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Title: The Skull Ring

Author: Scott Nicholson

Narrator: Tanya Eby

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-29-12

Publisher: Haunted Computer Books

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Julia Stone is piecing together childhood memories of the night her father vanished, but when she discovers a strange silver ring bearing the inscription "Judas Stone", she becomes the target of a sinister cult. The local handyman offers to help, but he has his own shadowy past. Julia's therapist can't be trusted, and even the police seem to be against her. And the closer she gets to the truth, the louder the whispers that claim her body and soul....

From the international best-selling author of Liquid Fear, The Red Church, Disintegration, and Drummer Boy comes a psychological thriller that explores a journey of mystery, romance, and faith.

Members Reviews:

Scott Nicholson book review

It was a very fast paced book with a lot of twists and turns in the plot to keep it interesting . The characters were very well developed and complex . I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it for those who enjoy this type of reading material . Scott Nicholson is a very gifted and successful author and I highly recommend his many other books as well as this one . .

Needs Work

This review has been months in the writing because I have no desire to discourage an author with obvious talent, but I must be honest and stress that I believe this novel was not print ready. The main character seemed little more than a rag doll. Perhaps with more time and work, Mr. Nicholson could have breathed life into this wisp of a creature that floated about the story having things done to her. Parts of this novel refused to hold my attention. Hoping to propel myself into more compelling sections of the book, I found it necessary to jump over huge blocks and even pages of uninteresting text that a professional editor would have insisted be cut. My suggestion to Mr. Nicholson would be, "Pull this book from the market, and place it in the hands of a discerning editor, who with the skill of a surgeon, will cut away those things that keep "The Skull Ring" from actually becoming a best seller. And please, please, please, stop using the word CREEP."

Dont bother, a not very good Satanist story.

Pure rubbish with a lot of repetitive phrases throughout. I kept thinking it might get better but didn't. Don't bother!

Scary Story, Beautifully Written

When I first read The Skull Ring, I was pleasantly surprised by how truly well-written and scary the story was. The plot was never slow-paced or dull. I am one of those readers who can easily see what is coming, but surely could not with this story.

Scott Nicholson writes about the South as well as Conroy, but with a twist in each of his tales. If you are looking fora good novel about North Carolina that includes elements of fear, betrayal and psychological twists and turns, then The Skull Ring is the novel for you.

I quit at around 20%.

I really liked the intense therapy sessions between Julia and her therapist Dr. Forrest. I thought the dialogue was awesome and interesting! However, I was not liking the direction the book was going and I became disgusted and disappointed. I thought this book had great potential but it got stupid, and the overuse of the word "creep" was getting annoying! I quit after reading I think around 20%.

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Title: Death from a Top Hat

Subtitle: Merlini Mystery, Book 1

Author: Clayton Rawson

Narrator: Gregory Gorton

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-19-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

When a necromancer is murdered, a magician takes the case

Freelance scribe Ross Harte is working on an essay about the sad state of the modern mystery novel when a scream comes from the hallway: There is death in that room! Harte finds a trio of conjurers trying to get into the apartment of his neighbor, the mysterious Dr. Cesare Sabbat, famed occultist and, for the past few minutes, a corpse.

They break down the door to find Sabbat lying in a pentagram, face twisted from the agonies of strangulation, but with no bruises on his neck. All the doors were locked, and the windows drop straight down to the river below. Only an escape artist could get out of that room, and Sabbat knew quite a few. To make sense of this misdirected muddle, the police bring in the Great Merlini, an illusionist whose specialty is making mysteries disappear.

Members Reviews:

Now you see him now you don't.

A cute big mystery. It went on a little long for my taste. The author could of short end by a few chapters. This was pretty good mystery, locked room mysteries have always been my favorites. I always thought a magician made a good detective. Shows like Jonathan Creek have always proved that. The narrator did a good job with the voices. I liked Merlini voice most of all. He sounded like William Powell. I can imagine him playing Merlini in a movie Powell did a great job with detectives like Nick Charles and Philo Vance. He would of been a great choice for Merlini, if this had been made into a movie in the 30s.

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Title: The Procane Chronicle

Author: Ross Thomas

Narrator: Malcolm Hillgartner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-12-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Its three in the morning, and Philip St. Ives has come to the all-night Laundromat to meet a thief. His laundry bag isnt carrying dirty clothing - its stuffed with $90,000 cash. But he finds his contact, Bobby Boykins, in no state to talk. Bobby has been beaten, strangled, and stuffed behind a washing machine; Philip is inspecting the corpse when the police find him. Standing in a Laundromat with a dead body and a sack full of cash, Philip learns, is a good way to get arrested.

St. Ives is a go-between - a mediator between thieves and their victims - and he came to meet Bobby for the sake of a rich man who has lost his diary. If Philip can escape the Tenth Precinct, Bobbys killer will come for him next.

Members Reviews:

Finding a Ross Thomas novel is like being an archeologist and digging up an old treasure

Finding a Ross Thomas novel is like being an archeologist and digging up an old treasure. Thomas was a fine writer and his books are always an enjoyable read....which these days is something a bunch of modern authors need to take note of and emulate.

Great yarn from hreat writer

Always enjoy the late, great Ross Thomas!

another good read

this is a good page turner and you can't put it down, had to order more by the same author.

No Honor Among Thieves

The Procane Chronicle (1971) is the third Phillip St. Ives book published by Oliver Bleeck (thriller master Ross Thomas) and has St. Ives involved with recovering some important journals for a master thief after they were stolen. I found most of the story intriguing but was disappointed at the ending, which seemed rather prosaic given that everyone knew what everyone else was likely to do, so you would think they would have been better prepared. I donât want to get any more specific so as to avoid spoilers. Still, for most of its length Procane Chronicle is quite entertaining.

A little dated, but still Quality Writing

A pity more people have not heard of Ross Thomas, but he remains one of my favorite authors. There's always a twist in his characters that makes them candidates for The Most Interesting Man in the World. Phillip St. Ives, the protagonist in this particular novel (and in several others) is a professional go-between. He represents the client who wants to retrieve something that's been stolen. In this particular installment (Spoiler Alert!), he has been hired to recover the very detailed plans for a robbery. There's a deadline, and things do not go as planned.

If you like this one, you might also want to try The Brass Go-Between, but my favorite is The Fools in Town Are on Our Side (and ain't that a big enough majority for anybody?)

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Title: The Rope

Subtitle: Anna Pigeon, Book 17

Author: Nevada Barr

Narrator: Joyce Bean

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-08-12

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Anna Pigeon has been a ranger with the National Park Service for many years, but she had a very different life before tragedy sent her west seeking something new. Now Nevada Barr finally tells the previously untold story of Annas first foray into the wild, and the case that helped shape her into the ranger she became.

Thirty-five years old, fresh off the bus from New York City, and nursing a shattered heart, Anna Pigeon takes a decidedly unglamorous job as a seasonal employee of the Glen Canyon National Recreational Area. On her day off, she goes hiking into the park never to return. Her co-workers think shes simply moved on - her cabin is cleaned out and her things gone. Anna herself wakes up, trapped at the bottom of a dry natural well, naked, without supplies and no clear memory of how she got into this situation. As she slowly pieces together her memory, it soon becomes clear that someone has trapped her there, in an inescapable prison, and that no one knows that she is even missing. Plunged into a landscape and a plot she is unfit and untrained to handle, Anna Pigeon must muster the courage, strength, and will to live that she didnt even know she still possessed in order to survive, outwit, and triumph.

Members Reviews:

Slow moving, dark and disappointing

I used to love the Anna Pigeon series and have read every single one. I have worked in (as a Visitor Protection Ranger) and/or visited many of the parks where they are set.

I get that Ms Barr wanted to show the events that made Anna become who she did, to show her raw and vulnerable.

I don't think this was the way to do it.

The first part of the book moved so slowly as it was basically just "monologue in a hole". I'm rarely bored reading one of Barr's novels, but I had a hard time with this one.

The entire premise was ridiculous.

I sincerely hope that Ms Barr gets back on track with the character and telling the stories of the parks.

Pointless

I haven't read an Anna Pigeon novel for several years but I'm pretty sure they were quite a bit better than this. In this book, which is a prequel to the others in the series, a personal tragedy causes Anna to give up her life as an Assistant Stage Manager and become a season park employee. I found the plot thin and improbable, the characters lacking in complexity, the numerous theatre references forced and unnecessary and the overall tone to be glum and dispirited. I won't say I was dying to know Anna's back story it might have been interesting to read about how she developed a love of the outdoors and life in the parks. Guess we'll never know.

Shadows and Light

Just as the light and shadows are so well described in âRopeâ; so too, the events in the lives of the Rangers live facing darkness and the light of day. Cast in a pit Anna Pigeon emerges only to face, with her friend, Jenny, a psychopathâs dark plans. For awhile the reader is very suspicious of more than one of the characters in the book. A desert lover, I was rather put off by the negative descriptions of The Park; but, it fit the psychological nuances of the setting. When light is thrown on the mystery, Anna begins to see the beauty of life in the park and within herself. This was the first book in Anna Pigeonâs life, and it is very good. Many have called this book dark; but, the darkness is necessary to the plot line.

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Title: Dead Letter

Subtitle: A Harry Stoner Mystery, Book 3

Author: Jonathan Valin

Narrator: Mark Peckham

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-05-12

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

The professor was an eccentric old bird, and his daughter was a delicate flower. So how could Harry Stoner suspect the snake pit of hatred and greed he was walking into that winter day when he agreed to find a missing document for Professor Daryl Lovingwell?

Following Sarah Lovingwell to a subversive group landed Stoner face-to-face with a towering ex-marine making a new career of murder. Before Stoner could catch his balance, one of the two Lovingwells was dead, and snow-steeped Cincinnati was cut through the center by a highway of blood and violence.

Harry Stoner was in the middle of itholding the pieces of an explosive puzzle of lies. Blackmail, adultery, and evilan evil you'd never associate with a sensitive little man in tweed, until you saw good people die before your eyes.

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Title: Fell

Author: M. E. Kerr

Narrator: Ray Chase

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-10-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

John Fell loves his family and gourmet cooking, and feels appropriately tormented by Keats, his rich girlfriend from the right side of the tracks. A normal life - normal, that is, until he meets Woodrow Pingree one night by ramming into the back of his Mitsubishi. Suddenly nothing will be the same. A poor boy is now a rich one at an exclusive prep school. A woman who's no longer a girl enters Fell's life with long kisses and no promises. He's paid to be someone he's not with a name that's no longer his own. ''Your fate is already set; just lean into it,'' Fell is told. Only don't fall, Fell... don't fall.

Fell is a love story and a suspense story - the first in a series by M.E. Kerr. A strange incident on the night of the senior prom changes John Fell's entire life, leading him to enroll in an exclusive private school under an assumed name.

Members Reviews:

Easy Listening in an Audio Book

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

Absolutely! It's an easy listen - the kind of book that you don't have to concentrate on to follow the story.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters in this book are easy to relate to. I found the imperfect mom refreshing and very realistic.

Have you listened to any of Ray Chases other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. Ray Chase is one of my favorite narrators because the distinctive interpretations of his characters' voices make the books he narrates, very easy to follow.

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

No extreme reactions - it's just not that kind of a book.

Any additional comments?

Although Fell is described as a book for "young adults," as a "mature reader" I found the story compelling and the characters very true to life.

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Title: Killing Carla

Subtitle: A Novel of Suspense

Author: Billie Sue Mosiman

Narrator: Marshall J. Bean

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-27-12

Publisher: BILLIE SUE MOSIMAN

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 23 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

He came out of nowhere and murdered Sully's wife, Frannie. Due to police negligence, the case was thrown out of court, and the killer never prosecuted. Sully wants revenge. Yet it's Carla, Frannie's sister, who means to right the wrong and make sure this killer doesn't get away with it. Now Carla is in the killer's spotlight and he's watching her, he's studying her, he's thinking about Killing Carla....

Billie Sue Mosiman is an Edgar and Bram Stoker Nominated Author.

Critic Reviews:

"Billie Sue Mosiman's novels are edge-of-the-seat all the way!" (Ed Gorman, award winning author of Bad Moon Rising)

Members Reviews:

What a Ride!

I have read this book perhaps more times than the author herself. Every reader has favorite books and this one of mine. In fact, I've read it so many times that I truly didn't expect anything new in the audio edition, but I wanted to give it a listen anyway. I am happy to report that I was wrong. The story, when brought to life through the pipes of Marshall J. Bean, brings an entirely new dimension to the tale. Mosiman's prose is tighter than piano wire around a victim's neck and Bean's gritty delivery brings a pulp like feel to the project that grabs you from within.

If you are a fan of Mosiman's work, by all means pick this one up. If you've never experienced the world through this Master Teller of Tales, this is a great place to start. You will be back for more.

For me, at least, it will be listened to again and again.

Terrible reader

Only lasted through the 1st hour, maybe not even that. Almost never quit a book I paid for, but this is the exception. The story might be bad enough on its own, but this reader finished it off for me. I totally wasted a credit on this one.

Couldn't Get Past 15 Minutes

This book wasnt for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Can't comment on the story because the narrator ruined this book. I have never had to stop a book because of the narrator.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Anything with a narrator that doesn't make disgusting sounds while reading

How could the performance have been better?

Change narrator

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

Don't know didn't get past 15 minutes.

Narrator ruins this story

I am about 1/2 through this book -- The narrator has a terrible case of dry mouth. You can hear him licking his lips and other sounds due to dry mouth. You also hear him turn the pages, turn away from the microphone and then pause as he turns the pages.

I am surprised this got through Quality Assurance at the recording studio.

Really poorly developed plot

This book wasnt for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

No one I know

What do you think your next listen will be?

Gone Girl

Would you be willing to try another one of Marshall J. Beans performances?

no way

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

none

Any additional comments?

I kept reading, thinking it would get better. I quit at about 80% read.

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Title: Some Kind of Peace

Author: Camilla Grebe, sa Träff

Narrator: Caroline Shaffer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-25-12

Publisher: HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Dr. Siri Bergman runs a private psychotherapy practice in central Stockholm with her best friend Aina. Since her husband's death in a diving accident, Siri has lived alone in an isolated cottage outside the city. Terrified of the dark, she drinks wine to steady her nerves and leaves the lights on when she goes to bed, unable to shake the feeling that someone is watching through her windows. When the lifeless body of a young patient is found floating in the water near Siri's cottage, she knows that someone has been watching her - and he's coming for Siri next. But she is not alone. With a young policeman named Markus, she begins her own investigation. As Siri's past and present start to merge and disintegrate, virtually everyone in her inner circle becomes a potential suspect.

A breathtaking listening experience, mixing hairpin-turn plot twists with gorgeously lyrical prose, Some Kind of Peace is keeping listeners all over the world on the edges of their seats.

Critic Reviews:

"This powerful first in a new thriller series from Swedish sisters Grebe and Träff introduces a delightfully flawed heroine. . . . The action moves swiftly to a surprising climax." (Publishers Weekly)

Contact me for any questions: [email protected]

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Title: Bingoed

Subtitle: An Essie Cobb Senior Sleuth Mystery

Author: Patricia Rockwell

Narrator: Jean Habrukowich

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-24-12

Publisher: Patricia A Rockwell

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Why would spry senior Bob Weiderley suddenly faint and fall into a coma after winning a game of Bingo? After all, he was the most physically fit of all the men at the Happy Haven Assisted Living Facility (although there weren't many men at HH because women outnumbered them four to one). It was just very suspicious. That's why Essie Cobb and her friends and fellow residents - Opal, Marjorie, and Fay - decided to investigate. Was it possible that someone was out to get the friendly old gentleman? Maybe it was Violet, Happy Haven's director, trying to cover up her shady past. Or Sue, the activities director, whose behavior was unusual to say the least. Maybe it was one of the three women who sat at Bob's regular table in the dining room. Or the mysterious man who had recently sent Bob a startling letter. Essie Cobb is determined to find out-and she's not going to let her age (90), or her various age-related infirmities hold her back. Welcome to Happy Haven. If you thought most elderly residents of assisted living facilities spent their days watching television and sitting in the sun, you haven't met Essie Cobb, senior sleuth, and her three mystery-solving buddies. These four elderly ladies have insatiable curiosity, unending concern for their fellow man (especially their fellow 'man'), and energy and determination that some might find unusual for women in their 80's and 90's. They may not be able to get around as fast as youngsters in their 60's, or navigate that Interstate-Internet (or whatever that computer thing is), but they can solve a mystery. And they're starting with this one.

Members Reviews:

This book was awesome! As an activity director in a long term ...

This book was awesome! As an activity director in a long term care facility, I originally read this book a few weeks prior to reading this with my residents. The residents enjoyed this book so much. I have even one calling herself Essie, as she is the leader of her pack. The residents laughed throughout this book and we made sure to purchase the second which we started working on this friday. There are so many residents wanting to listen to this book, it started out as a group of four and by the middle we had twenty five residents and staff listening to this humorously tale of resident at Happy Haven. This book deserves 6 out of 5 stars.

An Awesome Senior Sleuths Series

After finishing another senior sleuths series, I was looking for a similar book. This book was very enjoyable and kept me guessing who done it right to the end. I can't wait to read more of the adventures of Essie and her friends. I highly recommend this book to cozy mystery fans of all ages.

Jessica fletcher and Miss Marple watch out for Essie Cobb.

Despite her advanced age and physical infirmities, Essie Cobb gets to the bottom of things in her first mystery. Get ready and hang on to your walkers folks as she and her sleuthing table mates at Happy Haven solve the mysteries as to why Bob collapsed after Bingo and just what does the administrator have to hide?

The story is full of twists and turns and hilarity to find out what is going on. Essie is mentally spry and will stop at nothing to solve the case with out getting caught. The author Ms.

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Title: Creole Belle

Author: James Lee Burke

Narrator: Will Patton

Format: Unabridged

Length: 18 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-19-12

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 15 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Creole Belle finds Dave Robicheaux in a recovery unit in New Orleans, where a Creole girl named Tee Jolie Melton visits him. She leaves him an iPod with the country blues song Creole Belle on it; then she disappears. Dave becomes obsessed with the song and the memory of Tee Jolie, and goes in search of her sister

Members Reviews:

Another winnder from Burke & Patton

Many people, even fans, would suggest that Burke too often rips off himself. This is evident here, but he is such a masterful writer of character and dialogue that, despite the recurring themes, I didn't want to stop listenting; particularly in the second half.

Patton's narration, as always, makes it compulsive listening. If you've never listened to/read Burke, maybe choose something else (his previous one, Feast Day of Fools, although a sequel, is an amazing book - it can be read stand-alone with no problems).

This volume adds strongly to Burke's canon, without introducing something especially new. Absolutely a must for fans at least.

Will Patton brings vivid life to this story

If you could sum up Creole Belle in three words, what would they be?

engrossing, exciting and funny

What did you like best about this story?

Dialogue and the narrator who made the characters, especially the villans so edgy and often funny

Which scene was your favorite?

when the protagonist confronts the albino

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

Laugh

Any additional comments?

Will Patton turns a good book into something the Cohen brothers might make into a film

Another winner for James Lee Burke

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

Yes I would recommend it but I agree with the previous reviewer who stated Burke "often rips himself off". It is the reason I have given the story 3 stars.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending was appropriate.

Which character as performed by Will Patton was your favorite?

It has to be Clete Purcel. Having said that, Will Patton's narration is (as always!) excellent.

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

There was no particular moment but I find Burke's description of Louisiana's natural beauty, the bayous and the Gulf very moving.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this book and will continue to follow James Lee Burke's books...especially if they are narrated by Will Patton.

Back to old wonderful greatness

I wasn't wild about Glass Rainbow - the last James Lee Burke (especially the - gulp! - ending), but in Creole Belle, he's found the sweet spot again. Beautiful language and imagery, all told in Will Patton's honeyed, southern voice. Excellent!

Very enjoyable listen

Where does Creole Belle rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

This is the second James Lee Burke I have read and was not disappointed. I loved the characters and the story keeps you hooked. This would be in my to 20 audio books.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Clete is my favourite character. He has had a hard life but still fills it with action and has such a big heart.