Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Murder Most Malicious

Subtitle: A Lady and Lady's Maid Mystery, Book 1

Author: Alyssa Maxwell

Narrator: Ellen Archer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-01-16

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 28 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In post-World War I England, Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her lady's maid, Eva Huntford, step outside of their social roles and put their lives at risk to apprehend a vicious killer....

December 1918: As a difficult year draws to a close, there is much to celebrate for 19-year-old Phoebe Renshaw and her three siblings at their beloved family estate of Foxwood Hall. The dreadful war is finally over; eldest daughter Julia's engagement to their houseguest, the marquis of Allerton, appears imminent; and all have gathered to enjoy peace on Earth, goodwill toward men.

But the peace of Foxwood Hall is shattered on the morning of Boxing Day, when the marquis goes missing. Not entirely missing, however, as macabre evidence of foul play turns up in gift boxes given to lady's maid Eva Huntford and a handful of others. Having overheard her sister and the marquis in a heated exchange the night before, Lady Phoebe takes a personal interest in solving the mystery.

As the local constable suspects a footman at Foxwood Hall, Phoebe and Eva follow the clues to a different conclusion. But both young women will need to think outside the box to wrap up this case - before a cornered killer lashes out with ill will toward them....

Members Reviews:

An incredible historical mystery

It is Christmas 1918 in Murder Most Malicious by Alyssa Maxwell, and the Renshaws and their neighbors the Allertons have gathered together to celebrate the new peace. Julia Renshaw is all but engaged to Lord Henry Allerton, but on Christmas, her younger sister Phoebe overhears Julia breaking things off with him. In anger and a sense of ownership of Julia, Lord Allerton threatens the woman and grabs her tightly enough to cause massive bruises.

Boxing Day, the British holiday on December 26, originated when lords would give their serfs the box of their owed supplies for the year, and the Renshaws follow this tradition in giving the staff boxes of Christmas presents and the day off. Eva, the ladies' maid who serves all three daughters of the house, takes her box home to her parents' home, opening it to find a signet ring, but this ring comes with a finger. Upon returning to Foxwood Hall with her box, Eva finds out that she is the sixth servant to receive a finger, and it is apparent that the fingers belong to the missing Lord Allerton. Though the police come to investigate, Phoebe is certain that they are not doing a proper job and determines to investigate herself, using the help of Eva to let her know what is happening below stairs. When the constable arrests a member of the staff, the pair, certain that the man is innocent, get really busy searching for the killer and the still-missing body of Sir Henry Allerton.

I had a great time listening to this book. Even though it contains a fairly large cast of characters, Maxwell draws them with a vivid brush so as to make them appear real and thus easy enough to distinguish from each other. I enjoyed the characters of Phoebe and Eva and appreciated the discussion of the changing social mores that the First World War brought to the world. When Phoebe thinks Eva considers her less important than her two sisters because she is less decorative and conventional, Eva responds by negating that and challenging Phoebe to change the world with her intelligence and bold spirit.

The mystery plot also kept me guessing throughout the book.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: New Orleans Confidential

Subtitle: Lucien Caye Private Eye Stories

Author: O'Neil De Noux

Narrator: Scott Galloway Smith

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-29-16

Publisher: O'NEIL DE NOUX

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Come prowl the lonely, sometimes violent streets of American's most exotic city, the city that care forgot, New Orleans, with a lone-wolf private-eye named Lucien Caye. Unlike most 40s PIs, Caye rarely drinks, doesn't smoke or wear a hat (it messes up his hair). He's six feet tall with wavy, dark brown hair and standard-issue Mediterranean-brown eyes, a sly smile and a clever mind that often gets him into trouble. Caye lives and works in the run-down New Orleans French Quarter of the late 1940s. He has a weakness for women, children and fellow World War II veterans, down on their luck. He knows how to make a decent living but often finds himself working pro-bono - in one case working to find a little girl's missing cat, in another searching for a boy's runaway father and in yet another, canvassing the Quarter for the child who wrote a note to Santa Claus, asking Santa to take him to live with the angels so his mother and father didn't have to buy food for him anymore. They don't have any money. Murder is often the name of the game and Caye sometimes leaves town in pursuit of the truth, usually aiding a pretty woman in need of help, in more ways than one. Unfortunately, the truth is often ugly, often dangerous and usually resides on the loneliest part of town.

Members Reviews:

ATMOSPHERE, MURDER, AND NEW ORLEANS

O'Neil De Nouxs 1940 New Orleans private-eye Lucien Caye is one of the hardboiled genres best kept secrets and, as such, deserves a much wider audience. Listen to Scott Galloway Smiths assured narration of the stories collected in New Orleans Confidential and I have no doubt you will immediately be clamoring for more. De Noux is a prolific author, but I have always been partial to his Lucien Caye stories with their atmosphere drenched period setting and De Nouxs ability to consistently expand the tropes of the private-eye story beyond cliché. I originally read the stories these stories a few years ago and it was great to return to them and gain further appreciation via this terrific audio performanceAn enthusiastic five stars

Lucien Caye's a winner

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this book, it has a little bit for everyone. Scott Galloway Smith did an excellent job. I highly recommend it.

New Orleans of old

Where does New Orleans Confidential rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

This is a wonderful collection of short stories. I love Lucien Caye and how handles all the different challenges presented to him. Scott Galloway Smith's narration really brought the stories to life.

What was one of the most memorable moments of New Orleans Confidential?

When Lucien hellp the little boy and his family at Christmas (I'm not going to say more and give anything away).

Which character as performed by Scott Galloway Smith was your favorite?

Lucien of course.

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

Several, this collection will have different areas that are favorite to each reader.

Any additional comments?

Read this collection and you will want to read/hear more stories of Lucien Caye, good thing O'Neil De Noux has more books out there for you. I highly recommend it.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Treasures of the Sun

Author: T. V. Olsen

Narrator: Jeff Harding

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-14-16

Publisher: Isis Publishing Ltd

Ratings: 1 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Sir Wilbur Tennington sets out on a quest for a lost Incan city. Fraught with danger, he is accompanied by a professor and his student.

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

very good

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: The Constable's Tale

Author: Donald Smith

Narrator: Corey Gagne

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-08-16

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Set in a tumultuous period that helped to forge a nation, a riveting mystery that takes a volunteer constable through the wilds of colonial North Carolina to track down a shadowy killer.

When a traveling peddler discovers the murder of a farm family in colonial North Carolina whose bodies have been left in bizarre positions, circumstances point to an Indian attack. But Harry Woodyard, a young planter who is the volunteer constable of Craven County during a period in America's past when there was no professional police force, finds clues that seem to indicate otherwise. The county establishment wants to blame the crime on a former inhabitant, an elderly Indian who has suddenly reappeared in the vicinity like an old ghost. But he is a person to whom Harry owes much.

Defying the authorities, Harry goes off on his own to find the real killer. His investigation takes him up the Atlantic seacoast and turns into a perilous hunt for even bigger quarry that could affect the future of Britain in the American continent.

Members Reviews:

MY KIND OF HERO; MY KIND OF ADVENTURE

Any additional comments?

The illustration and the voice sample are what piqued my curiosity; the description lacked imagination and didn't set the scene at all which surprised me and left me disoriented.

First the eerie fog of the cover art was very intuitive. A quick google of the topical version of North Carolina, Craven County and Newburg (sp) show a coastline which seems to just ease downhill into the Atlantic, and out of the misty marsh comes this big, fat fingered hand of a river delta curving up north and west. All this is surrounded by deciduous and pine forest; very green, moist, dangerous in places, definitely unfinished and backwoods in feel. It lets you immediately know what it would be like for the hero to go on a journey; inns are infrequent; ships and horseback provide the fastest travel in a nearly undisturbed landscape, weather changeable.

The period is the French & Indian War. The northern colonists are squabbling with the French over the Ohio and two other river territories, aided of course by the British. This was the war Britain could not afford, and, seeking to gain financial assistance from the colonists which, bitterly protested, led to - you remember - the Revolutionary War.

Our young hero, Mr. Harry/Henry Woodyard, well south of the fighting, is in a land owning family, newly married, who, along with his family, farms and raises livestock on which to

live, and also culls pine timber from which to make tar and pitch selling to the shipping industry. I think of him as middle class, because of his hard work, lack of pretentiousness and humble origins (though I think he is 3rd generation already), but he does not. There is an amusing and slightly ironic thread: each chapter is headed by an admonition or directive on how to be a gentleman, something he knows he is not, but as he wants to act as smoothly, correctly and efficiently as he can learn to do, not out of shame, but perhaps with some desire for betterment, he practices them, perhaps to some degree due to having grown up with the local judge (magistrate?)'s daughter, and through some shenanigans ended up being tutored, or tortured,he thought at the time, by him, which included the memorization of these aphorisms. Nevertheless, the judge appointed him Constable.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: The Good Knight

Subtitle: A Gareth and Gwen Medieval Mystery

Author: Sarah Woodbury

Narrator: Laurel Schroeder

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-28-15

Publisher: Sarah Woodbury

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 90 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Intrigue, suspicion, and rivalry among the royal princes casts a shadow on the court of Owain, king of north Wales....

The year is 1143, and King Owain seeks to unite his daughter in marriage with an allied king. But when the groom is murdered on the way to his wedding, the bride's brother tasks his two best detectives - Gareth, a knight, and Gwen, the daughter of the court bard - with bringing the killer to justice.

And once blame for the murder falls on Gareth himself, Gwen must continue her search for the truth alone, finding unlikely allies in foreign lands and ultimately uncovering a conspiracy that will shake the political foundations of Wales.

Members Reviews:

The Good Knight

I love historical novels! I appreciate that she starts the story and weaves the backgrounds of the characters into the story as we go. I am ready to read the next book in the series as I wait for the next Outlander book!

Romance

Would you consider the audio edition of The Good Knight to be better than the print version?

I liked this book and the way it was set up and the narrator was very good too. I like that it was not just in one town and moved . very good

Who was your favorite character and why?

Gwen

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

it made me think when she would do the "spying "

Any additional comments?

I could picture the book in my mind as i read it ..

Just as good as the book.

I've read the book for this one, and just like the After Cilmeri series it follows along quite well. There weren't any stops or weird pauses except when my phone decided to be weird about playback. I did notice a few times where the voices sounded far too similar to each other so it was a little difficult to tell which character was speaking, but aside from that Ms. Schroeder did an exceptional job.

Good mystery

Liked the characters, good plotline and satisfying conclusion while still leaving something for the series. What I didn't like was that for me some of the names, at least in the audio version, were so similar that I kept mixing up the characters.

decent story horrible word usage

The story was interesting and entertaining. I struggled with the author only using the word Said throughout the entire book. Use a Thesaurus and this would be an amazing book.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Wine of Violence

Subtitle: The Medieval Mysteries, Book 1

Author: Priscilla Royal

Narrator: Wanda McCaddon

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-23-15

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 24 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Late summer, 1270. Although the Simon de Montfort rebellion is over, the smell of death still hangs over the land. In the small priory of Tyndal, the monks and nuns of the Order of Fontevraud long for a return to routine. Their hopes are dashed, however, when the young and inexperienced Eleanor of Wynethorpe is appointed their new prioress. Only a day after her arrival, a brutally murdered monk is found in the cloister gardens, and Brother Thomas, a young priest with a troubled past, arrives to bring her a more personal grief. Now Eleanor must not only struggle to gain the respect of her terrified and resentful flock but also cope with violence, lust, and greed.

Members Reviews:

Weak , bland, boring

I am very fond of historical novels. I have seen Royal's name and finally tried this one. Waste of time. Not to be mentioned in company with Penman, Dunnett, Weir output.

Wonderful Story

I truly enjoyed this story. Well-developed characters and a plot with plenty of twists. My only slight objection is to the title, which I think might have been better. Great writing. I look forward to reading or listening to the rest of the series.

Enjoyable Medieval whodunit

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes - an easy read for historical detective addicts, read it almost in one.

What did you like best about this story?

Eleanor, the new prioress. Intelligent, intuitive, with a sense of humour - and of course beautiful.

Also the details about the monastery life.

What about Wanda McCaddons performance did you like?

I have heard Wanda McCaddon on different books - all clear performances that help the book along with good rhythm and almost perfect diction.

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

It is not high drama - but does have humour in the perennial quirks of people.

Any additional comments?

At the very end there are some anachronistic reflections on morality which were superfluous.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: The Bone Hunters

Author: Robert J. Mrazek

Narrator: Christopher Lane

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-01-15

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 59 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The award-winning author of Valhalla brings back archaeologist Lexy Vaughan and retired Air Force officer Steve Macaulay, as they race to save a priceless discovery from disappearing forever....

One of the greatest archaeological finds of all time, Peking Man, the 780,000-year-old remains of our earliest known human ancestor, disappeared during World War II from a cargo ship bound for America.

Now the Chinese government is fighting to keep a new religion from taking hold - a faith based on the belief that Peking Man is God. And they dispatch ruthless operatives to find and destroy the world's most priceless fossil.

But the U.S. government has its own team on the hunt. From the mountains of Bavaria to the jungles of Central America and across the vast Pacific, Professor Barnaby Finchem, his brilliant protégé, Lexy Vaughan, and pilot Steve Macaulay will brave the wrath of nature and of man to win a race against unbridled tyranny....

Members Reviews:

Disappointing

Would you try another book from Robert J. Mrazek and/or Christopher Lane?

Yes, because I loved his first book, "Valhalla" and Christopher Lane is one of my favorite narrators.

What was most disappointing about Robert J. Mrazeks story?

The story seemed to go around and around in circles without every really getting anywhere. Although the summary made it sound interesting, especially with the subject being the Peking Man fossils, they aren't mentioned much through the story. Many times, the writer went off on dead end tangents that didn't seem to be relevant. It lost my interest by about section 18 and I felt so bored I just gave up.

What does Christopher Lane bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

Christopher Lane is usually so good at many different voices and accents. However in this one his portrayal of the Chinese adversaries is really poor.

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

Not really.

Any additional comments?

I had really looked forward to Robert J. Mrazek's next book after "Valhalla" because that one was so intriguing. It almost feels like he wasn't sure where he wanted to go with this one and did not seem to stick very well to the initial idea of finding Peking Man. He gave very little background on the history of Peking Man or the supposed 'religion" that sprang from it or why it did. Nor did he give much background into why the Chinese government was so intense in their search for it. It almost seemed like he started out with a good idea but didn't take enough time to develop a good plot.

Ending misses the mark

What did you like best about The Bone Hunters? What did you like least?

Just like his book Valhalla, Mrazek does something inexplicably odd in the last sentences of this book. It is confusing and frustrating. I don't know what he is trying to convey by having a female protagonists in both books mentally "check out" at the very end of the book. So baffling I will not try another of his books.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Gone to Sea in a Bucket

Subtitle: A Harry Gilmour Novel, Book 1

Author: David Black

Narrator: James Langton

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-16-15

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 24 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Like all young men of a certain age, Harry Gilmour had his own notion of how a naval battle should be. This wasn't it.

Norway, 1940: Sub Lieutenant Harry Gilmour's first encounter with battleship action is not the adventure he had hoped for. Faced with a thankless task and ill equipped to handle it, Gilmour's inexperience leads to a damning allegation. His future hangs in the balance.

But then Lieutenant Peter Dumaresq steps in to offer him a lifeline - an advanced navigation course that will take him aboard a crack submarine, HMS Pelorus, under the command of a Royal Navy hero. Faced with a possible court martial, Harry chooses life underwater. Once aboard, however, Harry is confronted for the first time by the full horror of submarine warfare. If he can just overcome his fears, it will be the making of him.

Because survival itself is the challenge now. For Harry and the rest of the crew, the next depth charge could be the one that sinks them.

Members Reviews:

A Great Yarn

What made the experience of listening to Gone to Sea in a Bucket the most enjoyable?

Its a great story which gives you the feeling you are in the sub with the crew. I had an expectation when I purchased the book but in reality it far exceeds my expectation.

Who was your favorite character and why?

A difficult one but probably Harry. You almost felt you were him when listening to the book.

What does James Langton bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you had only read the book?

James read the book with very clear diction and didnt send me to sleep as many narrators do!

Listening to the book in bed, in the dark, gives you the feeling that you are there.

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

Id like to have listened to in one sitting but couldnt spare eleven hours.

Any additional comments?

This is only the second book I have listened to on Audible and was a truly amazing experience.

wow! What a thrilling read....lots of tension

fantastic read...lots of detail and delivered in an interesting way.tThe narrator is one of the best I've heard...reallly captures the moment...i had to switch off before bed when the escape scene was on...otherwise no sleep!!! I will definitely read the rest in the series.

Gone to sea in a bucket

Good book very realistic shows what happens in war and how people cope with it

A cracker for your book bucket list

Enthralling, realistic, with pace and elegance. Takes you to periscope depth, to the submariners' world, to 1940. Read and enjoy.

Brilliant

I absolutely loved this audio book, fantastic characters, and a really good story. One of the best, if not the best audio book I have listened to so far. Highly recommended.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Murder on St. Mark's Place

Subtitle: Gaslight Mystery Series #2

Author: Victoria Thompson

Narrator: Callie Beaulieu

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-10-15

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 80 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Thinking that she has been summoned by German immigrant Agnes Otto to usher a new life into the world, midwife Sarah Brandt is greeted by the news of an untimely death instead. It seems that Agnes' beautiful younger sister, Gerda, had fallen into the life of a "charity girl". Caught up in the false glamour of the city's nightlife, she would trade her company and her favors for lavish gifts. And now she was dead - victim, no doubt, of one of her "gentlemen friends".

No one cares much about the fate of girls like Gerda, but Sarah does. To find her killer, she turns to Sergeant Frank Malloy. As the two pursue an investigation that leads from the bright lights of Coney Island to the stately homes of Fifth Avenue, they find that their shared passion for justice may cost them dearly.

Members Reviews:

great book

My mom has been telling me for years to read this series. Thought would be boring but have really been enjoying. Good writing, plot and listening.

gaslight mystery series

great story. I didn't figure out who the bad guy was until very close to the end. suspense kept me turning pages, and when listening, kept my steps slower so I could hear what happened next! if you enjoy clean (no R rated scenes) this is a cozy mystery you will enjoy.

very good story& performance

it is excellent book exciting from the first to the last pages

the story line is unique and a good example of turn of the

century life in New York the mystery holds you though out the whole book I personally read hundreds of books and this one rates up there with best of them

Promising!

Im glad I decided to keep going with this series, I can honestly say I liked book 2 much more than book 1!

I like the relationship between Sarah and Frank along with their respective back-stories, and the fact that the books are set in turn-of-the-century New York City; these are the elements that will keep me going with the series.

As for the actual crime / murder plots: I remain underwhelmed. The set-ups are simplistic and solving them feels like a series of lucky coincidences however based on the way book 2 ended I am hopeful that things will become more interesting in future instalments.

Just a bit too ...

I enjoyed the book but would have enjoyed it more if the author was just a bit more balanced in her views of men and women. It seems men are to be forgiven nothing and women are to be blamed for nothing. We are, in fact, all humans together.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Poseidon's Gold

Subtitle: The Marcus Didius Falco Mysteries, Book 5

Author: Lindsey Davis

Narrator: Simon Prebble

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-30-15

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 74 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

After six months in wild Germania, imperial gumshoe Marcus Didius Falco is back in Rome sweet Rome - but his apartment has been ransacked. And although he desperately needs 400,000 sesterces in order to marry his aristocratic love, Helena, his only client is his mother, who insists that he find out whether the scandalous claims against his dead brother, Festus, are true. Then the chief tarnisher of Festus' good name is murdered, and Marcus becomes the prime suspect. Someone is definitely fiddling with the scales of justice. The more Marcus hunts for the thread that will lead him out of this doom-laden labyrinth of misery and mystery, the less his life is worth - except, as seems likely, as a meal for the emperor's hungry lions.

Members Reviews:

I really enjoy this series

I really enjoy this series, the descriptions of Romans going about their daily business and explanations of food, clothing, etc. How daily life was lived then. The mystery is a good one, but how it is solved is timely (to 71A.D.).

Four Stars

Rome comes alive with characters of emotional depth and humor

This is a classy history mystery

This book is fun as all get out. This is not great literature but, is fun reading that teaches while it entertains. Well, maybe it is fine literature.

Fallout from Festus

Facing the fallout from the intrigues of his now-dead brother Festus, Falco and his father manage to clear things up. Less local color, it felt, in this murder mystery.

funny.

Brisk, funny.