Lelia T

Hooked!

Revisado: 02-25-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

4.5 stars

It’s been a while since I’ve read any post-apocalyptic and/or dystopian books, mainly because I guess you could say I got obsessive. Okay, I greatly overindulged to the point of being saturated 😄. Anyway, this one piqued my interest, especially since I was being offered the audiobook, and I’m SO glad I decided to join the tour.

Evan’s story is downright enthralling, aided by the author’s vivid worldbuilding so that I understood from nearly the beginning what her young life is like and the restrictions placed upon the populace by the powers that be…and some of the consequences of flouting those restrictions. If there was anything I still don’t quite get it’s why the teens go on this sort of walkabout in the first place but that doesn’t really matter.

Shortly after Evan goes on her trip with her best friends Lisa and Colin, later meeting up with her crush, Bryce, Evan is kidnapped by a pair of very unsavory characters and her real adventure begins. Eventually, a new dude, Cyrus, enters the scene along with his family and she begins to learn the truth, the REAL truth, about the Ruins, the supposedly barren area outside of the Union where only the dregs of America’s former society live. This is when Ms. Hernandez’s story truly takes off and I was listening to my audiobook as often and long as I could. And then comes a whopper of a twist, not entirely believable but exciting nonetheless.

Speaking of the audiobook, narrator Alexa Elmy was an excellent choice. Her voice is young enough that she can easily carry off teen girl voices but mature enough that she does a more than decent job with males. I couldn’t always differentiate between characters but, no matter, the prose always let me know who was speaking.

So, thanks to an intriguing story and very engaging characters, I thoroughly enjoyed my return to this subgenre and, while there are occasional flaws, I’m hooked again. Can’t wait to listen to the next book!

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Wild West

Revisado: 02-01-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Kari Bovee’s first in the series is a charming introduction to the life and loves of Annie Oakley’s story, of course fictionalized but in such a way as to make the star of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show very real and accessible. Set in 1885, Annie is presented as just now meeting her eventual husband, Frank Butler, while the two were actually already married when they joined the show but this is, after all, a fictional account and the author has taken reasonable liberties with Annie’s history which is somewhat entangled with the tales she made up for her career.

At any rate, I enjoyed the author’s interpretation and spending time with such real people as Sitting Bull and Lillie Smith. There are several storyarcs, including Annie’s horse, Buck, being sick and the animosity of a few other show members towards the crowdpleasing Annie. Lillie is her primary rival in the shooting exhibitions and it’s fun to watch these two and Frank work out new exciting events.

Then there is the booklong mystery, the death of Annie’s friend and assistant, Kimi. Was her death natural, despite her young age, or was she murdered? If the latter, did someone hate her that much because she was an Indian or could there be some other reason? Annie suspects not all is as it seems and is determined to learn the truth. There are a variety of twists and turns but, on the whole, I felt as though the mystery took a back seat to everything else and could have been left out entirely. The other thing I want to mention is that I’ve seen reviews that pan the book for its non-PC elements such as the words used (squaw, for instance) and the apparent lack of caring for animals used in the shooting exhibitions but Ms. Bovee strikes a decent balance and I recommend that any reader remember that attitudes were very different in 1885.

The narrator, Susanna Burney, was new to me and I found her to be quite easy to listen to. Her evocation of various characters is stronger with the women than the men but that’s certainly not surprising and, when all is said and done, I think she brought the tale to life. Between her narration and the author’s imaginative story, I quite enjoyed Girl with a Gun.

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A Cozy Dance

Revisado: 01-13-22

Humor abounds when Detective Nathan Landry has to sign up for ballroom dancing lessons to work on a case involving a dance competition. Unfortunately for his hapless partner, Nathan turns out to be a menace on his feet. Never mind, though; his girl Fiona is happy to step in because it’s a great way to spend time together…and she gets to do some legitimate sleuthing.

It’s a very, very cold case indeed and the suspected perpetrator of those forty-year-old murders has apparently resurfaced after having thought to have died all those years ago. Can Nathan and Fiona catch their man on the dance floor? Plenty of clues make this a real puzzle and working it together brings laughs as well as justice.

I can’t say that I care for Ms. Waxenberg’s interpretation of Fiona because she gives the character a rather grating voice. Still, the narrator’s other vocalizations don’t affect me the same way and, although the main character is certainly important, she doesn’t prevent me from wanting to listen.

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The Wyvern Returns

Revisado: 12-09-21 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Nat and her merry band of Eternals are back and, this time, Nat and Mathilde have found a body in the library at Barnard College. The unlucky victim is Master Finch-Byron’s assistant and, as it soon becomes obvious, there probably are a plethora of people who could be the murderer because Ms. Evans was not a pleasant or well-liked person. Also, as the title suggests, some thievery has occurred and that might very well be connected to the killing.

Once again, the little wyvern known as H who frequently turns into a cat so regular non-magical people won’t notice the curmudgeonly former gargoyle, is front and center and I thoroughly enjoyed his scenes. Even more fun is the appearance of a particular ghost important to Nat who helps her understand more about this wondrous magical world she has found herself in and he has some knowledge to share regarding the leaking magic affecting the university. While Nat, Mathilde and Kate keep searching for answers to this problem and to the killing, with the assistance of some of the college’s other ghosts, Edward redeems himself a bit in Nat’s eyes, being very slightly less suspicious of the three prefects as he carries out his detective duties.

Oxford is the perfect setting for this series and, having visited years ago, I can readily believe that magic exists there. After all, it’s just about as Hogwarts-ish as you can imagine and, well, I want my own wyvern, thank you very much. Ms. Morrison continues to be enormously imaginative and creative and Pearl Hewitt is fast becoming one of my favorite narrators thanks to her numerous voices and near-perfect pacing.

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Mystery and Urban Fantasy

Revisado: 11-30-21 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I love a good mystery and then you throw in a magical cat AND a wyvern (who’s really the cat) AND a few ghosts AND a setting at Oxford…well. I ask you, how could I resist?? Needless to say, I didn’t, and I’m here to tell you this story is packed with charm and appealing characters and a good conundrum to be solved. Nat and her cohorts, Kate and Mathilde, find lots of clues leading to who killed the chef that are frequently red herrings and, of course, the bigger question is what is causing the magic to fail?

Well, actually, the biggest question might be how did Nat not know about her own connection to the magical world, not to mention where did this curmudgeonly cat called H (because he hates his name) come from? But I digress.

All in all, Ms. Morrison’s Murder at St. Margaret was a most satisfying blend of mystery and urban fantasy, enhanced in a delightful way by Ms. Hewitt’s audiobook narration. I really savored the latters intonations and pacing and I think these two ladies together present an awfully enchanting tale. Now, on to book #2, Burglary at Barnard.

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Retirement Village Mystery

Revisado: 09-05-21 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Sometimes it takes me what seems like forever to get around to reading a book I really wanted in the beginning. It isn’t usually because I lose interest, although that occasionally happens. Mostly it’s because I am constitutionally incapable of controlling my TBR hoard, a victim of my own book greed.

The result of this is that, once in a while, I’m completely blown away by a book I’ve put off for no good reason other than having too many books to read (!) and then I kick myself for missing out for way too long and that’s what happened with Pineapple Lies. It took me approximately 30 minutes of the audiobook to decide this was going to be a terrific read for three reasons:

1. I love the players and the premise of a youngish woman who lives in a retirement community in Florida being the sleuth. I live in Florida (but not in a retirement village) so I was already predisposed to like the setting and Ms. Vansant has created a bunch of characters who are a little stereotypical but in a very good way and who each bring something to the table, so to speak.

2. The mysteries are entertaining puzzles with the main one, the discovery of the local pawnbroker’s mom buried in Charlotte’s yard, keeping my little gray cells working while the side threads provide plenty of humor and distraction. The author’s pacing is especially good and not once was I the least bit let down as the plot progressed. There’s a budding romance, too, but it’s not obtrusive.

3. I’ve found an audiobook narrator to add to my list of favorites. Rosemary Benson is, in a word, amazing. Her ability to create individual voices is beyond that of most truly good narrators and I’ve listened to some I consider among the best. I’m very sure I would have fallen in book love with Pineapple Lies anyway but Ms. Benson brings it all to life.

So, big kudos to both author and narrator—this book is going on my list of best books read in 2021 and now we’ll see if the trend continues with the second book, Pineapple Mystery Box.

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A Sgt. Windflower Novel

Revisado: 08-20-21 El oyente recibió este título gratis

As is so often the case in a small coastal community, the local fish factory is the primary employer in Grand Banks, Newfoundland, and its closing is a major upset for the village. Such an economic downturn has repercussions and the small contingent of Mounties, led by Sgt. Winston Windflower, have much to keep them busy.

Not least in the reactions to the closing are the public protests with Windflower’s longtime girlfriend up front and center. When Sheila is arrested, Windflower finds himself in an awkward position and the choice he makes to stand on the side of law and order doesn’t exactly further their relationship.

Meanwhile, the usual life of a Mountie goes on and a body soon crops up, a body that shows evidence of murder, leading to the ever-present drug world, and that keeps Windflower’s attention but so do the myriad activities of life in a small town. At times, I thought the latter took too much precedence and, while I’m interested in the personal side of the community, I would have liked a little more consideration of the criminal and police aspects. Still, this remains one of my favorite traditional mystery series, largely because of its gentle nature.

As always, Francis G. Kearney does a fine job with the narration, particularly with the accents and inflections I expect to hear in a small Canadian town. All in all, I’m very happy whenever a new audio edition of Mr. Martin’s Sgt. Windflower books becomes available and I’m hoping the next one won’t be too far behind.

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Suicide or Murder?

Revisado: 07-12-21 El oyente recibió este título gratis

3.5 stars

Following their cruise in the last book, Fiona and Nathan are back home, keeping the secret that they got married. Fiona is once again in her kindergarten classroom and it isn’t long before she’s enticed into investigating another death, prompted by a series of notes claiming that a suicide from years ago was, in fact, not a suicide. Fiona needs nothing more to start snooping but her detective husband, Nathan, says the notes alone are not enough reason to re-open the case. Naturally, he changes his mind when Fiona herself is threatened.

As it turns out, high school teacher James Arnold was a most unlikeable man, a real creep, so there’s no shortage of suspects including his own family and colleagues. Fiona and Nathan have enough investigating to keep them busy but they also have to contend with the latest shenanigans of her unseen but present ghostly grandmother. Those interludes are refreshing and funny, helping to break the tension.

In my earlier review of the previous book, I mentioned that I was undecided as to whether I liked the narration of the audiobook. Unfortunately, this entry confirms my thought that the main character’s voice is really annoying—Fiona sounds like an overgrown version of one of those kindergartners she teaches. She plucks my last nerve but Ms. Waxenberg does a nice job with the other characters and maintains appropriate pacing so I was willing to overlook the distraction. All said, Taking Notes on Murder is a pleasant way to spend a few hours.

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Cozy Cruising

Revisado: 07-06-21 El oyente recibió este título gratis

3.5 stars

Pittsburgh teacher Fiona Quinn got her man, Nathan Landry, long ago and the pair have gone on a cruise with friends Julia and Rob Bell. Isn’t it handy to have a real detective nearby when a woman disappears, possibly overboard? Nathan’s presence gives Fiona entry to the investigation and Captain Baptiste is grateful for their help. Country singer Cassidy Kinsman was an aging, crabby drunk and there is no shortage of potential suspects but, as the sleuthing progresses, why would anyone want to attack a shy, skittish maid? Did she see or hear something she shouldn’t have?

The secondary storyline regarding Fiona’s brother, Chad, doesn’t add anything to the resolution of the mystery and I couldn’t help thinking she would never have left him to house-and-pet sit. These two are siblings so she would have known how out of touch with reality he is. Chad’s RPG buddies are pretty funny, though, and all these guys are like the modern day version of the Three Stooges so they’re worth a smile.

I haven’t quite made up my mind about Ms. Waxenberg’s narrative skills—there’s something a bit grating about Fiona’s voice in particular—but I’ll have another chance to evaluate when I listen to a second book next week. I do think Ms. Waxenberg handles the pacing nicely and does a variety of voices well.

All in all, Bon Voyage to Murder is a fun cozy, taking me back to my own cruising days, and I enjoyed the trip :-)

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Intense

Revisado: 05-27-21 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Way back in medieval times, I majored in psychology; although I never did anything with it, to this day, I’m still fascinated by the abnormalities of the mind and, in particular, implications in criminal justice. The Ninth Session, written by a woman who knows her topic very well, satisfied my interests as well as any crime fiction I’ve read. Luke is a formidable and dangerous man while his doctor, psychologist Alicia Reese, may or may not be truly prepared for what she learns about him from one session to the next and my nerves became ever more tense with every revelation. Like Alicia, the more I learned, the more I realized that he was capable of causing great harm to Alicia and those who were important in her life. “Creepy” doesn’t begin to cover it.

As narrator, Ms. Serani is clear but the various voices are not especially distinguishable. Her pace is a little slow and I could understand very well at 1.45 speed which didn’t make her sound like she’d been inhaling gas.

One thing I especially liked was the author’s method of interweaving sessions and supervision and personal life. It was interesting that the notes Alicia wrote out provided a fair amount of information not heard in the session, meaning I had to always pay attention. All in all, this was a compelling look at a psychopath’s mind and how others, including his doctor, are affected.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Deborah Serani. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

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