Thursday 30 November 2023

SHADOW FALLS


Shadow Falls by Wendy Dranfield
Book 1 in the Detective Madison Harper Series
Narrated by Gigi Burgdorf
Genre: crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobookAudiobook


You thought your little girl was safe at summer camp. You were wrong…

The little girl drags her eyes open, realizing she’s starting to fade. She tries calling out — “Daddy?” — using all her remaining strength. But she’s too late and her voice just isn’t loud enough…

When Detective Madison Harper arrives at a remote summer camp in Shadow Falls, northern California, her heart breaks for Jenny, the sweet little girl last seen splashing in the lake with her friends before she vanished. Peering into the silent cabins filled with rows of neatly made beds, Madison knows this idyllic place is hiding a terrible secret.

The girl’s parents are distraught, and the local police have no leads — they desperately need Madison’s help. She’ll do whatever it takes to crack this case, because it’s the only way back to the son she lost to the care system years ago when she was framed for a crime she didn’t commit.

But with the camp staff keeping tight-lipped and her new partner on the edge of a breakdown, Madison can’t find any truth to her instinct that there is more to Jenny’s perfect parents than meets the eye. Until she discovers a disturbing family portrait Jenny drew at the local library. Was this angelic girl more troubled than anybody knew? Was she in danger from those she trusted most?

One thing is certain, if Madison doesn't find the answers soon, the lives of more innocent children will be at risk…
Source: Info in the "About Shadow Falls" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56771945-shadow-falls on 05/10/2023.


Buy Link(s):
  Audible Books


My Thoughts:
The premise is good! Which is what made me buy this book. But, the story telling kinda drags a little bit. However, this not-so-positive element is offset by speeding up the narrating speed in the audible player app. It is sort of cheating which I am happy to indulge anyway. So, no, this is not a fast-paced read.

The story is told in piecemeal. The current thread with Nate and Madison. Another with Nate's past in prison with Kristen. Then a third with Dr. Pamela Jarvis. This kind of presents a disconnected story. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why this book is hard going.

Given the title of this series, I presume that Madison would eventually get reinstated into the police force at some point. Eventually... in a subsequent book in the series.

Gigi Burgdorf reads with a singsong which I am not particularly fond of. However, after sometime, you stop hearing the singsong.


Quantitative Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 3.5
Character development = 3.5
Story itself = 3
Writing Style = 2.5
Ending = 3
World building = 4
Cover art = 4
Pace = (9 hrs and 33 mins listening time)
Plot = 4
Narration = 4


Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 cherries


Book 1: SHADOW FALLS Book 2: CRY FOR HELP Book 3: LITTLE GIRL TAKEN Book 4: GONE TO HER GRAVE Book 5: CATCH HER DEATH Book 6: HER LONELY BONES


 
Meet The Author

About Wendy Dranfield:
Wendy is the bestselling author of the Detective Madison Harper series and the Dean Matheson series, as well as two standalone thrillers: The Birthday Party and The Night She Vanished.

She is a former coroner's assistant turned crime writer. Some of her books have been shortlisted for various writing competitions and awards, including the International Thriller Writer Awards.


The Narrator

About Gigi Burgdorf:
Gigi is a professional actress, born and raised in America and now splitting her time between London, LA and NYC. She got her start in classical theatre and has appeared on numerous stages in London and across the UK in productions ranging from Shakespeare to modern American comedy.

In recent years, Gigi has moved into screen work, with her face popping up in films like 'American Carnage' (starring Jenna Ortega) and TV series like HBO's 'Avenue 5' (starring Hugh Laurie, Josh Gadd), and most recently as Fake Tricia in Nathan Fielder's 'The Rehearsal' on HBO.

Gigi trained at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York, resulting in a BFA from New York University’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts, followed by a post-graduate diploma in Classical Acting from the London Academy of Performing Arts.

In addition to her acting and comedy skills, Gigi is a talented improviser and an award-winning kazoo player. She holds both US and UK passports.

Gigi is now also an award-winning filmmaker. Her first short film, 'Same Time Next Week', won several awards on the festival circuit, spurring her on to create a second short — 'The Plan' — a dark comedy two-hander that she wrote, directed, produced and acted in, which is now winning awards of its own.



FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook were bought with private funds.
No money received for this review.

Thursday 23 November 2023

THE PUPPET MAKER


The Puppet Maker by Jenny O'Brien
Book 1 in the Detective Alana Mack series
Narrated by Michele Moran
Genre: crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobookAudiobook


The scrap of paper looked as if it had been torn from a diary. The words written in faint pencil. The letters rounded, almost childlike. "Please look after her. Her life and mine depend on you not trying to find me."

When Detective Alana Mack arrives at Clonabee police station, in a small Irish seaside town on the outskirts of Dublin, she doesn't expect to find a distressed two-year-old girl sobbing on the floor. Abandoned in a local supermarket, the child tells them her name is Casey. All Alana and her team have to go on is a crumpled note begging for someone to look after the little girl. This mother doesn't want to be found.

Still recovering from a terrible accident that has left Alana navigating a new life as a wheelchair user, Alana finds herself suddenly responsible for Casey while trying to track down the missing mother and solve another missing person's case… a retired newsagent who has seemingly vanished from his home. Forced to ask her ex-husband and child psychiatrist Colm for help, through Forensic Art Therapy, Alana discovers that whatever darkness lies behind the black windows in Casey's crayon drawing, the little girl was terrified of the house she lived in.

Then a bag of human remains is found in a bin, and a chilling link is made — the DNA matches Casey's. Alana and her team must find the body and make the connection with the missing newsagent fast if she is to prevent another life from being taken. But with someone in her department leaking confidential details of the investigation to the media, can Alana set aside her emotional involvement in this case and find Casey’s mother and the killer before it's too late?
Source: Info in the "About The Puppet Maker" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181372370-the-puppet-maker on 30/10/2023.


Buy Link(s):
  Audible Books


My Thoughts:
I'm glad I bumped into Jenny O'Brien. I would read her again. Unfortunately, book two is not coming out until next year

This is my first crime fiction where we have a paraplegic detective as the main protagonist. Interesting to see how the detective would manage an investigation with a huge obstacle in her way. She can't just walk up and chase bad guys anymore...

My question is, what ended her marriage?...

Another thing, the editor needs to be told that "balance" is not spelled "bAlance".

Funnily enough, reading this book feels like reading one of Lt. Eve Dallas' books by JD Robb. I wonder why that is?...

This is my first Michele Moran listen and I would buy her again.


Quantitative Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4
Character development = 4
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 4
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 5
Pace = (9 hrs and 1 min listening time)
Plot = 4.5
Narration = 5


Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries


Books In The Detective Alana Mack Series:
Book 1: THE PUPPET MAKER Book 1: ROSES FOR THE DEAD


 
Meet The Author

About Jenny O'Brien:
I took up writing about fifteen years ago when I first came up with a plot for a book, and I haven't stopped since. When I’m not writing, I’m ferrying around 3 teenagers or working as a nurse. I’m also an all-year-round sea swimmer.

I write what I love to read, which is romance and thrillers. My children’s books will hopefully be of some use, particularly Boy Brainy which is perma-free and written to raise self-esteem.


The Narrator

About Michele Moran:
Actress. Singer. Mocap. Audiobooks. Performance artist. VO artist. Well rounded Goddess. Tall, very tall.



FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook were bought with private funds.
No money received for this review.

Tuesday 14 November 2023

NORTHWIND


Northwind by JD Kirk
Book 1 in the Robert Hoon Thriller series
Narrated by Angus King
Genre: crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobookAudiobook


About Northwind:
Former soldier. Ex-copper. Current man on the edge.

Shunned by his old colleagues, and dividing his time between a dead-end job and the bottom of a whisky bottle, former Police Scotland Detective Superintendent Bob Hoon’s life is a mess.

Then an old face from Hoon’s Special Forces days turns up asking for help: his teenage daughter has been missing for months, the police have drawn a blank, and he needs the kind of help that only Hoon can provide.

And besides, Hoon owes him one.

From the Highlands of Scotland, to the mean streets of London, Hoon’s relentless hunt for the girl will see him make new friends and encounter old enemies. Enemies who know what happened to the girl. And to hundreds more like her.

But Hoon’s been given something that makes him dangerous, something he thought he’d long-since lost: a purpose.

He may be a disgraced ex-copper, a barely-functioning alcoholic, and a borderline psychopath, but Bob Hoon still believes in justice.

And he’s just the foul-mouthed **** to dish some out.
Source: Info in the "About Northwind" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57670094-northwind on 15/09/2023.


Buy Link(s):
  Audible Books


My Thoughts:
Wonderful start to a new-to-me series!

This book uses a lot of foul language, so I wouldn't recommend it to children. At all! Nor to anyone with a delicate constitution. But I would recommend this book to crime fiction lovers!

Like I said in my review of Grimm Up North by David J. Gatward, I love dour and foreboding heroes in crime fighting stories! And Bob Hoon fits that to the T!

I do not have the ear for Scottish accent. I have to read and listen at the same time. This makes for slow reading. So, this is not exactly a fast-paced read. However, I like to go slow with this book. Savor it. Make it last. Rather than whizz through it. Makes the reading experience more enjoyable!

I therefore, do not blame the narrator for the slower pace of the book. His Scottish accent fits the character so very well! Bob after all is Scottish. He therefore needs a Scottish accent in the narration. Even though I need a bit of time trying to parse what the heck he said.


Quantitative Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 4
Ending = 4
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 4
Pace = (9 hrs and 27 mins listening time)
Plot = 4
Narration = 5


Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries


Books In The Robert Hoon Thriller Series:
Book 1: NORTHWIND Book 2: SOUTHPAW Book 3: WESTWARD Book 4: EASTGATE


 
Meet The Author

About JD Kirk:
JD Kirk is the pen name of multi-award-winning author, screenwriter, and writer of comics, Barry Hutchison.

JD Kirk lives in the Highlands of Scotland with his wife, two children, and a number of sturdy umbrellas. Despite writing from a young age, 'A Litter of Bones' is his first novel, and combines his love of the Highlands, crime thrillers, and cats.


The Narrator

About Angus King:
#Actor #Audiobook narrator including Booker Prize Winner 2020 #Shuggiebain.

Angus King is a Scottish actor based in London & Glasgow. He trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and works regularly on television, Motion Capture and the West End and his voice can be heard in audiobooks, political campaigns, radio drama, corporate videos, computer games, ADR and much more.



FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook were bought with private funds.
No money received for this review.