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Jack Hammer #1
Hint of Copper
When Jack Hammer finds his very first client, Yasa Cvito, beaten to death and floating in her own bathtub, he fears that his fledgling career as a private investigator might be over before it can even get started. Murders like this command attention, and a single skewed article in the local newspaper could kill his reputation. The police and FBI warn him to stay clear of the case—to let sleeping dogs lie—even as a cryptic message bearing his name makes that “Bring me Cvito device or lady will end up like Yasa. Saturday. No policeman.”
But what is a Cvito device? Who is the lady they’re threatening? And how is it all connected to Yasa? Jack searches desperately for her missing uncle, Bosko, who may have the answers.
Chasing clues through basement pool halls and the downtown cafes of post-World War II Salt Lake City, Jack tracks Bosko to Bingham, a nearby mining town and home to one of the largest copper mines in the world. But as time runs down, Jack makes a bombshell discovery—a revelation that only pulls him deeper into a shadowy mix of Russian spies, FBI obstruction, and quite possibly the best idea that Nikola Tesla ever had.
But what is a Cvito device? Who is the lady they’re threatening? And how is it all connected to Yasa? Jack searches desperately for her missing uncle, Bosko, who may have the answers.
Chasing clues through basement pool halls and the downtown cafes of post-World War II Salt Lake City, Jack tracks Bosko to Bingham, a nearby mining town and home to one of the largest copper mines in the world. But as time runs down, Jack makes a bombshell discovery—a revelation that only pulls him deeper into a shadowy mix of Russian spies, FBI obstruction, and quite possibly the best idea that Nikola Tesla ever had.
386 pages, Paperback
Published November 22, 2021
13 people are currently reading
668 people want to read
About the author
Steven R. Burt
3 books19 followersSteven R. Burt is a product of Utah in the 1950's. He grew up reading cereal boxes and the funny papers at the breakfast table and all his favorite books at night, hiding under his bedspread with a flashlight. He continuously read from three different publications of the 'A' encyclopedia, because the $0.98 introductory copies sold in grocery stores were the only books that fit into the family budget. Eventually he grew up and became an Architect, a profession described in the 'A' volumes, but always felt books were his true passion so, he wrote one: HINT OF COPPER, which tells the story of a young detective, his kidnapped girlfriend, Cold War spies in 1948, and quite possibly the best idea Nikola Tesla ever had.
SAVING HARRY TRUMAN is his second novel; a time-travel thriller based on an actual event: the 1948 visit of the President to Salt Lake City. It builds on the world and many of the personalities introduced in his first book.
He is an Affiliate Member of Mystery Writers of America. He and his wife Janet reside near Salt Lake City, Utah.
SAVING HARRY TRUMAN is his second novel; a time-travel thriller based on an actual event: the 1948 visit of the President to Salt Lake City. It builds on the world and many of the personalities introduced in his first book.
He is an Affiliate Member of Mystery Writers of America. He and his wife Janet reside near Salt Lake City, Utah.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 24, 2025
Narrated by Kyle Shive
Presented by AudioBee Productions LLC
This was an easy listen, though by the end I was kinda done with all the twists and turns.
It moves around a LOT, and I think if I was reading a physical book I'd enjoy the pace of the action, but as an audio book I found it just made the story seem to go for a lot longer than necessary.
The story follows a private detective who is looking for a lost uncle. The whole case becomes more and more tangled as it goes on, and it began to feel a bit ridiculous so I was sort of only half-listening by the end.
It's set in the 40s so the bad guys are Russian, and my god the accents were so hard to take seriously. I like this narrator when he's narrating, but when he does voices they often seem horribly out of place. One of his male characters sounded female so I was constantly confused.
The audio took a level of seriousness OUT, so it ended up being much lighter than it should have been. There are high stakes and body counts and plenty of guns and blood, but ultimately I never really cared about anyone.
I think this would be better for a physical read. There is plenty going on, and a physical read will get rid of the ridiculous voices and make the bad guys far more threatening.
I didn't totally hate it, but it's not my usual breed of thriller. I think others paying more attention to the details will really enjoy the twists and turns, but for me it was just an average listen.
With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC
Presented by AudioBee Productions LLC
This was an easy listen, though by the end I was kinda done with all the twists and turns.
It moves around a LOT, and I think if I was reading a physical book I'd enjoy the pace of the action, but as an audio book I found it just made the story seem to go for a lot longer than necessary.
The story follows a private detective who is looking for a lost uncle. The whole case becomes more and more tangled as it goes on, and it began to feel a bit ridiculous so I was sort of only half-listening by the end.
It's set in the 40s so the bad guys are Russian, and my god the accents were so hard to take seriously. I like this narrator when he's narrating, but when he does voices they often seem horribly out of place. One of his male characters sounded female so I was constantly confused.
The audio took a level of seriousness OUT, so it ended up being much lighter than it should have been. There are high stakes and body counts and plenty of guns and blood, but ultimately I never really cared about anyone.
I think this would be better for a physical read. There is plenty going on, and a physical read will get rid of the ridiculous voices and make the bad guys far more threatening.
I didn't totally hate it, but it's not my usual breed of thriller. I think others paying more attention to the details will really enjoy the twists and turns, but for me it was just an average listen.
With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC
January 12, 2022
I won this book in a goodreads drawing.
A neophyte PI in 1948 Salt Lake City gets hired by a recent Eastern European refugee to find her uncle. Jack Hammer (probably no relation to Mike) thinks the uncle is probably on a bender at the local pool hall, but he finds the case is a lot more than that when foreign agents kill his client, search her house, then demand the delivery of a device, but he doesn't even know what the device is.
Not bad. The historical setting is very well developed.
A neophyte PI in 1948 Salt Lake City gets hired by a recent Eastern European refugee to find her uncle. Jack Hammer (probably no relation to Mike) thinks the uncle is probably on a bender at the local pool hall, but he finds the case is a lot more than that when foreign agents kill his client, search her house, then demand the delivery of a device, but he doesn't even know what the device is.
Not bad. The historical setting is very well developed.
December 19, 2021
Self-published books typically are poorly written, need editing, have bad covers, and more. Hint of Copper is none of that. Steven R. Burt has put together a great mystery that leaves you guessing until the end. Set in 1948 Salt Lake City, PI Jack Hammer sets out to hire a missing uncle and figure out who killed the niece that hired him. Hammer's investigation takes him into corners of international and corporate espionage prevalent in post-World War II. The ending was not expected. Burt has done his research, using real towns that played a big part in the copper industry in the Salt Lake Valley. Not only towns but businesses that actually existed then. If you're looking for a great historical mystery that isn't set in the normal places of Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, or England, you can't go wrong with this book.
September 13, 2025
Jack Hammer is a brand new private investigator with his very first client. Things get complicated when he finds her dead the day after he's hired to find her uncle. Now several people seem to be after him, even sending him cryptic letters threatening his girlfriend if he doesn't turn over a device that no one admits to knowing. Jack will have to follow clues that put him in the sights of powerful people who do not want him getting involved, but he'll have to figure it out on his own if he wants to keep people close to him safe.
I'm giving this one 3.5 stars becuase it's a good story, but it never managed to keep my attention. Burt's aim is very obviously to create a noir atmosphere and he does an admirable job of it, the only problem is that you need very strong personalities in your characters to keep things interesting and that's missing. Even with the excellent narration by Kyle Shive giving each one a speecific accent or language quirk, the characters aren't distinctive. It's not just keeping track of too similar characters, it's that I found most aren't memorable enough to distinguish.
In the end, it's a good noir PI that tells a good story in an okay way. It didn't hit the spot for me, but I see potential in it.
Very happy thanks to NetGalley and the author for the listen!
I'm giving this one 3.5 stars becuase it's a good story, but it never managed to keep my attention. Burt's aim is very obviously to create a noir atmosphere and he does an admirable job of it, the only problem is that you need very strong personalities in your characters to keep things interesting and that's missing. Even with the excellent narration by Kyle Shive giving each one a speecific accent or language quirk, the characters aren't distinctive. It's not just keeping track of too similar characters, it's that I found most aren't memorable enough to distinguish.
In the end, it's a good noir PI that tells a good story in an okay way. It didn't hit the spot for me, but I see potential in it.
Very happy thanks to NetGalley and the author for the listen!
September 16, 2025
(3.5 Stars rounded up to 4 for audio)
Thanks to #NetGalley for making this book available for reading and review.
This book was decent. The story itself was interesting and different than the genre norms. This is probably both good and bad. I liked that it wasn't formulaic, but sometimes that format is necessary to keep the story moving along. This did not have the typical deadpan offbeat humor, but there were some funny parts.
I felt like there wasn't a lot of suspense, or laying out puzzle pieces to be put together as the story is weaved. Like I said, the story was good, but the logic was inconsistent, and a lot of the characters didn't seem "real". I did like the audiobook narration a lot.
Would I read a next installment? Sure, I'd give it a try and see if the author grows.
Thanks to #NetGalley for making this book available for reading and review.
This book was decent. The story itself was interesting and different than the genre norms. This is probably both good and bad. I liked that it wasn't formulaic, but sometimes that format is necessary to keep the story moving along. This did not have the typical deadpan offbeat humor, but there were some funny parts.
I felt like there wasn't a lot of suspense, or laying out puzzle pieces to be put together as the story is weaved. Like I said, the story was good, but the logic was inconsistent, and a lot of the characters didn't seem "real". I did like the audiobook narration a lot.
Would I read a next installment? Sure, I'd give it a try and see if the author grows.
March 18, 2022
I want to thank author Steven R. Burt of Hint of Copper (Kindle Edition) for gifting me a copy and the opportunity to read his work. Jack Hammer a private investigator is hired by Yaasa and he finds her dead in the bathtub. Following the leads; clues; with intuition and determination he continues to elude teh FBI, possibly Russians and even the police in which his uncle involved. Jack is told to back off the case and stay out of the way. He never gave up, he knew what the assignment was as the plot thickens and bodies are found. Tesla invention stolen or taken by the inventor? No spoilers will be added here. I recommend Hint of Copper to everyone. A great read. I look forward to Steven R. Burt's second novel, a speculative time-travel mystery entitled My Brother’s Keeper, will be released soon.
March 3, 2024
This is a very enjoyable book. The action takes place late summer 1948 in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was initially drawn to the book because I was born in SLC in the 1940’s. Places in the book stood out to me because I was familiar with some of them.
Soon my attention was caught by the fast pace of the book and the adventures of hero Jack Hammer, P. I.
The author uses techniques that I like, keeping the chapters short and telling the story moment by moment. The sentences are strong and spare as befits the voice of a detective on the chase. The descriptive language works well to make you feel you are right there seeing the action unfold.
The story covers two postwar weeks at the end of July 1948. The mystery involves foreign spies, government agents, local officers, and a notebook containing some of Nikola Tesla’s valuable formulas. Jack Hammer’s skills are put to the test as he races to solve the mystery of the Tesla device and rescue his kidnapped girlfriend. The title phrase describes not only the hair of P. I. Hammer’s girlfriend, but also introduces the nearby Bingham Copper Mine.
I found it fascinating to read about the iconic buildings in Salt Lake City, many of which have now disappeared or been repurposed. Original photos of these buildings are available to view on the included website.
I recommend this book as a lively and valuable look at historic Salt Lake City, the aftermath of World War II and the global importance of copper ore produced at the Bingham Copper Mine. The vehicle of a tight and delicious mystery thriller makes it a fun read.
Soon my attention was caught by the fast pace of the book and the adventures of hero Jack Hammer, P. I.
The author uses techniques that I like, keeping the chapters short and telling the story moment by moment. The sentences are strong and spare as befits the voice of a detective on the chase. The descriptive language works well to make you feel you are right there seeing the action unfold.
The story covers two postwar weeks at the end of July 1948. The mystery involves foreign spies, government agents, local officers, and a notebook containing some of Nikola Tesla’s valuable formulas. Jack Hammer’s skills are put to the test as he races to solve the mystery of the Tesla device and rescue his kidnapped girlfriend. The title phrase describes not only the hair of P. I. Hammer’s girlfriend, but also introduces the nearby Bingham Copper Mine.
I found it fascinating to read about the iconic buildings in Salt Lake City, many of which have now disappeared or been repurposed. Original photos of these buildings are available to view on the included website.
I recommend this book as a lively and valuable look at historic Salt Lake City, the aftermath of World War II and the global importance of copper ore produced at the Bingham Copper Mine. The vehicle of a tight and delicious mystery thriller makes it a fun read.
November 13, 2025
Well shoot, this audiobook starts off with this fellow named Jack Hammer, I laughed because that sounds like a made up name for a wrestler or something! Anyhow, he is just starting out trying to become a private eye, and the next thing you know, his first client has done wound up floating in her bathtub, beat to a pulp! I reckon that isn't good for business.
Then the cops and FBI get all up in his face, telling him to stay out of it like they are the boss of everything! But ol Jack doesn't listen very well! He gets this creepy note saying, bring me the Cvito device, or the lady gets it next! And he’s like, what is a Cvito device, and who is this mystery lady?
He goes around Salt Lake City, looking for some fellow named Bosko, who might know something! And he ends up in them smoke filled bars and pool halls, and inside of cafes where the coffee tastes like burnt oil! Then he finds out there is this mine town called Bingham, where they have got copper everywhere, and I mean everywhere! Even the air probably tastes like a penny if you licked it! Next thing you know, there are Russian spies, FBI, and a bunch of other folks acting shady!
And this story is really twisted! This thing goes from dead lady to spy ring to something about Nikola Tesla and a secret idea! And I was like, boy, this escalated fast! It has all those big words, and smart people talking science stuff, and I was just sitting there thinking, Jack should have gone back to delivering mail or something easier!
So yeah! This audiobook is wild like a roller coaster that hasn't been inspected in ten years! But it keeps you listening, because you wanna know if Jack ever figures out what the heck he is doing!
I give it 3 outta 5 Catfish!
Then the cops and FBI get all up in his face, telling him to stay out of it like they are the boss of everything! But ol Jack doesn't listen very well! He gets this creepy note saying, bring me the Cvito device, or the lady gets it next! And he’s like, what is a Cvito device, and who is this mystery lady?
He goes around Salt Lake City, looking for some fellow named Bosko, who might know something! And he ends up in them smoke filled bars and pool halls, and inside of cafes where the coffee tastes like burnt oil! Then he finds out there is this mine town called Bingham, where they have got copper everywhere, and I mean everywhere! Even the air probably tastes like a penny if you licked it! Next thing you know, there are Russian spies, FBI, and a bunch of other folks acting shady!
And this story is really twisted! This thing goes from dead lady to spy ring to something about Nikola Tesla and a secret idea! And I was like, boy, this escalated fast! It has all those big words, and smart people talking science stuff, and I was just sitting there thinking, Jack should have gone back to delivering mail or something easier!
So yeah! This audiobook is wild like a roller coaster that hasn't been inspected in ten years! But it keeps you listening, because you wanna know if Jack ever figures out what the heck he is doing!
I give it 3 outta 5 Catfish!
September 28, 2025
I listened to this as an audio book and it was perfect company for a long drive.
The book is set in 1948 Utah. The main character - Jack Hammer (yes, really) - is a young Mormon ex-soldier recently turned PI. Thanks to his well-intentioned aunt, Jack succeeds in taking on his first client, a Serbian woman named Yasha who employs him to find her missing uncle. The case grows rapidly however and before he knows it young Jack is in the middle of something much bigger than he anticipated.
I found the pacing a little odd but that may have been the format. It seemed that a huge amount happened in each day of the story and yet in some ways things took quite some time to happen. I found almost all of the side characters inexplicably hostile in the first instance and there were points at which I found the turns and developments in the story tricky to keep up with.
The sense of place is fantastic, every location is described in enough detail to be able to visualise it without overtaking the plot. I loved the fact that the plot took in a lot of the dominating factors in post-war America; particularly the paranoia surrounding the FBI and Soviet Union, and the legacy of Nikola Tesla.
I agree with previous reviews that this might suffer in audiobook form, it doesn't really allow the tension to build or the characters to develop in the same way. But, the narration was enjoyable, and brought life to a good story. Worth a read / listen.
- Thanks to NetGalley for granting me this audiobook in exchange for an honest review -
The book is set in 1948 Utah. The main character - Jack Hammer (yes, really) - is a young Mormon ex-soldier recently turned PI. Thanks to his well-intentioned aunt, Jack succeeds in taking on his first client, a Serbian woman named Yasha who employs him to find her missing uncle. The case grows rapidly however and before he knows it young Jack is in the middle of something much bigger than he anticipated.
I found the pacing a little odd but that may have been the format. It seemed that a huge amount happened in each day of the story and yet in some ways things took quite some time to happen. I found almost all of the side characters inexplicably hostile in the first instance and there were points at which I found the turns and developments in the story tricky to keep up with.
The sense of place is fantastic, every location is described in enough detail to be able to visualise it without overtaking the plot. I loved the fact that the plot took in a lot of the dominating factors in post-war America; particularly the paranoia surrounding the FBI and Soviet Union, and the legacy of Nikola Tesla.
I agree with previous reviews that this might suffer in audiobook form, it doesn't really allow the tension to build or the characters to develop in the same way. But, the narration was enjoyable, and brought life to a good story. Worth a read / listen.
- Thanks to NetGalley for granting me this audiobook in exchange for an honest review -
November 23, 2025
This was an easy listen overall, and I genuinely enjoyed the 1940s setting and the strong noir atmosphere. The heavy post-war mood and the old-school detective tone were right up my alley, and I liked spending time with the main character - he has the kind of rough around the edges charm that works well in this genre.
Where it lost me a bit was in the sheer amount of twists and movement. There’s a lot going on, and in audio form it sometimes felt more chaotic than engaging. I think I would have followed the pacing better in a physical book, where I could flip back or pause more naturally.
The narration was a mixed bag for me. The straight narration worked well, but the character voices didn’t always land. Some accents felt unintentionally comedic, others were just horrible, I occasionally wasn’t sure who was speaking.
Even so, the setting and vibe were definite highlights, and I can see this really appealing to noir fans who enjoy layered mysteries and lots of moving parts. For me, it ended up being a decent but not standout listen.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the audiobook!
Where it lost me a bit was in the sheer amount of twists and movement. There’s a lot going on, and in audio form it sometimes felt more chaotic than engaging. I think I would have followed the pacing better in a physical book, where I could flip back or pause more naturally.
The narration was a mixed bag for me. The straight narration worked well, but the character voices didn’t always land. Some accents felt unintentionally comedic, others were just horrible, I occasionally wasn’t sure who was speaking.
Even so, the setting and vibe were definite highlights, and I can see this really appealing to noir fans who enjoy layered mysteries and lots of moving parts. For me, it ended up being a decent but not standout listen.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the audiobook!
September 24, 2025
Hint of Copper (Jack Hammer #1)
By Steven R. Burt, narrated by Kyle Shive
The job that puts the food on his table, for Jack Hammer, is his night security job for a department store. But the job that is his passion is his private investigator job and someday Jack hopes that job will be his main source of income. And speaking of income, he's not making much so has a tiny office and lives in a room where his bed is right next to the toilet. Fun times when you are starting out in 1948 Salt Lake City. Jack has a girlfriend who he adores and doesn't drink or smoke so can stand out on his investigations when he is visiting bars. But he can handle a lot of pummeling which is good when he encounters bad guys.
When Jack is hired to find a Eastern European refugee's missing uncle, things get messy fast. Russian spies, gangsters, Nikola Tesla, the FBI and who knows who else might be all wrapped up in the trouble that finds Jack. And things are life and death serious as death happens and will keep happening if Jack doesn't find something that he can't even identify.
This detective noir is a good one and I'd like to read/hear the next book in the series. But I do have an issue with the audiobook. The narrator does a good job with most of the lines but with some of the foreign accented lines he goes way overboard with the accents. The most extreme sound cartoonish and so heavily accented that I couldn't understand what he was saying. Maybe that would be realistic in real life but when listening to an audiobook, not being able to understand what is being said can be very frustrating. Sometimes less is better and less heavy accents will be a good thing for the next book. I love audiobooks and I love detective stories and I want to be able to understand every word.
Pub September 2, 2025
Thank you to Steven R Burt and NetGalley for this ARC.
By Steven R. Burt, narrated by Kyle Shive
The job that puts the food on his table, for Jack Hammer, is his night security job for a department store. But the job that is his passion is his private investigator job and someday Jack hopes that job will be his main source of income. And speaking of income, he's not making much so has a tiny office and lives in a room where his bed is right next to the toilet. Fun times when you are starting out in 1948 Salt Lake City. Jack has a girlfriend who he adores and doesn't drink or smoke so can stand out on his investigations when he is visiting bars. But he can handle a lot of pummeling which is good when he encounters bad guys.
When Jack is hired to find a Eastern European refugee's missing uncle, things get messy fast. Russian spies, gangsters, Nikola Tesla, the FBI and who knows who else might be all wrapped up in the trouble that finds Jack. And things are life and death serious as death happens and will keep happening if Jack doesn't find something that he can't even identify.
This detective noir is a good one and I'd like to read/hear the next book in the series. But I do have an issue with the audiobook. The narrator does a good job with most of the lines but with some of the foreign accented lines he goes way overboard with the accents. The most extreme sound cartoonish and so heavily accented that I couldn't understand what he was saying. Maybe that would be realistic in real life but when listening to an audiobook, not being able to understand what is being said can be very frustrating. Sometimes less is better and less heavy accents will be a good thing for the next book. I love audiobooks and I love detective stories and I want to be able to understand every word.
Pub September 2, 2025
Thank you to Steven R Burt and NetGalley for this ARC.
November 3, 2025
People, people, people. Let me start off by saying that this audiobook ARC was generously lendable out to me through Netgalley (thank you very much). This book had me going back to it just to find out what happens next!
I enjoyed the vast amount of characters that really added to the story in their own subtle ways. Whether it be the guy that works in the office building for the detective that asks the same question or the girlfriend that works at the Beehive Cafe. Everyone plays a role in solving this mystery throughout the whole story.
The characters truly drive the story forward, considering what they say is what pushes the detective to one way or the other- what would you expect from a mystery?
The speaker for the audiobook was a decent choice. I felt it matched the Jack Hammer persona quite well. He was likeable and felt “right”.
Thank you to the author for allowing this fun gem to be listened to and enjoyed by me.
I enjoyed the vast amount of characters that really added to the story in their own subtle ways. Whether it be the guy that works in the office building for the detective that asks the same question or the girlfriend that works at the Beehive Cafe. Everyone plays a role in solving this mystery throughout the whole story.
The characters truly drive the story forward, considering what they say is what pushes the detective to one way or the other- what would you expect from a mystery?
The speaker for the audiobook was a decent choice. I felt it matched the Jack Hammer persona quite well. He was likeable and felt “right”.
Thank you to the author for allowing this fun gem to be listened to and enjoyed by me.
January 17, 2022
If you love mysteries or even if you don't love mysteries, you will enjoy this book by first time author Steven R. Burt. Don't be intimidated by the length of the book either. At nearly 400 pages I assumed it would take me two weeks to finish this book. Wrong! I waited until after the holidays to start this one, and so glad I did. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down! This book is full of down to earth, likeable characters, as well as some unsavory types that you just love to hate which the author describes in wonderful detail. I especially enjoyed the fact the story takes place in post World War II Salt Lake City (where I currently live). I loved the well researched and descriptive details of life during this time frame. While the story takes place in a time that now seems like a much simpler and slower world, the book is truly a page turner. Well done Mr. Burt!
July 23, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. It is well written and the story is well conceived and the story telling is excellent. There are three elements to this book.
First, the story is fun an captivating. It draws you in and holds your attention. The detail is just right.
Second, it has multiple stories in one story mystery and live story. Great drama!
Third, Salt Lake City’s historic buildings and landscapes. I am old enough to to have been in many of these building discussed in the book. Many are now lost to progress. Yet Steve’s story telling and his attention to detail brought back many wonderful memories
I highly recommend this excellent book!
First, the story is fun an captivating. It draws you in and holds your attention. The detail is just right.
Second, it has multiple stories in one story mystery and live story. Great drama!
Third, Salt Lake City’s historic buildings and landscapes. I am old enough to to have been in many of these building discussed in the book. Many are now lost to progress. Yet Steve’s story telling and his attention to detail brought back many wonderful memories
I highly recommend this excellent book!
September 25, 2025
Audiobook - Hint of Copper with thanks to NetGalley
Author: Steven R. Burt
Narrator: Kyle Shive
Length: 9 h 6 min (unabridged) 
Hint of Copper has the bones of an engaging mid-20th-century detective thriller: private investigator Jack Hammer, a cryptic device, Russian spies, and a postwar American landscape. The prose, with its short chapters, crisp pacing, and period flavour is probably enjoyable in print but unfortunately, the audiobook version, narrated by Kyle Shive does nothing to lift this average tale. What might have been a solid listen is marred by a narration voice that borders on caricature, especially in the “foreign” accents.
Author: Steven R. Burt
Narrator: Kyle Shive
Length: 9 h 6 min (unabridged) 
Hint of Copper has the bones of an engaging mid-20th-century detective thriller: private investigator Jack Hammer, a cryptic device, Russian spies, and a postwar American landscape. The prose, with its short chapters, crisp pacing, and period flavour is probably enjoyable in print but unfortunately, the audiobook version, narrated by Kyle Shive does nothing to lift this average tale. What might have been a solid listen is marred by a narration voice that borders on caricature, especially in the “foreign” accents.
November 9, 2025
It was a nostalgic read (actually listen), like when you watched old black and white shows at grandma’s. This has a well developed historical setting, why are private investigator in 1948 atmospheres so alluring. I envision smoky rooms, turned up collars and fedoras.
I like the idea of the plot and the time period which brings in Russian spies, espionage, missing people, stolen secrets.
But I found this one to be audiobook challenging. There is a-lot going on, many characters, lots of twists. The narrator has a good voice but the accents he did were distracting as he bounced from person to person.
I like the idea of the plot and the time period which brings in Russian spies, espionage, missing people, stolen secrets.
But I found this one to be audiobook challenging. There is a-lot going on, many characters, lots of twists. The narrator has a good voice but the accents he did were distracting as he bounced from person to person.
January 1, 2022
Loved the book. The vivid description of places brought back many memories of my childhood in Salt Lake City. The short chapters and quick moving story kept me reading well past the time I normally would have put a book down at night. I'm sure I would have finished the book more quickly if I wasn't entertaining holiday guests while trying to find the time to read.
I am looking forward to a follow up book with Jack Hammer.
I am looking forward to a follow up book with Jack Hammer.
September 20, 2025
Jack Hammer is a Private Detective but mostly earns a living as a night watchman. He is asked to find a missing man but the police and the FBI warn him off. He does not take their advice putting himself and others in danger. Yasa his client is found dead, can Hammer find the killer?
Well written and well narrated novel (I listened to the audiobook). Good characters in a well paced mystery novel. Set post WWII in Salt Lake City. There is mystery, Russian spies, FBI and Tesla invention.
Well written and well narrated novel (I listened to the audiobook). Good characters in a well paced mystery novel. Set post WWII in Salt Lake City. There is mystery, Russian spies, FBI and Tesla invention.
March 14, 2022
This was a very fun read! The story is set in a time period and place that were perfect for this kind of story, with well researched details that helped to bring a strong sense of nostalgia throughout. I enjoyed the characters with the twists and turns. The pace of the story was great. I highly recommend it!
October 11, 2025
This early copy from netgally was not too bad, I kept at it as I wanted to know who done it. Some of the twists and turns were not needed in the book as it then made have to think who was who with a lot of characters in it. The name Jack Hammer did make me chuckle throughout mind.
January 10, 2022
Fast-paced, clean, and creative. An especially interesting read for Salt Lake natives.
October 13, 2025
A great read. I really enjoyed this. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an audiobook ARC.
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