American / Audiobook and Book Reviews by Audiothing

Without Remorse: The Harry Starke Novels, Book 9

Thursday, 9 March 2017

Without Remorse: The Harry Starke Novels, Book 9

Written by: Blair Howard

Narrated by: Tom Lennon

Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins

Series: Harry Starke, Book 9

Unabridged Audiobook

Release Date:01-31-17

Publisher: Blair Howard

5 Stars

Publishers Summary

On a balmy afternoon in May 2002, wealthy stockbroker Peter Nicholson was turkey hunting with three friends in Prentice Cooper State Forest when he tripped, fell on his shotgun, and accidentally shot himself...dead, but did he? 15 years later, as a last resort, Nicholson's mother asks Harry Starke to find the truth. As we all know, Harry loves a cold case, but...as always, there's a twist in the tale.

Review

When Harry returned to work after his last adventure it was to discover that his staff were so efficient that they had nothing for him to do. Amanda was busy trying to get her old job back, Kate was busy, even Jaque was too busy to chat. He was a bit put out about this …. and Harry was bored!

That is until Helen Nicholson walked in. Helen did not believe that her son Peter shot himself, she was convinced it was murder. Having made several unsuccessful attempts to get the case reopened, she was looking for someone to dig up fresh evidence. She did not expect Harry to accept the case.

Well, of course, being Harry - a bored Harry, he surprised her by accepting.

However, when she told him who her sons shooting companions were on that day Harry could see why

1: nobody else wanted to touch it and

2: that this was going to be a very, very tough assignment.

You see, one was now a senior circuit judge, one was an Assistant U.S. Attorney and the third, a high flying lawyer.

Harry was right, it was tough going, but what an assignment it proved to be! Can Harry win this one?

In true Blair Howard style we get a fully engaging fast paced yarn, inhabited by all those wonderful, richly developed characters that Harry fans have come to know and love. Have no doubt, Without Remorse will keep you guessing.

Yes, narrator Tom Lennon lives up to our expectations again, giving us yet another outstanding performance and a high quality recording, thanks Tom.

Copy provided by narrator for review purposes

Damage Control: Michael Bowen

Tuesday, 2 August 2016

Author: Michael Bowen
Series: Josie Kendall Mysteries (Book 1)
Paperback: 264 pages
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (August 2, 2016)
ISBN-10: 1464206074
ISBN-13: 978-1464206078
Source: NetGalley/ Poisoned Pen Press
4 STARS

Publishers Summary (Excerpt)

When shadowy gray market hustler and aspiring crony capitalist Jerzy Schroeder is murdered while Josie Kendall is hitting him up for a million dollars to help him cash in on alternative energy funding, the police suspect her of adultery and her husband, Rafe, of homicide. Josie, who works for Majority Values Coalition, an “activist fundraising organization,” is a new but passionate DC player. Suave Rafe, long a Washington insider, also a long a widower, is passionate about Josie. He’s on a new track as a literary agent and supporting Josie’s how-Washington-works learning curve.

Review

The man standing beside her has just been shot dead by a sniper, her nice shirt has been ruined by his blood. Josie calls her boss first - then the police. With those formalities dealt with, Josie goes home to Rafe where the pair of them sit down to plan a strategy. No, not how to discover who murdered Jerzy Schroeder (though that would be useful information) but to bang out a strategy.

Josie wants that million dollars and so meets with Jerzys ex wife Ann DeHoic, aka “the grey lady” because she wears many shades of (perfectly matched) grey. Their meeting takes place in DeHoic’s Mercedes, DeHoic pals up to Josie because she want to get in on her ex husbands deal and, because Josie wants her money, negotiations commence, or maybe it is more apt to say the games begin!

It is during their conversation that we get to learn a whole lot about Josie’s Cajun/Creole background and how she discovered her love for the machinations of the political world and lost her heart to Washington.

Apart from all of this wheeling and dealing, Rafe has to clear his name of the suspicion of murder and Josie needs to fend off the accusation of adultery so there is quite a lot going on.

I thought the characters of Rafe and Josie to be particularly well drawn as I found myself being quite shocked by their cold and calculating strategising.

I did find some of the dialogue hard to follow as the author didn't provide enough speaker identifiers for my liking, but that is a personal preference.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a convoluted plot and a sharp witty story in a political setting.

Copy provided by NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press in return for an unbiased review

The Green Pearl Caper

Friday, 1 July 2016

Written by: Phyllis Entis
Narrated by: Tom Lennon
Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:05-25-16
Publisher: Quintzy Press
4 STARS

Publishers Summary
Celine Sutherland is dead - her body half-hidden under the Atlantic City Boardwalk - and Damien Dickens, P.I. killed her. Detective Lt. James Holmes found Damien's gun and wallet near the crime scene, and discovered Celine's cash-filled, emerald-studded evening bag hidden in Damien's apartment. Sylvia Sutherland, Celine's older sister and CEO of the family's tobacco empire, insists that Dickens pulled the trigger. And the Sutherlands carry a lot of influence in Atlantic City. Even Damien's secretary has deserted him - gone to work for the Sutherlands. Only Celine's younger sister, Susan, believes in his innocence. After Susan bails him out of jail, Damien follows his gut and a series of clues in order to clear his name. His quest takes him to several Atlantic City landmarks, inland to Everettville, a small New Jersey town, and north to Vermont, where he confronts Celine's killer.
The Green Pearl Caper, set in the summer of 1979, is the first in a series of Damien Dickens mysteries.
©2015 Phyllis Entis (P)2016 Phyllis Entis

Review
Damien Dickens (Dick) had been set up as the murderer of Celine Sutherland, he feels responsible for her death as he had failed to protect her. This drives him to discover who is the true murderer, he is hampered in his investigations because the police find so much evidence against him.
The story is set in the 70s when, of course, all the whizbang technology of today had yet to be invented, this meant a lot of legwork for Dick. It was quite interesting really to hear of some of the investigative techniques used back then, like the close examination of typewriter ribbons!
The story is full of twists and turns and though slow in parts, does have an interesting plot to engage the reader and the ending has a couple of unpredictable surprises.
Having three women with names beginning with the same sounding letter was a bit offputting, but that's just a personal peeve.

Tom Lennon gives his usual superb performance, but both narrator and author were let down by whoever is responsible for sound quality. Very frequent changes in pitch and volume along with echo interfered with my enjoyment of this audiobook, the poor quality made it difficult to concentrate on the story.

Audiobook provided by the narrator, author or publisher in return for an unbiased review.

Ring of Lies. Victoria Howard

Monday, 29 June 2015

Author Victoria Howard

Narrated by: Michelle Ford

Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release Date:12-23-13

Publisher: BookRite Books

Available from Audible.com

3 STAR REVIEW

Publishers Summary

When English accountant Daniel Elliott dies in a car accident one rainy night, his widow, Grace, is overcome with grief... and panic. Daniel was controlling and their marriage loveless, but he always took care of the sheltered Grace. Or so she thought. She soon discovers Daniel kept secrets: an alias, mob ties, a list of numbers, a mysterious beach house in Florida... and a girlfriend who looks like Grace.
Swallowing her fear, she flies to Miami to claim the house Daniel left her. But the price of her curiosity is peril. Underworld figures stalk her. The other woman has left a damning trail of evidence pointing her way. And handsome, troubled FBI agent Jack West has crossed precarious paths with Grace before. He could be her savior or her damnation. All she knows for certain is that she longs to be in his arms.
With little to go on and danger at every turn, Grace must depend on Jack to help her navigate the criminal world of south Florida, and find the truth behind the Ring of Lies.
©2010 Victoria Howard (P)2013 Victoria Howard
My Review
I don't usually go for the Romance genre, but the Suspense tag caught my attention and it's good to read something different. The story starts off quite well; Grace is in the throes of shock and grief over her husbands fatal car accident, and, as the blurb states, she is finding out bit by bit that her husband was not the person she thought she knew. Seemingly abandoned by her sister and with no one to help, her thoughts turn to Jack, an American whom she met during his trip to the UK, they'd had a minor flirtation but nothing more. The real adventure begins when Grace decides to go to Florida to try to unravel a few mysteries, she seeks out and meets up again with Jack, she needs his help, fortuitously, he is an FBI agent.
I really didn't know how to rate this book as despite really enjoying the story I was too irritated by Graces' intensely annoying personality to become fully engaged. She would have a panic attack at the drop of a hat - and she kept having them! How Jack put up with her hysterics I don't know, especially when they endangered life and limb. Also, I couldn't understand her thinking processes, at one point they are hiding out in the marshes from a would be killer, Grace is being lacerated by sawgrass, a snake crawls over her leg and the 'gators are out there, so, at risk of discovery, she decides to have a panic attack. Jack manages to control her, just! Yet, in this state of mental anguish and physical discomfort she decides that sex might be a good idea - remember, the killer is still out there! Weird, plain weird, I just didn't get along with her at all. Anyway, as the mystery begins to unravel slowly, we find out who the other woman is in Daniel Elliot's life and then, finally, we discover his secret life.
Jack has a story to tell too, which lends some added interest to the tale, he has his troubles, in fact he has a whole lot more than he thought but he comes through. I would have liked a few more clues about Daniels dirty deeds a bit earlier in the story, it all came out in a bit of a rush at the end. All in all, a pleasant light story, ideal for beach reading, but silly Grace spoiled it for me.
Narrator
I enjoyed Michelle Fords narration, I admire the way she portrayed Graces' hysterics without being over the top dramatic. Her skilled characterisation and gender changes are excellent and well differentiated and she sure knows how to portray a bitch! I was never in any doubt about who was who in the story. Lovely voice with good pace and timing, an all round quality recording.
This audiobook was provided by the author at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com.