Listen to Best Sellers Audiobooks in Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

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Title: Unforgettable

Author: Gloria Cook

Narrator: Julia Franklin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-01-12

Publisher: Soundings

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The year is 1947. Kindly, unassuming widow Dorrie Resterick continually finds herself confidante to others' troubles. She would prefer to keep in the background, but life throws her many a mystery, and once she even found a scrap of evidence in a dreadful local crime - the double murder of two villagers.

While the police decided the scrap of paper Dorrie brought to them solved the case, Dorrie was never sure - and when new tenants arrive at the long-abandoned creepy cottage of Merrivale, the site of the murders, their actions inadvertently plunge the whole village into danger.

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Title: The Body in the Thames

Subtitle: A Thomas Chaloner Adventure, Book 6

Author: Susanna Gregory

Narrator: Gordon Griffin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-19-12

Publisher: Soundings

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In the dilapidated surroundings of the Savoy, a delegation from the Netherlands is gathered in a last ditch attempt to secure peace. Thomas Chaloner is horrified at the violent aggression shown to the Dutch by ordinary Londoners, but he is more worried by the dismissive attitude with which they are greeted by the King's officials.

Then the body of his former brother-in-law is found in the Thames, and Chaloner discovers enigmatic clues pointing to a motivation for his murder. These may be linked to a plot to steal the crown jewels, or perhaps to a conspiracy to ensure that no peace is secured between the two nations. Whichever it proves to be, Chaloner knows he has very little time to decipher the clues.

Members Reviews:

Fantastic

Right from the beginning you are draw into the era the book is set. And starts to pull you into is many webs. It seems that you are physically in London at the time that this is going on. An excellent storyline well written.

Excellent plot, well read, worth an audible credit

The Body in the Thames delivers a constant and evocative narrative full of atmospheric historical details from buildings to the importance of dress, manners and social standing to the lies and deceptions of governments.

The Body in the Thames is an excellent read and listen and I gave it five stars without hesitation. Griffin excels himself this time in his range of Anglo Dutch accents, which to my untutored ear all sound plausible and in giving the the cast, of which there are many, individual voices which helps to keep track of them all.

Without all the historical detail this would still be an excellent murder mystery - with it it is a delight to hear.

Warming up to the main characters.

As per usual, a plethora of names wash over us in this story of Anglo Dutch peace negotiations in a sweltering London.

Also, our main characters are maybe not always what we have come to think they are?

Thoroughly enjoyable murder mystery

I was gripped from the beginning to the end and will definitely try another in the series.

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Title: The Yellow Admiral

Author: Patrick OBrian

Narrator: Robert Hardy

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-29-11

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The Yellow Admiral the eighteenth novel in the sequence hailed as the greatest series of historical novels ever written sets the fall and rise of Jack Aubrey in brilliant counterpoint to the fall and rise of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Life ashore may once again be the undoing of Jack Aubrey. Even Jacks exploits at sea turn sour in the storm waters off Brest. Worst of all, in the spring of 1814 peace breaks out. But Stephen Maturin returns from a mission in France with news that the Chileans require the service of English officers.

Jack is savouring this reprieve for his career when he receives an urgent dispatch ordering him to Gibraltar: Napoleon has escaped from Elba.

Critic Reviews:

Robert Hardy has a consummate knack of giving timbre and atmosphere to everything he reads. Thats not to dismiss OBrians skillfully constructed adventures, where the dialogue and politics are of a very high order of authenticity. (Time Out)

full of the energy that comes from a writer having struck a vein Patrick O'Brian is unquestionably the Homer of the Napoleonic wars. (James Hamilton-Paterson)

If OBrians novels have become a cult, this is because they are truly addictive They are, quite magnificently, adventure yarns whose superb authenticity never distracts from the sheer thrill of the action. (Caroline Moore, Sunday Telegraph)

Members Reviews:

The best adventure books you will ever read.

I have loved every Aubry/Maturin novel in the series. I supposed one could read just "The Yellow Admiral" alone but that would be a waste as you wouldn't know the depth of the characters and their history together or what the naval terms were. Take my advice and start at the beginning of the series, and you will be greatly entertained. The whole series takes place on frigates and other types of men-of-war during the Napoleonic wars of the early 19th century. The orders from the British High Command take the ship and crew everywhere in the world in order to fight the encroaching French. The two main characters are the captain and his medical officer who become close friends during the years of the novels. They are well written characters: smart, funny without knowing it (thinking of the doctor and his limited knowledge of a ship even after 18 years) and the relationships each has on land. The author has written wonderful, intricate naval adventures that will put the reader on deck with the well-described battles between ships, the life on board a frigate and the characters they encounter in their world travels. Mr. O'Brian should be on everyone's list.

Five Stars

Our old friends continue to uphold British interests around the world. Meanwhile

Not a single false note in this symphony of words

I've never enjoyed another series of books more, including the Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles. Patrick O'Brian wrote extremely intelligent, witty, evocatively descriptive sea-dog tales. One little pleasure is his naming of taverns, such as "The World Turned Upside Down".....isn't that the view from the empty bottom of an upraised glass, and at the same time describes Aubrey on land? The Yellow Admiral is the eighteenth in the series; O'Brian's magic is that the readers crave another and another. I've now read them all and have begun again at the beginning.

BAIT-AND-SWITCH

The link from which I ordered this book said the audio book was read by Simon Vance.

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Title: Shadows and Lies

Author: Marjorie Eccles

Narrator: Nicolette McKenzie

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-26-11

Publisher: Soundings

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

It is 1910 and the bloodstained body of an unknown woman is found in the grounds of Sir Henry Chetwynds Shropshire estate. The murder has an unexpected impact on the lives of Sir Henry, his wife and their two children, Sylvia and Sebastian reluctant heir to the estate since the tragic death of his older brother. But the Chetwynds are not the only ones living under a shadow.

Hannah has lost her memory of the dozen years prior to a serious accident. In an attempt to unravel her past, she writes down her story as far as she can remember. Piecing together the fragments of those missing years, it seems that the ongoing murder investigation in Shropshire could hold the key.

Members Reviews:

first half cumbersome

The second half of this mystery-history-light romance made the listen worthwhile. Eccles tries to weave together several interesting narratives, but not entirely sucessfully. If you like learning a bit of history through fiction, this will interest by parts set during the Boer War. I'll download more of Eccles and hope for as good a story but better told.

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Title: After the Fire

Author: John Pilkington

Narrator: Annie Aldington

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-12-11

Publisher: Soundings

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In 1670, in the turbulent time following the Great Fire, a series of chilling murders shakes Restoration London. All are linked to the new Dorset Gardens Theatre, where feisty young Betsy Brand is playing First Witch in Macbeth. It seems that a shadowy figure called The Salamander, who haunted London during the Fire, has returned to wreak cruel revenge on his enemies.

With the authorities utterly baffled, Betsy takes on a new role as an investigator. She reasons that, perhaps, a clever, courageous actress can unravel the deepening mystery. But soon she faces a more terrible foe than ever stalked upon a stage - and finds her own life is at stake.

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Title: A Murder on London Bridge

Author: Susanna Gregory

Narrator: Gordon Griffin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-13-10

Publisher: ISIS Audio Books

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The murder of a man on London Bridge is the first indication that the Earl of Clarendon's fears of a rebellion may be well-founded. His spy, Thomas Chaloner, suspects the assassin may be a member of a group dedicated to seeing the return of Puritanism, and at the same time he learns of a faction determined to bring back the Catholic Church. As he moves unobtrusively between White Hall, the Strand and the heaving congestion on the Bridge, he becomes aware of an undercurrent of restlessness in the capital.

And it soon becomes clear that the groups he is investigating are planning some extraordinary climax to achieve their separate aims on Shrove Tuesday, which gives him very little time to thwart their intentions

Members Reviews:

A good theme.....

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Better narrator.

What was most disappointing about Susanna Gregorys story?

The narration.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

By not giving the right emphasis on paragraphs

What character would you cut from A Murder on London Bridge?

There were far too many characters and a number could have been cut.

Any additional comments?

I loved the idea of the old London Bridge with the houses on it being the site of a murder..... and I was looking forward to much more historical detail and was very disappointed. I did not get a feel for the characters and did not really care what happened and gave up towards the end.

Atmospheric narrative with good narrator

Unlike Susanna Gregory's other series staring Matthew Bartholomew, the Thomas Chaloner 's books took me a while to get into as the main character is not an easy person to like, tending to be taciturn, remote and aloof, but, after all, Chaloner is a spy not a monk and a physician as in Gregory's other series.

The narration is good, with Gordon Griffin successfully managing an array of different accents and both female and male voices. The plot is solid, with good historic details and enough atmosphere for you to picture the scenes, smell the - often noxious - odours and understand that we are reading about a time that although is not that dissimilar from our own, is nevertheless different.

Not a five star review though as the plot is not one of the best in this long series but certainly worth a listen if you are working your way through all the books and it has stood up to repeated listens.

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Title: Yashimoto's Last Dive

Author: Antony Trew

Narrator: Terry Wale

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-18-10

Publisher: ISIS Audio Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Togo Yashimoto, a ruthless disciplinarian steeped in the samurai tradition, is captain of the Japanese submarine I-357. John Barratt, captain of HMS Restless, is haunted by his wifes death while a prisoner of the Japanese in Changi Jail. Two very different men whose destinies are linked in the deadly game of hide and seek they play out among the islands and atolls of the Mozambique coast.

Damaged while attacking an American freighter, Yashimoto makes for the coast to carry out repairs and to hide. HMS Restless rescues the only surviving crew member of the Fort Nebraska, and on the strength of his report, Barratt sets out after the submarine.

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Title: The Biggest Liar in Los Angeles

Author: Ken Kuhlken

Narrator: Ray Porter

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-14-10

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In 1926, musician Tom Hickey reads in a broadside about a lynching that the Los Angeles newspapers failed to report and discovers that the Negro victim was an old friend. When his neighbor, an LAPD detective, confirms that, officially, the lynching didnt occur, Hickey decides to investigate the murder, earning himself beatings, gunfire meant to dissuade him, and warnings from a Klansman that hes made some formidable enemies. Among them may be infamous Police Chief Two Gun Davis, Examiner publisher and political heavyweight William Randolph Hearst, and Harry Chandler, owner of the Times, who owns more land than any man in the world.

Critic Reviews:

James Ellroy fans will welcome Kuhlken's intriguing sixth California Century mystery.Kuhlken mixes historical and fictional characters with an ease that will remind many of Max Allan Collins's Nate Heller series. He's equally adept at melding the murder inquiry with Hickey's struggles with his dysfunctional family. (Publishers Weekly)

Kuhlken demonstrates his command of keeping a story moving with a meticulously thought-out plot while populating it with believable characters. (Library Journal)

Members Reviews:

A Great Detective Mystery!

I just finished Ken Kuhlken's mystery, The Biggest Liar in Los Angeles, and thoroughly enjoyed it! I was transported to L.A. (an area where I grew up) in the 1920's. The scenes, street names, places, and personages are authentic and the characters come off real and flawed, varied and interesting. The strong moral sense of love and loyalty that pervades those on the protagonist's side wonderfully balances the darker side of L.A.'s secrets and history, making this an easier book to read than many crime mysteries dealing with dark issues of prejudice, mobsters and corruption. I highly recommend this well-written novel that kept me turning pages until 5:30 a.m.!

Great Trip Back in Time

I purchased THE BIGGEST LIAR IN LOS ANGELES because it was the "first" installment, taking the reader back to the protagonist's (Tom Hickey) early days to solve what becomes his first mystery. Never having read any of the other books in the "California Century Novels" series, I wasn't sure what to expect. And never having been to California, I really didn't know what would be normal, whatever normal might be in California. So, with my stereotypical views intact and at play, albeit from a modern, 20th and 21st century paradigm, I dove headlong into this mystery.

I was immediately transported back to 1926 Los Angeles. I was amazed to find that 1926 southern California was not so different than any other southern respository of human prejudice and spiritual degradation that existed in those days. The scenes were real. The descriptions tight and meaningful without becoming verbose and tedious. The dialogue was crisp, and I could hear the accents belt out their language from perspectives about as numerous as the characters.

If you're looking for a good, solid, sleuth type of mystery set somewhere other than in the usual suspects: like all those printed today depicting modernity; or those set way back in historical settings of old like the wild west; or those depicting more famous personages like Mr.

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Title: The Ragtime Fool

Author: Larry Karp

Narrator: Mirron Willis

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-01-10

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

It's 1951 in Sedalia, Missouri, and ragtime is making a comeback. When Brun Campbell, the old Ragtime Kid, learns of a journal kept by Scott Joplin, he hopes to acquire it and use it to convince Sedalia's movers and shakers to set up a ragtime museum. But plenty of other people also want that journal, including a historian who wants to publish it, an old friend of Joplins who wants to suppress it, and two Klansmen who don't care if they have to kill someone to get it.

What's one murder, compared to the Klansmen's grand plan to blow up the high-school auditorium with its integrated audience during a ceremony honoring Joplin? In the middle of this imbroglio is Alan Chandler, a young pianist in love with ragtime. If Alan can stay alive, he may be able to prevent catastrophe and learn what it really means to be black in mid-twentieth-century America.

Critic Reviews:

Karp handles the intricate plot well, but the best part of the book is its picture of people torn between what they want to forget and what they need to remember. (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

For Ragtime and Scott Joplin fans

the series of Ragtime books are great for fans of Scott Joplin and his contemporaries. A very enjoyable read.

Good reading

Well written

Karp concludes his "Ragtime" trilogy with a bang!

Larry Karp's excellent The Ragtime Fool concludes the trilogy which began with The Ragtime Kid. At the end of that book, its titular hero, Brun Campbell, departed Sedalia, Missouri, under a bit of a cloud. Now it's 1951, fifty-two years have passed, and he's a piano-playing barber in Venice, California, doing his best to spread the gospel of ragtime. But it's an uphill battle, so when he learns that Sedalia is planning to honor his mentor, Scott Joplin, Brun makes up his mind to go there, and he lets nothing--not his wife, not his finances, not even the police, who find him "of interest" in a suspicious death--stand in his way. Even more importantly, there's word that Joplin left a journal, and Brun is determined to get his hands on it and get Joplin the recognition he deserves. But others want that journal, as well, and not all of them are fans of Joplin; some others, in fact, want to make sure the journal never again sees the light of day.

In some respects, this book hovers on the verge of being a caper novel. There are, after all, six or seven partnerships, some of them pretty unlikely, prowling the streets of Sedalia on the track of this journal; and there are lots of near-misses as the journal changes hands. There's a sort of romance, too, between a young man who's also crazy about ragtime and the girl who believes in him enough to bankroll him. But there's also a vicious plot looming, to dynamite the high school where the tribute to Joplin is to take place. Indeed, violence frames this novel, from California to Missouri.

As in the previous novels in this trilogy, the cast of The Ragtime Fool is partly real and partly fictional, partly white and partly black, partly good and partly bad. Race plays an important part in the story of ragtime, and so it does in this novel--the casual ugliness of racial bias permeates every neighborhood but one. Happily, there are good people, both black and white, who look after each other and do the right thing.

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Title: Broken Music

Author: Marjorie Eccles

Narrator: Gordon Griffin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-19-10

Publisher: ISIS Audio Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

It is 1919, and Great Britain is still struggling to its feet after the First World War. Progress is slow, even in quiet spots like the village of Broughton Underhill. But moving on is impossible when former police sergeant Herbert Reardon returns to the village, determined to finally find out what happened the night that his daughter was found drowned. However, as Reardon begins to investigate, it becomes clear that secrets still abound.

When Edith Huckaby, a maid from Oaklands Park, is found murdered in exactly the same spot, Reardon is convinced that the two cases are linked. As Reardon tries to discover the truth, his suspects and witnesses are painstakingly trying to rebuild their lives, in a world that has been changed forever.

Members Reviews:

Good but slow

There is a lot of "background" story, which makes it frustrating, as it feels like you're not getting to the actual story. Also a lot of flashbacks.