Stranger Child - Rachel Abbott

Stranger Child is the fourth book in Rachel Abbott's DCI Tom Douglas series.

I only discovered this series and author recently when I listened to the third book, Sleep Tight. I enjoyed Abbott's lead character and plotting and wanted to see what was next for Tom.

In Stranger Child, David Joseph lost his first wife and daughter in a car accident six years ago.  His wife was killed - but his six year old daughter Natasha simply disappeared. Seven years on, David is married again to Emma and has a new baby boy.

And then one day, when Emma is in the kitchen, a teenager appears behind her - and doesn't say a word. Could it be......Tasha? It is. But she won't speak, won't say where she's been and why she was able to simply reappear. While her father is overjoyed to see her, she makes Emma very, very nervous. David seems satisfied with not knowing, but Emma decides to contact her old friend DCI Tom Douglas.

I really liked Emma as a character. David - not so much. My thoughts on Natasha changed and evolved as the book progressed. Abbott manipulates the listener well, adding another piece, another revelation as the book progresses.

Abbot has penned an ambitious plot, with many twists and turns and lots of action.  I was completely caught up in wondering about the last seven years of Tasha's life. There were a few plot points that stretched credulity for me  - David not immediately calling the police when his daughter returned, no one taking her to the doctor and a few more. But.....the story is absolutely a page turner. I had my suspicions on the outcome, but was only proved partially right. Some previous loose threads from a secondary plot in Sleep Tight are tied up in Stranger Child. Well, not quite 100% - the door is open for the next entry in this series. I'll be listening.

The reader was Lisa Coleman, a different narrator from book three. I quite liked Coleman's voice. She has a strong, matter of fact kind of tone to her speaking voice. She easily conveyed male and female characters with her voice - I thought her characterization of each was distinct, suited and was easily identifiable. Coleman has a nice little gravelly undertone to her voice that is pleasant to listen to. My one suggestion would be to stick with one reader going forward to build continuity in future books.  Listen to an excerpt of Stranger Child.

A False Dawn - Tom Lowe

A False Dawn is the first book in Tom Lowe's Sean O'Brien series.

O'Brien was a police detective in Detroit, but with the death of his wife, he follows through on a promise he made to her. Quit the force and build a new life. He plans to fix up a cabin on backwater stretch in Florida. And live peacefully. It's a good plan until he discovers a dying young woman who whispers to him just before she dies......Well, once a detective, always a detective. O'Brien immerses himself in the search for who the girl was - and who beat her to death.

Lowe has created a strong, likable character in O'Brien that the listener can root for. I do like that he wasn't always right and made mistakes. There's a wealth of supporting characters. I was intrigued by a mysterious man named Joe Billie who appeared in the first few chapters - and then disappeared until his cameo in the final wrap up. Dave and Nick at the marina were engaging characters. I did find the 'bad guys' a bit cliched. Max the dog was a great addition to the cast.

The plot is ambitious and far reaching and on the dark side. (Fair warning to gentle listeners - there are some graphic scenes and strong language.) I had to suspend disbelief that the FBI would let a retired detective take such a leading role.

The Florida setting was well described and painted vivid mental images.

Listening to an audio book is a different experience than reading the novel. We tend to hear every detail - details we may have glossed over with a printed copy. My peeve was O'Brien's similes - even in stressful situations he's got something to compare. By the end they were simply annoying.

A False Dawn is a good first book and I would listen to another. (There are now five books in the series)

The reader, Michael David Axtell, was quite good. He has a clear, resonant voice with a little gravelly undertone that matched the mental image I had created for the character. He interpreted the book well, matching his inflection to the scenes. Listen to a sample of A False Dawn.

Sleep Tight - Rachel Abbott

I love audiobooks - they're great for taking on the go with you and for me - when I can't sleep. Mysteries and suspense novels are my fave (I have a fondness for British authors) and I'm always happy to discover new authors. Rachel Abbott is a new to me author and one I would absolutely listen to again. Sleep Tight is the one I chose to start with.

Olivia Brookes's children are the most important thing in her life. When she comes home one day to find them - and her husband missing - she fears the worst. Tragedy is not a stranger to Olivia. DCI Tom Douglas is called in. Thankfully they are located - and no harm done. Or is it? Two years later DCI Douglas is called in again - this time to investigate the disappearance of Olivia and her children. But, this time there may not be such a happy outcome. Olivia has left her purse, the car is in the garage and oddly enough, all the pictures of the family have been destroyed.

Excellent premise and great plotting! I had my suspicions as to what had happened, but I'm happy to say I wasn't completely right. I love twisty, turny who's telling the truth and who's lying books. Abbot has penned a good one. And I enjoyed this one all more I think because I listened to it.

Reader's voices and interpretations of a novelist's work can make or break a story for a listener. Sleep Tight employs two readers - Melody Grove and Andrew Wincott. Both narrators have voices that are clear, pleasant and easy to understand (both are British).  I thought the voices - Grove's quieter and Wincott's more powerful - suited the mental images I created for the characters. Some readers have the ability to create numerous voice for all the characters, but I quite enjoy multiple cast members. I liked the dual narrative - it made me feel like I am more involved in the story and the investigation, rather than just an observer.

I thought Sleep Tight was a really good listen.  See for yourself - here's an audio excerpt of Sleep Tight.

Fun fact: "On 5th August 2015 Amazon confirmed that Rachel Abbott is the #1 bestselling author in the UK on the Kindle over the past five years."

The Fold - Peter Clines

I don't read a lot of science fiction, but I know a good story when I see it - or hear it, in this case. I've also seen techno-thriller attached to this book as a label, which I think is better fitting.

The Fold is the first book I've read by Peter Clines, but it won't be the last.

It was the lead character that caught my interest in the first few chapters and held me until the very end.

Mike Erikson is a small town teacher in New England. He's happy at his job and enjoys his students. He also happens to be a genius with an eidetic memory, able to recall anything and everything he's ever seen, read or heard. He doesn't advertise this ability, preferring to live the quiet life he's chosen. One friend is aware of his skill set though - and asks Mike to take a look at a project he's funding. He's not sure if the group is telling him the truth about their results.

The project? Time travel, using a 'fold' of time that allows the user to travel great distances in a single step. Mike is intrigued.......and quite sure that the group is indeed harboring secrets - dangerous ones.

Well, of course I wanted to know what the secret was! The premise was great and the journey to the answers was intriguing. The story moved along at a fast pace, with lots of action as Mike ferrets out the truth and the resulting chaos. Cline's writing flows easily and was fun to read.

Mike's recall is fascinating - he uses ants as a mental depiction - black for memory, red for analysis. He was a a really likable character. The supporting cast is a mixed bunch - and although some of them are a bit clichéd (the lead scientist is quite obvious in his obfuscation) - they provided a good foil. A secondary plot involving a love interest between Mike and Jamie, one of the scientists, lends a personal note. Clines injects humour along the way as well.

Ray Porter was the reader - and he was fantastic. His voice exactly matched the mental image I had created for Mike. Supporting characters, many female, also had their own distinct voices, each creating and matching Cline's players. What I was amazed with was the quickness of the change in voices, sometimes in mid scentence. I absolutely felt like there were two or more people having a conversation - instead of one man playing many parts! Porter's voice reminded me somewhat of Robert Downey Jr's - a quick way of speaking, with lots of inflection and attitude easily conveyed.

I liked the ending, it's open ended enough for further books with Mike. I do hope this is the case - I would absolutely love to listen to another one - as long as its Ray Porter narrating. ;0)

(On a side note - this was the first time I've downloaded from Audible. It was very easy, the sound quality was great and it was available across all my devices. I downloaded to a mobile device - the app was great with lots of added features, such as a timer - I tend to listen before I go to sleep. I would absolutely download again.)

Loyalty - Ingrid Thoft

Loyalty is Ingrid Thoft's debut novel.

Fina Ludlow lives and works in Boston for the family firm. Law firm that is. Her father and three brothers are all attorneys but Fina bucked tradition and became the firm's private investigator.

When Fina's sister-in-law Melanie goes missing, patriarch Carl Ludlow sets Fina on the case. The police department's prime suspect is her brother Rand - Melanie's husband. But there's no way Rand would have killed Melanie. Right? As Fina digs into Melanie's life, someone else is just as determined that she drop the investigation.

But that's just like a red flag to a bull for our protagonist. Thoft has created a mentally and physical strong, tough, wise-cracking character who seems to thrive on antagonism. But, she has some soft spots underneath that tough exterior. Thoft mixes in healthy doses of family dynamics of all shades - hence the 'loyalty' title.

Thoft starts things off with a bang, with lots of characters rapidly introduced in the first few chapters. I did find myself backtracking a bit, until I got who was who straightened out. I'm thinking this is the first in a new series, so it seems like Thoft was simply setting the stage.

Fina is a strong personality. I immediately liked her  and appreciated her personality, determination and fearlessness. But by the last third of the book I thought this had been firmly established with the reader and found it a bit tiresome to be reminded of this again and again through comments from supporting characters.

Loyalty was well plotted, with lots of action, (how many times can Fina get attacked!?) some humour and yet some serious moments as well. The end result can be seen from several chapters away, but that didn't detract from enjoying the journey there.

I chose to listen to Loyalty. The reader was Rebecca Soler. I must admit, I wasn't sold on her as a narrator at first. Her voice seemed very young - almost teenaged. When I looked up other books she had narrated, I found she has read several young adult titles - it was Cinder I was remembering. But once I started forming a picture of the character, the voice worked. Soler has a very expressive voice and her interpretation of Fina's snappy dialogue was excellent and suited this sassy, shoot from the hip P.I. As I mentioned, there are many players - Soler gave each a distinctive voice and/or accent so I was able to easily know who was talking. (The southern madam was particularly good) She has a clear voice that made it easy to catch every word. (Gentle listeners be warned - there is a fair amount of swearing sprinkled throughout)

Fina is a great new personality on the female P.I. front - a cross between V.I. Warshawski and Stephanie Plum. I'm sure there will be more cases for this intrepid investigator. This was a great summer read for this listener - many a pint of raspberries was picked during the 12 hours of running time! Listen to an excerpt of Loyalty. Also available in hardcover - Read an excerpt.