Handyman". But with no way to trace the origin of this refrigerator, and with evidence lost to time and the elements, the case dead-ends.

Captain Patti O'Shay is the straight-arrow, by-the-book cop assigned to the case. Her tough, unflinching character is fractured when her husband and fellow police captain is found murdered - surprised by looters taking advantage of the post-storm chaos.

August 2007: Patti, still grieving and disillusioned, gets a call from homicide - skeletal remains have been unearthed in City Park. The unknown victim - a female - is missing her right hand. But for Patti, this grave holds something even more shocking. Found beside the victim's bones is her husband's police badge.

Casting aside the very "rule book" by which she has lived her life, Patti is fearless - but so is the killer. As he stalks her, she is forced to question all she believes in, to doubt the code she has lived by...because she knows that if she doesn't find The Handyman first, she will become his last known victim.

Critic Reviews:

"Susan Ericksens concise, well-paced narration blends beautifully with Spindlers grim, empathetic vision of post-Katrina New Orleans in this romantic thriller." (AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

Captivating

I cannot put Erica Spindler's books down! They are beyond engrossing! There is always a TWIST and she isn't scared to go where no one else does! This book was great! Not her total BEST (Shocking Pink) but it was alluring!!

Last Known Victim

Great listen...just when i thought i knew who dunnit....I was suprised to think...no...someone else dunnit!! I couldn't stop listening until I finished...Susan Ericksen a very good narrator!!!

WOW! Just WOW!

The ending in this story blew me away! Patty O'Shay is the heroine in this story. This is a murder mystery, that grabbed my attention from the first few pages. The setting is New Orleans, post Katrina. The author painted the city well, I grew up in New Orleans, and it felt like visiting some old friends and to know they survived Katrina, however it seems that evil survived as well. The heroine's husband was killed in post Katrina chaos, and it appears he was a victim of the person who was killing the women and removing their right hand. Thus the killer was dubbed "The Handyman."

This was a complex story, and very detailed. I enjoyed it and hope you do so as well.

Great book...Great narrator!

First book I've read by Erica Spindler, but definitely not my last! Fast paced with lots of twists and turns - the characters were well developed. Susan Ericksen is my favorite narrator and she made these characters come to life! Enjoy!!!

Delightful Portrait of Post-Katrina New Orleans

Last Known Victim describes what it is like in New Orleans after Katrina. The challenges of life and being a police officer spice the well written mystery.

I enjoyed the feel of New Orleans, especially the French Quarter, and the story. I recommend it to others.

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Title: Nordic Nights

Subtitle: An Alix Thorssen Mystery

Author: Lise McClendon

Narrator: Kris Faulkner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-09-08

Publisher: Books in Motion

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Hank was found standing over the body of visiting Norwegian artist Glasius Dokken. When Hank won't say a word in his own defense, it falls to his step-daughter, Alix Thorssen, to clear him and uncover who actually sent Dokken, the painter of myths, to Valhalla. With ancient legends seeming to spring to life around her, and with very real bullets being fired through the windows of Alix's art gallery, her investigation could end with a Viking funeral. The answers may all be hidden in the secrets inscribed on some ancient rune stones.

Unravel another mystery with

.

©1999 Lise McClendon; (P)2002 Books in Motion

Members Reviews:

Too Colorless for My Tastes

Alix Thorssen is an art gallery owner. How that translates into being a detective is lost to me but is perhaps described in an early book. Her mother and stepfather are visiting for a town festival called 'Nordic Nights' that celebrates the town's Nordic heritage. Alix's gallery is hosting a showing for a famous Norwegian artist and her stepfather is rebuilding some type of sailboat for the festival. When the Norwegian artist turns up dead, Alix has to clear her stepfather's name, if only for her mother's sake.

This one is not the first in the series and I felt very lost for quite some time. Obviously I had missed something very important about the main character in the first book and the second never really fully explains her character or motivations.

I didn't really enjoy the book. The main character is, well, boring. If Alix Thorssen were to ever call me for a lunch date, I would lie and make up some excuse. She has absolutely no personality at all. The author seems to blame her lack of spirit on her Norwegian ancestry but I hate to think of an entire culture as being so boring. However, almost every motivation and decision in the book is attributed to the 'Norwegian' in Alix. I just can't believe it, though. Weren't the Vikings Norwegian? They certainly don't seem so cold and colorless.

I did enjoy the scene with Bjarne, though, and the mystery was engaging. Overall, just too cold for my tastes.

Prolix But Decent Mystery

This is one of those books which some people will like and, perhaps, an equal number will dislike. Those coming expecting the clean, straightforward prose of the usual kindle mystery are going to find that the author rarely uses one word if three will suffice. To others, the verbosity will be intricate prose capturing better the sights, sounds and emotional experiences of her character than does the 'ordinary' mystery. It does seem to me to be accurate to say that there is more romance than mystery, but that is the case with many of the new kindle mysteries. Like it or not, that is the case and the reader should be forewarned. At a certain point, the author decides to descend (or ascend) to melodrama which either drives her into illogical (and difficult to understand) behavioral patterns or a good dollop of suspense, depending on your viewpoint.

Over-all, I tend to lean more to acceptance than rejection although I am troubled by the more melodramatic sections which lead to resolution of the problems. She does well describe the chilled character of her setting, often making me feel that I am somewhere in the neighborhood of the Hudson Bay region or Antarctica.

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Title: The Lost Bird

Subtitle: Arapaho Indian Mysteries

Author: Margaret Coel

Narrator: Stephanie Brush

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-04-08

Publisher: Books in Motion

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 38 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Film star Sharon David travels to Wind River country, convinced that she was adopted at birth from the reservation.

Investigate another

.

©1999 Margaret Coel; (P)2000 Books in Motion

Members Reviews:

another great margaret coel

another great margaret coel ! they are irresistible ! great cast of characters- you feel like you know them personally.

One of the best in the series

I have read all but the latest book in this series and have enjoyed reading about the Arapahoe reservation daily life. Cole's words transport me to Wind River, I feel like I know the people, feel their pain, their joy. Father John and Vicky are old friends. Only a gifted author can make a reader feel this way. As a Kindle unlimited subscriber, I rarely purchase books but I own all of this series and hope to own more. On to the latest book I purchased today...

she tells a good story and tells it well

Although Margaret Coel does not quite rise to Tony Hillman, she tells a good story and tells it well.

Five Stars

Very real

Good read

Coel's books contain a good story and some history/social commentary about the Indian culture in the Wind River Range. I like reading her books for these reasons.

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Title: The Ghost Walker

Subtitle: Arapaho Indian Mysteries

Author: Margaret Coel

Narrator: Stephanie Brush

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-04-08

Publisher: Books in Motion

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 61 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Father John O'Malley discovers a frozen body on the Arapaho Reservation, a corpse that later disappears. O'Malley and Vicky Holden draw upon ancient traditions to stop the murderer.

Investigate another

.

©1996 Margaret Coel; (P)2005 Books in Motion

Critic Reviews:

"A host of fine characters: the recovering alcoholic priest whose Jesuit logic often yields to his own weaknesses...and an Arapaho professional woman caught between white and Indian worlds." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Another Great Wind River Reservation Story

In the headline of my review of the first Wind River book, I made a typo (hello, proofreading!) - I meant to say "Escape TO the Wind River Reservation". So, I'm here to make amends and recommend "The Ghost Walker" as well. This is a series that deserves attention. They have an appeal that evokes the great Tony Hillerman's Navajo stories, with their well-drawn characters and love for the bleak landscapes of the reservation.

I think you'll like getting to know the people in these books, and you'll find lots of interesting detail about life on the reservation.

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Title: Sleeping Beauty

Subtitle: A Lew Archer novel

Author: Ross Macdonald

Narrator: Tom Parker

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-18-08

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 31 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

The young Lennox heiress - glimpsed for a haunting moment on the beach, clutching an oil-drenched sea bird in her arms - has disappeared, and while on her trail, Archer finds himself journeying into the hidden lives of a family twisted by money, power, and a compulsive instinct for infidelity.

More mayhem? Try our other

mysteries.

Members Reviews:

Solid prose from Chandler and Hammett's succesor

Good and effortless narrative, using th E hardboiled framework to depict broken dreams and lives of characters without control. even the protagonist is not fully empowered. Not predictable at all with its various twists and revelations