Samyann's Blog, page 2

The Archer Series

One Good Deed by David Baldacci
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

At this writing, The Archer Series consists of three full-length novels; in order, they are One Good Deed, A Gambling Man, and Dream Town. The ending of book three, Dream Town, leaves no doubt that more is to come. Read in sequence for continuity of characters – a few traverse all novels.

Plot. It is the early 1950s. Americans are war-weary, still recovering, and it seems everyone has a story of service – at home or abroad. A veteran of WWII, Archer is the guy we’ve all read of in many novels, tall, handsome, with boy-scout morals. Following a wrongful conviction, Archer finds himself drawn to a career as a private investigator. Taken under the wing of former FBI agent Willie Dash in LosAngeles, Archer solves murders, finds missing persons, and gets in and out of scrapes that will have you convinced he’s a dead man. But, he perseveres. Think of the era of the mob owning Reno and Vegas, film noir; a time when men wore suits and fedoras, women white gloves and hats.

Liked. No explicit sex, no objectionable language – murders, but not terribly gruesome. Narration, voicing, and production are all done nicely.

Not so hot. The times. Women couldn’t make a bank loan without a male guarantor – deplorable debasement of women. The books are true to the facts of the time; it’s no wonder women are so disgusted with inequities that exist to this day.

Written by David Baldacci, narrated by Edoardo Ballerini and Brittany Pressley, on average 10 hours of listening each, released from 2019-2022 by Hachette Audio.

Recommended 1950s PI series, enjoy!

Deep Night

Deep Night by Ambrose Ibsen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book 1 in the Detective Harlan Ulrich Series. Plot. Nancy brings a landscape painting home from the pawnshop she owns and immediately begins to be harassed by a ghost – the woman who appears in the painting—tapping on Nancy’s window, standing in the shadows of her yard, entering the house! Police investigate and find nothing. Enter Detective Harlan Ulrich, a single, middle-aged cat owner, who lives alone, eats junk food and loves good coffee. Nancy hires Ulrich to help her solve the ghostly mystery.

Liked. No sex, no explicit language; gift it to grandma if she likes ghostly mysteries. Narration is fine, nothing exceptional, but very listenable. Ulrich is a good character development to begin a series.

Not so hot. Bumped the speed to 1.4 – not a complaint, more a preference. Deep Night is just over six hours of listening – a bit short for my taste.

Written by Ambrose Ibsen, narrated by Kyle Tait, in unabridged audiobook format, released in June 2019 by Ambrose Ibsen (self-published).

Considering the sea of self-published garbage out there, this one is one of the hidden gems.

Recommended.

A Day Like This

A Day Like This by Kelley McNeil
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Plot. Following a bad automobile accident, Annie Beyers awakens in a hospital, bruised and battered, begging to know if her daughter survived the crash. Hannah was in the back, in a booster seat. It seems there never was a daughter? Everyone is telling Annie the child never existed, and having no other choice, she reluctantly begins to move on with life – but – something is not right. Annie refuses to believe Hannah is a figment of her imagination.

Liked. A creative premise, page-turning, with an ending that is pleasant. No sex, no objectionable language – a clean read you can gift to grandma.

Not so hot. There are many kudos to the narrator, so it’s likely just me – but she doesn’t do male voices well, and the child’s voice is annoying. The book could be shortened considerably – that’s the editor’s fault, not the author – too much description. I learned the house was yellow, and the protagonist loved lilacs dozens of times.

A Day Like This is written by Kelley McNeil, narrated by Amanda Leigh Cobb, about 10 hours of listening in unabridged audiobook format, released in November 2021 by Brilliance Audio.

Overall, an enjoyable listen. Recommended.

Heartbreak Bay – Stillhouse Lake Series

Heartbreak Bay by Rachel Caine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This review addresses the Stillhouse Series. Stillhouse Lake, Killman Creek, Wolfhunter River, Bitter Falls, and Heartbreak Bay at this writing. There will likely be more novels to the series – there is a Rachel Caine book in this series called “Infinity” – but, it doesn’t seem to be available on Audible, nor in my local public library. Anyway…

Plot. Gina Royal, driving up the street to her house with her two young kids in the car, comes upon the scene of a drunk driver who had slammed into the garage of her home. The body of a violently tortured woman is hanging by a noose in the garage. Her husband is arrested as a serial killer, she is arrested as his accomplice. She is completely ignorant of all of it, as surprised as the cops. The woman is acquitted and spends the rest of this series outrunning bloodthirsty, revengeful Internet trolls that constantly chase her and her kids through many locations, eventually changing her name to Gwen Proctor and settling at Stillhouse Lake. Good guys, bad guys, betrayals, thrills, fast reads.

No sex, no language issues. Some grizzly scenes. Start with Book One, Stillhouse Lake, to get the most of the series.

In Bitter Falls, Gwen is a Private Investigator with a group of trusted friends watching her back. In Heartbreak Bay, the internet trolls notch it up, threatening Gwen and everyone she loves.

Worth the read. Not classic literature, not intended to be – just fun mysteries.

The Keeper of Happy Endings

The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Plot. Soline Roussel is born into a family of dressmakers, decades of women specializing in wedding gowns – with a touch of magic. During WWII, Soline experiences the horrible loss of her fiancé. Decades of grief, loneliness, and a modicum of success ensue with her dress shop in Boston. Tragedy strikes again with a physically debilitating fire. Soline meets a young woman suffering loss of her own who again brings love into her life.

Liked. The storyline is touching and tender. No sex, no offensive language. I’m a succor for WWII stories.

Not so hot. There have been several comments regarding the French accent. Frankly, I can’t entirely agree. I’m not French and don’t speak French (I wish I did), so it sounded fine. However, the voice of Rory was cringe-worthy. You may find it all peachy.

Written by Barbara Davis, narrated by: Robin Siegerman and Hope Newhouse, 15 hours of listening in unabridged audiobook format released in October 2021 by Brilliance Audio.

Recommended.

Joe Talbert Series

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Joe Talbert Series, at this writing, consists of three books: The Life We Bury, The Shadows We Hide, and The Stolen Hours; the first two are narrated by Zack Villa, the last by MacLeod Andrews, Christine Lakin, and Tina Huang. Totaling about thirty hours of listening released by Hachette Audio.

The series begins with a college student, Joe Talbert, struggling through college. Joe has a mentally challenged brother and a self-indulgent alcoholic mother. A biography writing assignment brings him to a nursing facility and the mysterious life of a veteran paroled from prison because he is dying of cancer. The guy was doing 30 years for murder. You guessed it … the man is innocent. In the second story, Joe is an AP reporter investigating the death of a father he never met. In the third story, the main protagonist is no longer Joe, and it’s his girlfriend – a new lawyer determined to lock up a serial-killing-rapist.

The stories are page-turning adventures. Not great literature and not intended to be, but engaging mysteries nonetheless. The lead characters get into a few hair-raising situations, often making some naive choices. Narration is fine, and you’ll have no trouble discerning who-says-what-to-who, albeit a little slow for my taste … bumped the speed to 1.5. You may find it just right. Very creative thinking on the part of Allen Eskers; the characters and story arcs are lovely, and I look forward to reading other works.

Enjoy

Joseph Bridgeman Series

The Observer Effect by Nick Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Joseph Bridgeman Series, at this writing, consists of three novels from 9-12 hours of listening in unabridged audiobook format released from February 2021 through March 2022 – a fourth book is to be released in October 2022, written by Nick Jones, narrated by Ray Porter – Blackstone Publishing.

Series plot. While using a relaxation technique, Joseph Bridgeman accidentally jumps back in time. Jumps get longer. Bridgeman learns of a Continuum of individuals who police time. The Continuum members are “good guys” that correct wrongs and redirect events without interfering with any devastating butterfly events. Owner of an antique store, Bridgeman has always been able to see the story of an item, like a fountain pen or an old radio, a talent unique to the Continuum.

Liked – everything. It’s a great series. Narration by Porter, production, all fine. You found a good one if you’re looking for a paranormal/Time Travel/SciFi type series! Each novel has a beginning-middle-ending; however, you’ll miss some relative continuity and character development without starting at book one, And Then She Vanished.

Enjoy!

The Missing

The Missing by Kiersten Modglin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Plot. Five tourists, strangers, are lured from a south-Florida resort area to enjoy an island cruise. Soon, they are dropped off on a deserted island and are told that only the last of them to survive may leave. No food, water, cell signals, shelter, only the clothes on their backs. They are victims of an elaborate scam, a game of survival and death.

Liked. It’s a page-turner. Narration, pace, voices, production are all okay. No explicit language or sex.

Not so hot. A bit over the top with one character in particular. Nobody is that immature and obnoxious to strangers. Seems the author has watched a ton of the “survival” genrè on TV.

Written by Kiersten Modglin, narrated by Nicol Zanzarella, 8.5 hours of listening in unabridged audiobook format, released in October 2021 by Tantor Audio.

Not great literature; not intended to be but, entertaining.

Timber Creek K-9 Mystery

Striking Range by Margaret Mizushima
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review addresses the entire series. At this writing, the series consists of Killing Trail, Stalking Ground, Hunting Hour, Burning Ridge, Tracking Game, Hanging Falls, and Striking Range. All books are 9-10 hours of listening in audiobook format. More sequels to come.

Plot. The Timber Creek K-9 Mystery Series are police procedurals in a small town. The lead characters are Mattie Cobb and her partner, Robo, a 100lb German Shephard Dog. The overall stories stand-alone – murder the basis for good guys, bad guys and Mattie’s small circle of devoted friends, mostly co-workers, and, of course, Robo. However, there is a sub-plot that traverses the entire series – Mattie’s personal life. This includes a disturbing childhood incident, her current, fragile psyche, and a mutual attraction between her and a recently divorced veterinarian, Cole Walker, and his two girls. Each story comes to a satisfactory conclusion – but, start with book one to get full advantage of a budding romance.

Not so hot. Mattie’s a little too fragile for the role, IMO – maybe that’s just me. But, I don’t think I’d be willing to put a gun in the hand of someone so …. personally breakable – not frail physically, but she always seems on the verge of tears – nightmares included.
Narration is okay, but problematic in places. The entire series is narrated by Nancy Wu – and at times she’s a bit too breathy and whispering. A bit slow, so pumped the iPhone audio up to 1.4. No other issues with audio production,

Liked. Robo, of course! A gorgeous, devoted dog, beautiful in disposition, brains, and strength. A perfect representation of this magnificent breed. Robo will take pleasure playing with kids or a ball, protect Mattie with his life, and quickly bring a grown man to tears of terror. Great dog. The stories are interesting and realistic tales of small-town policing.

The Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries are not great literature and they’re not intended to be; just curl up on the sofa and enjoy. Try not to glare at your own dumb dog.

The Apollo Murders

The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Plot. Apollo 18 is launched by Americans to intentionally disable Soviet equipment being used to spy on America, in addition to finding out what the Soviets have found on the moon. Murder and mystery abounds. The story mingles real with fictional people, like Nixon and his staff, the soviet premier, NASA personnel, several historical references…some true, some fictional.

The author doesn’t “change” history – but he does “invent” history. For example, Gene Krantz was actually the Apollo NASA Flight Director who famously said, “Failure is not an option.”, and he is the NASA Flight Director in this book – however, there never was an Apollo 18 mission and none of this happened – it’s fiction.

That all being the case, The Apollo Murders is a page-turning adventure. Space nerds, like me, will enjoy specifics of mid-1970s NASA/Soviet technology that will have others roll their eyes – but, it is a worthy read and may keep you up too late. Narration is okay, no issues with audiobook production -all is fine.

Written by Chris Hadfield (astronaut with EVA and shuttle pilot experience), narrated by Ray Porter, 15 hrs and 15 mins long in unabridged audiobook format, released in October 2021 by Mulholland Books,

Enjoy!