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Title: Sliver of Truth

Author: Lisa Unger

Narrator: Jenna Lamia

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-11-06

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 18 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Suspense

Publisher's Summary:

Now the FBI is at her door, some serious bad guys are following her every move, and the family she once loved and relied on is more distant than ever. The only thing Ridley knows for sure is that she has to get to the truth about herself and her past if she's ever going to find her way home.

Charged with relentless intensity and kinetic action, playing out with unnerving suspense on the streets of New York and London, and seen through the terrified but determined eyes of a young woman whose body and heart are pushed to the point of shattering, Sliver of Truth is another triumph from the New York Times best-selling author of Beautiful Lies.

Critic Reviews:

"Best-seller Unger's sensational second thriller...puts her in the same league as such genre masters as Peter Straub and Peter Abrahams...Unger grabs the reader by the throat and doesn't let go....Unger's gifts for dialogue and pacing set this far above the standard novel of suspense and will leave many anxiously awaiting her third book." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Wonderful!

Engrossing and just totally enjoyable! Per usual, Jenna Lamia's narration is outstanding. Always she seeks to bring to life the characters the author has created, rather than just delivering the words of the author. The story was multi-faceted with lots of twists and turns, and once you understand the author's use of flashbacks, I think you will find this a most rewarding book choice.

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Title: South Beach Shakedown

Subtitle: The Diary of Gideon Pike

Author: Don Bruns

Narrator: Paul Michael Garcia

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-05-06

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Suspense

Publisher's Summary:

Music columnist Mick Sever goes looking for his missing friend Gideon Pike in the gritty backrooms of Miami's nightclubs, dodging suicide speedboats and running from sniper fire. What surfaces is how the major players in the music industry are not making the headlines, but just pulling the strings that create them. Hit it right, and the royalties, even someone else's, can rake in millions for the rest of your life. The key is finding Gideon before Korean mobster Jimmy Shinn does. Jimmy is ready to cash in on the one secret that will strip away what's left of Gideon's career, his fortune, and his life.

Whoever gets to Gideon first will either save him or pull the trigger, and the race is on.

Critic Reviews:

"Bruns, a veteran musician, clearly knows the music biz, and readers are sure to enjoy the behind-the-scenes material." (Booklist)

"South Beach Shakedown is a spicy look behind the glittering facade of South Florida's high rolling recording industry." (Julia Spencer-Fleming, author of To Darkness and To Death)

"South Beach Shakedown offers readers a high-energy romp....With the relentlessly action-packed South Beach Shakedown, Bruns has crafted what may be this season's quintessential suspense read."(Bookpage)

Members Reviews:

Sexist and boring

I liked the description of this book, and having had experience in the music business, I expected a certain element of seediness. I had to stop listening to this book after a while because, in addition to having a very slow-moving plot, just about every scene described bouncing boobs and or/pole-dancing in strip clubs.

entertaining

kept me guessing to the end

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Title: A Real Shot in the Arm

Author: Annette Roome

Narrator: Jacqueline King

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-21-06

Publisher: Oakhill Publishing Ltd

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 35 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Suspense

Publisher's Summary:

Fed up with household chores and an uncaring husband, English mother Chris Martin, 40, gets a job on the small local paper, trading one form of drudgery for another until she happens on the body of a teacher who appears to have hanged himself, but who really died of a heroin overdose. Chris and wisecracking reporter Pete Schiavo, who soon beds her, uncover blackmail, a crooked real estate deal, bribery, police corruption, and a drug connection.

©1989 Annette Roome; (P)1989 Oakhill Publishing Ltd

Critic Reviews:

"[A] Nancy Drew story for grownups." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Couldn't stop listening

What made the experience of listening to A Real Shot in the Arm the most enjoyable?

The performance by Jacqueline King. She has flawless timing and delivery. She does great character voices without making it sound like she's putting on silly voice. Her reading is so good that I often forgot I was reading an audiobook and just got sucked into the story.

Which character as performed by Jacqueline King was your favorite?

The main character. The book is all in first person and Jacqueline King's delivery is hilarious.

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

I laughed quite a lot. Annette Room's dry humour is what elevates this book above the ordinary. This book is comedy, murder mystery and chick lit (in the best sense) all rolled into one. It's not perfect and the mystery is a bit easy to guess, but it's fun and one of those books where you get wrapped up in the story and romance and have to know what happens next.

Any additional comments?

I'm disappointed the other books in the series aren't available on audio - hopefully Audible will rectify that!

good fun, a nice surprise

I wasn't sure what to expect from this novel, but I was glad I took the chance and listened to it. I've been trying to find the author's next book, with the same characters, but haven't found it locally or on Audible, but I'd like to try it.

The main character is a British housewife who takes a job with the local small-town newspaper - against her husband's wishes - as a chance to get out and about and do more than tend to her house, husband, and almost-grown son. While covering a rather boring local conference on substance abuse, she stumbles upon a dead body, apparently dead by hanging but who actually died from a heroin overdose. It's the biggest news to hit their little town in a long time, so she teams up with a more seasoned reporter from the paper and sets out to uncover the mystery.

What follows is a kind of convoluted story of murder, fraud, kick-backs, drugs, and adultery, but made into a fun and amusing story by the first-person narrative of the main character. And excellently narrated by Jacquiline King. I sort of thought of it as a British housewife version of the New Jersey bounty-hunter stories by Janet Evanovich. In fact, both authors won the Crime Writers' Association award for best first novel (Roome for this book in 1986, Evanovich for One For The Money in 1995).

Light entertainment in mystery form

Narrator was good. Story was decent. Not terribly interesting but okay for a cozy mystery. If this is the start to a series I am not compelled to try the next one.

A Real Shot in the arm

Thoroughly enjoyed this book.

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Title: Venus In Copper

Author: Lindsey Davis

Narrator: Anton Lesser, Anna Madeley

Format: Original Recording

Length: 2 hrs and 48 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-06-06

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 69 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Suspense

Publisher's Summary:

In the heyday of the Roman Empire, a small accounting error has left Marcus Didius Falco sharing a cell with a large rat. But the Empire's most hard-done-by investigator is finally bailed out, and promptly accepts a commission to help a family of freed slaves fend off a professional bribe.... A third instalment of the Marcus Didius Falco mysteries set in first century Rome, starring Anton Lesser.

©2006 BBC Audiobooks Ltd; (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Members Reviews:

another great entry in the Falco series

I highly recommend Anton Lesser as Falco. The books are excellent and he sounds just the way I picture Falco.The BBC broadcasts of these books were the first things I bought when I joined Audible.com and I go back to them constantly for the pure enjoy of relistening to them all.

Abridged is only part of the story.

I think I like the book, but since I haven't read the whole thing, how can I tell? I always feel cheated with abridgments. OK, I miss Christian Rodska's reading too. The story seems pretty good, but I don't know what's missing that would probably make it even better. In other Falco books I can't imagine not having the whole story there. I think you'll enjoy what's here, but find a way to get the whole story.

Wake me up when ...

... we get to the 20th century. This just tries way too hard.

Sparkling dramatisation

Anton Lesser is an extremey plausible Falco and the other cast members add to a very satisfying dramatisation of the novel. Easier to follow than some of these adaptations, the parallels with modern living are made lightly and the story races along.

Venus In Copper is yet another great book by the great Lindsey Davis.

Venus In Copper is, dare I say it, another wonderful full cast adaptation by the BBC starring Anton Lesser as our hero/narrator. Anna Madley makes an excellent Helena Justina, the erstwhile companion to Falco.

If you listen to any of Lyndsey Davis' novels you must try these. I highly recommend them.

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Title: Kingdom Come

Author: Tim Green

Narrator: Stephen Hoye

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-03-06

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 13 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Suspense

Publisher's Summary:

How far would you go for unlimited wealth and power?

For Thane Coder, a shot at running one of the richest, most influential corporations in America was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. And with his seductive, savvy wife Jessica showing him the way, his fate was decided.

All it took was a back door, a snowy night, and an old hunting knife to unlock more money than Thane could ever imagine.

After he murders his boss, mentor, and friend James King, Thane and Jessica leap into a life of corporate jets and tropical hideaways, a world of infinite luxury and privilege. But when King's son surfaces with suspicion and revenge on his mind, the Coders' empire begins to crumble.

Once an everyday American couple with a mortgage and weekend soccer games, they're now entering a twisted maze filled with federal agents, the Mafia, a son hell-bent on vengeance, and a relentless, old-fashioned tracker willing to follow this husband and wife to the ends of the earth to take them down.

In Kingdom Come, boardrooms become hunting grounds, handshakes become blood oaths, and even the people you hold closest to you, your family, become suspect. Set against the rugged backdrop of his native upstate New York and the gritty streets of Manhattan, this is Tim Green at his best, writing hard-hitting, vivid prose about how a few deadly sins can lead any one of us down a bloody path.

Members Reviews:

great read

This is a great read, interesting and diverse characters in a monumental setting of luxury, largesse and elemental savagery. Anything read by Stephen Hoye is, of course, a pleasure and this book is no exception. The retrospective view taken by the author of this tale of greed gone wrong is a unique and innovative approach. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

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Title: The Chemistry of Death

Subtitle: Dr David Hunter, Book 1

Author: Simon Beckett

Narrator: Greg Wise

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs and 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-07-06

Publisher: Random House AudioBooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 14 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Suspense

Publisher's Summary:

Now hidden away as a country doctor, Hunter's past is a secret he hopes will remain buried. So when he's asked by the police to use his arcane skills to help track down the killer, he's reluctant to become involved, knowing this will only stir up the painful memories he's been trying so hard to forget.

Then another young woman disappears, and Manham is plunged into a fog of fear and paranoia that threatens to tear it apart. And no one seems exempt from suspicion as the twisted killings continue. And as the once peaceful community is riven by fear and mistrust, David Hunter realises it will take all his knowledge and expertise if the killer is to be stopped. But not even he is prepared for the terrible cost that will exact, or the awful price that failure threatens to bring.

Members Reviews:

A passable listen

I was not carried away with this book, and felt that it was not very well narrated unfortunately, a little wooden. For me the whole story line was a tad improbable, you might say that about lots of books, but I guess the whole point of fiction is that you can 'suspend your disbelief' and believe what you are reading, at the time you are reading/listening to it. I found this very difficult to do with this particular book.

Having said that I will listen to the next one in the series to see if it is the narrator or author..as the scientific points are interesting.

Better second time around.

I am rereading the David Hunter series - and this is a good start, well read and fast moving - but it is the abridged version. Looking forward to Written in Bone next.

A great disappoinitment

What can I say? Beautifully written, an excellent narrator, well paced etc. But sadly, this is the most obvious whodunit in history. I worked it out in about 17 minutes....

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Title: Perception of Death

Author: Louise Anderson

Narrator: Cathleen McCarron

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-01-06

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 33 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Suspense

Publisher's Summary:

Erin Paterson runs her grandfather's law firm in Glasgow, and is an uncompromisingly aggressive negotiator. But the success of her practice is not echoed in her personal life. Erin's father has had a stroke. She can't stand her mother. Her sister's a flake and their brother, Leland, committed suicide. She's not doing too well with her boyfriend either, whom she discovers in flagrante the day that an old school friend, Lucy Grant, is murdered. From this moment, events unravel to test Erin's resolve to the maximum. Can she hold onto her job, even onto her life, when the past slithers out of the darkness to expose a secret in the family that no one dares confront?

Members Reviews:

Delightfully unlikeable main character

We cringe at the thoughts and actions of the main character, Erin, as she narrates this thriller. Her prim behavior and her priggishness misunderstanding of others is excruciating, though we do come to appreciate her rude brusqueness and even, eventually to endorse her point of view.

The story is complex and often graphic and it leads us all down a twisted and layered unfolding of events. When we, as listeners, have finally untangled all of the horrifying murders, undercurrents and hidden relationships and are genuinely pleased with ourselves and with Erin for being so clever, we discover that we and worst of all the protagonist who we have come to admire protectively, have all been utterly duped.

Good Enough

I will buy this author's next audiobook.

If I noticed that an audiobook I was thinking about buying was read by the woman who read this book, I would be more likely to to buy it because I would know that it had a good reader.

A book that can engage and hold my attention while I'm involved in some other activity - such as driving or pulling weeds- gets a 4 from me. (The equivalent to a "B".) A reader who doesn't get in the way of the story and can smooth over rough spots in the text also gets a B.

This book was engaging, the character development, typical of this genre, was particularly good. In other words the characters weren't trite, flat, and utterly predictable. However, it is not so good that I could just sit and listen to it without having something else to do.

So for me it's a 4. Good enough to engage.

I Lost Sleep Over This One

Two nights running I found myself after midnight not wanting to turn off this book. Regardless of what I had to do the next day, I wanted to know what was going to happen next.

Yes, some of it is over the top but I found myself rooting for the heroine who is faced, it seems with a crisis a minute.

Most of the action is set in Glasglow and the reader uses a Scots accent, but it is laid on lightly enough that this American reader had no trouble following. She was also very good with the creepy phone call parts.

Dangling ending

The book held my attention and I enjoyed the narrator but the ending left way too many loose threads including a new one which left me thinking "What a stupid book!". I assume there will be a sequel which I will skip because I don't want to listen for hours and be left hanging again.

Great Book, Where's the Ending?

Once I got used to the accent, I was very enthralled with the book, even as the previous reviewer said, there's a crisis a minute.

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Title: Cradle and All

Author: James Patterson

Narrator: Ally Sheedy, Len Cariou

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 05-02-00

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 36 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Suspense

Publisher's Summary:

Anne Fitzgerald, a former nun turned private investigator, is hired by the Archdiocese of Boston to investigate the immaculate conceptions. Even as she comes to care and trust the young women, she realizes that both are in great danger. Terrifying forces of good and evil are gathering. Stepping into uncharted territory where the unknown is just the beginning, Anne must discover the truth - to save the young women, to save herself, and to protect the future of all mankind.

Members Reviews:

cradle

I love James Patterson but I didn't think this was up to par for him. It was so far fetched and too into the religious spectrum.

Engrossing story worth your time

This book starts quickly, dragging the reader into the story by imparting some facts but leaving much more untold which is revealed as the novel progresses. The book is narrated by two people who interchange depending on the characters within the plot. This helps the listener identify with the characters more easily than if there were only a single narrator.

So what's the story like? It is a classic good against evil tale, but with enough twists and changes to keep the listener wanting more. Having read a selection of James Patterson's novels before, which were mainly the Alex Cross series, this was a change in delivery for the author, with a slower build up. However, the novel doesn't suffer for that as it builds the tension and suspension nicely.

I gave the book 4 stars purely because I was disappointed that it seemed to end very quickly. Although it has to be said that the climax was compelling enough to make me keep listening beyond my original planned time!

Overall a well narrated story with enough unforeseen turnings to make it well worth including on anyone's list of books.

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Title: The Keeper of Secrets

Author: Judith Cutler

Narrator: Paul Ansdell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-18-07

Publisher: ISIS Audio Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 18 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Suspense

Publisher's Summary:

Even in the normal course of events, village life is far from quiet, and soon Tobias has to deal with suspicious deaths. Matters come to a head when Lizzie disappears from her employers' home. What has become of the girl and who is responsible? As Tobias searches for answers, he finds himself delving into the dark secrets that haunt Lizzie's past.

Critic Reviews:

"Streets ahead of most historical crime fiction." (Andrew Taylor)

Members Reviews:

Good Characters

I can never get enough of historical mysteries. So glad to have run across this series.

Agatha Christie meets Jane Austen

Dirty work ahead and the Parson and the Doctor team up to bring the evildoer to justice. It canters to a wholly predictable conclusion (Oh c'mon! who else could have done it?), with every clue solved and every loose end neatly ravelled. That said, it is beautifully read and very well written despite rather overdoing the early nineteenth century slang. Enjoyable, if slightly mindless, entertainment, ideal perhaps, for a long journey when you don't want to have to concentrate too hard.

Compelling Historical Crime Fiction

I bought this on a bit of a whim and was wonderfully surprised by the quality of the story. The characters and the relationships between them are beautifully drawn. The details of the crime are unfolded slowly through a some interesting detection. And, finally, the narrator is one of the best I have ever heard. It was a pleasure to listen to him. Highly recommended.

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Title: Blacklands

Author: Belinda Bauer

Narrator: Colleen Prendergast

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-17-10

Publisher: ISIS Audio Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 15 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Suspense

Publisher's Summary:

Steven Lamb digs holes on Exmoor, hoping to lay to rest the ghost of his uncle, who disappeared aged 11 and is assumed to have fallen victim to the serial killer Arnold Avery. Only Steven's Nan is not convinced her son is dead. Steven is determined to heal the widening cracks in his family before it's too late. And if that means presenting his grandmother with the bones of her murdered son, he'll do it.

So the boy takes the next logical step, carefully crafting a letter to Arnold Avery in prison. And there begins a dangerous game between a desperate child and a bored serial killer. A game that will have more terrifying consequences than Steven could ever imagine.

Members Reviews:

Suspense, character, mystery

My first reaction when I started reading this novel was to kick myself for wasting my credit. The murders took place years ago and the murderer is already behind bars. Where's the mystery? But I soon got into it. The novel is not a murder mystery, but a psychological thriller. What makes it different is that it is told largely from the point of view of an eleven year old boy. The author captures his mental processes, emotional development and the troubles of schoolboy friendships brilliantly. There is mystery too, as young Steven follows the clues. But I don't want to give the plot away. On the other side, part of the story is told from the vantage point of an evil child killer who has no excuse for his crimes. And yet, in spite of the repulsion he elicits from us, we somehow become interested in what happens to him. A superbly crafted thriller.

Bleak but brilliant

What made the experience of listening to Blacklands the most enjoyable?

This novel is gripping and beautifully told. The characterisations are excellent, and in the case of Steven, heartbreaking. The portrayals of good-hearted Steven growing up in poverty, unnoticed by his tragically damaged family and of Arnold Avery, the cold-blooded serial killer of children, are compelling.

What other book might you compare Blacklands to and why?

Belinda Bauer shows great promise and this novel is every bit as good as a Ruth Rendell.

What does Colleen Prendergast bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

Colleen Prendergast was pitch perfect in her narration. Her reading of the novel did not intrude on the story, as is the case with some readers.

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

The ending was particularly moving.

Riviting stuff.

I usually only listen to audio books when I go for my daily walk but with Blacklands I had to listen to the end. If you like a good thriller this one is for you.

Twenty odd years ago a child disappeared. It was believed he fell victim to a serial killer though his body was never recovered. The nephew, Stephen, lives in the shadow of that tragedy, and he dreams of finding the body of that child to give peace of mind to his family. He writes to the serial killer who is in gaol and there begins a sinister cat and mouse game between the killer and his new prey.

I got goose bumps listening to this. I also found it quite moving. Thoroughly recommend this.

Compulsive Listening

For me, Colleen Prendergast's strong vocal performance captures the sometimes disturbing nature of the strange relationships portrayed in this highly entertaining and though-provoking novel.