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Title: Unbecoming Habits

Author: Tim Heald

Narrator: John Lee

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-19-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

For the sake of honey, Bognor investigates a cabal of treasonous monks. As the friars of the abbey gather for group prayer, Brother Luke stays in the garden. His tardiness is not due to an overenthusiasm for his potatoes, but to the fact that he is lying facedown in the dirt, strangled to death by his own crucifix. For Simon Bognor, this will prove inconvenient. A special investigator attached to the British Board of Trade, Bognor knows that Brother Luke was an undercover agent, come to look into charges of national agriculture secrets being smuggled across the Iron Curtain in jars of the abbeys famous honey. Someone killed to protect the apiary espionage, and Bognor assumes with irritation that whoever did it will kill again. A portly desk jockey with a bad eye for detail and no experience with danger in the field, Bognor approaches the abbey hesitantly, certain that among these lambs of God lurks a wolf with a taste for blood.

Members Reviews:

Mixed reactions to this book

So It's not easy to write this review. I have mixed feelings about this book. First of all--to give it it's due--it was written in the early 1970's, so one must think in that time frame . Simon Bognor is an unlikely investigator sent to look into the murder of an undercover agent who had been posing as a religious in a friary. Bognor has little experience in doing this sort of work, and is not completely sure he wants to go anyway. But he gets there, and has to sort out murders that take place in a friary that sells it's signature honey to other parts of Europe.Only Bognor suspects the honey-selling is not what it seems--are they sending out more than honey? This book, recall, was written during the time of the Cold-War.

So the book is okay--I think I'll try another in the series. But I'm not crazy about the narrator. Although in one way, he perfectly gives the flavor of the stilted stereotypical British mannerisms that are often amusing, his voice (to me) would be better suited to a Monty Python episode (and I do love Monty Python--but perhaps not here). There is some dry wit in the book, so perhaps that works. However, as I listened, I found myself "translating" what I was listening to into how it might have sounded in my own mind if I had been reading the book (with my American accent). And I discovered I liked, or at least understood, it better that way. I felt that the prissy snobbish style would have worked better in a British country house mystery than the different environment of the friary where all the people came from various backgrounds.

However, that is my taste. I'm pretty sure that the narrator fully intended to push the limits of that sort of snobbish, crisp upper class (and maddening) style of speech. And I'm sure it probably works well with the book--except that I simply did not like it. I love it in PG Wodehouse works, but not this one. Others may find it hilarious. I also felt he read just a little bit too fast--kept feeling I was often one sentence behind in listening. All that being said, I still enjoyed the book, see promise for the next ones.

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Title: Found

Subtitle: A Matt Royal Mystery

Author: H. Terrell Griffin

Narrator: Steven Roy Grimsley

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-18-14

Publisher: Oceanview Publishing

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 13 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

The quiet of Longboat Key, Florida, is shattered when an old man is shot to death and his murderer is killed while fleeing the police. Strange documents in German and Arabic are found in the killer's car then an old friend of the murdered man disappears.

The island's only detective, Jennifer Diane (J.D.) Duncan, receives a text message with a picture taken that morning of a college friend whom she thought was dead. Matt Royal and J.D. are pursued by men who would do them harm, and Matt's best friend, Jock Algren, a shadowy operative of the U.S. government's most secretive intelligence agency, comes to visit the island.

As the mystery deepens, a ragtag group of devious and dangerous characters intrudes on the lives of the islanders, creating a kind of havoc unusual for a sun-splashed island full of retirees and beach bums. Matt, J.D., and Jock rush to find the answer to why one old man was killed and another disappeared, the meaning of the photo sent to J.D. of her almost surely dead college friend, and why somebody is trying to kill them.

Members Reviews:

Another great Longboat Key thriller!

The Matt Royal series is superb. Of the three I have listened to this is my favorite.

Another Good Matt Royal

I like these novels and enjoy the characters with all their foibles. They are human and believable. This has a lite WWII history intertwined and that put a different spin on the story. I listen while driving to and from work - truly look forward to the drive with this series!

Narration is excellent!

Boring !

Can't be bothered to finish. Far too much unnecessary descriptive narrative.

The reader did a good job, if only to stay awake.

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Title: Making the Rules

Author: Doranna Durgin

Narrator: Caroline Shaffer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-24-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

A stand-alone action-romance book in the Hunter Agency series of the former Silhouette Bombshell line

Kimmer Reed is a Hunter Agency operative, a street foundling escaped from an abusive family and raised to be code-name Chimera - a fierce, savvy loner with a natural gift for reading people. Now on her first assignment with the one man she trusts - the one man she can't read - she finds herself overseas in the Basque countryside, framed for the theft of the very antiquity she has been sent to guard and doubting her ability to work with a partner at all - never mind the man she loves.

Rio Carlsen, former CIA field officer who left the agency with scars both physical and emotional, joins Hunter Agency field operations with reservations - and only because his partner is Kimmer. Now he's caught in the schemes of a woman from Kimmer's past. Political terrorism, antiquities theft, and revenge - this woman wants it all, and she's on her way to getting it.

Framed, cut off from the agency, and tangled in Basque Nationalist splinter terrorist groups, the biggest challenge Kimmer and Rio face is coming to terms with their pasts and with each other - so they can live through the day on the way to saving it.

Members Reviews:

Finally, a female lead who knows what she's doing

I came into this series through Making the Rules. Yes,there are references to things that happpened in other books, and I felt if I liked this book well enough, I'd hunt down those books and "get" those references. In the meantime, I let my imagination fill in the chinks and went on with the story.

I applaud the author for not over explaining every crack in the road, which has been a negative issue with so many category books. A writer should have respect for the reader, and Durgin does just that. Even more important, Kimmer's talents are earned through hard work, not miracles. By the end of this book, I knew I'd be rearranging my budget to be able fill my Kindle with more Hunter Agency books.

A real winner. I wish I'd discovered her before but am thrilled I have her large body of books to enjoy in the future.

Ya Kimmer and Rio

I was so delighted to get this story. I have read the first 2 books so it was nice to get this one. Yaa Kindle. I like the way the the characters evolved, just like life.

Kimmer and Rio

This book keeps you gripped until the end.

Lots of action and a great plot.

Kimmer is a great girl and she kicks ass!

Great read!!!

This is a fast paced book. It keeps your interest from the start and is hard to put down If you are looking for a story to help you fall asleep, don't pick this one. Kimmer and Rio are a good match, work well together, worry about each other and get the job done. Doranna Durgin has given us another great book. Too bad the series was pulled by print publisher

I've been waiting for this book for years!

This book has a lot of action, great characters, and some romance (but not steamy sex scenes - if you're looking for that, this isn't the book for you). All this and an actual interesting plot too! I've been a Doranna Durgin fan for years, because she consistently delivers all the things I like in a book, and she doesn't disappoint in this, her first self-published book, either.

This is the third book in Durgin's "Hunter Agency" series.

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Title: An Unholy Mission

Author: Judith Campbell

Narrator: Christy Lynn

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 01-10-14

Publisher: Judith C Campbell

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Rev. Olympia Brown is serving as a chaplain in a Boston hospital when she finds a colleague in a compromising situation involving a patient. Things rapidly move from uncomfortable to unsafe, and Olympia ends up running for her life. Even Father Jim, her partner in sleuthing, and Frederick, Olympia's lovable Englishman, can't protect her from a murderous psychopath with an unholy mission.

Members Reviews:

The entire series is fantastic. You might wonder just how one minister can ...

This is part of Judith Campbell's Olympia Brown series. The entire series is fantastic. You might wonder just how one minister can get so embroiled in some mystery, but being a curious human like everyone else does help. Olympia Brown is a very believable character and one you can easily identify with. From her slightly mysterious connection with the possible ghost of her house's previous owner to her reconnection with her first-born daughter that she had to give up to adoption to her English lover, this series is a winner in my book. (pun intended!) It's a great summer reading series! If you are a mystery lover, this series is for you,

Enjoyable reading, but secondary characters need more development

I've been enjoying all the Olympia Brown mysteries, but I found the "bad guy" in this story a bit undeveloped. It was hard to understand why he did what he did and why Olympia cared. I enjoy Judith Campbell's plots and the "cozy" kind of mysteries that she writes, which remind me of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple stories, but one of the strengths of Christie's writing was her character development, whereas I find Campbell's characters a bit flat and not as interesting. Olympia herself is developing well through the series as more and more of her personality, relationships and history are revealed, and I am enjoying finding out more about her priest friend, but I think she needs to make her secondary characters more interesting and complex so they balance the depth of her protagonist and so we care more how the plots turn out.

Rev. Olympia Brown just keeps getting better

I love the fact that underneath a quirky cozy lurks theology and the inner works of the faith "biz".

Rev. Judith Campbell brings her love of church life to her warm, funny characters. In her most recent book, Olympia finds herself in a new situation, but brings her wonderfully practical sensibilities with her.

I really enjoy the regular characters - Olympia, Frederick and Jim - and enjoy getting to know all her children (including the four leggeds). I look forward to the next Olympia Brown mystery.

Liz M.

This book is the 4th Olympia Brown Mystery. It was a good book and a relatively easy read since I already knew about the main characters, ie Olympia, Jim and Frederick as we'll as Olympia' s resident ghost. It was not as fast paced as the previous books but all and all I liked the book and recommend it and as well as the previous books and can't wait for the next one to come out.

I like Judith's ability to explore a very serious subject - ...

I like Judith's ability to explore a very serious subject - in this case clergy sexual abuse - in a wonderful mystery. The location is Martha's Vineyard in the summer. I have read all of her series now and can't wait for the next one.

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Title: Rotten Lies

Subtitle: A Lee Ofsted Mystery

Author: Aaron Elkins, Charlotte Elkins

Narrator: Julia Farhat

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-27-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

New Mexico has more than its share of unique and well-publicized attributes, but the one they prefer to play down is the fact that they lead the United States in lightning deaths per capita. Thus, the Cottonwood Creek Country Club of Los Alamos, which is hosting the High Desert Women's Classic golf tournament, takes elaborate measures to ensure that the numbers don't go up during the high-profile tournament.

Nevertheless, disaster strikes. On the very first morning, Ted Guthrie, the chairman of the club's board of directors, is killed when a bolt of lightning strikes the umbrella he is holding aloft at the second tee; a shocking, once-in-a-million accident. Or is it? Guthrie just happens to be the most reviled man in town, and for all the best reasons, so that his death is received more with relief than in sorrow, although most would say they would have preferred a less sensational exit.

Struggling golfer Lee Ofsted, knocked out of the tournament by an elbow injury and now scrambling to meet her expenses by providing color commentary for the TV coverage, finds herself beginning to wonder - with good reason - just how accidental Guthrie's death was. She takes her fears to the police, but they are understandably unimpressed. How, they ask, do you arrange someone's death via lightning bolt? No, this was simply an unfortunate accident, nothing more. They advise Lee to stick to her job and leave them to theirs. But her suspicions of foul play are heightened when her friend Boyd Marriner, the TV producer, promptly falls dead on consuming a takeout meal of chiles rellenos and black beans.

Fortunately, her new love interest, Carmel police lieutenant Graham Sheldon, shows up unannounced. Despite his better judgment he is pulled into her hunt for the cunning killer that lurks behind the scenes. Before they are through, the two of them will come frighteningly close to being one more "unfortunate accident" statistic. Like its predecessor, A Wicked Slice, Rotten Lies is set against a backdrop of high-society country-clubbers, low-society golfers, and the travails of earning a living on the professional golf tour.

Editorial Reviews:

This is a light, fun mystery with a fresh setting: the golf course. When golfer Lee Ofsted has to exit the High Desert Women's Classic tournament because of an elbow injury, she turns to investigating the mysterious deaths that have been taking place on the course. Fortunately, her love interest, a California police lieutenant, shows up to help her crack the cases - although the two narrowly miss becoming victims themselves. An enjoyable romp ably narrated by Julia Farhat, who does excellent unique voices for each character.

Members Reviews:

getting better

The second book definitely a step up from the first. Can't remember one grammatical misstep. The mystery was good too. Our heroine Lee is like a grown up Nancy Drew.

great story

I really enjoyed this story. It kept me interested and not wanting to quit reading. Brought back memories of golf days and visiting tournaments.

Elkins is now a fav

Enjoyed the story immensely. Enjoyed the pace, the characters; their motives made sense; ending was a surprise. Have added this author team to my favs.

Good new Elkins series

Enjoyable read. There are interesting characters.

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Title: Dead Weight

Author: Lori Avocato

Narrator: Amy Rubinate

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-25-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Nothing - not even murder - keeps Pauline Sokol off the case. Pauline Sokol, ex-RN turned medical insurance fraud investigator, finds herself embroiled in a scam at a weight loss clinic in the scenic New Mexico desert. As if being undercover isn't bad enough, she's not allowed to eat chocolate, she lives in a body suit that weighs a ton, and her roommate turns out to be a mysteriously hot guy! Nearly finished with what seems to be an open-and-shut case, Pauline befriends a woman who is an undercover reporter, also interested in the goings-on at the weight loss clinic. Pauline is grateful for the help - until that help turns up dead. Pauline knows the clock is ticking - and it's not just counting down how long until she can get a candy bar. Back to square one and the probable need to turn to her handsome, but incorrigible, co-worker, Jagger. Pauline must rely on her nursing skills as well as her ever-increasing skills as an investigator - despite her wish not to be one.

Members Reviews:

Predictable Good

I've just discovered "Pauline Spool" aka author Lori Avocato and I can't stop reading or smiling. Funny and romantic but not goofy. This installment was a little surprising, but still the same well thought out female sleuth p.I. well thought out mystery/romance. You may want to read this after A Dose if Murder to better understand plot . Enjoy. peace

Awkward and plotless

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

I enjoy Amy Rubinate's work, which is why I tried this. However, the story was just terrible and made virtually NO sense. There wasn't even any real mystery to follow or clues to uncover and the narrative jumped from scene to scene without any connection.

Has Dead Weight turned you off from other books in this genre?

Absolutely

What aspect of Amy Rubinates performance would you have changed?

I like her performance. I wish she had better material to work with here.

What character would you cut from Dead Weight?

ALL of them -- it's a waste of time.

Any additional comments?

I won't try this author again.

MOVES LIKE JAGGER...

It's predictable ..but moves along....like the concept..yippee skippy kisses ole dark eyes!!!

That is good enough for a casual read.

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Title: A Despicable Mission

Author: Judith Campbell

Narrator: Christy Lynn

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-06-13

Publisher: Judith C Campbell

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

It's summer on the picture book island of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Olympia Brown is the summer minister, and she suspects that an elderly parishioner is the target of a nasty confidence operation.

Much to the consternation of her colleague, Father Jim, and Frederick, her English gentleman, Olympia puts her own life in danger when she intervenes. Sparks fly, tempers flare, and Olympia ends up on the wrong side of a loaded gun. Fans of Campbell's "Mission Mysteries" will love Olympia Brown's latest adventure.

Members Reviews:

A wonderful book in a wonderful series

I have just finished all three of the Rev. Olympia Brown books and love the characters. I enjoy the blend of mystery and UU sensibilities.

Thanks to Judith Campbell for three enjoyable adventures. My husband and I live in Tucson now, but met and fell in love Harvard Square, so the books feel like home. Also, I was a Unitarian Universalist Administrator in New England, so I love the inside church workings. They are very accurate, but not too accurate.

The mysteries are well crafted, the characters are realistic and very human. They make mistakes, are vulnerable, and yet do the right thing in the end. A Despicable Mission brings threads from the two prior books together with cranky New Englanders on Martha's Vineyard. While Olympia is trying to figure out what to do in the next stage of her life, she is presented with a mystery involving some of the island's oldest residents.

I look forward to more evenings with Olympia and company. This series is not to be missed.

Great read! Great price!

I happened upon Judith Campbell's books via a post on Facebook from my good friend who is a Unitarian Universalist minister. As a fellow UU, I couldn't wait to read Campbell's first book! And, lo and behold, the book (Kindle edition) was definitely priced to tempt one to take a chance on an unknown author. I certainly wasn't disappointed and would have paid more! A Despicable Mission is the third book in the Olympia Brown mystery series and I enjoyed it greatly, just as I did the first two books. Campbell's books have realistic characters, good plot lines and a supernatural twist with the lovely spirit that inhabits her home. For UUers, you'll love the themes of social justice and personal ethics that run through the books.

Great philosophy of life

Powerful way to handle a difficult situation. Great philosophy of life.

BUY THIS BOOK!

Another Olympia Brown Mystery that lives up to the Master Reverend Detective! Just enough danger to bring out the "quick breath in" but not so much that you think you're reading a horror story. This entire series is a must-read for any mystery buffs. It's just enough uniqueness that a minister plays detective and involves her paramour and her best friend!

More excitement for Reverend Brown

I enjoyed this mystery by Judith Campbell, perhaps even more than the others in her series since there was more excitement. The characters are developing, especially Olympia's priest friend. I'd like her to develop her "English gentleman friend" into more of a full person rather than a bit of a caricature of the English gentleman.

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Title: An Unsafe Pair of Hands

Author: Chris Dolley

Narrator: George Orlando

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 10-08-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 22 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Peter Shand is the 'safe pair of hands' - a high-flying police administrator seconded to a quiet rural CID team to gain the operational experience he needs for promotion. On his second day he's thrust into a high-profile murder case. A woman's body is discovered in an old stone circle - with another woman buried alive beneath her.

The pressure on Shand is enormous.The media is clamoring for answers, but everything about the case is baffling. Then a local journalist singles out Shand as the reason for the lack of progress, and goads him at a press conference. Shand responds by inventing a lead, andkeeps on lying - to the press, his boss, his team - telling himself that he'll solve the case before anyone finds out. And then another murder occurs. And had there been a third?

Shand begins to doubt his ability. He's desperate, increasingly unpredictable, pursued by an amorous psychic, and somehow gaining a reputation for arresting livestock. Which will break first? The case, or Shand? Chris Dolley is a New York Times best-selling author.

Editorial Reviews:

London police administrator Peter Shand has been sent to gain field experience out in the country, and unfortunately for him, his first case is a real whodunit. As the slow-moving case gains intense scrutiny, Shand begins to lie about details of the case, hopeful that he can solve it before the lies spin out of control. Chris Dolley invents a compelling and flawed protagonist, unsure and somewhat bumbling in the face of immense pressure. In contrast, George Orlando gives a stunningly assured performance, his deep and rumbling voice proving solid and steadfast in a way Shand wishes he could be.

Members Reviews:

Good Story, Below Par Narration

Peter Shand was in his current position because he needed some hands on experience as an investigator. Until now all of his police work had involved administrative evaluation of cases handled by other CID officers. While he was excellent at what he did it did not prepare him for what would happen when the quiet rural patch he had been sent to would become the center of a media frenzy when a woman's body is found in the center of a stone circle with another woman buried alive beneath her.

He also finds that far from peaceful, the village has a simmering underbelly where incomers are fighting with villagers for control, where the weapons are Parish Counsel elections, livestock, and local legends.

The book was quite fun as poor Peter struggles to get his feet under him as he deals with a local psychic, a malicious reporter, and another murder.

The only problem I had was with the narrator. While he wasn't terrible in the sense that you could clearly understand his voice except when he came up with some very peculiar pronunciations of "denouement" and "assuage". He had a middle of the road US accent except when he assayed some truly dreadful local accents-- I had no idea what part of the UK he was aiming for with these.

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Title: Key Lime Blues

Subtitle: A Wes Darling Mystery

Author: Mike Jastrzebski

Narrator: Kevin Pierce

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-26-13

Publisher: Mike Jastrzebski

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

For most people working in the family business means suits, power lunches and afternoon meetings. For Wes Darling it was guns, lies, and dead bodies. The Darling Detective Agency has been around since 1876. Now Wes' chain smoking, stressed out mother is grooming Wes to take over. How does he handle his mother's expectations? He heads to Key West, moves onto a sailboat, and takes a job tending bar at a little joint called Dirty Alvin's. Life is carefree until his mother's lover, a man who mentored Wes for years, is murdered a short distance from Dirty Alvin's. Despite his reluctance, Wes is drawn into a tightening web of murder, sex and deceit. First there are his mother's pleas for help. Throw in a six-foot-tall red-headed stripper, a retired mobster who acts like it's the 1940s, a pair of dim-witted hit men, a phobic psychic named Elvis, and a small fortune in stolen diamonds and what do you have? Mayhem in Key West.

Members Reviews:

Middle of the road

Ive very middle of the road about this book. One the good side the story is interesting, the characters are great and if found it generally very entertaining. I kept wondering what was going to happen next and how was Wes possibly going to get out of this one. On the other hand the writing, especially the dialog, felt a little stiff (but that may have been from reading of the narrator). The author does a lot of explaining of Wes thought process and why (in his mind) he does or doesnt do things which is nice but maybe trading that out for a little more action in those scenes might have been better. Overall I thought it was pretty good and entertaining and would probably continue with the series for at least one more book especially with the added fun of the story being set in Key West.

Like I said I couldn't tell if it was the dialog or the Narrator which made some parts seem a bit stiff, but overall I think Mr Pierce did a pretty good job for this type of book (Wes is pretty rigid). His voice for Wes' mom did sound like a guy which bothered me a bit (not sure if he was trying to make her sound more like a chain smoker), but the other voices were good.

Good storyline, great setting

Would you consider the audio edition of Key Lime Blues to be better than the print version?

Did not read the print version

What was one of the most memorable moments of Key Lime Blues?

Not one in particular, but the story kept me guessing at what would come next.

What about Kevin Pierces performance did you like?

The different voices for the characters was quite well done

Any additional comments?

Key West is not an easy setting to describe, nor is the local "VIBE", but I think that the author did quite well in that respect

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Title: Hawk Moon - A Robert Payne Mystery

Subtitle: Robert Payne Mysteries

Author: Ed Gorman

Narrator: Kevin Scollin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-11-13

Publisher: Crossroad Press

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Two beautiful Indian women are found dead with their noses cut off - an old Indian practice to punish infidelity - in this suspenseful second mystery by best-selling author Ed Gorman.

The mutilation murders stun the quiet Iowa town of Cedar Rapids and call for the special skills of criminal psychologist Robert Payne, who uses clues from the crime scene to piece together a psychological portrait of the killer. The prime suspect is another Indian, David Rhodes, who is estranged from his wife, police detective Cindy Rhodes - and the woman with whom Payne is starting to fall in love.

David Rhodes may have been morally outraged because the two murdered women were exploiting young girls in a prostitution ring. However, Payne discovers that the crime bears an eerie resemblance to a case involving a young Indian brave at the turn of the century. And when David is attacked by two well-established white men who clearly have something to hide, suspicion starts to shift. Payne uncovers another link to the town's frontier past - and finds that a prominent Cedar Rapids family guards a dark secret.

Members Reviews:

A good story well told

There are two parallel stories, one in 1903, the other in the present. I found both to be quite compelling. A good read.

MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN

I have to hand it to Ed Gorman. This second entry in his Robert Payne "Moon" series clearly demonstrates just how nice a guy this Payne really is. Although sometimes you might think he comes across as being too good, or too nice, you can't help but like and yes, admire, this man. He has a strong sense of friendship and love; his reminiscences of his deceased wife are some of the most touching in modern crime fiction. You know Payne really loved this woman. And his relationships with different characters in both books further proves that Payne is probably the nicest "detective" out there.

As for the plot of this one, it's a little complex and sometimes incoherent, but it moves well, and once again, his parallel story telling ties the two segments together nicely. Particularly unique is his handling of Anna Tolan, a police investigator back in 1903, who in addition to trying to solve a similar case to Payne's in the nineties, is having doubts about her relationship with Trace Wydmore, a nice young man who is trying to score a "home run" with the virginal young girl. Considering the times, one can understand both Anna and Trace's different problems. Their dialogue rings so true, it's refreshing.

The murders that Payne has to solve lead him to a belligerent Native American named David Rhodes, whose estranged wife, just happens to be policewoman Cindy Rhodes. I'll say one thing for Iowa---they certainly advanced women's lib in their use of women as police officers.

The supporting characters are appropriately shady and/or nice, and Payne's adventures with the two elderly Native Americans who want to fly in his biplane is extraordinary.

A great novel in spite of its minor flaws.

Murder in Cedar Rapids

A good novelist is like a magician. He or she leads the reader (audience) one way and then pulls off a trick maneuver. Here Gorman is at his best. I always liked Sam McCain, Gorman's 1950's detective. Here the detective is Robert Payne, a widower. The last Robert Payne novel I read, I did not like.