Showing posts with label audible books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label audible books. Show all posts

Monday, September 2, 2024

The Lost Art of Connecting by Susan McPherson, Jackie Ashton

People today are doinga connections all wrong according to McPherson. This book was written in the midst of COVID and, of course, people were isolated. But it started before that (and, according to many has worsened since.)
McPherson talks about having the right kind of connections, getting into them for the right reasons, and having the right depths. She talks about ways to build connections and how to do so purposefully.

Four stars
This book came out March 23, 2021
Audible book of mine
Opinions are my own

Monday, August 26, 2024

Speak No Evil Detective Sebastian Clifford #2 Sally Rigby

A young girl is left in the square of Market Harborough with a sign around her neck, "Speak No Evil." A year later, she has been living with Birdie's (Detective Constable Lucinda Bird) aunt. There had been no evidence as to where the little girl, called Lacey, had come from or why she had been left there. But Lacey, on a trip to get ice cream, is suddenly terrified. Birdie decides to reach out to Sebastian for help. 
What they uncover is a story that is just plain weird. It involves a brother and sister who are living off the grid and their relationship is... odd. But is everything as it appears on the surface?

Three stars
This book came out July 14, 2021
Clifford#2
Follows Web of Lies
Followed by Never Too Late
Audible book I own
Opinions are my own

Friday, August 23, 2024

Web of Lies by Sally Rigby

Sebastian Clifford is a former police detective and the second son of a viscount. When his cousin's husband, Donald, dies, it appears to be suicide. After all, Donald had been running a Ponzi scheme that was discovered. But Donald's wife, Sarah, isn't so sure. There are some inconsistencies in his supposed suicide note.
As he explores Donald's death, it seems, at first, as straightforward as the police believe. But, as Clifford digs deeper, there is more to it than it first appears. And it may be that Clifford is in mortal danger.
Thank goodness he took on Lucinda "Birdie"Bird, a DC in Market Harborough. She's young and a bit scattered but she strongarms Sebastian into letting her help.

Three and a half stars
This book came out May 7, 2021
Detective Sebastian Clifford #1
Followed by Speak No Evil
Audiobook of mine from Audible
Opinons are my own


Saturday, November 25, 2023

Born to Be Badger by Shelly Laurenston

If you are one of the people, like me, who wait with baited breath for anything that Laurenston releases, this book will not disappoint. Full of the same antics, the need to completely turn off your disbelief and just enjoy the ride, and the exclamation points (!), this book pairs up another of Max McKilligan's teammates with one of the Malone brothers. Somewhat rigid Tock (time management is NOT just about being on time) might not initially be thought of with the laid back Shay (he's a tiger shifter who owns dogs) but the two actually work really well together. Tock isn't actually as rigid as she appears, she just prefers to have a schedule. Shay isn't lazy, he just doesn't care about most things. But he appreciates Tock's need to be on time as well as how well her personality meshes with his daughter's. Except for the felonies. But Tock does try really hard to keep that from her. 
There are, of course, also old grudges and new characters that come into this book as well as a lot of killing. A LOT of killing. Especially since Tock's grandmother. But we do finally get to know more about what happened with the Malones' father and you can definitely see the beginning of how Laurenston will be able to wrap up this arc in the last book. 

Honey Badger Chronicles #5
Four and a half stars
This book comes out November 8, 2023
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley and Kensington Books
Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Audible January 2024


Saturday, May 13, 2023

The Strange Case of Dr. Couney by Dawn Raffe

The description of this book on NPR's Best Books
 was delightful. Incubators, they're in hospitals, right? It would make sense that they've always been in hospitals. But incubators for preemies actually started out as a spectacle. They were displayed as miracles. Did all of the babies survive? No, but the preemies in Couney's incubators had a better survival rate than those in the hospitals.
Raffel focuses mainly on Couney (who was a mysterious figure whose personal biography tended to shift with his moves) but also weaves in some of her own connection to the story as well as the histories of some of the babies who survived. We hear about the origins of the story as well as learning about how the incubators rose in prominence but then fell again.

Three and a half stars
This book came out in July 31, 2018
Audiobook of my own
Opinions are my own

Thursday, April 6, 2023

The Case of the Foot-Loose Doll by Erle Stanley Gardner

Mildred Crest is shocked when her fiance, Bob, calls her up at her job and tells her that he has lost a bundle of money on the horses, has been siphoning money from his work, and is going to clean out his office and take off. Oh, by the way, their engagement is over. In shock, she completes her work for the day and then takes off. 
While on the way, she picks up a hitchhiker named Fern Driscoll who says that she's burned her bridges and is now a footloose doll. At the end of her rope, Fern pulls on the wheel and causes a car accident. Mildred survives... or does she? Maybe she can become Fern and leave her life behind. Too bad Fern left an even bigger mess behind and Mildred is about to be wrapped up in blackmail and murder. Good thing she had the foresight to hire Perry Mason as her attorney.
This was a pretty good story though the sexism of the times definitely come through and the ending was a little more convoluted than it needed to be.

Three and a half stars
This book came out in 1958
Follows The Case of the Daring Decoy
Followed by The Case of the Long-Legged Models
Borrowed as audiobook from Audible
Opinions are my own

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Styx and Stones by Carola Dunn

Daisy’s brother-in-law has a problem and he is asking for Daisy’s help. He misstepped 6 years ago and now is receiving poison pen letters. Could Daisy come and help him figure out what is going on? She could bring Belinda and escape to the country and enjoy some time away from the town’s stifling heat. Daisy isn’t sure what she can do but she wants to help John so she goes.

While there, she finds out that John isn’t the only one receiving letters. She’s just about to solve the issue when she stumbles over a dead body. At first, she thinks it’s the local vicar but it turns out to have been his visiting scholarly brother. What is going on?
Alec and Daisy actually have a pretty significant fight but it is smoothed over when they actually talk to each other which was nice to see in a book.

Four stars
This book came out January 1, 1999
Followed by Rattle His Bones
Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Plus
Opinions are my own

Saturday, March 18, 2023

Dead in the Water by Carola Dunn

The Henley Royal Regatta is on! And Daisy is visiting her aunt and uncle so that she can write about it. Also staying at their house is one of the regatta teams made up of a mixture of young men and slightly older men who are just back from the war. There are some class issues betwixt the men as well. But Daisy just wants her story. Too bad one of the young men on the team gets murdered. Is it because of his personality or is his family trying to hide something?

Three and a half stars
This book came out January 1, 1998
Followed by Styx and Stones
Borrowed as Audible Plus book
Opinions are my own

Saturday, February 25, 2023

Bodies from the Library 2 -- an Anthology

No Face by Christianna Brand

A psychic, Mr. Jospeh Hawk, is certain he knows the identity of a serial killer. Yes, he often fakes many of his tricks but he might have some skill. But his assistant Delphine (sp?) is in danger. Would he prefer that she be hurt in order to fulfill his predictions? Or hers?

Three stars

Before & After by Peter Antony
An old woman dies. Mr. Verity, an amateur detective, believes it is her husband and the nurse. Inspector Sparrow thinks there might be more to it. And a little bit of honest police work might just prove him correct. So why let Mr. Verity direct that they be picked up? Well, in real life, if someone is around so many bodies, usually someone gets suspicious...

Four stars - mostly because finally someone is suspicious of the detective

Hotel Evidence by Helen Simpson
Henry Broadrib (sp?) is startled that his wife, Sissy, wants a divorce. He is loathe to acquiesce as it means that he will have to paint himself in a bad light. But he give in and willingly accepts a hot water bottle when she passes it on to him. But it might be harder than they both think as Henry is so very likable that no one wants to report against him. 

Three and a half stars - amusing but not really a mystery story nor is there any suspense

Exit Before Midnight by Q. Patrick
Carol Thorne (sp?) is working overtime right now to help with a merger. Her job ends at midnight so she's splashing out with a nice hairdo before she has to go back to work, helping the shareholders close the merger. When she returns, there is a threat of murder that has been left in her typewriter in the form of a memorandum. 

Four and a half stars - as one of the longer stories, it is better developed. It gives us better character development and allows for a nice build up of suspense. 

A Joke's a Joke by Jonathan Latimer
A young man, Barnes, likes to play pranks on people. His latest is to introduce his own wife, Mary Lou, to his particular favorite to play pranks on. But it doesn't quite turn out like Barnes thinks it will.

Three and a half stars - not a mystery but a fun little story

The Man Who Knew by Agatha Christie
A man is home but he knows something is wrong. Then he sees the word on his theater pamphlet, "Don't go home." A gun found in his apartment, his uncle murdered... there is just a chance that he can turn this night around.

The Almost Perfect Murder Case by S. S. Van Dine
Philo Vance is telling stories about some of his more famous cases. In this one, he mentions that even the most perfectly planned crimes may go off the rails for the most ridiculous of reasons. In this story, someone decides to verify a translation and suddenly, the teeth of a dead body might not be as identifiable as originally thought.

Three stars - serviceable

The Hours of Darkness by Edmund Crispin
The book opens on Christmas Eve. There is a game of hide and seek afoot. But rather than using it for making love to their partners, a murderer uses the time for other pursuits. Gervase Fen is nearby to connect this case to an earlier one, one in which a brother and sister 

Three stars - at least this one is a mystery but a little convoluted

Chance Is a Great Thing by E. C. R. Lorac
Poor Peggy is ready to get married but her only relation, her aunt, is doing so poorly she's afraid to leave her. Her neighbors encourage her to get married and go on her honeymoon; they'll keep an eye on her. But then auntie dies...

Four stars - for as short as it is, you get a clear picture of the characters

The Mental Broadcast by Clayton Rawson
The Great Merlini is trying to come up with a new card trick. Our narrator is not impressed.

Two and a half stars

White Cap by Ethel Lina White
Tess is trying to calm herself down. She has been taken in by a man who was a swindler and her work is uncertain. At work, Miss Ratcliffe is basically taking over the company and she has Tess in her sights. Of course, Ratcliffe is the one who ends up dead.

Three and a half stars

The Adventure of the Dorset Squire by C. A. Alington
The lights go out but then a lot of stuff happens, but, while some of it is comedic, none of it is a murder nor a suspense story. 

Two stars

The Locked Room by Dorothy L. Sayers
Lord Peter is at a house party where he meets a young woman named Betty. She is engaged but she and Lord Peter spend their time with some light flirting (maybe a little more). Her good mood is ruined when her uncle comes home proclaiming that he is ruined. He yells at Betty and his wife and declares that he will commit suicide. Lord Peter is skeptical. Usually people who commit suicide don't declare it so baldly. But, the next morning, the man is dead. Luckily, Lord Peter knows exactly what happened.

Three stars

Friday, February 24, 2023

Damsel in Distress by Carola Dunn

Both Daisy Dalrymple and Philip Petrie's families have assumed that the two of them will marry. But the two are more friends than anything else and Philip has always felt some obligation to Daisy after her brother (his best friend) died. But Daisy has Alec and Philip... Philip has just met Gloria Arbuckle, daughter of an American millionaire. Her golden hair has turned his head and he's pretty sure he's falling in love. Except that Gloria has been kidnapped. He can't call the police so he calls in Daisy. And she is delighted to help her old friend. Especially if it means he'll marry her and finally get their families off their backs.
It's going to take some maneuvering, and Daisy herself ends up kidnapped for a little bit. The end is quite happy with Daisy and Alec taking the next step and Philip finding his place in the world.

Four stars
This book came out in 1997
Followed by Dead in the Water
Borrowed as audiobook from Audible
Opinions are my own

Thursday, February 23, 2023

Flowers for the Judge by Margery Allingham

In London, there is a family publishing firm, Barnabas.  There are a number of people working there including cousins: Mike (who always just misses the next big thing,  Ritchie (handsome but intelligent) and Paul (a known liar and bragger who is currently missing but no one seems concerned.There are also some other assorted family members: John (irascible), Miss Curly (seems to know the people she works with rather well), Gina (Paul's American wife) as well as one or two others. Peter Riggett who becomes a witness for the court though he knows more than he was telling. 
One of the cousins is found dead in a locked room. The problem is that the body has been dead for several days; he was not in the room the night before. And it is that point that gets one of the other cousins arrested for murder. It will be up to Campion to solve the mystery. 
This was a well crafted story that was a little convoluted but highly enjoyable. 

Four stars
This book came out February 1, 1936
Follows Death of a Ghost
Followed by The Case of the Late Pig
Borrowed as audiobook from Audible
Opinions are my own

Friday, October 28, 2022

Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie

Probably Crusie's best story. Or at least my favorite.
Agnes Crandall's life seems like it should be perfect, she's got the house of her dream, a great-looking fiancé, her best friend's daughter is getting married with Agnes providing the food, and her Cranky Agnes food column has spawned her one bestselling cookbook with another in the works. But lately, her writing is about the only thing that seems to be going well. Her fiancé is being evasive and the wedding on which her keeping her house hinges, is threatening to implode. But the worst happens in the opening scene of the book when an armed intruder comes into the house wanting to kidnap her dog. Agnes has a history of violence and it comes to good use when she smacks the intruder with a frying pan and he flies through a previously hidden door into the unknown basement, breaking his neck.
Opening up this basement opens a door to the past, when Joey, her cooking mentor, and Frankie Fortunato along with another man robbed a train of five million dollars. But then Frankie disappeared with the money and the basement was covered up. 
Joey immediately calls in his nephew Shane to protect "Little Agnes." Shane is on another job but he immediately comes back to his hated hometown to help his uncle. The situation is not one that he's excited about but he is excited about Agnes. He likes her disposition as well as her figure. When Agnes' fiancé turns out to be a total jerk, Shane is there to help her get over her disappointment.
I just got this as an audiobook and was really disappointed. The points when we get to hear Agnes's thoughts are faded and a completely different volume than the rest of the story. And that happens a lot in this book. 

Five stars as hard copy; three and a half as audio
This book came out August 21, 2007
Audible book I own
Opinions are my own


Wednesday, August 17, 2022

I'm Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy

Okay, I have never actually watched a full episode of anything McCurdy has been in but social media seems to believe I should watch show clips and so I've seen a bundle of them and thought she was hilarious. This behind-the-scenes look at why she was on the shows... not so hilarious. As the title suggests, this is due to the machinations of her mother. And her mom was not okay. Like, not at all. It's surprising that McCurdy sounds as balanced as she is, even being able to turn down the reboot though it might have made her a ton of money. The "chapters" are incredibly short, more like a series of short stories but really interesting to listen to how a star was made.

Four stars
This book came out August 9, 2022
Audiobook from Audible
Opinions are my own


Monday, July 4, 2022

Better Homes and Hauntings by Molly Harper

Nina Linden has gone through it in the last few years: cheating husband who took her to the cleaners. She is trying to rebuild her gardening services. To that end, she accepted a job where she has to live on a private island for weeks to help get it in order. It seems that everyone else who has previously held the position has left quickly. 
Cindy Ellis runs a cleaning/organizational service. She has become the go-to person for the rich and elite. She knows one of the other people on the boat out the island, Jake. He took her on a date years ago and then ghosted her. And now he's pretending he doesn't know her. But he is one of the people on the island, along with his best friend Deacon, the tech mogul whose family owns the island and the man financing the renovations. 
This is a bit of an adventure with dual romances, a madcap cousin, ghosts/reincarnations/something that causes visions, an ancient mystery, and Nina's ex-boss who isn't quite sane and is trying to sabotage her new business.

Four stars
This came out June 24, 2014
Audiobook from Audible
Opinions are my own


Sunday, July 3, 2022

The Clairvoyant Countess by Dorothy Gilman

I had read a handful of the Mrs. Pollifax mysteries and thought this series might be interesting as well. There are only two books but it is a fast, fun, and fluffy book which Gilman shows her talent as she adds layers to each of the mini-mysteries that come around and pay off in the end. I think a lot of my enjoyment came from  Ruth Ann Phimister, the narrator. 
The book opens with a dream. Madame Karitska dreams of a street, not a fashionable one, but one she can afford to live on. On the street is a yellow door. As she is walking down the street, she notices a sign in the window. There is a room for rent. The sign went up only 5 minutes ago. Once in the rooms, she slowly builds her clientele and proves to the police that her gift is real. Along the way, she picks up a couple of other psychics as well, one is a wealthy man who just came into his gift and one is a child whose family is at the heart of one of her mysteries.

Four stars
This book came out in 1975
Followed by Kaleidoscope
Audiobook from Audible
Opinions are my own


Sunday, March 13, 2022

The Penguin Pool Murder by Stuart Palmer

TW: Casual racism
I enjoyed some of the later Hildegarde Withers books and though I might as well start at the beginning. While she is sort of scattershot in figuring out who the killer is,  Ms. Withers does eventually win out in the end. And the final solve is also a little convoluted but it was an okay book to listen to while I drove to and from town.
Miss Withers is a teacher who has moved from Iowa to New York City. She has her class on a trip to the aquarium when a man is killed. With her hat pin, no less. For a spinster teacher, this is more than a little excitement. The police are quick to arrest the man's wife's lover. The wife remains free but is under heavy suspicion. Miss Withers is determined to find the murderer and the inspector on the case is surprisingly willing to let her.

Three stars
This book came out in 1931
Followed by Murder on Wheels
Listened to audibook I bought on Audible
Opinions are my own

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

The Fourth Door by John Russell Fearn


The solution to this one was... weird. There were some fair clues but this was mostly really, really interesting. Like, this was the dawn of psychiatry being used in mysteries but... really wrongly. I don't have a record of why I put this on my TBR shelf so who even knows. At least it was short(?)
Elva is going to be a maid at a great house. She is fair of face but one leg is significantly shorter than the other. That doesn't mean that she isn't trying to marry the man of the manor. And she does. But then the house his brother, his twin, is living in burns down. And that's on the same night that the brother's fiancee is murdered. 
There are so many twists and turns in this book that it becomes overly melodramatic but it was still worth a listen.

Three stars
This book came out in 1948
Audiobook I own
Opinions are my own

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Bodies from the Library edited by Tony Medwar

A delightful collection of lesser-known short stories from well-known authors. They include A.A. Milne, Arthur Upfield, Agatha Christie, and more.
My favorite story was Jeffrey and Veronica who meet as strangers at Monte Carlo. Both have recently left their positions (or so they say) and are enjoying a vacation before finding work again. But a night in a casino means that Veronica has left with the wrong bag and that sets off a curious chain of events.
I wish that the stories and the author's biographies had been switched. It would have been nice to have some background to the stories before hearing them.

Four stars
This book came out July 26, 2018
Audiobook from Audible
Opinions are my own

Friday, January 14, 2022

Rock Courtship by Nalini Singh


Dave has been after Thea for a long time. He knows that she went through a bad time with an asshat of an ex. But this band member is in love with his publicist and he thinks she might like him too (and he's a little stalker-y in the beginning. Not so romantic). But then her sister (Molly from the first book) tells Dave to write her a memo. That Thea listens to memos. So Dave composes a memo. And Thea writes one back. Except for the vaguely stalker-ish moment and the reaction to the first memo, it was a nice novella and a good read, quite possibly my favorite story in the series. Can't wait to read the next book.

Rock Kiss #1.5
Four stars
This novella came out September 30, 2014
Followed by Rock Hard
Audible book I own
Opinions are my own

Reread as Audible audiobook February 2024

Thursday, December 2, 2021

Trojan Gold by Elizabeth Peters

A mysterious photograph is sent to Vicky through the mail. With no name on the envelope, she is not certain who it came from. The envelope, removed by the overly efficient Gerta, may or may not have been covered in blood. Of course, Schmidt is not going to let this rest. He wants to know exactly who sent the letter and where the lost jewels depicted in the picture went to. Good it be that there is a lost stash of museum items stolen by the Nazis yet to be uncovered?
Vicky doesn't necessarily believe it to be so but she is willing to find out. And maybe that will bring her across the path of her on-again/off-again beau again. 
This book is better in the audio version. The narrator, Barbara Rosenblat, is one of my favorites and bumped it up an entire star. 

Four stars
This book came out in 1987
In my Audible library
Opinions are my own