Samyann's Blog, page 6

Cherokee Pointe Trilogy

The Fifth Victim by Beverly Barton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Plot. The series begins as an FBI agent on the trail of a serial killer arrives in Cherokee Pointe, Tennessee. A smallish town with a cast of quirky characters, including a psychic, her protective Cherokee brother, a redheaded bar owner, a bouncer, some snobby upper class, all drop-dead beautiful people. The murders are grizzly, bloody, violent, and descriptive – not for the faint of heart.

I enjoyed the murder mysteries … I found the abundance of sex scenes an overkill that was gratuitous and predictable.

Narration. Gavin isn’t my favorite. Listen to the sample before you invest; you may find her just peachy. Three-novel series written by Beverly Barton, narrated by Marguerite Gavin. All characters traverse all three novels, so read in sequence – The Fifth Victim 10.5 hours of listening, The Last to Die just over 11, and finally As Good As Dead 11.5. All books were released in 2018 by Blackstone Audio.

All three novels are very, very descriptive, containing explicit sex scenes; if explicit sex scenes make you hit fast-forward, skip this series – because you will fast-forward through at least 1/3 of the books – otherwise, the murder mysteries are good!

Cold Fear

Cold Fear by Rick Mofina
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Plot. A couple and their young daughter go on a Glacier National Park hiking/camping trip. Mom needs to escape/face demons that have haunted her ever since a childhood tragedy. The daughter disappears during a spousal argument, and the investigation turns terrified parents into suspects.

Not so hot. A thread through the story, the original “demon” that shatters mom’s childhood, seems a bit over the top, IMO. Not so sure that is realistic – but it’s a fundamental plot device. Narration is a bit lacking in creating female voices, but not so much that you’ll find it bothersome – the story will hold your attention. The lead investigator’s blind obsession with the parents being guilty seemed off – I don’t believe a professional FBI agent would behave with a crazed passion that borders on abuse. But that’s just me; maybe they do.

Liked. The descriptions of Glacier, it is magnificent. Go – if you haven’t already. The fact that the parents are soon suspects is par for the course; that would happen. The search and rescue collaboration of agencies didn’t seem territorial – just a single objective by everyone: find the girl alive. Suspense … lots and lots of gripping suspense. It is a page-turner that will keep you interested.

No sex, no objectionable language. Some frightening scenes so, not recommended for the young reader. Spoiler: The little girl has a beagle; it survives.

Written by Rick Mofina, narrated by Christian Rummel, 11.5 hours of listening, released in December 2015 by Audible Studios.

The Invitation

The Invitation by Vi Keeland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Plot. Girl meets boy sexy romance. Nothing is fade-to-black.

Liked. The initial meet of the couple happens as the lead female character crashes a glitzy wedding. Fun reading. The female lead character’s best friend is a gay man. Although it’s not the main part of this story, the casual approach by the author to the normality of LBGTQ life is refreshing.

Not so hot. Invitation’s dual narration is not based on character gender, but rather on point of view, i.e., BOTH narrators read the voices of BOTH characters. Personally, the minds-eye visual of a character is influenced by the narrator’s voice in audiobooks. How a character sounds/speaks gives a picture of them – and I found the narration jarring. Of course, this is not an issue for any format other than the audiobook. Invitation contains very descriptive sex scenes. Very. If this isn’t your cup of tea, skip it.

The machination/integration of a venture capital company and start-up business is educational – although it is a device for the story of a woman being dependant on a man .

A girly beach read, nothing deep – not intended to be.

Written by Vi Keeland, narrated by Sebastian York, Andi Arndt, close to nine hours of listening in unabridged audiobook format, released in January 2021 by C. Scott Publishing Corp.

The Terminal List

The Terminal List by Jack Carr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jack Carr writes the series; Ray Porter narrates all. In sequence: The Terminal List 12 hours, True Believer 16, Savage Son 13, and The Devil’s Hand 15 hours. Released by Simon & Schuster in 2018, ’19, ’20, ’21, respectively.

Plot. Lieutenant Commander James Reece is the lead character through the series. The saga begins when Reece returns home from an overseas deployment to find his pregnant wife and young daughter slaughtered. He’s also the victim of a politically sanctioned drug experiment, his entire Seal team killed. Those involved reach the highest levels of government, and Reece vows revenge. Further stories are equally riveting, ranging from bioweapons to assassinations, geography worldwide from Camp David, the Florida Keys, a Montana ranch, the depths of Africa, the Middle East, and beyond.

To get the most of the series, read in sequence. The ending of book four makes it clear that there are more stories to come. Commander Reece isn’t finished. Gun aficionados will be thrilled with the descriptions of a myriad of weapons. The people are fictional, as is most of the story. Some of what you will read, however, is true.

Violent, lots of blood/brains splattering walls, double-taps. No sex, no objectionable language. Narration is fine, no issues. Bumped the speed up to 1.4, but it’s not criticism.

Recommended for the espionage/gun nuts out there.

The Ice Limit Series

The Ice Limit by Douglas Preston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Ice Limit is actually a location in the Antarctic Ocean where ice meets the open sea. Seasonal storms rage, and waves can reach 200 feet. On a remote, Antarctic island off the coast of southern Chile, an interstellar meteor is found – this ruby-colored rock landed 30,000 years ago. Early in book one, you’ll learn that this is not your average meteor.

The Ice Limit, book one, tells of a billionaire’s obsession to own the rock and the attempt to retrieve it for his museum. Book two, Beyond the Ice Limit, is the sequel that tells us the retrieval attempt had unknown and deadly consequences. Read both in sequence to glean the most from the story. Both stories are riveting page-turners, however two observations. One, Scott Brick is the better narrator. Two, although both stories are Sci-Fi, the second is … well, it requires stretching your imagination considerably more and rolling of eyes at times.

Both novels are Hachette Audiobooks written Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. The Ice Limit is narrated by Scott Brick, close to 17 hours of listening, released in August 2010. Beyond the Ice Limit is narrated by David W. Collins, just over 10 hours of listening, released in May 2016.

Recommended for the Sci-Fi lover.

The Clockmaker’s Daughter

The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The protagonist and narrator of The Clockmaker’s Daughter is a girl nicknamed Birdie. Escaping the law and an impoverished life in London, her father leaves for America to start a new life. Seven-year-old Birdie is left behind in the care of a woman of questionable morals; he promises to send for her. From the life of a clever thief on the streets of London, Birdie becomes a model for a painter with whom she falls in love. The story traverses time and generations from the 1860s with stops in the early 1900s, WWI, WWII to investigations by a descendant in 2017. There are unique characters in each era!

There are thousands of reviews, so I’ve not much to add. It’s a decent story.

Not so hot. There are many, many characters – some important to the tale, some peripheral distractions. IMO, the editor might have sharpened the pencil a bit.

The Clockmaker’s Daughter is written by Kate Morton, narrated by Joanne Froggatt, about 18 hours of listening in unabridged audiobook format and released in October 2018 by Bolinda Publishing.

Recommended with the caveat that the listener pays attention – a bit of rewind to keep it straight!

The Black Swan of Paris

The Black Swan of Paris by Karen Robards
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It is 1944 Paris. The Black Swan is a hugely popular singer – and is an unknowing member of the French Resistance – a British officer is posing as her manager, using her to mingle with the elite of the Nazi regime. Estranged from her family, she learns that her parents and sister are also resisters. Her father has been killed, and her mother captured. Her mother is aware of the coming Allied invasion, and the resistance must either rescue her or kill her before fatal Nazi torture. The Black Swan is a Harlequin release; ergo, there is romance.

It’s always a pleasure to read historical novels – history intermingled with fictional characters and how events influence lives. Although a romance, there is no explicit sex, limited objectionable language that isn’t character-driven, nothing gratuitous.

The Black Swan of Paris is written by Karen Robards, narrated by Nancy Peterson, seventeen hours of listening in unabridged audiobook format and released in June 2020 by Harlequin Audio.

Recommended.

They Went Left

They Went Left by Monica Hesse
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

They Went Left is a story of the Holocaust, the title a reference to the sorting of Jews, left to extermination.

Plot. Unlike most stories of the Holocaust, this story begins after WWII, 1945. Zofia Lederman, a concentration camp survivor barely alive, is hospitalized. Upon release, her mind broken, her body fragile, and her thoughts a mix of reality, hope, and horrifying images, Zofia begins searching for her 9-yr-old little brother – separated from her on arrival at Auschwitz. The story and characters are fictional. The Holocaust is history; They Went Left is based on fact. Many of the events are witness accounts.

You will learn things you didn’t know. Although it’s not a big part of this story, the hate of Jews AFTER the war continued, they were not welcomed back to their own homes or neighborhoods – one of the main reasons for migration to Palestine, Israel – anywhere else.

Written by Monica Hesse, narrated by Caitlin Davies, just under ten hours of listening in unabridged audiobook format, released in April 2020 by Little, Brown Young Reader.

Never forget. Recommended.

Jeremy Winter Series

Coming of Winter by Tom Threadgill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jeremy Winter is a middle-aged FBI agent on the cusp of retirement. Each story has a beginning-middle-end murder mystery that comes to a satisfactory conclusion. No story is for the faint-of-heart, as Jeremy’s FBI specialty has been serial killers. The Jeremy Winter Series, written by Tom Threadgill, is three novels to date, each in the area of 10 hours of listening in unabridged audiobook format. Coming of Winter, Dead of Winter, and Winter’s Fury. Read them in sequence, or you’ll miss continuity.

A thread through the novels is Jeremy’s service as an FBI interrogator in Afganistan. He witnessed illegal behavior by his superior but has kept quiet. The superior is now married to a presidential candidate and fears a leak might damage political aspirations. There is also a thread of Jeramy’s budding romance with another FBI agent in addition to the unsolved murder of his pregnant wife while he was deployed.

All were released in 2019 by Silverton Agency. Books one and two are narrated by Austin Walp, book three by Drew Bott. IMO, Austin is the better of the two, but that’s just an opinion. My reaction when starting book three was, “What’s wrong with this narration?” So … there is that. Bott’s voice for Jeramy didn’t work for me, high pitched and whiney for a guy in his late 40s. There is no explicit sex, no objectionable language, albeit some of the murders are on the grizzly side—good mystery and suspense.

At the end of book three, the author’s note tells us that there will be more Jeremy Winter stories.

Recommended for the murder mystery fan!

The Traveler – Marcus Battle

Battle by Tom Abrahams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

ALL eight novels are approximately a 70 hour listen – a post-apocalyptic world. A flea born pathogen, highly contagious, wipes out over two-thirds of the world population. There is no cure, but there is natural immunity. If you want the full experience, in sequence: Home, Canyon, Wall, Rising, Battle, Legacy, Hero, and finally Harbor.

Plot. Marcus Battle, a PTSD victim, returns to Texas and loses his son and wife to the plague; he speaks to them and hears them speak to him. Marcus also lives as a hermit on his land, defending it with shoot-first, so you don’t need to ask questions. After months of solitude, Marcus rescues a woman being chased by a cult of marauders. The marauders have her son. They successfully burn Marcus’s house down. Under a facade of revenge, Marcus and the woman set out to rescue her son and rid Texas of these thugs. The story has a considerable slice of flashbacks to Marcus’ time in service – when he nearly dies to rescue his badly injured friend. Will Marcus conquer his own demons, rescue the boy of a stranger? Stay alive? Will he have a second family?

The story moves to Battle’s father-daughter friendship with an orphaned, snarky, broken girl. Smart as they come, fiercely independent, able to sling a knife with lightning speed – Louise (Lou), is as damaged as Battle, having lost loved ones to the virulent infection and possies of opportunistic thugs. Lou and Battle’s adventures traverse the years and the miles in search of a life without violence.

Liked. Good character development, easy to visualize action, well-organized plot over eight novels. No sex, no explicit language. Decent narration and production.

Not so hot. There are some holes in an apocalyptic world, in my opinion. Not much mention of shortages of essentials like gasoline, medicine, etc., all that would surely be horrific. No mention of tampons – hey, they will run out! Just sayin’. By the time the series ends, a span of 21 years since the plague, there is also a plethora of ammunition – who’s making all this stuff? Lots and lots of double-tap gun violence. A bit slow tempo, but just pump the speed up a tad on your iPhone.

This is a long series, cliffhangers throughout – but, comes to a satisfactory conclusion with the final novel, Harbor.

Written by By Tom Abrahams, narrated by Kevin Pierce in unabridged audiobook format, released in March 2016-19 by Piton Press LLC.

Recommended – don’t have to stretch the imagination much. This stuff could really happen, as we all now know with COVID19.