Thriller

Showing posts with label Thriller. Show all posts

The Widower's Wife: Cate Holahan 4stars

Tuesday, 25 April 2017

The Widower's Wife

Author Cate Holahan

Narrated by Teri Schnaubelt

Publication date Feb 28, 2017

Running time 10 hrs

Publisher: Tantor Media

Short Synopsis

In this compelling thriller from the author of Dark Turns, Ana Bacon is gone—leaving behind her wealthy husband and adorable daughter—but not everything about her disappearance adds up.

This is quite an intriguing multi layered and complex story which is quite hard to review without revealing too much of the plot.

Review

Tom and Ana Bacon wanted for nothing, they had a beautiful home, expensive habits and a lovely child named Sophia. Now their world had imploded because Tom, a high flying banker had lost his job, he had taken big risks with other peoples money and had lost it all for them. Now, he was unemployable.

They scraped up some money and, leaving their daughter behind, took a cruise.

Ana never returned.

Ana had disappeared, all the evidence pointed to the fact that she had gone overboard.

Ryan Monahan worked as an insurance claim investigator, he liked liars, real liars, he enjoyed the challenge of uncovering the truth.

He believed that Tom Bacon was one of those liars, a man who was intent on claiming the ten million dollar payout on the death of his wife.

Ryan had no proof, all he had was his ex cop instinct and his determination to uncover the truth.

The story is told from both Ana’s and Ryan’s point of view, it is complex and compelling with an ever present feel of impending threat which builds slowly to the conclusion.

I thought this was a very entertaining story but I did find that it stretched my credulity at times, nevertheless, it is certainly well worth a listen

The audiobook is narrated by the very talented Teri Schnaubelt who truly knows how to tell a story. She gives each character a distinct and believable voice, quite a challenge in this particular book. She has the awesome ability to create an atmosphere of chilling creepiness which fully immerses the listener in to the story.

I found no technical issues with this high quality recording

Copy provided by Tantor Media for an unbiased review

Available here from Tantor Media

Threat: Rina Walker Book Two: 4 STARS

Thursday, 29 December 2016

Written by: Hugh Fraser

Narrated by: Annie Aldington

Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins

Unabridged Audiobook/Kindle

Release Date:14/07/2016

Publisher: Audible Studios

Series: Rina Walker Book 2

Genre: Crime, Suspense, Mystery

Whispersync for Voice-enabled

Publishers Summary

London, 1961. In the dying days of the Macmillan government, George Preston is in control of crime in West London, and Rina Walker is his favoured contract killer.

When Rina is hired by Soho vice king Tony Farina to investigate the disappearance of girls from his clubs, she discovers that they are being supplied to a member of the English aristocracy for the gratification of his macabre sexual tastes.

Rina's pursuit of the missing girls and her efforts to save the innocent from slaughter become increasingly perilous as she grapples with interwoven layers of corruption and betrayal and makes her way, via the louche nightclubs of Berlin, towards a final confrontation with depravity.

This Book Contains Adult Content and possibly a spoiler

Review

Having read “Harm” the first in this series, I couldn’t wait to get stuck in to this second book.

It is 1961 Rina and her young sister Georgie are living together in their flat. Rina is a successful contract killer but when Tony Farina asks her to take on a more investigative role to help find these girls she reluctantly agrees. His girls are disappearing and he wants to know why.

Nobody could have guessed at their appalling and macabre fate.

Lizzie, Rina’s lover, is given a more prominent role in this book, she runs her own sex business from her home and seems to specialise in providing the more unusual sex acts for her clients. Some of these acts are described, but are not overly detailed.

Lizzie and Rina meet up with some well to do chaps at a nightclub and end up joining them to spend the weekend at a rather stately home. Believe me, what follows is a highly complex series of very dangerous events that eventually lead Rina to the perpetrator of the most heinous of sex crimes.

I continue to be fascinated by the character of Rina who, on the one hand is a killer without conscience, yet on the other is a protector of the vulnerable. She uses self inflicted pain to relieve her feelings during moments of intense stress.

I particularly appreciate how the author writes without bias, he presents Rina just as she is, he justifies nothing any judgement is up to the reader. The most despicable of acts are described in a detached manner, which, I must say, did make them a little easier to tolerate.

Nevertheless, I did not like the inclusion of necrophilia, I found it shocking and disturbing which of course affected my enjoyment - hence 4 stars and not 5.

This is but a matter of personal opinion and, according to reviews, many readers are quite comfortable with the subject matter. However, before buying the next book I shall read the blurb more carefully!

Narrator

Another fabulous narration by Annie Aldington who gets everything so right. She is the perfect match for the writing style of the author as she knows exactly when to allow Rina emotion and when to leave it out. Masterful work from a narrator who knows her craft.

-This audiobook is my own copy

Click HERE for my review of Harm

Harm: Rina Walker Book One: 5 Stars

Saturday, 10 December 2016

Written by: Hugh Fraser

Narrated by: Annie Aldington

Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release Date: 14/07/2016

Publisher: Audible Studios

Source: Own copy

Publishers Summary

Acapulco, 1974: Rina Walker is on assignment. Just another quick, clean kill. She wakes to discover her employer's severed head on her bedside table and a man with an AK-47 coming through the door of her hotel room. She needs all her skills to neutralise her attacker and escape. After a car chase, she is captured by a Mexican drug boss who exploits her radiant beauty and ruthless expertise to eliminate an inconvenient member of the government.

Notting Hill, 1956: Fifteen-year-old Rina is scavenging and stealing to support her siblings and her alcoholic mother. When a local gangster attacks her younger sister, Rina wreaks violent revenge and murders him. Innocence betrayed, Rina faces the brutality of the postwar London underworld - a world that teaches her the skills she needs to kill….

Review

I loved this story!

It isn’t often that I get so deeply immersed in a story so quickly. Half-way through the first chapter I knew I’d find it hard to stop reading, or, in my case, listening ….

Rina, beautiful, strangely compelling Rina, discovered that the reason for her abduction was because the drugs lord needed her to kill an enemy. His logic for choosing Rina was because of her ability to attract men and, of course, her job skills. Her pay off would be generous but would she live to collect?

From then on there follows an amazing adventure made all the more hairy by Rina not knowing who she can trust …

The story moves between 1974, Rina’s adult years and 1956, when Rina was fifteen years old and caring for both her siblings and her incapacitated mother, they were living a desolate and demeaning hand to mouth existence. People did what they had to do in order to make life a little more tolerable, Rina, at fifteen years old, committed her first hit.

The story is utterly compelling from the very beginning to the very end, the characters are vibrant and diverse, and the writing style is clean, uncluttered and flows beautifully.

The vivid descriptions of the living conditions endured by the poor are quite moving: the over crowding; the unsanitary conditions and the ever present fear of eviction.

It’s the use of the parlance of those times and the inclusion of little details which adds both authenticity and flavour to the story. Not many people have to “pull the chain” in the lavatory these days, and certainly nobody has to deal with the old telephone kiosks with their button A and button B.

The story stayed with me long after I finished it, wondering how Rina came to be that person who kills for money, the bigger question though is how on earth did the author get me to be rooting for her!

Narrator

Narrated by Annie Aldington, a renowned British actress and voiceover artist. Her talent is obvious from the very start of this high quality recording. For me, one of the most important qualities of a good narrator is the ability to produce well differentiated and consistent characters, a talent that Annie has in abundance. I also admire her ability to portray emotion - or lack of - in her characters, there no overacting here. Excellent job which added to my enjoyment of this book.

Source: Own copy purchased from Audible Australia

Lie With Me. Sabine Durrant

Tuesday, 2 August 2016

Author: Sabine Durrant

ISBN: 9781473608344

Publication date: 26 Jul 2016

Page count: 352

Imprint: Mulholland Books

Source: Hachette Australia

Publishers Summary

5 STARS

A rich widow. A Greek island paradise. A missing teenage girl...the past comes back to haunt a group of carefree holidaymakers in the new, brilliantly tense psychological thriller by Sabine Durrant.

"The truth is, we all tell lies... take a deep breath and get ready for the most twisty, tense and unsettling book of the summer.

It starts with a lie. The kind we've all told - to a former acquaintance we can't quite place but still, for some reason, feel the need to impress. The story of our life, embellished for the benefit of the happily married lawyer with the kids and the lovely home.

And the next thing you know, you're having dinner at their house, and accepting an invitation to join them on holiday - swept up in their perfect life, the kind you always dreamed of...

Which turns out to be less than perfect. But by the time you're trapped and sweating in the relentless Greek sun, burning to escape the tension all around you - by the time you start to realise that, however painful the truth might be, it's the lies that cause the real damage...

... well, by then, it could just be too late."

Review

This is one of the most intriguing, surprising and unusual tales that I have read in a long, long time; there is no hero, no obvious crime and there are no clearly identified goodies or baddies. Yet the prologue makes it clear that something very, very bad has happened.

The narrator, Paul Morris lives his life with the arrogance and vulgarity of a Hoorah Henry who has never grown up. Despite his humble beginnings, winning a bursary to an elite school and then a Cambridge education allowed him to mix with the more privileged, the icing on his social climbing cake was his best selling book published during his final year at Cambridge. He once lived the high life, but, not able to repeat his literary success, he maintains the illusion of being a prospering man about town with the help of smoke and mirrors - he tells lies.

He beguiles people with superficial charm, he lies outrageously to fulfil his huge sense of entitlement. He lives off the handouts of others as much as possible and, such is his conceit, he fails to see that his 42 year old self is no longer attractive to those young girls he continues to pursue.

House sitting for a friend had given him a prestigious address but now even that is coming to an end, the owner was coming home. Paul is faced with the (to him) demeaning prospect of having to go and live with his mother in her very humble home.

He bumps into a fellow Cambridge student, Andrew, who invites him to dinner. Paul accepts, he attends the dinner party and meets Alice. Alice is a middle aged widow with teenaged children and, according to her friends, she is something of a saint. She is a lawyer working on behalf of the underprivileged, she seems to do good everywhere, she even heads the ten year campaign to find out what has happened to Jasmine, a girl who disappeared on the island of Pyros whilst Alice and her friends were staying there in her holiday home.

Alice has reminded Paul that they had met before, on Pyros, the night that Jasmine went missing. Pauls’ memory of that night are hazy and vague because he was so drunk. He becomes interested in pursuing Alice when he discovers that Phoebe, her teenaged daughter, is soon to leave home. Paul decides to manipulate Alice in to allowing him to eventually move in to her house.

He manages to inveigle Alice in to a relationship and has no scruples about taking advantage of her home and her largesse, all the while concealing from her the truth of his impoverished life and failed career.

Paul manages to get himself included on the annual Pyros holiday along with Andrew and his family, but he can't afford the same flight, a fact his pride won’t allow him to admit to Alice and so he pretends to have an important meeting with his publisher to cover for his delayed arrival.

Yes, he is an awful man, selfish and horrible, and yet, now and then the author allows a glimpse of a redeeming factor.

This “pre holiday” part of the book does lag a little, but it is the slow burning fuse before the action. Once they are all together on Pyros the tension builds towards an explosive, shocking and totally unexpected ending, one that you will find yourself thinking about long after putting down the book.

This was a truly satisfying read.

Thanks to Hachette Australia for providing a copy of the book in return for an unbiased review.

Deceptive Cadence: The Virtuosic Spy

Friday, 17 June 2016

Written by: Kathryn Guare
Narrated by: Wayne Farrell
Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:03-11-16
Publisher: Kathryn Guare
5 STARS
Publishers Summary
Meet Conor McBride. He's even more interesting than the trouble he gets into.
A talented Irish musician reluctantly reinvents himself, disappearing into an undercover identity to search for the man who ruined his career: his own brother. On a journey from the west of Ireland to the tumultuous city of Mumbai, Conor McBride's only goal is to redeem the brother who betrayed him. But he's becoming a virtuoso of a different kind in a dangerous game where the rules keep changing - and where the allies he trusted to help him may be the people he should fear the most. ©2014 Kathryn Guare (P)2016 Kathryn Guare
Review
Home on the farm milking cows, living with his mother, when he ought to have been pursuing his career as a concert violinist - and all because he signed stuff without reading it. Conor McBrides brother Thomas had pulled a fast one by deceptively obtaining EU grants, then he just disappears leaving Conor and his mother to pay massive fines and deal with the aftermath.
A few years pass and a rather odd fellow from British Intelligence rolls up, he tells Conor that Thomas is alive and living in India. They need to find him as he may be able to provide them with information. They want to enlist Conor to go to India and help find Thomas. Conor reluctantly embarks on a British Intelligence training programme in preparation for his mission.
From the peace and quiet of rural Ireland to the hustle of the streets of Mumbai, it's quite a ride for the concert violinist turned farmer turned spy. Conor is answerable to an agent who has his own demons, can Conor trust him? The only one he feels safe with is the Indian woman he had met and helped on the journey to Mumbai. She with her Hindu faith and he with his Catholic faith make for an unlikely but very touching alliance.
This has just about everything I want from a novel, OK the plot may be a bit far fetched, but it's fiction, escapism and pure entertainment. The ending is very satisfying, I loved the book and highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good adventure and good writing which flows beautifully.
Narrator
This is one of those times when a narrator just lifts a good book that much higher. I don't think narrating this book, with all its characters and accents could have been an easy undertaking yet I could fault nothing. I was particularly impressed with his performance towards the end of the book, of how he conveys Conors emotions so well without going over the top. Very realistic. Wayne Farrell became Conor McBride, excellent job.
Audiobook provided by the producer, author or narrator in return for an honest, unbiased review

Hill House: Harry Starke 3

Tuesday, 14 June 2016

Written by: Blair Howard
Narrated by: Tom Lennon
Length: 8 hrs
Series: Harry Starke, Book 3
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:02-24-16
Publisher: Blair Howard
5 STARS
Publishers Summary (extract)
For more than ten years, she lay beneath the floorboards of Hill House. For more than ten years, she waited. Who was she? Who put her there? Why? Harry Starke vows to find the answers to those questions, but to do so he must embark upon an investigation that will put him and those close to him in deadly danger, take him deep into the underground city, the Dark Web, murder, organized crime, prostitution, and human trafficking.
©2015 Blair Howard (P)2016 Blair Howard
Review
The beginning of this book is very atmospheric and just a little bit dark and it hooked me in straight away. Hill House was about to be demolished, some young fellas go in to help themselves to the floorboards hoping to make a bit of money by selling them. A grisly discovery is made. A body is found under the boards. The body has been there for some time and doesn't fit any of the missing persons descriptions.
They find out that the old house was once a shelter for young people, but it's not as simple as tracing the owners. The investigations lead Harry and the police into some very disturbing situations involving some very dark and disturbing people. Yet even these people aren't quite as they seem.
Harry comes up against an old adversary and things get violent, he is upset because his work has put his staff at risk of injury or worse. The way he deals with this particular situation gives us some real hard boiled "Harry Starke" moments, quite hair raising at times.
Harry continues to work well with his former girlfriend the police officer Kate and I really enjoy the way she treats him, as usual, Harrys love life is perplexing him, he continues to get himself into some awkward "romantic" situations. There are some wonderfully witty interactions between Kate and Harrys newer interest, Amanda, and in this book, Amanda really steps up to the mark maybe compensating for her past mischief making.
Each one of the Harry Starke novels has a unique plot and can from that point of view be read as a standalone, but I would recommend reading them all so as to get to know the characters. It's not essential, I know, but I've enjoyed following the Kate and Amanda situation evolve, and I'm also very interested in the characters who make up Harrys staff, in each book these characters have been fleshed out a little more.
The author has given his readers yet another excellent story.
Narrator
Another riveting performance by Tom Lennon who is, in my opinion, the perfect Harry. He gives each character a distinct and easily identifiable voice, something which is so important to the listener. I look forward to many more Harry Starke adventures
Audiobook provided by the narrator, publisher or author in return for an honest review.

In Her Wake

Sunday, 12 June 2016

Author: Amanda Jennings

Narrated by: Kate Rawson

Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release Date:04-01-16

Publisher: Audible Studios

Source: purchased from Audible dot com

5 STARS

Publishers Summary

A tragic family event reveals devastating news that rips apart Bella's comfortable existence. Embarking on a personal journey to uncover the truth, she faces a series of traumatic discoveries that take her to the ruggedly beautiful Cornish coast, where hidden truths, past betrayals and a 25-year-old mystery threaten not just her identity but her life.

Chilling, complex and profoundly moving, In Her Wake is a gripping psychological thriller that questions the nature of family - and reminds us that sometimes the most shocking crimes are committed closest to home.

Review

Tread carefully dear reader, all is not what it seems!

A slow start, in fact I began to think it might be a tad to "literary" for me, and maybe a bit too intellectual as well. You know, like one of those prize winning books we think we ought to read but never do.

However, don't be fooled.

The writing is so good that before I knew it I was getting mad at one of the characters, you know it has to be good when you are getting mad at a fictional person, so I would advise you to stick with it, it is so worth it

At times I didn't much like Bella, it was in the way she behaved towards the family that she so desperately wanted to know. She seemed to have no understanding of human needs nor did she seem able to recognise the feelings of others.

Yet how could she?

She had a cloistered childhood, raised as she was under the smothering wings of an abnormally protective mother and a complicit father. She was home schooled and so never mixed with other children. Her husband David isolated and manipulated her. Bella had never had the chance to acquire social skills.

It happened when Bella and her husband were at her childhood home to attend her mothers funeral. Henry, her father, had a long held secret to tell Bella but he simply could not bear to speak the words, and so he informed her in the most horrific of ways.

With nobody left but David, Bella takes the secret and runs, she tells David nothing, he doesn't know the secret nor does he know her destination.

The secret has led her to Cornwall where she seeks out and finds the Tremaynes, Dawn and her sick and totally dependant mother Alice, they live in humble conditions and in not so genteel poverty. Dawn accepts no help and is her mothers full time carer.

Dawn has her own secrets and though she knows who Bella is, she is not willing to allow her to impose upon them. Bella is not welcome.

There is one particular chapter that stays in my head; Dawn has a strong reaction to Bellas behaviour and the way the author conveys those feelings is masterful, each well chosen word conveys Dawns thoughts and feelings so perfectly.

For me, it is was when Bella reached Cornwall that the real story began, the secret had been revealed, or had it?

There is so much more to be discovered....

I loved reading about Cornwall, I was born and raised there and was delighted to hear some of the old expressions included. It was good to hear mentions of the Cornish Language, especially of the attempts of coffee shop owner from "up country" to learn it which added a few light hearted moments to the story.

And, of course, to be reminded of the legend of Morveren, the maid from the sea "the Mermaid of Zennor"

Narrator

Kate Rawson captures the beautiful musical lilt and cadence of the West Cornwall accent perfectly. It's rare to hear an actor produce such a good Cornish accent and I marvelled at her authenticity, then I discovered she spent the first years of her life in Cornwall!

Kate gives each character, male and female, a distinct and easily identifiable voice making it easy for the listener to follow the story.

Her sensitive and skilled interpretation of the authors beautiful writing immerses the listener in the story adding an extra dimension of pleasure to the experience.

This audiobook is my own copy.

The Comfort of Black

Monday, 25 April 2016

Written by: Carter Wilson

Narrated by: Rebecca Roberts

Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release Date:01-19-16

Publisher: Cherry Hill Publishing, LLC

What's the story?

HannahParks met Dallin back in the days when he was a man with plenty of potential and big ideas. They married, and, with time and hard work he fulfilled his business dreams, he became very rich and very powerful which allowed him to provide Hannah with everything she could ever wish for.Hannah and her sister were raised with very little, their father, Billy, was a drinker and made life very unpleasant for his wife and daughters. Now, with Billy out of their lives and their mother dead Hannah was now in a position to not only live in comfort herself, but to help out her sister who struggled to raise her own children as a single parent.Two incidents were to change Hannahs' life in ways which she could never imagine;A few sentences overheard when Dallin spoke in his sleep followed by the discovery of something rather shocking on an unused laptop were the beginnings of a story of the truly unexpected.

My Review

For the first hour of listening I wasn't sure that I would enjoy this story, it seemed to drag a little, but then it took off. This is a very convoluted tale which takes the most unexpected paths, just when I thought I could predict the next step it would take a surprising turn. Despite its complexity it is well written, there are no superfluous unnecessary details clouding the storyline and I had no trouble in keeping up with the many exciting twists and turns.

It really is a page turner (or binge listen), I didn't take to Hannah, I failed to find much about her that I could relate to, but this served to make the story that much more interesting as, though I didn't much like her, I was rooting for her all the way!

Of course, it isn't until nearing the end that we discover the reasons for the whole plot, this did disappoint me a tad as I did think that the author could have devised a more plausible justification for the means to the end. I didn't really see the point of the sexual content either, it was by no means hard porn, not by a long way, but a bit much for me. Despite this, The Comfort of Black is a good read.

Narrator

Rebecca Roberts has developed into a master storyteller, had it not been for her excellent reading I would most probably have given up on the book within the first hour and would have missed a great story.

She has perfected the skill of conferring a distinct and unmistakeable voice to each character, she doesn't miss an emotion either, the listener always knows who is speaking and what they are feeling.

When Rebecca Roberts narrates the listener is assured of a top quality product.

This audiobook was provided by the narrator, author or publisher in return for an honest review.

New Year Island

Monday, 6 April 2015

Written by: Paul Draker
Narrated by: Teri Schnaubelt
Length: 23 hrs and 3 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:11-18-14
Publisher: Mayhem Press LLC
Available from Audible.com
Story: 2 STARS Narrator: A Well Deserved 5 STARS
Summary

The stakes are high...Ten strangers, recruited by an edgy new reality show and marooned on an abandoned island overrun by wildlife. One dies in a horrible accident. Nine realize they are all past survivors, alive only because they've beaten incredible odds once before. One by one, their hidden secrets are revealed. Eight discover they are trapped. Caught in a game so deadly that the most terrifying experiences of their lives were only its qualifying round, they must now face the greatest danger on the island... each other. And one of them is not who he or she claims. Seven fight to escape. Six try to solve the mystery of who lured them there and why. Five... Four... Will anyone survive New Year Island?

Review

Did you notice the length of this audiobook? 23 hours, that's right, 23 hours ... And 3 minutes

This story really caught my interest for the first few chapters, but then for much of it my attention strayed. I got tired of rewinding to recap the bits I'd missed. We all know people who speak twenty words when five would do, this book is like that. It just dragged on ... and on, quite frankly, I had to push myself to finish.

The summary conveys the bare bones of the story, but parts of it are very dark indeed, much darker than I expected. Granted, the author did a darned good job of conveying the feelings, fears and intentions of the participants, and knows how to keep the tension high. These were the good bits, but for me, they were negated by long stretches of tedium.

My opinion then, for what it's worth, is New Year Island is a good story, but it's buried under a big pile of too many words.

However, there are many well respected reviewers who rate this book very highly, so don't let me put you off, I didn't much like that huge best seller The Tattooed Lady either!

Narrator

Well, if anybody deserves a great big Golden Gong it's Teri Schnaubelt, not just for actually finishing the marathon task, but for doing it so well. She has an easy on the ear voice, her timing is perfect, and she knows exactly just how to use nuance and rhythm. Teri has another, rarely encountered narrator talent, one I find difficult to explain, but I shall try. It has to do with transitioning between characters and gender, using just the slightest change to her voice, she simply transforms into another clearly defined person! I'm now a big fan.

This audiobook was gifted to me by the narrator in return for this, my honest review.

Something Wicked

Wednesday, 21 January 2015

Something Wicked: Andrew Hunter, Book 1

Written by: Kerry Wilkinson
Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
Series: Andrew Hunter, Book 1
Unabridged Audiobook
Audible.com

Publishers' Summary

From Kerry Wilkinson, the best-selling author of the Jessica Daniel novels, comes a new crime series.
Nicholas Carr disappeared on his 18th birthday and the world has moved on. His girlfriend has gone to university, his friends have got jobs, the police have other things to look into.
But his father, Richard, is still stuck on the three fingers the police dug up from a sodden Manchester wood. What happened to Nicholas on the night he disappeared, and why did he never come home?
Private investigator Andrew Hunter is Nicholas' last hope - but Andrew has his own problems. There's something about his assistant that isn't quite right. Jenny's brilliant but reckless, and he can't figure out what she gets from their working relationship. By the time he figures out who's a danger and who's not, it might all be too late...
©2014 Pan Macmillan (P)2014 Kerry Wilkinson

My Review

I'd been looking for a long time, searching for a new Mystery / Crime series to enjoy. Then one day whilst browsing through Free Audiobook Giveaways (a Facebook group) there it was; amongst all the books about shifters, sliders vampires and sci fi, shining through like a diamond on a beach full of pebbles was The Offer: Kerry Wilkinsons' Something Wicked, offered by the narrator, Nigel Patterson in return for a review.
I knew I would like this story as soon as I heard Nigel Patterson acting the role of the radio announcer with the fake American accent. The next hook was the car pursuit of the wily and underestimated Stuart Deacon in his Audi, this was also my introduction to Andrew, the little bit seemingly boring P.I., and his lively assistant Jenny.
It would be difficult to add to the publishers blurb without spoilers, so I won't, but needless to say, there are many twists to this story. The beauty of it is though, is that this is the first story of a series, and as such, cleverly lays the foundations for future stories.
Now what about Jenny? Well, being the assistant to a private investigator, we know that she is bound by the laws of crime fiction to be clever and quick witted, and also to be very good with computers. She is all of these, yet Jenny is also a Very Odd Person, and I look forward to reading or listening to her story. Oh, and does she have a surname or is that a part of her mystery? I can't recall hearing one on my audiobook.
As for her boss, Andrew Hunter, seems he's a bit of a mystery himself. I quite liked him, but at one point in the story he really went down in my estimation. However, later, when he'd proved that he could man up, he redeemed himself! I'm very much looking forward to his future story.
I would never have believed I could like anything originating from the pen of a Sports Writer, but this is a thumping good story, tip top, and well suited to audio.

Narrator Nigel Patterson

Much of the success of an audiobook is, of course, dependant on the quality of the narration. For me, the best of the best narrators are the one who, when within a few moments of listening, one just doesn't notice them any more. The voice is pleasant, the rythymn and pace is just right, as are the accents and characterisations. There is nothing to jolt the listener away from the story and back to reality. Surely, this is how it should be? Such is their talent, that they can make or break an audiobook. Nigel Patterson is up there with the best of them, I fervently hope that the author and publishers continue to work with him for all the Andrew Hunter Audiobooks.
You can go here to listen to his work and to also read an interview with Kerry Wilkinson: http://nigelpatterson.com
The author has himself a very interesting story to tell, you can go here to read it: http://kerrywilkinson.com

Gray Shadows

Saturday, 17 January 2015

Gray Shadows: Russian Bodyguard, Book 1

Written by: Julia Gousseva
Narrated by: Jack de Golia
Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Audible.com

Publishers Summary

They live a life of danger, sacrifice, and bravery. They die saving others but get no fame, no medals, and no solemn ceremonies. They are…
Gray Shadows.
Nikolai, a bodyguard in the prestigious Centurion Personal Protection agency, is injured in the line of duty. While recovering from his injuries, he is assigned to a new client. An easy case, his boss tells him.
Nikolai travels to a small quiet town north of Siberia to provide protection for a young woman, on her dad’s request. At first, both Nikolai and his boss see the assignment as a whim of a rich overprotective father. But the more Nikolai learns about the town, the oil company that the young woman is working for, and the people involved, the more he encounters secrets, suspicious behaviors, lies, and threats. In an unexpected and frightening course of events, Nikolai’s easy assignment becomes one of the toughest and the most dangerous.
©2014 Julia Gousseva (P)2014 Julia Gousseva

My Review

A short listen, but really fast paced, excitement all the way, you won't want to stop listening to this story.
Wonderfully evocative writing, listening to the narrator describing the Siberian landscape is enough to make you shiver with the coldness!
Twists and plots galore, with a great ending. Good for a road trip but be warned, it might distract you from your driving!

Narration

Jack de Golia was the perfect choice, he has that wonderful noir, gangster edge to his voice, his characterisations, rythymn and tone brought much enjoyment to the listening experience.
This book is perfect for audio

Tuesday, 25 April 2017

Thursday, 29 December 2016

Saturday, 10 December 2016

Tuesday, 2 August 2016

Friday, 17 June 2016

Meet Conor McBride. He's even more interesting than the trouble he gets into.

Tuesday, 14 June 2016

Publishers Summary (extract)

Sunday, 12 June 2016

Review

Monday, 25 April 2016

What's the story?

My Review

Narrator

Monday, 6 April 2015

Summary

Review

Narrator

Wednesday, 21 January 2015

Something Wicked: Andrew Hunter, Book 1

Publishers' Summary

My Review

Narrator Nigel Patterson

Saturday, 17 January 2015

Gray Shadows: Russian Bodyguard, Book 1

Publishers Summary

My Review

Narration