How To Download Audiobooks in Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective Top Rated

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Title: The Minotaur

Author: Barbara Vine

Narrator: Rosalyn Landor

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-04-06

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 143 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Weeks go by at Lydstep with little to mark the passage of time beyond John's daily walks and the amusingly provincial happenings that engross the Cosway women, and Kerstin occupies her many free hours at the Hall reading or making entries into her diary. Meanwhile, bitter wrangling among Julia Cosway and her four grown daughters becomes increasingly evident. But this is just the most obvious of the tensions that charge the old remote estate, with its sealed rooms full of mystery. Soon Kerstin will find herself in possession of knowledge she will wish she'd never attained, secrets that will propel the occupants of Lydstep Old Hall headlong into sexual obsession, betrayal, and, finally, murder.

Critic Reviews:

"Palpable, and...satisfying." (Publishers Weekly)

"This is very satisfying reading, a sort of blend of Edgar Allan Poe and Anthony Trollope. Readers of both Rendell and Vine will love this expansive excursion." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

Top notch Barbara Vine

Barbara Vine draws you along through the story, introducing history, bit by bit, the same way you get to know someone. By the end of the story you find yourself completely intrigued by the goings on. I wanted to listen to it again right after finishing it. Great for any fan of Barbara Vine/Ruth Rendell, one of the best of hers I've "read".

SIX STARS.

Six stars. Maybe her best, and she's so amazingly good! I've just re-listened to this book. It was absolutely riveting the second time around, just like the first. It's PERFECT. Perfect characters, perfect everything. I could see it, feel it, smell it. Rosalyn Landor was also, just perfect. This is just a terrific book.

Good, but misleading genre

This is a wonderfully written book, with fine lines of humor, suspense, and tragedy. I would not, however, call it a mystery as some have. There is some mystery to the story, in that you glimpse the end in the beginning and you wonder how things get there, but it is not a "whodunnit".

PS: Very well read.

Engaging

The audio is well read and the story is terrific. The story unfolds like those told by another favorite mystery writer of mine--PD James. It is full of emotion, vivid characters, and a chilling environment that mirrors the internal lives of some of the characters. I've always liked Barbara Vine, but this is my favorite. I can still hear the narrator's voice matter of factly telling the tale of life in this highly charged country family.

Vine with Landor is the best

Where does The Minotaur rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

very high

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character, of course.

Any additional comments?

Trying to describe the effect of this book is like trying to describe great sex. It is just best to experience it. I immediately checked to see if Audible had any other books written by Vine and read by Landor. Such an experience should be repeated. No luck, but there was a Barbara Vine with Robert Powell. Variety is the spice . . . . P.S. You wont find any dry, boring sex-by-numbers in this book.

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Title: Dark Eye

Author: William Bernhardt

Narrator: Kathe Mazur

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 02-07-05

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 91 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Psychologist Susan Pulaski, who has a near-empathic gift for understanding the thought processes of criminals, is a consultant for the Las Vegas police force. When the city is galvanized by a brutal murder case, stemming from the death of a young woman who has been buried alive, Police Chief Robert O'Bannon calls on Susan's services. Susan, in turn, relies on the help of O'Bannon's 26-year-old son, Darcy, a high-functioning autistic savant with a prodigious eidetic memory and an instinctive gift for solving puzzles. Darcy's gifts prove invaluable as they follow the trail of a devious madman...who has a special agenda for killing and killing and killing again.

©2005 William Bernhardt; (P)2005 Books on Tape, Inc.

Members Reviews:

Awesome!

This is one of the best books I have listen to in over a year. This author grabs your attention and doesn't let go. The characters are people you can relate to. This book is just awesome.

Great, riveting story...

This book is reminiscent of "The Silence of the Lambs" in that it deals with a Psychotic persona... while "Edgar" isn't as likable as Hannibal Lecter, he's certainly, uh, creative. The Susan and Darcy dynamic is heartwarming and a welcome change from some of the darkness in the story line. I found no slow moments of this book, which is rare. Kathe M is a phenomenal reader, voicing Darcy so well that I felt like I was really listening to him. It's a little bit creepy, no doubt, but you know, that's fun sometimes.

Hard to Rate

Ok - the main character is a bomb - the author uses the typical self destructive actions and unfocused anger to convey/cover her sorrow and grief. How she still has any friends is completely a mystery - why people are attracted to her is a mystery.

But I give this book a high rating for the protrayal of a high functioning autistic man - the son of the boss. The narrator does an excellent job conveying the strange speech patterns of an autistic person. And the author does a good job of using an autistic's different way of thinking/seeing the world to help with the investigation. My seven year old son has high functioning autism and I see the limitations and extraordinary abilities first hand everyday. One fault on this character - while I think my son would love the riddles - and no he can not solve problems like the ones in this novel - he could never visit these crime scenes without having a meltdown and subsequent nightmares / anxiety.

Disappointing

I found this book disappointing. The book is formulaic and, in my opinion, not particularly well-written. I did not enjoy the reader's voice or style. What was most troubling to me is that the characters did not seem to act in ways that I found convincing.

That being said, the book did improve with listening. I was about to dump it before finishing the first section but continued and felt it improved.

Obviously, some other listeners found the book great, so listen to the sample and make your own judgment.

I would have given the book a zero star ...

... but our rating system doesn't allow for it.

This book is a must-miss. The main character is unlikable, histrionic, and a blight on law enforcement. I so disliked her that I gave up about a third of the way through part one.

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Title: Devices and Desires (Dramatized)

Author: P.D. James

Narrator: Robin Ellis, Full Cast

Format: Original Recording

Length: 2 hrs and 50 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-12-05

Publisher: BBC Worldwide Limited

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 46 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

He becomes involved in the hunt for a serial killer, known as the Whistler, who is terrorising the small community of Larksoken. In the course of 15 months the killer has claimed four victims and created a climate of mounting fear, with each murder seeming that much closer to home.

When Dalgliesh discovers the body of a woman by the sea, it looks like the Whistler has claimed yet another life. But how could this be, when the killer's own body was found earlier that night along with a suicide note?

In the shadow of the massive nuclear power station which dominates the bleak landscape, passions and hatreds are surfacing under the strain of fear. And if the Whistler isn't responsible for the latest killing, there must be other enemies lurking within the community.

Members Reviews:

Good Mystery

As a good English mystery should be, there were lots of suspects and twists and turns to the plot. Voice acting was very good. My only complaint is that it was a bit drawn out as a radio play type of presentation. Generally worth a 3 hour listen during a long drive, though.

Drama to my ears

I listened tonight to the whole story, marvellous. With all the actors n the background sounds it truly brings it to life. Brilliant :)

Disappointing

Dramatisation was heavy handed sounded like an episode of the archers. PD James writing is so readable a real shame the script was so leaden. Wish more books had a listen in advance clip available.

It is dated

I think modern thrillers seem to have so many twists and turns. They are constantly surprising me. This story had compelling characters but the plot was a bit flat. The surprises weren't particularly exciting. The denouement wasn't worth it.

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Title: Hope to Die

Author: Lawrence Block

Narrator: Lawrence Block

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-29-04

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 38 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

When Byrne and Susan Hollander are killed in a brutal home invasion, the whole city catches its collective breath. A few days later the killers turn up dead behind a locked door in Brooklyn. One has killed his partner, then himself. The city sighs with relief. The cops close the case.

Matt and Elaine Scudder were in the same room with the Hollanders hours before their deaths. In spite of himself, Scudder is drawn to the Hollander case. The closer he looks, the more he senses the presence of a third man, a puppet master who manipulated his two accomplices, then cut their strings when he was done with them.

The villain who looms in the shadows is one of Block's most inspired creations, cold and diabolical, murdering for pleasure and profit. Nobody but Scudder even suspects he exists, and he's not done killing.

He's just getting started.

Critic Reviews:

"Block remains one of the great American storytellers, whose words are as alive emerging from his mouth as they are appearing on the page." (AudioFile)

"[Block's] prose is as smooth as aged whiskey...and the story flows across its pages." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Look out for that first step down; it's a lulu!

This is the most boring book I have listened to in long, long time. It is a huge step down from Block's "Hit man". The author should really break down and spend the money to have someone else read for him. His whiney, monotone voice is hard to listen to. Beyond that, the book is very slow moving.

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Title: The Conspiracy Club

Author: Jonathan Kellerman

Narrator: Rob Kahn

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-21-03

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 156 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Spurring on Jeremy's investigation is Dr. Arthur Chess, an enigmatic pathologist who specializes in examining the dead, but harbors a keen fascination with the darker deeds committed by the living. Arthur draws Jeremy into an unexpected friendship, and into the confidence of a cryptic society devoted to matters unknown and unspoken. When he suddenly slips away, Jeremy is left to contend with an onslaught of anonymous clues and the growing realization that a harrowing game of cat and mouse has been set in motion.

But who besides Jeremy is playing? And who is making the rules? Before the killer strikes again, Jeremy races to connect the disturbing puzzle pieces being fed to him. Yet his search for answers only seems to yield more questions. And deepening the mystery is the undeniable presence of someone watching it all, and guiding Jeremy's investigation from behind the scenes. As the game intensifies, Jeremy must decide if a secret ally is setting him on the right path...or a sadistic enemy is setting him up for a fate far beyond even the most twisted imagination.

Critic Reviews:

"Turn the page and you're hooked." (The New York Times Book Review)

"A gripping, intricately plotted...novel of psychological suspense...Kellerman is a master at building character and slowly unfolding events, divulging just the right amount of information." (Publishers Weekly)

"Quick-witted...full of both well-handled innuendo and strongly visual drama." (The New York Times)

Members Reviews:

Interesting

A nice departure from the Alex Delaware series. I enjoyed the mystery as well as the insight into the lead character. It was nice to have an intellectual hero instead of the physical for a change. A real view of the way violence can change people.

Disappointin Departure

A fairly interesting storyline is bogged down by an insipid "romance" that Kellerman needed to fill in between plot points. He is not a good romance writer. In his past books, he spared us with only brief interludes with Robin etal. Not so here!

Also missing was his wit and crisp descriptives of people and places. In its stead, the unexpected infusion of words tha even Bill Buckley doesn't use. Apparently, Kellerman got one of those "Learn A Word a Day" desk calendars.

Back to Milo and Alex!

Skip this one!

Best Kellerman Yet

Kellerman seems to get better with each novel. In "The Conspiracy Club" he finally gets past the point-of-view switching which so badly mars his otherwise terrific Delaware-Sturgis mysteries. The story stays with Jeremy Carrier, an excellent character: a good person who doesn't know he's good. Carrier's painful emergence from emotional numbness (following a traumatic loss) is convincingly portrayed and, even better, his coming back to life is intertwined with his deepening involvement in an ingeniously plotted double mystery.

well done

This is my first book by this author and I enjoyed it very much. I was impressed the narrator pronounced the medical terms so well. My only beef was that the character did some things that seemed pretty unbelievable but overall a great book. I'll read more of Kellerman.

Really poor!

I generally enjoy the Kellerman series, particularly the Delaware's. Therefore I was prepared to like the new character. After struggling through two discs, I finally gave up.

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Title: Lavender Lies

Author: Susan Wittig Albert

Narrator: Susan Wittig Albert

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 49 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-02-00

Publisher: HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 30 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

When local real estate shark Edgar Coleman is murdered and "good riddance" is the response from every Pecan Spring resident, China Bayles quickly learns that Coleman was no stranger to adultery and blackmail. Her fiancé, the interim police chief, is immersed in the investigation, and the suspect list grows steadily longer. China puts her honeymoon plans aside and starts hunting for the killer. As her investigation gets underway, she digs up dirt on people she knows and unearths secrets that were best left six feet under.

Original material ©1999 Susan Wittig Albert. (P) and ©1999 HighBridge Company

Contact me for any questions: [email protected]

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Title: Sicken and So Die

Author: Simon Brett

Narrator: Geoffrey Howard

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-16-99

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 34 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Simon Brett's oldest and most beloved character, Charles Paris, is back. Paris, the often out-of-work actor, has a good part for a change, playing Sir Toby Belch in a summer festival production of "Twelfth Night." But when the director takes ill and then Paris' friend in the production is the apparent victim of intentional food poisoning meant for Paris, it's not long until the bodies start to turn up. Paris is forced to deal with a wild young director whose idea of Shakespeare the bard himself would hate.

©1996 by Simon Brett; (P)1997 by Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic Reviews:

"In Charles Paris, the third-rate actor but first-rate sleuth, Simon Brett has devised one of the most ingratiating heros around." (The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Members Reviews:

The Food of Love

Charles Paris is a working character actor. In Britain, that means he is a classically trained professional who takes on roles large and small, in venues from stage Shakespeare to sitcoms, from West End blockbusters to radio talk shows, from summer festival theatre to TV commercials--in short, whatever's out there. It's what he does and what he is, however difficult the life. Charles also has a drinking problem, a failed marriage, and a habit of finding himself in the midst of mysterious deaths. "Sicken and So Die" comes late in the Paris series (it's entry 16, I think). Having read almost all of them, this one's my favorite.

The story revolves around a summer festival production of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," in which the aging Charles is thrilled to be cast as Sir Toby Belch. The director is a friend who Charles trusts to approach the Bard with due reverence and a traditional interpretation. But his friend falls mysteriously ill (is poison a possibility?) and is replaced by a "hot" young director from Romania, whose approach is to trash tradition. Amazingly, one by one the cast members (all except Charles) embrace what emerges as an electrifying and dynamic take on a old classic--the type of modern reinterpretation that only emphasizes Shakespeare's genius.

The rehearsal road is rough and paved with accidents (or are they?) and eventually deaths. But it is the world and people of the theatre, not that of the detective, that pulls the reader in. I suggest scanning a synopsis of the characters and plot of "Twelfth Night" (the book's title comes from the play's famous opening speech that begins "If music be the food of love, play on..."). But you don't have to like Shakespeare to thoroughly enjoy "Sicken and So Die."

Author Simon Brett is a long-time writer for British radio and television, and the short, engrossing Charles Paris mysteries reflect his familiarity with the actors' world, whose finest moments and great foibles Brett views with keen perception and wry British wit. The subsetting of "summer festival theatre" is also portrayed with brilliant cynicism and fun. (I was not surprised to read in his biography that Brett's wife Lucy works with the Chichester Festival Theater--this is definitely a book written from first-hand experience.)

I may be biased toward Charles Paris; I confess I spent several summers in my twenties working backstage (with one or two minor and eminently forgettable appearances onstage) in repertory theatre.

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Title: Lawrence Sanders' McNally's Dilemma

Subtitle: An Archy McNally Novel

Author: Vincent Lardo

Narrator: Boyd Gaines

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs and 9 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-05-04

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 21 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Playboy Geoffrey Williams is dead. But it's not a search for the killer that brings Archy McNally to the case; the lovely Melva Williams readily admits to the crime passionnel. After finding Geoff in a precarious position with an attractive young lady, she pulled the trigger on husband number two. It sounds like an open-and-shut case for McNally & Sons' Department of Discreet Inquiries until Melva asks Archy to shield her daughter, Veronica, from the press and paparazzi. Gallant Archy takes the case and escorts grown-up and gorgeous Veronica home to the McNally manse. Rumors fly, and some of them may be true.

Veronica is no damsel in distress though, and she's certainly not sorry her stepfather is in the grave. When her story doesn't match Melva's, which doesn't match Geoff's, Archy realizes he does indeed have a dilemma on his hands. Someone's lying, and the one person who knows the truth, Geoff's perky playmate, has gotten away.

A delectable combination of high society and high jinks, and featuring some of the most eccentric characters to populate Florida's Gold Coast, McNally's Dilemma is as witty and charming as Archy McNally himself.

Critic Reviews:

"Listeners will truly enjoy this whodunit. It is full of twists and turns as well as hilarious dialog. The story is well written and will hold one's interest until the bitter end, leaving you wanting more. Tony Award-nominee Boyd Gaines is an extremely gifted reader and does a masterful job interpreting this novel." (Library Journal)

Members Reviews:

Only a hint of Sanders.

The shorter books don't measure up to the longer Lawrence Sanders books narrated by Victor Bevine.

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Title: Lucidity

Author: David Carnoy

Narrator: R. C. Bray

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-07-17

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 15 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Dreams and deception collide in David Carnoy's suspenseful tale of murder, manipulation, and mistaken identity.

After Knife Music, his "gripping thriller debut" (Kirkus Reviews) and The Big Exit, called a "page-turner" (Examiner.com), David Carnoy's Detective Hank Madden returns in this bicoastal caper that pits dreams against reality, where nothing can be taken at face value.

Twenty years after the unsolved case of Stacey Walker's disappearance went cold, a Silicon Valley executive hires the retired Menlo Park police detective Hank Madden to find her body and track down her missing husband, the prime suspect in her unsolved murder.

Four months later, author Candace Epstein is pushed in front of a car near New York City's Central Park. Her editor, Max Fremmer, becomes entangled in the investigation of her attempted murder, though he is adamant that he is uninvolved. As he digs into Candace's background to clear his own name, Fremmer grows suspicious of his client's connection to a nefarious institute for lucid dreaming on the Upper East Side and its staff, whose stories never seem to add up - all while an unexpected link to Madden's investigation in California emerges.

As similarities arise between the cases on each coast, Madden and Fremmer forge an unlikely partnership to expose what misconduct lurks beneath the façade of the Lucidity Center - but can they unravel the secret that links their investigations in time, or are they only dreaming?

Carnoy's Lucidity stuns with complex detail that will keep listeners guessing until the final, satisfying jolt.

Members Reviews:

slightly disappointed

I guess I was expecting more from a book that RC Bray narrated. I was a bit disappointed in this one

Not bad but not Great

I got this book because it was listed in Time magazine, this not a bad book it's just okay, don't know if I would recommend it, but if you have a credit to spare or it comes up on sale get it. The book just seemed to ping-pong around alot. The characters were not completly fleshed out. Plot? Not that original. The biggest redeeming quality is RC Bray is the narrator.

Great book, good twists

As per usual RC Bray is great narrating this book. I liked the story, characters were good, the plot had twists so all in all a good listen.

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Title: ...Sorry, Wrong Number

Subtitle: Suzie B. Mysteries, Book 1

Author: Gene Grossman

Narrator: B.J. Harrison

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-09-16

Publisher: Magic Lamp Productions

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

If you haven't been fascinated by her brilliant Sherlock Holmes-type of logic in the first 15 Peter Sharp legal mysteries, then now's your chance to see what little Suzi can do when she's out on her own - well, almost on her own.

Suzi still lives on a luxurious yacht in Marina del Rey, California, with her legal guardian, attorney Peter Sharp, and still has her trusted bodyguard, Bernie, a huge Saint Bernard. But for this adventure, she doesn't want to see the adults take advantage of her superior computer skills and grab all the credit for solving the crimes, like they did in the first 15 books that chronicled Peter Sharp's high-profile criminal cases.

The assignment she has given herself for this first solo adventure is to figure out the identity of a murderous serial church bomber, set up a trap for him, and have the press handy when she actually attempts a citizen's arrest, with the assist of local law enforcement. At least that's the plan.

This would be an ambitious goal for an experienced team of sworn peace officers, but she believes she can pull it off with only the help of some people she has become acquainted with in her work for attorney Peter Sharp. But this time she will be giving out the assignments and making all the decisions.

To accomplish her chosen task, she must make some decisions that slightly inconvenience many of the adults she usually is quite friendly with: Peter Sharp's yacht is seized by the Department of Homeland Security, District Attorney Myra Scot Sharp (Peter's bitter ex-wife) has her home computers seized by the US Marshal's Office, and her boyfriend's mother is believed to be a kidnap victim.

Aside from these few minor setbacks, Suzi remains determined to complete her assignment and bring this criminal to justice, notwithstanding the trail of misfortune that her closest friends are forced to endure.