#audiobookreviewer – Page 19 – Rosepoint Publishing

Danger in Numbers by Heather Graham – #Audiobook Review – #TBT

Book Blurb:

On the edge of the Everglades, an eerie crime scene sets off an investigation that sends two agents deep into a world of corrupted faith, greed and deadly secrets.

A ritualistic murder on the side of a remote road brings in the Florida state police. Special Agent Amy Larson has never seen worse, and there are indications that this killing could be just the beginning. The crime draws the attention of the FBI in the form of Special Agent Hunter Forrest, a man with insider knowledge of how violent cults operate, and a man who might never be able to escape his own past.

The rural community is devastated by the death in their midst, but people know more than they are saying. As Amy and Hunter join forces, every lead takes them further into the twisted beliefs of a dangerous group that will stop at nothing to see their will done.

Doomsday preppers and small-town secrets collide in this sultry, twisty pause-resisting thriller.

My Review:

Sometimes an audiobook is better because of the narrator’s talent and sometimes it just makes it a bit tougher to multi-task and follow along when it switches POV or timelines. In the case of this novel, the latter.

Two special agents are thrown together in the investigation of the savage way in which the deaths of two women harken back to the possible comeback of a cult experienced years before. Amy Larson of FDLE is teamed with experienced Hunter Forrest of the FBI to find and hopefully stop the start of the gruesome killing before it really gets a foothold in the Florida Everglades.

Apparently a religious, white supremacist cult, it is led by a charismatic and dynamic individual who holds his followers in a tight-fisted setting. Bids to escape or deny his bidding are dealt with swiftly and deadly.

Of course, there is a growing romantic interest between Amy and Hunter as they gradually gain insight into the members and location; secrets held quietly by the local community. Arguments are made regarding the brain-washing of members and their unwavering allegiance to the leader, as well as references to well-known recent tragic similar factions.

Okay, as this was my third (unintentional) book with the same plot and similar devices, arguments, and characters, my attention waned until I became aware of the switch in POVs and played catch-up a few times. It was a matter of déjà vu and a strong idea where it was going, the romance unnecessary to the familiar plot.

Some graphic descriptions are stomach turning and I couldn’t get engaged with either main character. It is well-plotted and paced, but been there, done that…and was left a little cold.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Romantic Suspense, Police Procedural Mysteries, Suspense
Publisher: Harlequin Audio
ASIN: B08HSQB45S
Listening Length: 8 hrs 37 mins
Narrator: Eva Kaminsky
Publication Date: March 23, 2021
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: Danger in Numbers [Amazon]

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

The Author: New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Heather Graham, majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write. Her first book was with Dell, and since then, she has written over two hundred novels and novellas including category, suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult and Christmas family fare.

She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty-five languages. She has written over 200 novels and has 60 million books in print. She has been honored with awards from booksellers and writers’ organizations for excellence in her work, and she is also proud to be a recipient of the Silver Bullet from Thriller Writers and was also awarded the prestigious Thriller Master in 2016. She is also a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from RWA. Heather has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, Mystery Book Club, People and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including Today, Entertainment Tonight and local television.

Heather loves travel and anything that has to do with the water, and is a certified scuba diver. She also loves ballroom dancing. Each year she hosts the Vampire Ball and Dinner theater at the RT convention raising money for the Pediatric Aids Society and in 2006 she hosted the first Writers for New Orleans Workshop to benefit the stricken Gulf Region. She is also the founder of “The Slush Pile Players,” presenting something that’s “almost like entertainment” for various conferences and benefits. Married since high school graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.

#ThrowbackThursday

A Superior Death by Nevada Barr – #AudiobookReview – #ThrowbackThursday

Book Blurb:

Nevada Barr quickly attracted the attention of mystery fans when her first Anna Pigeon mystery, Track of the Cat, appeared. Now she immerses the intrepid park ranger in a perilous search that will take her far below the waters of Lake Superior. As Anna spends her days patrolling its shores, the surface of Lake Superior fills with tourists. In the depths below lie an ancient ship and the bones of its sailors. But when two tourists dive down to see the wreck, they discover that a new body has joined the skeletal crew. As Anna tries to discover how and why, she encounters secrets darker and more deadly than the waters surrounding the corpse. Filled with suspense, A Superior Death is also laced with Anna Pigeon’s self-deprecating humor. With Barbara Rosenblat’s spirited narration, you’ll immediately be scanning the splendid setting and looking for clues through the eyes of the savvy naturalist.

My Review:

I got a hankering for a Nevada Barr book again, a major reason being Barbara Rosenblat, the narrator for the audiobook. (And by the way, I’ve listened to a couple of Barbara’s other books and you wouldn’t know it was the same voice if it didn’t say so on the cover. She’s good. Her Anna Pigeon narration is primo.)

This is the second installment in the Anna Pigeon mystery series that I’ve followed for some time, as usual picking off the top first and basically listening to whatever was available at my local library. Not all in the series, but I’ve listened to a bunch of them totally out of order of course, but you could probably consider each as a standalone.

This installment has ranger Anna Pigeon on Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior. I chose this particular book precisely because of its location. Anna’s last assignment was in the desert southwest, so this is a complete 180 for her and she’s still getting used to it, the people, and the living conditions.

When a body is found in a wreck on the lake bottom, Anna finds herself investigating suspicious circumstances. I love hearing about these remote locations, the beauty, the wilderness, and in this particular storyline, the diving and mystery of deep frigid water underwater wrecks as well as the mystique of the island inhabitants.

Lake Superior is known for quirky winds and ship-sinking storms. Kamloops, sunk in 1927 is a focus here. The frigid waters manage to preserve corpses as well as artifacts.

There are various plot lines, degrees of sketchy support characters, and suspects. Take your pick, but as Anna does so, the clever well-paced plot divulges answers. You might guess the perp when the action ramps up considerably into a satisfying conclusion.

Anna can be pretty amazing sometimes and you might have to suspend disbelief just a little, but go with the flow. It’s fun, descriptive, full of a snarky sense of humor delivered in that slightly wise-cracking whiskey voice that IS Anna. You can picture her. She can handle it.

This series is fun. It’s all good. I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library and I’ve started on Book 3 now. These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Amateur Sleuth Mysteries, Women Sleuth Mysteries, Suspense
Publisher: Recorded Books
ASIN: B0002T8XL2
Listening Length: 11 hrs 43 mins
Narrator: Barbara Rosenblat
Publication Date: July 29, 2004
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: A Superior Death [Amazon]

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

The Author: Nevada was born in the small western town of Yerington, Nevada and raised on a mountain airport in the Sierras. Both her parents were pilots and mechanics and her sister, Molly, continued the tradition by becoming a pilot for USAir.

Pushed out of the nest, Nevada fell into the theatre, receiving her BA in speech and drama and her MFA in Acting before making the pilgrimage to New York City, then Minneapolis, MN. For eighteen years she worked on stage, in commercials, industrial training films and did voice-overs for radio. During this time she became interested in the environmental movement and began working in the National Parks during the summers — Isle Royale in Michigan, Guadalupe Mountains in Texas, Mesa Verde in Colorado, and then on the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi.

Woven throughout these seemingly disparate careers was the written word. Nevada wrote and presented campfire stories, taught storytelling and was a travel writer and restaurant critic. Her first novel, Bitterweet was published in 1983. The Anna Pigeon series, featuring a female park ranger as the protagonist, started when she married her love of writing with her love of the wilderness, the summer she worked in west Texas. The first book, Track of the Cat, was brought to light in 1993 and won both the Agatha and Anthony awards for best first mystery. The series was well received and A Superior Death, loosely based on Nevada’s experiences as a boat patrol ranger on Isle Royale in Lake Superior, was published in 1994. In 1995 Ill Wind came out. It was set in Mesa Verde, Colorado where Nevada worked as a law enforcement ranger for two seasons.

The rest is, shall we say, HISTORY! Nevada’s books and accomplishments have become numerous and the presses continue to roll, so in the interest of NOT having to update this page, books, awards, status on the New York Times Best Seller List — and more — will be enumerated with the relevant books else where on this website.

Barbara Rosenblat - narrator — Attribute: Wikipedia

The Narrator: Barbara Rosenblat has been narrating for more than 20 years, and even had the honor of performing the first book ever recorded at Audible in 1999.

She has also appeared on screen such as in the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black as Miss Rosa. Rosenblat was born in London, England and raised in New York City. Upon returning to the US, she read books to the blind for four years at the Library of Congress. On Broadway she appeared in The Secret Garden and Talk Radio. Barbara Rosenblat has narrated more than 400 audiobooks.

#ThrowbackThursday

White House by the Sea by Kate Storey – #AudiobookReview – Biographies of Presidents & Heads of State

A Century of the Kennedys at Hyannis Port

Best History

Book Blurb:

Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, is synonymous with the Kennedy family. It is where, for a hundred years, America’s most storied political family has come to celebrate, bond, play, and, also, grieve. It is also the setting of so many events we remember: JFK giving his presidential acceptance speech, Jackie speaking with a Life magazine reporter just days after her husband’s assassination, Senator Edward Kennedy seeking refuge after the Chappaquiddick crash, Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger tying the knot—and even Conor Kennedy courting pop star Taylor Swift. Anyone who has lived in, worked at, or visited the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port has had a front-row view to history. Now, with extraordinary access to the Kennedy family, Kate Storey gives us a remarkably intimate and poignant look at the rhythms of an American dynasty.

Drawing from more than a hundred conversations with family members, friends, neighbors, household and security staff, Storey delivers a rich and textured account of the Kennedys’ lives in their summer refuge. From the 1920s, when Rose and Joseph P. Kennedy rented then bought a home known as The Malcolm Cottage, to today, when many Kennedys have purchased their own homes surrounding what’s now called The Big House, this book delivers many surprising revelations across the decades, including what matriarch Rose considered the family’s greatest tragedy, the rivalrous relationship between brothers Jack and Joe, details about Jackie’s life at the compound, and previously unknown glimpses into JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s loving and ill-fated relationship.

Fascinating, engaging, and illuminating, White House by the Sea provides a sweeping history of an American dynasty that has left an indelible mark on our nation’s politics and culture.

My Review:

Yes, of course, I remember exactly where I was when I heard that Kennedy had been shot. Who living through those years doesn’t? Shocking, it sent a nation into a grief spiral, saw the end of “Camelot,” and the excitement of having seen the youngest man ever voted into the presidency at forty-three. (It can be argued that Teddy Roosevelt was the youngest at 42, but he was not voted in.)

I have to admit, there is much I did not know, and, if the book is to be believed, corrected many of the erroneous rumors floating around for much of the century this book covers. Beginning with Joe and Rose Kennedy, this is an interesting chronology of the beginning of the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port.

Joe and Rose bought a simple house by the sea in 1928—it had been originally built in 1904—and soon underwent a major expansion along with the expansion of their family. A large Irish Catholic family, they began a legacy of summers at the home they called The Big House.

A lot of stories about the first and second generation of Kennedy’s, recounting the deaths of John, Bobby, Joe, and eventually Teddy. (Rose passed in 1995 at the age of 104 years.) The stories of extended family, siblings, grandchildren, and eventually cousins are examined.

A number of stories stand out, including the Cuban missile crisis with Khrushchev and the cruel promise of jobs in 1962 that saw busloads of innocent Black Americans from the south lured north in hopes of jobs and better conditions.

I enjoyed accounts of the family get-togethers, the games, the parties, the entrepreneurial ship exhibited by the younger kids, and the strong bind that bound the large family together as well as the additions of Jackie and Peter Lawford. Later were anecdotes of movie stars, artists, and singers. I also enjoyed the tales of the ships, the sailing, and the competition that saw their defeats as well as their victories.

As it progressed beyond JFK Jr., however, I felt a shift from happy accounts to those grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and cousins that fell into morose stories that didn’t end well. No longer an uplifting and clarifying narrative as much as an exposé.

I suppose it dipped into the Kennedy curse at this point and I felt a let down over what had been an enlightening biography. The narrator somberly, not for the first time quietly, completed the conclusion.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Biographies of Presidents & Heads of State, US State & Local History, US Presidents
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
ASIN: B0BRDGXS8Q
Listening Length: 11 hrs 27 mins
Narrator: Kathe Mazur
Publication Date: June 27, 2023
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)

Title Link: White House by the Sea [Amazon]
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

The Author: Kate Storey is the senior features editor at Rolling Stone. She was previously a staff writer at Esquire, where she covered culture and politics, and has written long-form profiles and narrative features for Vanity Fair, Marie Claire, Town & Country, and other publications. She lives with her family in New Jersey.

Enjoy Your Sunday

Memory Man by David Baldacci – #BookReview – #AudiobookReview

nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller (2015)

Book Blurb:

Amos Decker’s life changed forever – twice.

The first time was on the gridiron. A big, towering athlete, he was the only person from his hometown of Burlington ever to go pro. But his career ended before it had a chance to begin. On his very first play, a violent helmet-to-helmet collision knocked him off the field for good and left him with an improbable side effect – he can never forget anything.

The second time was at home nearly two decades later. Now a police detective, Decker returned from a stakeout one evening and entered a nightmare – his wife, young daughter, and brother-in-law had been murdered.

His family destroyed, their killer’s identity as mysterious as the motive behind the crime, and unable to forget a single detail from that horrible night, Decker finds his world collapsing around him. He leaves the police force, loses his home, and winds up on the street, taking piecemeal jobs as a private investigator when he can.

But over a year later, a man turns himself in to the police and confesses to the murders. At the same time a horrific event nearly brings Burlington to its knees, and Decker is called back in to help with this investigation. Decker also seizes his chance to learn what really happened to his family that night. To uncover the stunning truth, he must use his remarkable gifts and confront the burdens that go along with them. He must endure the memories he would much rather forget. And he may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

My Review:

Not content to wallow in a Baldacci book last year, guess I thought if I tried a first in the series, it would work better for me. Or maybe not.

Amos Decker was a football player in Burlington; something I was careful not to promote with my own son (now 6’2”) when he was in school. This fella, however, was good. Apparently as good as he was big (really big) and went pro. His first play is so violent it was also his last. He could have, should have died—would have were he anyone else. But he survived and his world was never the same.

So, okay, fast forward, he is married and a police detective. Unfortunately, he discovers his family murdered upon his return late from a stakeout. The perp is never caught, he leaves the force, and loses most of anything else that matters. Eventually, he becomes a private investigator. In the meantime, he’s let himself go. Big time.

The main character is unappealing in…pretty much every way. This is a guy you don’t want to imagine and descriptions of him only make it worse. His claim to fame now is his side effect from his pro days—hyperthymesia. He remembers everything.

Every stinking detail.

When a guy turns himself in and confesses to the murders of his family, he is thrown for a loop but that event is overshadowed by the horrific slaying of kids and adults at his old school. When they call him back to help with the school investigation, he sees his opportunity to also find out more about the man who confessed to the murder of his family—but clearly can’t remember ever seeing or knowing him. Oops!

Now I remember part of my problem with a Baldacci narrative—he repeats salient plot points ad nauseum, possibly adding a tiny bit of nuance each time (or not), a new clue, direction, person he can glean yet another repeat and clue. I guess that’s one way to get a prescribed number of words, but gosh darn, I do get tired of hearing it again. There are lots of books with better pacing.

Can we just get on with it?

You can’t say he doesn’t add the twists and turns, borders on TMI, but the info on football is one I’ve long been acquainted with in pro sports—the games are physically and mentally punishing on the players. Excruciatingly so. Old at thirty and washed out.

Finally, the plot goes way beyond convoluted, so complicated as to seriously lose the motive. Does it add up or make sense? Guess these things don’t have to.

I ran into somewhat the same when I read Dream Town and yet, here we go again.

I received a copy of this audiobook from my handy dandy library that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts. It bothers me sometimes that the male/female narrators give me the impression that one is recording on the west coast and the other the east. They just don’t flow as they should in normal conversation.

Rosepoint Rating: Three Stars

Book Details:

Genre: International Mystery & Crime, Action Thriller & Suspense Fiction, Mystery Action & Adventure
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Narrators: Ron McLarty, Orlagh Cassidy
ASIN: B00V6FUY0E
Listening Length: 13 hrs 16 mins
Publication Date: April 21, 2015
Source: Local Library

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: David Baldacci has been writing since childhood, when his mother gave him a lined notebook in which to write down his stories. (Much later, when David thanked her for being the spark that ignited his writing career, she revealed that she’d given him the notebook to keep him quiet, “because every mom needs a break now and then.”)

David published his first novel, ABSOLUTE POWER, in 1996. A feature film followed, with Clint Eastwood as its director and star. In total, David has published 44 novels for adults; all have been national and international bestsellers and several have been adapted for film and television. His novels have been translated into over 45 languages and sold in more than 80 countries, with 150 million copies sold worldwide. David has also published seven novels for younger readers.

David is also the cofounder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across the United States.

K, luv u, bye

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah – #AudiobookReview – #FamilyLifeFiction

Winner for Best Historical Fiction (2018)

Book Blurb:

The number one New York Times best seller

The newest audiobook sensation from Kristin Hannah, best-selling author of The Nightingale.

This program is read by acclaimed narrator Julia Whelan, whose enchanting voice brought Gone Girl and Fates and Furies to life. Kristin Hannah reads the acknowledgements.

Alaska, 1974. Unpredictable. Unforgiving. Untamed.

For a family in crisis, the ultimate test of survival.

Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: He will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier. Thirteen-year-old Leni, a girl coming of age in a tumultuous time, caught in the riptide of her parents’ passionate, stormy relationship, dares to hope that a new land will lead to a better future for her family. She is desperate for a place to belong. Her mother, Cora, will do anything and go anywhere for the man she loves, even if means following him into the unknown.

At first, Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers. In a wild, remote corner of the state, they find a fiercely independent community of strong men and even stronger women. The long, sunlit days and the generosity of the locals make up for the Allbrights’ lack of preparation and dwindling resources. But as winter approaches and darkness descends on Alaska, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates and the family begins to fracture. Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within. In their small cabin, covered in snow, blanketed in 18 hours of night, Leni and her mother learn the terrible truth: They are on their own. In the wild, there is no one to save them but themselves.

In this unforgettable portrait of human frailty and resilience, Kristin Hannah reveals the indomitable character of the modern American pioneer and the spirit of a vanishing Alaska – a place of incomparable beauty and danger.

The Great Alone is a daring, beautiful, stay-up-all-night audiobook about love and loss, the fight for survival, and the wildness that lives in both man and nature.

My Review:

Leni Allbright is only 13 when her parents, Ernt and Cora, decide they should move to Alaska to claim a piece of land and cabin left to him by one of his former Viet Nam buddies. Ernt and Cora have been part of the landscape group of tune in, turn on, and drop out fringe of the seventies protest scene.

Lovers as teenagers, Cora defied her parents to marry and disappear with Ernt. They lived fairly free until Ernt was sent to ‘Nam. He wasn’t the same when he returned, and their marriage born of passion is still one that Cora defends when Ernt becomes abusive. Now, after years of lost jobs, opportunities, erratic moods and alcohol, they’ve come to the end of the road. Surely, in Alaska, living off the grid, off the land, and free, everything will be better.

Arriving almost literally at land’s end, they realize they are woefully unprepared and still don’t know the half of it. No electricity, no running water, and an outhouse. This is spring but winter is coming and that’s a whole nother kind of hell. Spring and summer must be an intensive prep for winter.

Thank heaven for the kind neighbors, the inhabitants who must support each other to survive. I love these characters, though there are always those not so lovely, the drinkers and the anti-government and these feed into Ernt heavily. Ernt believes he must teach his daughter survival skills.

So many great characters, one of my favorite being Large Marge, the backbone of the area, extremely knowledgeable, strong, and independent—fully capable of taking on Ernt. Leni longing to become a part of the community finally meets a boy and over the ensuing years falls in love.

The descriptions of the area, the state, the sweeping, majestic wilderness provides a visual strong enough to smell the pine, the wind-swept sea, and hear the snarl of the beasts. The pace is constant, painting a picture of the lives of the struggle of the inhabitants and their determination to conquer the conditions and enjoy the benefits. You might have to look hard, but there are benefits.

Leni matures into a strong, capable young woman, but fiercely loyal to her mother, and as much as she’d previously loved her father, came to view him as destructive and violent. As many scenarios as I devised, pushing the storyline in the direction I thought would go, found the author had her own ideas. Never a dull moment.

The narrative takes on epic proportions, possibly stretching some plot points a bit longer than was necessary.

Hannah explores the relationship between Cora and Ernt, Leni and her mother, Leni and Michael, Ernt with toxic buddies. A harsh return to the times and the dysfunction of the individuals. I was disappointed with the direction that Michael’s story went, amazed at Leni’s return to the area and of the legal repercussions—the only way it should have gone—the easy acceptance of the Walker family. Then came the longish wrapping up.

Still, you can’t deny Hannah’s books are immensely entertaining; plot heavy and diverse characters looking at the full spectrum of abuse, PTSD, poverty, murder, loss, love, and survival.

I’ve read a number of books by this author, the last of which was The Four Winds (which I loved) and found each riveting, page-turning, and usually earning a robust 4.5 or 5 stars from me. If you’ve read her books you no doubt have your favorites as well. How did this one work for you?

I downloaded a copy of this beautifully narrated audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Family Life Fiction
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
ASIN: B07225XB9D
Listening Length: 15 hrs 3 mins
Narrator: Julia Whelan
Publication Date: February 6, 2018
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: The Great Alone [Amazon]

The Author: Kristin Hannah is the award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels. Her newest novel, The Women, about the nurses who served in the Vietnam war, will be released on February 6, 2024.

The Four Winds was published in February of 2021 and immediately hit #1 on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Indie bookstore’s bestseller lists. Additionally, it was selected as a book club pick by the both Today Show and The Book Of the Month club, which named it the best book of 2021.

In 2018, The Great Alone became an instant New York Times #1 bestseller and was named the Best Historical Novel of the Year by Goodreads.

In 2015, The Nightingale became an international blockbuster and was Goodreads Best Historical fiction novel for 2015 and won the coveted People’s Choice award for best fiction in the same year. It was named a Best Book of the Year by Amazon, iTunes, Buzzfeed, the Wall Street Journal, Paste, and The Week.

The Nightingale is currently in pre-production at Tri Star. Firefly Lane, her beloved novel about two best friends, was the #1 Netflix series around the world, in the week it came out. The popular tv show stars Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke.

A former attorney, Kristin lives in the Pacific Northwest.

http://www.kristinhannah.com

Have a Great Sunday

All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers – #Audiobook Review – #FlashbackFriday

Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Goodreads Choice Awards

Book Blurb:

Everyone from Wakarusa, Indiana, remembers the infamous case of January Jacobs, who was discovered in a ditch hours after her family awoke to find her gone. Margot Davies was six at the time, the same age as January—and they were next-door neighbors. In the twenty years since, Margot has grown up, moved away, and become a big-city journalist. But she’s always been haunted by the feeling that it could’ve been her. And the worst part is, January’s killer has never been brought to justice.

When Margot returns home to help care for her uncle after he is diagnosed with early-onset dementia, she feels like she’s walked into a time capsule. Wakarusa is exactly how she remembers—genial, stifled, secretive. Then news breaks about five-year-old Natalie Clark from the next town over, who’s gone missing under circumstances eerily similar to January’s. With all the old feelings rushing back, Margot vows to find Natalie and to solve January’s murder once and for all.

But the police, Natalie’s family, the townspeople—they all seem to be hiding something. And the deeper Margot digs into Natalie’s disappearance, the more resistance she encounters, and the colder January’s case feels. Could January’s killer still be out there? Is it the same person who took Natalie? And what will it cost to finally discover what truly happened that night twenty years ago?

Twisty, chilling, and intense, All Good People Here is a searing tale that asks: What are your neighbors capable of when they think no one is watching?

My Review:

So few books actually take place in Indiana that when I saw this did, I bit. Also, because it is mystery, thriller. And, the premise sounded good. Liked the cover. Did the book deliver?

Gees, it’s a debut novel by a true crime podcaster. Gotta be good, right? Some people thought so—many others did not.

Not to beat a dead horse, but it does sound strikingly familiar with another (real life) story that refuses to leave the hearts and minds of the people of another beautiful little girl. In this case, the stories of two little girls, twenty years apart and Margot Davies, the former little girl’s neighbor.

Margot returns to help take care of her uncle in Wakarusa. She is now a journalist and soon after her return another little girl goes missing—found days later under similar circumstances to January Jacobs, twenty years before. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not.

Naturally, Margot feels compelled to solve the mystery, find the perp, possibly put an end to it happening again. And, of course, it would appear her career could very well depend on the story she would reap from the reveal.

It’s amazing the doors and info Margot can glean from those who would not normally speak with a journalist. She goes about it step by step, after all, she’s done this before, crime beat reporting. Only this time it’s much more personal.

There are twists, a build-up of suspense with the story of the girls and their family circumstances as well as her own struggle with her uncle, diagnosed with dementia. I enjoyed the deep dive into the people and the rural countryside creating a depth to the bucolic nature of the area.

What I didn’t enjoy, as so many others noted, was that abrupt ending and multi-tasking as I generally do with an audiobook, thought I’d missed something. Apparently not. So yes, strongly suspected the who—but then what went down? I guess it’s up to you.

Did you read this one? I thought the audiobook was well done, kept my interest, with the author herself participating in narration. Still…

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Murder Thrillers, Women Sleuth Mysteries
Publisher: Random House Audio
ASIN: B09QQVLPJC
Listening Length: 10 hrs 35 mins
Narrators: Ashley Flowers, Brittany Pressley, Karissa Vacker
Publication Date: August 16, 2022
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: All Good People Here [Amazon]

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

The Author: Ashley Flowers is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of audiochuck, the award-winning, independent media and podcast production company known for its standout content and storytelling across different genres, including true crime, documentary, fiction, comedy, and more. Ashley is the author of New York Times Bestseller, All Good People Here, a fiction crime thriller released in August, 2022.

As CCO, Flowers works with her team to create an overarching content strategy and vision for the network of shows and company growth. She also hosts several audiochuck podcasts, including Apple Podcast’s #1 show of 2022, Crime Junkie, The Deck, and The Deck Investigates. At the core of the company and all its podcasts, Ashley and her team are committed to developing responsible true crime content.

Through her work at audiochuck, Ashley is passionate about advocacy work and established the nonprofit Season of Justice to provide financial resources to both law enforcement agencies and families in order to help solve cold cases.

Ashley Flowers was born and raised in Indiana, where she lives with her husband, her daughter, and their beloved dog, Chuck. She received a Bachelor of Science in Biological Services from Arizona State University.

Have a good Weekend!

The Wrong Victim by Allison Brennan – #AudiobookReview – #ThrowbackThursday

A Quinn & Costa Thriller Book 3

Book Blurb:

A lethal attack with no clear motive…and a killer dead-set on keeping the truth buried.

A bomb explodes on a sunset charter cruise out of Friday Harbor at the height of tourist season and kills everyone on board. Now this fishing and boating community is in shock and asking who would commit such a heinous crime—the largest act of mass murder in the history of the San Juan Islands.

Was the explosion an act of domestic terrorism, or was one of the dead the primary target? That is the first question Special Agent Matt Costa, Detective Kara Quinn and the rest of the FBI team need to answer, but they have few clues and no witnesses.

Accused of putting profits before people after leaking fuel endangered an environmentally sensitive preserve, the West End Charter company may itself have been the target. As Matt and his team get closer to answers, they find one of their own caught in the crosshairs of a determined killer.

My Review:

My step into the author that the CE sampled last year, this one in the middle of an established somewhat hard-boiled series. I was attracted to the Pacific Northwest location of the San Juan Islands on the coast of Seattle, a gorgeous historic oceanside area.

In this episode, Special Agent Matt Costa and Detective Kara Quinn join with the rest of the FBI team following the explosion of a sunset charter cruise in Friday Harbor. They begin by looking at those individuals who were killed by the bombing and there is also the question of whether or not the target was directed against the West End Charter Company.

They have been joined this time by Catherine Jones, an FBI forensic psychiatrist, who immediately clashes with Kara. Kara has pulled herself up by her bootstraps, has LA street smarts, and finds Catherine’s grating methods ill-conceived and laced by over-education rather than real-time experience. Catherine is the perfect antagonist, proves to be the irritation focus in the foreground while the team quietly works in the background to pick apart the bits of the what, why, and who.

The bombing is a hook that serves to lay the plot for the complex storyline but I had a problem engaging in Kara who proves rough around the edges bordering on crude, the obvious antithesis of Catherine. I felt the narrative bogged down somewhat by all the in-fighting and found my attention wavering. The novel could have been shorter and carried more punch.

As the plot adds additional persons of interest and the body count rises, it becomes clear there is another layer that feels like it is reaching a bit far. It does find a solid conclusion but at the loss of my interest.

The CE read North of Nowhere last year, our first experience with this author and narrator, and one that left him a bit exasperated. I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Police Procedural Mysteries, Crime Thrillers, Suspense
Publisher: Harlequin Audio
ASIN: B09GL4CQ82
Listening Length: 13 hrs 13 mins
Narrator: Suzanne T. Fortin
Publication Date: April 26, 2022
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: The Wrong Victim [Amazon]

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

The Author: Allison Brennan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award winning author of three dozen thrillers and numerous short stories. She was nominated for Best Paperback Original Thriller by International Thriller Writers, had multiple nominations and two Daphne du Maurier Awards, and is a five-time RITA finalist for Best Romantic Suspense. Allison believes life is too short to be bored, so she had five kids and spends all her non-writing time as a sports spectator, chauffeur, and short-order cook for her munchkins. She has a dog, two cats, and three chickens. Allison and her family live in northern California.

#ThrowbackThursday

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix – #AudiobookReview – #horrorfiction

Book Blurb:

New York Times bestselling author Grady Hendrix takes on the haunted house in a thrilling new novel that explores the way your past—and your family—can haunt you like nothing else.

When Louise finds out her parents have died, she dreads going home. She doesn’t want to leave her daughter with her ex and fly to Charleston. She doesn’t want to deal with her family home, stuffed to the rafters with the remnants of her father’s academic career and her mother’s lifelong obsession with puppets and dolls. She doesn’t want to learn how to live without the two people who knew and loved her best in the world.

Most of all, she doesn’t want to deal with her brother, Mark, who never left their hometown, gets fired from one job after another, and resents her success. Unfortunately, she’ll need his help to get the house ready for sale because it’ll take more than some new paint on the walls and clearing out a lifetime of memories to get this place on the market.

But some houses don’t want to be sold, and their home has other plans for both of them…

My Review:

Two things that have always creeped me out: 1) Puppets, and 2) clowns. So how did I miss that this is a horror fiction that had a puppet antagonist?! Crazed, deadly puppet. It’s name? Pupkin.

Somehow I missed in the blurb that this might be a horror audiobook. The main character, Louise, lives across the country from her hometown in South Carolina. She is estranged from her brother, but the phone call she gets from him delivers the news that their parents were killed in an automobile accident.

Much as she would prefer to let Mark handle it all, there is the childhood home involved and a house filled with her mother’s lifelong accumulation of homemade puppets. She detests those puppets; one in particular. Mark has not fared well in the intervening years and he’s ready to wholesale clear it all out and sell. Unfortunately, there’s something weird about the house and the realtor declares she won’t list it until it’s clean of the vibes.

As Louise and Mark fight through their opposing issues, the horrors begin to escalate and become patently obvious. Eventually, there is a deadly and horrific showdown and while you might think that’s the climax, it isn’t. A new wrinkle. A major twist. Can this even get worse? Yes, it can.

The author knows how to build a scene into an insanely violent and bloody confrontation. Good grief, I had to turn down the speaker, as my hubby left the room mumbling something about my choice of audiobooks. I was questioning how I bumbled into it as well, and I thought it was finally mopping up and preparing for a conclusion.

NOPE! Right back at it! Does the damn thing ever die? Oh, right—it can’t! Now we have sister and brother trying to get at the real heart of the demonic possession. What or who is it really? As they work together, there is backstory with the separate perspective of their childhoods.

Well plotted and for the most part fast paced with few exceptions. It does turn out to be a lengthy audiobook and I’m not at all sure I could have hung in long enough to read it. I definitely got tired of hearing Pupkin squealing his favorite mantra, however, although I must say the narrators did an admirable job.

You like Stephen King or horror novels? This might be right down your alley, but I’m thinking I’ll be looking for another doggy book.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Horror Fiction, Psychological Thrillers, Suspense
Publisher: Penguin Audio
ASIN: B09LK9S2WL
Listening Length: 13 hrs
Narrator: Jay Aaseng, Mikhaila Aaseng
Publication Date: January 17, 2023
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: How to Sell a Haunted House [Amazon]
Barnes & Noble “Best of 2023–(so far)”
Kobo

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

The Author: New York Times bestselling author Grady Hendrix makes up lies and sells them to people. His novels include HORRORSTÖR about a haunted IKEA, MY BEST FRIEND’S EXORCISM, which is basically “Beaches” meets “The Exorcist”, WE SOLD OUR SOULS, a heavy metal horror epic, THE SOUTHERN BOOK CLUB’S GUIDE TO SLAYING VAMPIRES, and THE FINAL GIRL SUPPORT GROUP, coming on July 13, 2021. He’s also the author of PAPERBACKS FROM HELL, an award-winning history of the horror paperback boom of the Seventies and Eighties. He wrote the screenplay for, MOHAWK, a horror flick about the War of 1812, and SATANIC PANIC about a pizza delivery woman fighting rich Satanists. You can discover more ridiculous facts about him at http://www.gradyhendrix.com.