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Did You See Melody? Sophie Hannah

Wednesday, 20 September 2017

Did You See Melody

Author: Sophie Hannah

Paperback 327 pages

Publication Date: August 24th 2017

ISBN: 9781444776171

Publisher: Hachette Australia

Imprint: Hodder & Stoughton

Publishers Summary:

Pushed to breaking point, Cara Burrows abandons her home and family and escapes to a five-star spa resort she can't afford. Late at night, exhausted and desperate, she lets herself into her hotel room and is shocked to find it already occupied - by a man and a teenage girl.

A simple mistake on the part of the hotel receptionist - but Cara's fear intensifies when she works out that the girl she saw alive and well in the hotel room is someone she can't possibly have seen: the most famous murder victim in the country, Melody Chapa, whose parents are serving life sentences for her murder.

Cara doesn't know what to trust: everything she's read and heard about the case, or the evidence of her own eyes. Did she really see Melody? And is she prepared to ask herself that question and answer it honestly if it means risking her own life?

Review

It was the tantalising blurb which attracted me to this book and I was looking forward to enjoying an interesting mystery.

Cara is fed up with her husband and two teenagers, she is middle-aged and unexpectedly pregnant and wants to get away from them all, so she decides to fly off to spend a couple of weeks (and a small fortune) at a luxurious spa in Arizona.

The plot then evolves from a series of rather odd coincidences. First, she is sent to the wrong room which is already occupied by a man and a young girl.

Later, at the reception desk, she overhears a woman named Mrs. McNair loudly demanding that the police be called as she has seen a girl named Melody who was presumed murdered seven years earlier.

Cara is intrigued and decides to do a bit of sleuthing during which she comes across a photo of seven year old Melody. Despite the time lapse she is immediately convinced that the teenaged girl she saw in the room and the child in the photo really are the same girl.

She teams up with another guest, Tarin, who has her daughter Zellie with her.

Another major character makes an appearance, one Bonnie Juno who, on her TV show “Justice with Bonnie” featured the disappearance of the child Melody, Bonnies relentless trial by television seemed to convince everyone that Melodys' parents killed her and they were imprisoned for her murder.

There is a huge amount of back story which I found interrupted the flow, however, we finally get to the end of this story via denouement after denouement.

For me, I am sorry to say it was all a bit too unbelievable to be a serious mystery. Yet though it was a little comedic in parts it was not enough to lift the story to an actual comedy.

Having said all that, I did love the character of Tarin and would love to see her starring in her very own cozy mystery!

Copy provided by Hachette Australia for an honest review

Forest Park: Logan Series 2

Saturday, 25 June 2016

Written by: Valerie Davisson
Narrated by: Leonor A Woodworth
Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:04-21-16
Publisher: Hauser Publishing
4 STARS

This is the second book in the Logan series. Logan McKenna is well on the way to getting her life

back together after a traumatic series of events had left her beaten down. Her husband had died and

Logan had also lost her job. Now, she has a new home that she is renovating and is tentatively committing to a new relationship.

Review

There are at least two parallel main storylines along with some flashbacks to when a family managed to escape their war torn home in Vietnam to live in America. Now, in present times, they have a successful food business but their mentor has died, his business has been taken over by his more ruthless family.

Logan has been travelling, researching school curriculum and cutting edge teaching methods; at a forward thinking school she meets educators and staff, one of whom is linked to the family who run a food van that Logan had patronised.
Before returning home, Logan is booked into an hotel for the weekend, she is expecting her new man to join her, this is to be the first time they spend the night together. For Logan, this is a huge deal and when he postpones his arrival she is very upset and confused.

Her attention is soon diverted by a huge explosion near her hotel, it is the the food van. The body of a woman is found ....
Because she had bought food from the van and, had also met a relative of the dead woman, Logan feels some sort of connection to the family and so she determines to help them untangle the many threads of this mystery. She becomes more deeply involved than she could ever have imagined.

Despite (in my opinion) a slow and slightly confusing start I thought this was an interesting listen, the cultural and social comment served to make it a little bit different. I must admit to finding Logan a tad dull, she isn't much of a one for witty repartee. I would have liked her to have had a more memorable character.

Narrated by Leonor A. Woodworth who is new to me. I thought she carried the story along well, she kept me interested and engaged.

I'm not too familiar with the specifics of the accents that Leonor had to cope with but they sounded pretty good to me. She also does a convincing "chilling" and "threatening" voice too - male and female. I hope Leonor continues to narrate this series.

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

Front Page News

Thursday, 2 June 2016

Author: Katie Rowney

Publisher: e-penguin 1st May 2016

Sold by: Penguin Australia Pty Ltd

Format: Kindle Edition

Page length: 217

Source: NetGalley, Penguin

3 STARS

My Thoughts

Stacey McCallaghan, cadet journalist is attempting to make her mark in the small town of Toomey, rural Queensland. Her journalistic skills are not exactly challenged as, other than the the bowls club and other such country pursuits, there's nothing exciting happening. Until, that is, the first body turns up, and they continue to turn up! The police investigation is not going well and as Stacey always seems to be first on the scene the spotlight turns on her. If the murders aren't solved soon, Stacey could be in big trouble, she decides that the police are fumbling the investigation, so decides to turn sleuth!

I'd call this a cozy as it has all the elements of a humourous mystery; small town setting, lots of interesting and colourful local characters, and of course, a lead character who turns sleuth. There's a smattering of romance, loads of laughs and plenty of Queensland flavour. It's a refreshing change to read a few Australianisms (?) and for those who don't know what a "demountable" is, it's a portable building!

I found it a really quick and entertaining read, but maybe more suited to a reader a tad younger than me. A good debut novel. I'd recommend this book to those who love a cozy style mystery, a well deserved 3 Stars.

About the Author

Katie Rowney started out as a journalist in a small country town and saw her first dead body on her second day on the job. After shifting through several community newspapers and freelancing for Fairfax, she joined the dark side as a media officer for the emergency services. Her job involved everything from evacuating towns during cyclones to trying to train firefighters not to swear during live-to-air interviews. She’s currently a senior communications officer at a Queensland university, helping engineers and scientists with no social skills share their findings with the world. Front Page News is Katie’s debut novel. You can find her on twitter or online at katierowney dot com

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley and Penguin Books Australia

Elective Procedures: Elle Harrison

Monday, 18 January 2016

Written by: Merry Jones
Narrated by: Cindy Piller
Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
Unabridged Audiobook

Release Date:10-22-15

Publisher: Oceanview Publishing

Audible

3 Star Review

Publishers Summary

Elle Harrison is back! She and her pals Jen, Becky, and Susan travel to Mexico where Jen has arranged cosmetic surgery, after which she will recover in a plush hotel suite. But more is going on at the hotel than tummy tucks. Soon after they arrive, Elle sees the woman in the suite next door fall from her sixth floor balcony. When the room is later occupied by another patient, Elle finds her brutally mutilated body on that same balcony. Police question Elle as the last person to see these women alive. Their doctor also takes an interest in Elle; a woman staying at the hotel asks Elle to help her fend off a creepy stalker; a veiled woman sneaks into Elle's suite at night; and her late husband, Charlie, reappears (or Elle imagines that he does) when Elle gets pushed under water in the ocean and nearly drowns. As dangers swirl and intensify, Elle is forced to face her unresolved issues with Charlie, even as she races to find the connections between killings before more patients - including Jen - can be murdered. And before she herself becomes prey.

©2014 Merry Jones (P)2015 Oceanview Publishing

My Review

The story begins in Mexico where we discover Elle in a very dangerous, perilous predicament, we then flash back to several days prior to the trip, Becky and Elle are on their way to a girls night out, Becky has the hankering to consult with a fortune teller who tells her she is about to meet her special man. Against her better judgement, Elle was persuaded to also have a reading where she was given a strange but vague forecast:

"If you are wise, you will protect yourself", Elle immediately assumes the fortune teller is referring to the dead.
"You are stronger than you think, this is why they come to you"

Back to Mexico, where, as the blurb tells us, Jen has undergone her plastic surgery, despite having a private nurse to attend her, she constantly calls upon her friends to pander to her real and imagined needs. Jen is a bit of a fool, or else her surgeon omitted to gain an informed consent because she seems to have had no idea that undergoing invasive surgery, by its very nature, involves a degree of post operative discomfort. She does not suffer it well and there are some amusing passages involving her petulant demands and the begrudging responses of her friends!

The scenario set, the story then takes us back to the opening passage of the book, which, as it turns out, is Elles' attempt to save the life of the female stranger in the adjoining hotel room, a failed attempt. The woman's death quickly turns in to a police inquiry, where Elles explanation of the sequence of events is viewed as being an unlikely story by the investigating officer. Many strange occurrences follow, she can't help but recall the fortune tellers prediction. Sometimes it seems easy to believe that Elle is, indeed, quite mad, she has conversations with her dead ex husband (who is, as it happens, quite the voice of reason). She reports some strange goings on, both to her friends and to the police,which are always disproved or discredited to the point where even she wonders what is real.

Amidst all the mystery, Elle finds herself attracted to a very handsome fella, Jens' surgeon, and he gives every indication that she is very special to him, yet Elles' lack of self esteem prevents her from believing his feelings are genuine. Meanwhile, Becky, having found her dream man is getting on everyone's nerves by vacillating between her euphoria and her fears of losing him.

This story has many layers, many threads, A little humour, a nod to the paranormal, romance, moments of trepidation and, of course, mystery. I didn't, however, feel much affinity for Elle, some of her actions seemed out of sync with her character as I understood it. She certainly made some unexpected, not to say slightly improbable moves, to be truthful, I'm not sure I really liked her all that much. The group of girls worked well I thought, with their differing characteristics and, despite their little squabbles, all came through for each other, just as friends do. I'd be happy to read more of their adventures.

Narrator

Read by Cindy Pillar who I have previously had the pleasure of listening to. I said "read" but Cindy is more than a reader, she knows how to tell a tale and, as such, does any author the huge favour of making the best of the characters. She has a pleasing, easy to listen to voice, excellent characterisations, I particularly enjoyed our petulant patient, Jen. Cindy does a good creepy and chilling too!

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

Cached Out: A Cliff Knowles Mystery

Monday, 4 January 2016

Written by: Russell Atkinson

Narrated by: Joe Hempel

Length: 14 hrs and 50 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release Date:11-09-15

Publisher: Russell Atkinson

Available from Audible

Publishers Summary

Newly retired from the FBI and alone after the tragic death of his wife, Cliff Knowles takes up geocaching. While looking for a cache in the mountains, he comes across a human skeleton and reports it to the sheriff's office. Then a second body is found - a fresh corpse this time - right after Cliff found another geocache nearby. When it turns out the first remains are those of a fugitive he was supposed to arrest years earlier, he becomes a suspect in a multiple homicide investigation. He has no choice but to use his sleuthing skills to identify the mysterious cache owner, known only as Enigmal, and free himself from suspicion.

Cached Out is the second book in the popular Cliff Knowles Mysteries series. The author is a retired FBI agent. Many of his books are inspired by actual FBI cases.

My Review

You haven't heard of geocaching? No, nor had I, but this is how it goes: it's a bit like a treasure hunt for smart people, the clues to the cache are in the form of GPRS co-ordinates. If you read this book you will find out more, much more, so very much more about this, well, how do I describe it, hobby? Pursuit? Obsession? I think you get my drift, the author is an obvious enthusiast, actually, probably an expert, and he likes to let you know, everything, far too much for me, I just lost interest.

I broke my rule for this book by reading a few reviews prior to posting my own, seems all these (to me) endless details go down a treat with some of the readers.

So there! Audiothing, what do I know? The author also happens to be an ex Federal Special Agent, so yes, he knows what he's talking about when it comes to crime and criminals. Now I do love a procedural, I really do, but again I felt overwhelmed by details, just too many details. When I come across these lengthy explanations in a work of fiction, it makes me feel that the author underestimates the readers' ability to understand anything, unless given a lengthy and detailed lesson.

However, apart from these criticisms, the book does contain a cracking good story full of interesting characters, exciting moments, cliffhangers and lots of good old mystery. Now here's the rub! Review sites expect a star rating and I can only go with 3 for the story. A smart editor could knock 4 hours of the length of this listen simply by weeding out extraneous material, then it would be a 5 star for sure, but that's just my opinion.

Narrator

Narrated by Joe Hempel who has been blessed with a pleasant and easy to listen to voice. Character definition is good, I had no trouble in identifying the male characters of the story. Unfortunately I can't say the same for the female characters, it takes a bit more than simply raising the pitch of the voice. I reckon if he worked on that a bit, then he'd be a top notch narrator.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com

Broken Promise

Wednesday, 12 August 2015

Written by: Linwood Barclay

Narrated by: Quincy Dunn Baker, Brian O'Neill

Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release Date:07-28-15

Publisher: Orion Publishing Group

Audible.com

3 Star Review

Publishers Summary

The morning it all started, newspaper reporter David Harwood had plenty to worry about. A single parent with no job, forced to return with his young son to the small town of Promise Falls to live with his parents, the future wasn't looking too rosy.

So when his mother asked him to look in on his cousin Marla, who was still not quite right after losing her baby, it was almost a relief to put the disaster his own life had become to one side. The relief wouldn't last long.

When he gets to Marla's house he's disturbed to find a smear of blood on the front door. He's even more disturbed to find Marla nursing a baby, a baby she claims was delivered to her 'by an angel.' And when, soon after, a woman's body is discovered across town, stabbed to death, with her own baby missing, it looks as if Marla has done something truly terrible.

But while the evidence seems overwhelming, David just can't believe that his cousin is a murderer. In which case, who did kill Rosemary Gaynor? And why did they then take her baby and give it to Marla?

With the police convinced they have an open and shut case, it's up to David to find out what really happened, but he soon discovers that the truth could be even more disturbing....

©2015 Linwood Barclay (P)2015 Recorded Books LLC

My Review

This is the first in a series, apparently however there is a previous book "Never Look Back" which though not part of this series, did provide some back story on the town of Promise Falls and its inhabitants.

David, having lost his wife some 5 years ago, found the life of a single parent too hard, he had little time to spend with his son Ethan. This was the reason for his return to his home town, he and Ethan moved in with David's parents as a temporary arrangement. Unfortunately on the day he started his new job at the local newspaper, it closed down. Now, with time on his hands, he became involved with attempting to prove his cousin Marla innocent of the terrible crime described in the publishers summary.

Marlas story, albeit the main one, was just one of so many, poor Detective Duckworth couldn't as much as eat another doughnut before some other crime came to his attention. Too many crimes for me, I often lost my way when yet something else took away from the main story line. These side stories did eventually link to the whole, much seemed extraneous and I kept losing track of just where all these characters meshed.

However, it is, as mentioned, the first in a series, so I suppose much of the content is setting the back stories for future books. The ending is a cliffhanger, so for those many, many readers who loved this book, the next in series is a certain purchase.

Narrators

Narrated by Quincy Dunn-Baker (David) and Brian O'Neill, two narrators that I've not previously had the pleasure of listening to prior to this book. Quincy Dunn-Baker has the smoother more polished voice, he read David just perfectly. The role of David called for many emotions, but no overacting here, just great story telling. Brian O'Neill has a slightly rougher voice, which I enjoyed, he lacks none of the talents of a good narrator, and again, no over dramatising, simply good story telling.

I did find the narration slow and had to listen at 1.25 to obtain normal speed. This, I believe is a production issue and is not related to the narration itself.

This audiobook is my own copy

Smoky Mountain Tracks: Raine Stockton Mystery

Tuesday, 16 June 2015

Written by: Donna Ball
Narrated by: Donna Postel
Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Series: Raine Stockton, Book 1
Unabridged Audiobook

Release Date:04-09-14

Publisher: Blue Merle Publishing

Available from Audible.com

4 STAR REVIEW
Publishers Summary
The first in the Raine Stockton Dog Mystery series..."An exciting, original, and suspense-laden whodunit..."(Midwest Book Review)
As a native of the small town of Hansonville, North Carolina,and a wilderness rescue worker, Raine Stockton knows the Smoky Mountains as well as anyone could, but she gave up her Search and Rescue work after a tragic loss. Now she reluctantly returns to active duty to help find a young child who has been kidnapped and taken deep into the forest. But as Raine's young golden retriever, Cisco, picks up the trail, his enthusiasm fails to make up for his lack of experience, and their first foray into the forest results in disaster...and the discover of the kidnapper - shot dead.
Suspecting there's more to the case than meets the eye, Raine struggles to overcome her personal demons, turns her search in new directions... and learns to trust Cisco to lead the way.
©2006 Donna Ball (P)2014 Donna Ball, Inc
My Review

Raine is rudely awoken in in the early hours of the morning, they need a Search and Rescue (SAR) dog to find a missing child. The thing is, Raines beloved SAR dog Cassidy is dead, all she has is a young, unqualified and probably unsuitable youngster named Cisco. Raine doubts Ciscos ability to become a fully trained SAR dog because he has obedience issues and is unreliable, she tries to refuse but reluctantly gives in when told that she and Cisco could be the child's only hope of survival. What follows is quite an adventure, Raine finds herself becomingly involved in mystery, murder and danger.

This is, of course, a dog cozy and for dog lovers there's much to commend it, I liked that Raine is not the dog trainer she had thought herself to be. It took the arrival of a strange new neighbour, one who possessed a remarkable gift, to gently put Raine on the right track. This didn't happen overnight, the friendship with her neighbour grew slowly as Raine initially resented her advice. For a relatively short listen this story has a lot going for it, a well described and beautiful setting, interesting characters and a rather unusual relationship between Raine and Buck. It will be interesting to follow the series to see how the characters develop.

This is the first book in the Raine Stockton

series, but I would recommend reading the stand alone book

"Silent Night: A Raine Stockton Dog Mystery" first as I feel it gives provides quite a bit of information about some of the characters, thus making reading the first in the series more enjoyable and interesting.

Narrator

The story is beautifully read by Donna Postel, if this is your first experience of Donnas work then you won't be disappointed.

This audiobook was received as a prize with no obligation to review

Raveled

Monday, 15 June 2015

Written by: Anne McAneny
Narrated by: Rebecca Roberts
Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins
Unabridged Audiobook

Release Date:03-06-15

Publisher: Anne McAneny

Available from Audible.com

5 STAR REVIEW

Publishers Summary
What's a girl to do when her imprisoned brother begs her to delve into their father's 16-year-old murder conviction? How about peel back the lies, upend the fairy tales, and roil the populace of Lavitte - a sweet apple of a town with a wormy, festering core? That's what Allison Fennimore chooses. Despite her infamous surname and people's wilted memories, this jaded cynic of a daughter sinks her teeth in and refuses to let go. She can practically taste the bitterness of that long-ago, twisted night when two teenagers died, linked to her father by bad luck and a few strands of rope.
Ignoring the dense local atmosphere, where image trumps substance and lies become legend, Allison stirs the pot. The more layers she discards, the more elusive the truth becomes. And when a key source of information turns up dead, the dark edges of resentment coil in around her like a slowly tightening noose. As revelations get ugly, Allison may wish she'd never ventured toward the forbidden fruit of truth.
My Review
Sixteen years ago Allison Fennimores father stood trial for murder, but before he received judgement he hanged himself. Allison, a promising student, abandoned all hope of a career and left her small town home to move to New York to work in a bar. Her brother is in prison, now that he is clean and sober he wants Allison to revisit past events and attempt to find the real truth. Back in her home town Allison is made very aware of the antipathy towards her family, but it is her mother who has born the brunt of this hostility for so many years. Deserted by her former friends she can't even go out for a coffee in the town, such is her life now that Allison fears for her mothers mental health.

This story certainly lives up to its title, it is chock full of intrigue, layer after layer, twist after twist, just when you think you might just know what actually happened all those years ago and what's happening now it all changes. I was quite surprised at how some of the characters unfolded, again, the stripping of layer after layer reveals the true personalities that have always existed beneath whichever veneer the character had chosen to present to the world. To make it an even more satisfying read the author gives us an ending with yet more surprises. I also now have a greater understanding and sympathy for the misery and anguish the families of those who are charged with committing heinous crimes are made to to undergo at the hands of others.

Narrator
Narrated by Rebecca Roberts who, I'm happy to say, is a delightful new discovery for me. Rebecca gives her listeners a great performance with her lovely, easy to listen to voice, she does everything right, I love the cadence of her voice, and how with such seeming ease, she trajects the emotion and frustration of Allison and the craziness of others. I think her technical abilities are superb, the timing, gender changes and characterisations are masterful. A new favourite.

This audiobook was provided by the narrator at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com.

West Seattle Blues

Saturday, 30 May 2015

Written by: Chris Nickson
Narrated by: Lorelei King
Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
Unabridged Audiobook

Release Date:30/06/2014

Publisher: Creative Content Ltd

Available from Audible.com.au

4 STAR REVIEW

Publishers Summary
It’s 1994 - and in West Seattle, new mom Laura Benton is busy juggling work as a freelance music journalist with the constant demands of a young baby. Life is crazy enough, but it takes a darker turn when she interviews Carson Mack, a down-on-his-luck country music star who's looking to make a comeback. Carson is also desperate to make amends to the family he left behind years before and Laura finds herself sucked into helping him trace his long lost son. It's a search that quickly becomes terrifying - and deadly - as family secrets are uncovered and the threats to Laura and her family grow
My Review
This is the second Laura Benton Book, the first, Emerald City, set in 1988 introduced us to Laura, a music journalist living the life with her boyfriend who is a struggling musician.
It's now 1994 and Laura is married with a young baby to care for, she is still freelancing as a music journalist but finds it difficult to juggle her work with her responsibilities as a mother. Her husband Dustin is often working away from home leaving Laura to cope on her own.
The book begins with a cold hearted murder, a shooting, but the story really starts when Laura is asked to interview Carson Mack, a faded Country and Western star whose main aim in life now is to track down the son he has never met. He begs Laura to help him, she doesn't want to get involved but he keeps the pressure up until she agrees to just ask a few questions, she swears that she'll do no more than that. Her questioning stirs up trouble for Laura and she determines to leave well alone. Time and again she tells her husband that she has no intention of asking any more questions as she doesn't want to endanger her family or herself.
Well, of course, she does continue, in the meantime, Carson Mack is served up a huge surprise as he prepares for his first performance in years. This is where the tale moves a little faster leading up to an exciting and surprising ending.
I didn't find Laura as interesting as she was pre husband and baby, she's no longer the Rock Chick talking and living music, she doesn't go out and listen to bands, I missed that aspect of her, and I can't understand how she married such a bland sort of chap. There doesn't seem to be much of a spark between them, it's as if Laura has succumbed to domesticity, she is even considering an offer from a music magazine for a permanent job.
If there is a third "Laura" book I think Dustin should be a stay home Daddy, Laura should reclaim her Rock Chick head and talk music which, despite a welcome mention of John Martyn, was a tad lacking in this book.
Still, it's a good read, it has tension and excitement and also a little bit of feel good, there's also a nice surprise at the end, well worth 4 Stars.
Narrator
Narrated by multi award winner Lorelei King, I can never fault her, she just does everything right, all those things that good narrators are expected to do. You know the sort of thing, tone, gender, pace, age and suchlike, of course, there are others with these skills yet few are of the same calibre as Lorelei King. What's the secret of these select few? Don't know, but I do believe that some people are, quite simply, born to be great storytellers.
This audiobook was received from the publisher. This is my honest review