Large Library of Full Audiobooks in Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

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Title: Naked Cruelty

Author: Colleen McCullough

Narrator: Charles Leggett

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-21-11

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 13 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

The best-selling author of The Thorn Birds once again pits Captain Carmine Delmonico against a dangerous villain and a difficult case. Without the help of modern forensic tools, Captain Carmine Delmonico and his trusted detectives must restore peace to their small university town. It's 1968, and amidst the new era of paranoia, Delmonico faces new challenges. Sex and greed dominate two new murder cases - and a series of rapes seems to escalate to murder. For Carmine, it seems to be a case with no clues. And it comes as the Holloman Police Department is in turmoil: a lieutenant is out of his depth, a sergeant is out of control, and into this mix comes the beautiful, ruthlessly ambitious new trainee, Helen McIntosh, daughter of the influential president of Chubb University. As the killer makes his plans, Carmine and his team must use every resource at their disposal -- including a team of highly motivated local vigilantes.

Members Reviews:

Love McCullough and love Delmonico

Love McCullough and love Delmonico. Desdamona too. The majority of the characters are very believable and interesting, the story is good and keeps you wanting more and Delmonico's push over with the animals is just perfect. A really good read.

One of the things I love about Colleen McCullough is the different genres that she ...

One of the things I love about Colleen McCullough is the different genres that she writes, and the beauty with which she writes. This murder mystery is no exception and I look forward to reading more of the series, and more of her writing.

McCullough, My Favorite Author

I think I have the majority of books written by McCullough. I always look forward to her Carmine Delmonico mysteries. I hope there will be more. This author does not spare the reader's sensibilities. She tells it like it is. There is always the shock value, especially when she gives us a surprising ending. I usually read the entire book at one sitting. I just can't put it down.

Although interesting, this was the 3rd in the Carmen ...

Although interesting, this was the 3rd in the Carmen Delmonico series. Definitely not as well written as the first two in the series and it seemed that a new plot twist had to be added at the last minute to explain the ending..

Vacation read?

An easy vacation read I suppose. McCullough will make no demands on your intellect with this book, but it's inoffensive ... despite its premise as a murder mystery :-).

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Title: A Death in Calabria

Author: Michele Giuttari

Narrator: Sean Barrett

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-09-10

Publisher: Hachette Audio UK

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

One of the wildest and most beautiful regions in Italy, known for its rugged coastline and mountains, Calabria is also home to the deadly 'Ndrangheta'. An organised Mafia crime operation more feared in Italy than the Cosa Nostra or the Camorra, it is shrouded in mystery.

Chief Superintendent Michele Ferrara of Italys elite Anti-Mafia Investigation Department is tasked with investigating the deaths of several Calabria citizens some in New York, some in the small, isolated villages that dot the Calabrian countryside.

To get to the bottom of the case, Ferrara has to infiltrate the village of San Piero dAspromonte, deep in the Calabrian mountains. And there, he must put his life on the line to learn more about a family at the centre of an ancient, bloody feud

Members Reviews:

Outstanding Giuttari

This is my first Giuttari read and I'm sure I'll go back for more. It's written from the lawyer's point of view, a guy whose professional life is dreary and full of moral ambiguities: earning a living defending disreputable characters. Along comes a young African who is accused of abducting and abusing a young child on the beach. The sceptical lawyer does a great job, wins the case and recovers some self-respect. Wonderfully narrated by Sean Barrett.

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Title: As Husbands Go

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Susan Isaacs

Narrator: Hillary Huber

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-06-10

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 69 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Susan B. Anthony Rabinowitz Gersten assumed her marriage was greatand why not? Jonah Gersten, M.D., a Park Avenue plastic surgeon, clearly adored her. He was handsome, successful, and a doting dad to their four-year-old triplets. So when Jonah is found dead in the Upper East Side apartment of a second-rate "escort", Susie is overwhelmed with questions.

It's bad enough to know your husband's been murdered, but even worse when you're universally pitied (and quietly mocked) because of the sleaze factor. None of it makes sense to Susienot a sexual liaison with someone like Dorinda, nor the "better not to discuss it" response from Jonah's partners. With help from her tough-talking, high-style Grandma Ethel, Susie takes on her snooty in-laws, her husband's partners, the NYPD, and the DA as she tries to prove that her wonderful life with Jonah was no lie.

A rare mix of wit, social satire, suspense, and a moving story about a love that just won't give up, As Husbands Go brilliantly turns the conventions of the mystery on end as Susie Gerstensuburban mom, floral designer, and fashion platesearches not so much for answers to her husband's death as for answers to her own life.

Critic Reviews:

[A] smart-alecky whodunit/surprisingly sweet love storyIsaacs brings it all together in this fast and furious ride through wanton greed, fragile relationships, and love worth fighting for. (Publishers Weekly)

Two queens of chutzpah and couture conduct a brazen investigation. Isaacs latest Jewish-gal-in-distress adventure purrs along perfectlysharply funny, all-knowing, and marvelously diverting. (Booklist)

Isaacs fans will enjoy another sharp-tongued romp through the New York privileged classes and their foibles." (Kirkus Reviews)

Members Reviews:

Not up to Susan Isaacs usual standard

What was most disappointing about Susan Isaacss story?

I have read many of her other books and almost always enjoy them. The characters in this book were universally unlikable and unsympathic. Even the sleuthing aspects of the story were disappointing. The narrator was not very good, but it may be the fault of the poor storyline. These were characters to whom I could not relate and I live in the city where this story takes place. Very disappointing book, not up to her usual standards.

disappointing

The narrator is very good, although I can't tell if the book is very dull or the narrator has such a calm voice I kept falling asleep. If the superficial mentioning of labels and names were deleted the story would be half as long.

There are a few laughs, although not near as many as I thought. For some reason I thought Grandma Ethel would play a bigger part and that a larger part of the book would be focused on finding the killer, rather than on how the wife looks and feels and reacts. Slow slow slow. I only made it through 4.5 hours.

What a Disappointment for a Susan Isaacs Fan

What disappointed you about As Husbands Go?

The plot was thin, the first quarter of the book consisted of Susie, the wife whose husband was murdered, drone on about her furniture, her clothes, her home furnishings- letting the reader know how expensive and elite her life was and how beautiful she and her friends were.The rest of the novel was a snore; Susie and the other characters seemed to be sleepwalking through the narrative.

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Title: Redemption Street

Subtitle: A Moe Prager Mystery

Author: Reed Farrel Coleman

Narrator: Andy Caploe

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-04-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 74 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

In Redemption Street, retired NYPD officer and newly minted PI Moe Prager travels up to a decaying Borscht Belt hotel to uncover the truth behind a decades-old fire that killed 17 people, including his high-school crush. Away from his beloved Brooklyn and out of his element, Moe finds that the locals aren't as eager to dredge up the painful past or to stir up the embers of that long-dead fire as he seems to be.

In fact the cast of locals - a washed-up comedian, an ambitious politician, a corrupt cop, a pint-sized Hitler, the leader of a mysterious Jewish cult - seem rather intent on doing their level best to make certain the circumstances surrounding the fire stay buried along with the charred bodies of the dead. Moe Prager's gift, however, is coaxing secrets out of the silent past. But will the truth lead to Redemption Street or his own dead end?

Critic Reviews:

"Prager's dogged pursuit leads to a satisfying and logical solution, while demonstrating Coleman's gift for blending a classic whodunit with a gritty, realistic procedural. Prager is a fascinating creation, believably grappling with his status as an unaffiliated and unobservant Jew, with ample room for greater growth." (Publishers Weekly)

With great poignancy and passion [Coleman] constructs a tale that fittingly underlines how we are all captives of the past. (Michael Connelly)

Members Reviews:

Very Good, Recommend But....

Reed Farrel Coleman captivates me. Moe Praeger's a wonderful character, he wanders through tight plots, the supporting cast is always interestingly dimensional and AndyCaploe is a gifted reader. So... Why the "but"? Coleman got a tad preachy in this work. Praeger's internal monologues driven by the looseness of his cultural moorings are more than just a subplot in Redemption Street. Yeah... I understand the book's name and its metaphorical cement to the motivations which explain serious plot twists. But... but... Oy! So much guilt I don't need!

Careful... start with the earlier book in the Praeger series to understand the dark undertone of Praeger's personal culture. I did, now I'm going to find the next in the series. Hey... I told you... VERY GOOD but... The but doesn't keep me from recommending Redemption Street and the additional enjoyment of Andy Caploe's characterizations.

Terrific mystery story; good narration.

As it happens, I read "The James Deans," which is the third book in the Moe Prager series, before reading this, which is the second. I had enjoyed the other, but this one is even better and fills in some holes in the complicated set of personalities and relationships in Moe's life. Coleman's characters are multidimensional, neither entirely evil nor wholly angelic, which not only makes them more realistic but also makes it harder to figure out who is the real villain. I felt the narrator was well-suited to the voices of the characters, also better than the other one.

The plot is also complex and will keep you guessing up until the very end. Coleman is a master story-teller and, even though I felt that, at times, he delved too much into the biographical history of his characters, in retrospect, nearly all these details become important later on. Coleman is a much better mystery writer than many more well known authors.

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Title: Inspector Ghote Hunts the Peacock

Author: H. R. F. Keating

Narrator: Sam Dastor

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-13-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 20 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Inspector Ghote comes to London. The Indian police inspector is to attend an international conference on drug smuggling, and in cold, drizzling London he is faced with his first case outside India - and it's a very odd case.

Members Reviews:

Enjoyed the book and narrator

Sam Dastor, narrator, does a very good job of bringing the characters to life in this classic mystery. Inspector Ghote novels are similar in pace and tone to classic British mysteries (Christie, Marsh) but Inspector Ghote is from Bombay and has a unique personality and different methods. The point of view is third person limited, where we know Ghote's feelings, including his insecurities, and thoughts, but not those of the other characters, so the reader feels he knows Ghote more personally. In this novel he makes his first trip to London, so there is the added pleasure of seeing him work in a new environment. Recommended!

OK

Story was just OK, somewhat hard to follow and I didn't particularly enjoy the Indian accent - even though it was well done.

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Title: Case Histories

Subtitle: Jackson Brodie 1

Author: Kate Atkinson

Narrator: Jason Isaacs

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-04-10

Publisher: Random House AudioBooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Cambridge is sweltering, during an unusually hot summer. To Jackson Brodie, former police inspector turned private investigator, the world consists of one accounting sheet Lost on the left, Found on the right and the two never seem to balance.

Jackson has never felt at home in Cambridge, and has a failed marriage to prove it. Surrounded by death, intrigue and misfortune, his own life haunted by a family tragedy, he attempts to unravel three disparate case histories and begins to realise that in spite of apparent diversity, everything is connected

Members Reviews:

Brilliant, but such a shame it's been abridged

'Case Histories' is a great story (or series of inter-connected stories) featuring the charismatic Jackson Brodie (so excellently given voice by Jason Isaacs which was perfect casting). I thoroughly enjoyed the way the various strands played out and were resolved - lots going on, as there always is in an Atkinson book. I would really liked to have given 5 stars but I couldn't because of the abridgement. It completely ruined the latter parts of the book for me... often I was left wondering who certain characters were as I didn't think I'd heard of them before (or they'd not had sufficient introduction, as they would have done in an unabridged version). I didn't purchase this book for a long time as I was hoping an unabridged version would be forthcoming but eventually gave up waiting as I really wanted to listen to the story. If any other listeners are thinking of doing that, then go ahead - it doesn't totally ruin the experience, but it does make you feel a bit frustrated.

Great reader, good book.

Case Histories is the first in the Jackson Brodie series. It starts with short descriptions of three cases from years before - the disappearance of a small girl, and two brutal murders. For various reasons, Jackson (an ex-copper turned PI) is approached by people related to the victims, who all want to look again at aspects of the cases.

I really enjoyed this, although I think that's at least as much due to Isaacs' narration as to the book itself. The book is a tricky balance, with a tone of light, ironic humour despite the profound and sometimes upsetting details of the stories. The narration manages to point up the humour while also being serious enough to be moving, when that's necessary.

This is the first audiobook I have listened to and it was a good combination of reader and material.

Why abridged?

What would have made Case Histories better?

The abridging ruined this otherwise great story and good reader. A huge pity. please can we have the full book?

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Title: Dial H for Hitchcock

Subtitle: A Cece Caruso Mystery

Author: Susan Kandel

Narrator: Dina Pearlman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-03-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 44 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Cece Caruso--mystery biographer extraordinaire, vintage clothing enthusiast, and part-time sleuth--is in freefall. First, she calls off her wedding, for reasons even she can't explain. Second, her newest biography (of Alfred Hitchcock) is way past deadline.

So Cece puts on a houndstooth suit with peplum and heads out to see Vertigo, only to come home with a cell phone belonging to a stranger named Anita Colby. Nothing if not a good citizen, Cece tries to return the cell phone--only to hear someone push Anita off a cliff.

Now a woman is dead, and Cece is under suspicion (tip: don't leave rambling, incoherent messages on someone's answering machine just before she gets murdered). To clear her name and put the real murderer in jail, Cece's going on the lam, where she'll encounter mysterious strangers, unhelpful strippers, a bottle of blond hair dye, and twists and turns so eerie it's as if Hitch himself were writing the script.

Editorial Reviews:

I appreciate mystery novels that feature a unique and unlikely sleuth. Although clever, charming Sherlock Holmes and clean-cut Nancy Drew are entertaining individuals, the woman at the center of the conflict in Dial H for Hitchcock is an absolute riot. Susan Kandel has created a sharp character that cant seem to catch a break, and Dina Pearlman brings her witty sarcasm to life in her narration of this engrossing crime scene fiction.

Enter Cece Caruso. She writes biographies of famous mystery authors, and her latest assignment a biography of the Master of Suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock is far past deadline. To battle her writers block blues, she catches a matinee showing of Vertigo one afternoon. She leaves the theater with both renewed confidence and a mysterious hot pink cell phone belonging to a woman named Anita Colby. Shortly thereafter, Anita is pushed off a cliff, and Cece is a suspect in her murder.

Cece must get the heck out of dodge, as Anitas murderer is doing everything possible to lead law enforcement to her. After exchanging a closetful of her vintage designer clothing for a wad of cash, she heads out of LA via Highway 1 in search of some sort of explanation of Anitas demise. Pearlman guides us through a trail of clues to unravel a mystery that Hitchcock himself could have written.

Dial H for Hitchcock is simultaneously hysterical and suspenseful, and Ceces sleuthing is best experienced through Pearlmans voice. As Pearlman captures this audacious, spunky character, she also immerses the listener in the beguiling California landscape that plays an equally important role in the story. I felt like I was on the run with Cece, piecing together this whodunit mystery through her outrageous encounters.

Members Reviews:

Enjoyable Lite Fluff

A funny story! Many plot allusions to Hitchcock movies. Plot was very thin, but that's not really the point of the book of this nature. Narration was outstanding.

Susan Kandel only wrote 5 Cici Caruso stories

Excellent, excellent, excellent!

I began reading the stories out of curiosity the first one I read was"Not your girl detective". From then on I was hooked

Frenetic and Disappointing

While I like the main character, the ending (solution) to the murder is disgusting. I felt I had been "had".

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Title: Too Many Murders

Author: Colleen McCullough

Narrator: Charles Leggett

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-08-10

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 32 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

It's a beautiful spring day in the little city of Holloman, Connecticut; the year is 1967, and the world teeters on the brink of nuclear holocaust as the Cold War goes relentlessly on. But Holloman has other things to worry about on April 3rd, 1967; 12 murders have taken place on one day. Suddenly Captain Carmine Delmonico, chief of detectives, has other, more important matters to occupy him than finding a satisfactory name for his infant son. With his cohorts Abe Goldberg and Corey Marshall giving him unfailing support, Carmine embarks on what looks like an insoluble case.

Members Reviews:

Amazing

Where shall I start? This looked interesting, at first. Then I got into it.

The narrator is attempting to showcase a number of different accents, speech patterns, but there are too many characters and he seems to be too few voices. Sometimes (actually, quite often) the voices come across as caricatures.

But, it is not all the narrator's fault. At first, I thought that the book was a parody. Then I didn't think so. I then decided that it must be, but bad parody. Finally, I decided that it was simply a bad novel.

Some items:

The dialog is beyond what anyone would speak. It's convoluted and uses phraseology that might show up in 19th century books, but certainly not in anything 20th century, either American or British.

The premise is so far out as to be almost alien (not Mexican, rather, the kind that land in Roswell, NM)

The anomalies, with items from the '80s & '90s really show that the author should have done at least a minimal amount of research.

I finished the book, but, in retrospect, only because it was akin to looking at a particularly horrendous auto accident. You know that you shouldn't, but you can't help yourself.

Do not buy.

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Title: The Fitzgerald Ruse

Subtitle: A Sam Blackman Mystery

Author: Mark de Castrique

Narrator: William Dufris

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-10-09

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 24 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Their first client, a quirky elderly woman in a retirement community, makes a strange request: she wants Sam to right a wrong she committed over 70 years ago. Her victim? F. Scott Fitzgerald. Her crime? Stealing a manuscript when Fitzgerald resided in the stately Grove Park Inn. Sam's task seems simple enough: retrieve the woman's lockbox and deliver the manuscript to Fitzgerald's heirs.

Critic Reviews:

"Winning....Readers will hope to see a lot more of the book's amiable characters, in particular, Sam and Nakayla, whose comfortable banter lends the story much of its charm." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Disappointing

I wanted to like this book, but the male protagonist of the series came across as both unintelligent and arrogant. I found his character in the first book interesting, and the plots of both books are creative, but his condescension to his partner in the second book of the series really turned me off. I might try one more book in the series, but the protagonist needs an attitude adjustment in the next one or I'll be done with this author.

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Title: No Lovelier Death

Subtitle: DI Joe Faraday

Author: Graham Hurley

Narrator: Tim Pepper

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-09-09

Publisher: ISIS Audio Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 35 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

With two bodies, over 100 suspects and the national media shrieking, DI Faraday is confronted with a nightmare investigation. The judge's neighbour had promised to keep an eye on things. Now, awaiting the judge's return, he is determined to find the killer.

The neighbour's name? Bazza Mackenzie, the city's cocaine king. His trusty lieutenant charged with this freelance investigation? Ex DC Paul Winter.

Members Reviews:

A Good Read

I listened to this book on a road trip and enjoyed it immensely. The plot was well-constructed, with enough detail to keep the reader's interest but not so much as to become tedious, and a few twists to keep things interesting. The characters were well-drawn, and the rendition superb. I'd definitely recommend.

Brit Crime

If you take a break between listens, you may find there are too many characters to easily keep track of. The plot was great. The major characters were interesting and the minor ones a tad so-so.

The reader put lots of energy into his narration, but he didn't have good breath control and there were some pauses where pauses do not make much sense.. not bad enough to put me off though... would still rec. as a good British crime yarn.

Great crime thriller

What made the experience of listening to No Lovelier Death the most enjoyable?

The story is very believable and interesting. The characters are well rounded and the story is well written.

What did you like best about this story?

The descriptions are good and the Hampshire Police Force and procedures are surprisingly interesting.

Have you listened to any of Tim Peppers other performances? How does this one compare?

No

Any additional comments?

I am surprised I had not heard of this author before, after all he is 'on my patch!'.

Great listen

Its just a shame that Audible have not got more of the Joe Fraraday series to download. If you like your modern dective thrillers to have a gritty realism, a supurb cast of colourful characters and a good story line to keep you hooked then look no futher a really enjoyable listen. If you like Rebus, Morse, Frost then you will be pleased with another addition to the modern detective. The narrator Tim Pepper is perfect for creating the ambience and has a wide range of voices that make the whole experience a treat.