HIS PERFECT CRIME

His Perfect Crime by Alex Sigmore
Book 1 in the Emily Slate series
Narrated by Nicole B Dolen
Genre: crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobook

About His Perfect Crime:

Deep in the woods lies a box, buried where no one would find it. But someone has…

FBI Special Agent Emily Slate is no stranger to tragedy. After losing her husband three months ago, then botching the biggest case of her career, she’s barely escaped a full suspension. Determined to get her life back on track or die trying, she takes a seemingly impossible case in hopes she can turn her fortunes around.

But as Emily arrives in the small Virginia mountain town and dives into the mystery, she discovers the remains of a woman, buried, with her eyes sewn shut. As she peels away the layers of the complex case, Emily realizes that a disturbing mind lurks in the shadows, and it’s only a matter of time before they strike again.

While Emily puts all of her skills to the test in solving the case, she doesn’t realize that the evil forces she hopes to stop now have her in their sights. She’s stumbled on something far larger and more treacherous than she could have ever realized, and if she’s not careful, she’ll be the next body to end up in a box.

Eye See You, Agent Slate.

Secrets are meant to stay buried.

Better turn back before you find yourself among them.

Source: Info in the "About His Perfect Crime" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61313991-his-perfect-crime on 17/03/2024.

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My Thoughts:

This is my first Alex Sigmore read and I'm glad that I bumped into this author!

I don't understand the addition of bubbles in the cover art...!?!

I had Burke in my sights right from the get go... Who could leave a crime scene without any traces of evidence whatsoever. Clean! No clues as to how, why or who had done it... but somebody who knows exactly what to look for??

I am very tired of being told that something happened... something happened.... oh!So, so bad! Described it to the enth degree... but does not tell me what the F*** actually happened! Just a tease of a detail at a time! Not very fond of that! Then I put this book down. After several months or a year or so, I'd pick this book up again when I have forgotten my annoyance...

No, this book is not fast-paced. Not for me.

At the end of the audiobook it will tell you that the story of Emily's husband and why she was disgraced from FBI is a freebie story if you sign-up to the author's newsletter.

The kindle ebook is missing part of page 214. Grrrr!!!

This is my first Nicole B Dolen listen and I can see that she is a talented narrator and gave a wonderful performance!

Quantitative Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 3.5
Character development = 4
Story itself = 4
Writing Style = 3.5
Ending = 4
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 3.5
Pace = (7 hrs and 4 mins listening time)
Plot = 4.5
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries

Books In The Emily Slate Series:

 

Meet The Author

About Alex Sigmore:

A lifelong reader from the start, Alex has always been fascinated by what drives people. What events in our lives shape us to become the people we are today? After a few other careers, it became clear that writing was the only way to explore this eternal question.

When not writing, Alex enjoys long walks in the woods, where it’s easier to dream up stories about serial killers and the heroes who catch them.

www.alexsigmore.com | facebook | instagram | tiktok | bookbub | amazon | goodreads

The Narrator

About Nicole B Dolen:

I’m an audiobook narrator and elementary school teacher. I have A LOT of experience reading aloud!

facebook | goodreads

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

SPINNING SILVER

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Narrated by Katy Sobey
Genre: fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook

About Spinning Silver:

Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father's inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty — until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold.

When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk — grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh — Miryem's fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. Set an impossible challenge by the nameless king, Miryem unwittingly spins a web that draws in a peasant girl, Wanda, and the unhappy daughter of a local lord who plots to wed his child to the dashing young tsar.

But Tsar Mirnatius is not what he seems. And the secret he hides threatens to consume the lands of humans and Staryk alike. Torn between deadly choices, Miryem and her two unlikely allies embark on a desperate quest that will take them to the limits of sacrifice, power, and love.

Channeling the vibrant heart of myth and fairy tale, Spinning Silver weaves a multilayered, magical tapestry that readers will want to return to again and again.

Source: Info in the "About Spinning Silver" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36896898-spinning-silver on 21/09/2022.

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Art by Donato Giancola

My Thoughts:

I've had this ebook in my kindle library for the longest time but haven't read it because the openning salvo was not very interesting, at all!

The story is told from multiple points of view. The thing is, the book does not tell you who. It leaves it to the reader to figure it out for themselves. Sometimes it takes me a while to figure out that I am reading from Wanda's point of view, for example. This made the going slow even with the convenience of the audiobook format.

I am not a fan of the emotional roller coaster. However, it is also the very thing that makes this book intricate and beautiful.

Katy Sobey reads with a singsong which is not a desirable trait in a narrator...

Quantitative Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 5
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 5
World building = 5
Cover art = 3.5
Pace = (16 hrs and 10 mins listening time)
Plot = 4.5
Narration = 4

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 cherries

Meet The Author

About Naomi Novik:

An avid reader of fantasy literature since age six, when she first made her way through The Lord of the Rings, Naomi Novik is also a history buff with a particular interest in the Napoleonic era and a fondness for the work of Patrick O’Brian and Jane Austen. She studied English literature at Brown University, and did graduate work in computer science at Columbia University before leaving to participate in the design and development of the computer game Neverwinter Nights: Shadow of Undrentide. Over the course of a brief winter sojourn spent working on the game in Edmonton, Canada (accompanied by a truly alarming coat that now lives brooding in the depths of her closet), she realized she preferred writing to programming, and on returning to New York, decided to try her hand at novels.

Naomi lives in New York City with her husband and six computers.

www.naominovik.com | twitter | facebook | instagram | pinterest | tumblr | audible | amazon | goodreads

The Narrator

About Katy Sobey:

Katy lives in Bristol and trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, where she was a finalist for the Carlton Hobbs Award and was chosen to perform at the Sam Wanamaker Festival at The Globe. Katy has worked extensively in regional touring theatre, appeared in numerous BBC Radio 4 dramas and episodes of Poetry Please, and recorded over 100 audiobooks. Katy was nominated for an Audie Award 2019 for 'The Tuscan Child' and was one of Audible UK's top rated narrators in 2016. Katy has a home studio for voice over work.

www.katysobey.com | goodreads

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

Review: APPRENTICE IN DEATH

Apprentice In Death by JD Robb
Book 43 of the In Death series
Narrated by Susan Ericksen
Genre: scifi crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobook

About Apprentice In Death:

Lieutenant Eve Dallas returns in a fast-paced new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author J. D. Robb.

Nature versus nurture...

The shots came quickly, silently, and with deadly accuracy. Within seconds, three people were dead at Central Park’s ice skating rink. The victims: a talented young skater, a doctor, and a teacher. As random as random can be.

Eve Dallas has seen a lot of killers during her time with the NYPSD, but never one like this. After reviewing security videos, it becomes clear that the victims were killed by a sniper firing a tactical laser rifle, who could have been miles away when the trigger was pulled. And though the locations where the shooter could have set up seem endless, the list of people with that particular skill set is finite: police, military, professional killer.

Eve’s husband, Roarke, has unlimited resources — and genius — at his disposal. And when his computer program leads Eve to the location of the sniper, she learns a shocking fact: There were two — one older, one younger. Someone is being trained by an expert in the science of killing, and they have an agenda. Central Park was just a warm-up. And as another sniper attack shakes the city to its core, Eve realizes that though we’re all shaped by the people around us, there are those who are just born evil...

Source: Info in the About Apprentice In Death was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28186363-apprentice-in-death on 21/02/2016.

Buy Link(s):

 

My Thoughts:

In this book, we have another crazy killer killing people off the street. JD Robb has covered many psychopaths and other crazies in this long series. This is another one of them. This world will never run out of crazies!

It is an age-old debate. Nature versus nurture. And then there is the psychopath who is both.

This time around, it was nice to see how the team brought the criminal to justice. Of course, it is still Lt. Eve Dallas's instincts who caught the bad guy. But the book was enjoyable, never-the-less.

Once again, Susan Ericksen did a wonderful job of bringing this book to life!

Quantitative Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 4
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 4
World building = 5
Cover art = 4
Pace = (13 hrs and 6 mins listening time)
Plot = 4
Narration = 4

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries

Books In The In Death Series:

 

Meet The Author

About JD Robb:

J.D. Robb is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling In Death series and the pseudonym for #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts. The futuristic suspense series stars Eve Dallas, a New York City police lieutenant with a dark past. Initially conceived as a trilogy, readers clamored for more of Eve and the mysterious Roarke. Forgotten in Death (St. Martin's Press, September 2021) is the 53rd entry in the series.

jdrobb.com | facebook | instagram | amazon | goodreads

The Narrator

About Susan Ericksen:

Susan Ericksen is a Renaissance woman. In addition to being an Earphones-winning audiobook narrator and director — she's a writer, an amateur linguist, an actress, a mother, and a wife. In the 1980s she joined former classmate David Colacci in western Michigan, where he was artistic director for the Hope Summer Repertory Theater. Twenty miles away, a fledgling audiobook publisher called Brilliance was looking for narrators.

Susan has recorded around two hundred audiobooks for Brilliance, BBC Audiobooks, Tantor, and Hachette. "It was a natural step. As repertory theater actors, the whole point is to be able to do Shakespeare one night, a musical the next night, and Noel Coward the next. So you have multiple personalities and multiple character voices and physicalities. These are such valuable skills for doing audiobooks."

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