WaterPea
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The Spitfire Murders
- A Homefront Sleuths Mystery (The Homefront Sleuths Cozy Mystery Series. Book 3)
- By: Anna Elliott, Charles Veley
- Narrated by: Iona Campbell
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Spies, secrets, and a splash of tea—another mission for the Homefront Sleuths! England, 1941: When a factory security guard dies under suspicious circumstances and a Spitfire test flight ends in disaster, the quiet village of Crofter’s Green is abuzz with questions. With the local police stretched thin by the war effort, it’s up to the *Homefront Sleuths * to uncover the truth. Leading the charge is Evie Harris, village tea shop owner and amateur detective, who bravely goes undercover at the aircraft factory—despite a cryptic warning from a shadowy German spy.
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Good intro to series
- By WaterPea on 07-12-25
- The Spitfire Murders
- A Homefront Sleuths Mystery (The Homefront Sleuths Cozy Mystery Series. Book 3)
- By: Anna Elliott, Charles Veley
- Narrated by: Iona Campbell
Good intro to series
Reviewed: 07-12-25
Good characters. Good narration. Interesting storyline. Some parts of the story stretch belief. But overall good intro to series. Looking forward to more.
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The Judas Monk Murders
- A Homefront Sleuths Mystery (The Homefront Sleuths Cozy Mystery Series, Book 4)
- By: Anna Elliott, Charles Veley
- Narrated by: Iona Campbell
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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A spy missing. A village full of secrets… and one very persistent Pomeranian. The peaceful village of Crofter’s Green buzzes with questions when a young commando trainee is found dead at the ruins of St. Swithin’s Abbey. The military calls it an accident—but is it? And what does it have to do with the legend of the Judas Monk, a tale of betrayal that has haunted the abbey for centuries? Harry Jenkins and the Homefront Sleuths must untangle a web of wartime deception before the truth is buried for good. As the investigation unfolds, each of the Sleuths has their own challenges to face.
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ending abrupt & unsatisfying.
- By Tuck10 on 05-31-25
- The Judas Monk Murders
- A Homefront Sleuths Mystery (The Homefront Sleuths Cozy Mystery Series, Book 4)
- By: Anna Elliott, Charles Veley
- Narrated by: Iona Campbell
It's only ok - not best in series
Reviewed: 07-12-25
I like this series, & narrator is good. Narration and familiar characters are the redeeming aspects of this book. Storyline is pretty contrived. Not best in series.
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The Ash Lake Murders
- By: Helen H. Durrant
- Narrated by: Katie West
- Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Callum is lured to an isolated boathouse by an attractive older woman. When she gets him alone, she knocks him out with a single blow. Surrounded by hills and lakes, Still Waters is home to a close-knit community of wealthy retirees. It's an unlikely setting for violence. The police don't take Callum's disappearance seriously: he's 24-years-old, after all. But Callum's mother, a Still Waters resident, knows that something is very wrong. Then a body is discovered floating in the lake. Head bashed in. But it's not Callum. And someone tweets: Come out to play one last time, Alice.
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I tried but too disconnected
- By T.Worrell on 04-04-24
- The Ash Lake Murders
- By: Helen H. Durrant
- Narrated by: Katie West
Great story, characters, narrator
Reviewed: 07-08-25
This is the first book by this author to which I have listened. I look forward to more. Very good police procedural, but with more emphasis on the storyline than on the procedures themselves. I hope the author keeps the same characters going in future books, with further character development. But she did an excellent job of introducing them and developing them in this first book. Story was twisted and fascinating, and I think you will be as surprised as I was listening to the last hour. Excellent narration, and I am very picky about narrators! Definitely recommend.
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Losers Club
- A Murder Mystery (Losers Club, Book 1)
- By: Yvonne Vincent
- Narrated by: Angela Ness
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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There's a murderer on the loose on a storm swept island cut off from the Scottish mainland. It's down to Losers Club, a quirky weight loss group led by the intrepid Penny Moon, to catch the culprit.
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Laughed Out Loud
- By Lovesachoice on 03-29-23
- Losers Club
- A Murder Mystery (Losers Club, Book 1)
- By: Yvonne Vincent
- Narrated by: Angela Ness
More than cozy; less than procedural
Reviewed: 07-06-25
Per my title, this book is really more than a cozy mystery, but not all the way to a procedural. The storyline is more complex than a cozy, but in order to wind it up, it does get a little far-fetched. Also, although I am no prude, the language of this book seems to be raunchy just for the effect of being raunchy. Not a lot of actual profanity though. I appreciated that. Generally the narration is good, but there is a long stretch toward the end that involves conversation between two less featured characters. This was so irritating to listen to. The narrator did not get accents even close for either one of them. I often listen to audible books when I'm falling asleep, and these accents were bad enough that they kept me from falling asleep. As far as continuing with the series, I would not spend a credit on the next book. But I would purchase it if the price was low enough on a special sale.
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The Great Unexpected
- By: Dan Mooney
- Narrated by: Aidan Kelly
- Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Joel lives in a nursing home, and he’s not one bit happy about it. He hates being told when to eat, when to sleep, when to take his pills. He’s fed up with life and begins to plan a way out when his new roommate, a retired soap opera actor named Frank, moves in and turns the nursing-home community upside down.
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Really enjoyed this
- By Carmen K. Pollic on 04-10-23
- The Great Unexpected
- By: Dan Mooney
- Narrated by: Aidan Kelly
Good, moving, disconcerting
Reviewed: 07-05-25
The title is perfect. This book may be emotionally difficult for some to listen to - it was for me for the first 2/3. I'm glad I continued to the end. It's a story of pain, loss, rebirth, growth. I appreciated the messages so much. I grew from listening to it. Very good narrator.
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The Stand
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 47 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death. And here is the bleak new world of the day after: a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a handful of panicky survivors choose sides - or are chosen.
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My First Completed Stephen King Novel
- By Meaghan Bynum on 02-20-12
- The Stand
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
Worth the listen, in spite of ups/downs
Reviewed: 07-01-25
I'm glad I listened. Mostly very, very good. Good narration. I have an urge to listen to the previous (400 pages shorter) version in a few months. From what King says about the differences (in prologue to this one), the things that were left out or abbreviated were things that rather dragged for me in this version. Although, honestly, I'm glad to have all the backstory & the complete story to refer to, stashed away in my head. I also plan to watch the 1994 & 2020 mini-series (never have watched them). Back to this version - I was disappointed in the main characters' decisions at the end. Seemed immature and stupid. And the very end ... well, I suppose it made sense. But I didn't necessarily like it. Ultimately overall I recommend this audiobook.
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Edited Out
- A Mysterious Detective Mystery
- By: E.J. Copperman
- Narrated by: Amanda Ronconi
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Mystery author Rachel Goldman is getting used to the idea that her fictional creation, Duffy Madison, has somehow taken flesh-and-blood form and is investigating missing person cases not far from where Rachel lives. Wait. No. She's not getting used to it at all, and the presence of this real-life Duffy is making her current manuscript - what's the word? - lousy.
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I love this series
- By Beatrice on 05-13-17
- Edited Out
- A Mysterious Detective Mystery
- By: E.J. Copperman
- Narrated by: Amanda Ronconi
Quirky light entertainment
Reviewed: 06-26-25
Quirky premise and storyline. Narrator's voice is a bit grating; don't try to fall asleep to it. Okay for daytime listening. Extremely disappointing ending in my opinion. I won't comment further - don't want to provide spoiler. If this is part of a series (I still have to check), will probably pursue. As a standalone, I don't recommend spending a credit on it.
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Beneath Hemlock Skies
- FBI Task Force S.W.O.R.D., Book 4
- By: D.D. Black
- Narrated by: Amber Dekkers, Joe Hempel
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Deep in Washington State's Hoh Rainforest, a young women is found dead, a single sprig of hemlock in her pale, lifeless hand. The killing suggests a ritualistic obsession. The crime scene leaves investigators without a lead. As Special Agent Claire Anderson and FBI Task Force S.W.O.R.D. dig into the case, an early breakthrough hints at a motive too twisted to believe. But public pressure mounts as the media turns the Hemlock Killer into a nationwide sensation, fueled by damning leaks from inside Claire's own investigation.
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A double edged SWORD
- By Deb Nyberg on 07-10-25
- Beneath Hemlock Skies
- FBI Task Force S.W.O.R.D., Book 4
- By: D.D. Black
- Narrated by: Amber Dekkers, Joe Hempel
Saved worst for last
Reviewed: 06-26-25
This is like a teen graphic novel - and yes, please do infer "comic book" from that. Plot holes, ridiculous actions by characters, and the consistently poor narration. (SO many mispronounced words, just like all prior books by this author). I was able to get all of his books to date as free, bonus books. I continued to listen to them because his storylines were interesting and his characters were likable or at least engaging. Because of the storylines and the characters, I plowed through the books in spite of many examples of lazy writing (does this author have an editor?) and many, many narration gaffes ranging from little "oops" to myriad groan-inducing mispronunciations. (Does this author utilize an editor for narration? If so, whatever that person is being paid is too much!) it really bothers me that I'm not going to be listening to any more of the author's work, because he is gifted in creating stories that hooked me. And I am going to miss the characters, particularly in the SWORD series. But the writing errors and narration errors has become insulting to the reader/listener. So disappointing. So much potential, but the author is clearly grinding these out at a pace that increasingly precludes attention to excellence.
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Widows of Medina
- FBI Task Force S.W.O.R.D., Book 3
- By: D.D. Black
- Narrated by: Amber Dekkers, Joe Hempel
- Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Nestled on the water's edge near Seattle, Medina is the richest zip code in the Pacific Northwest. Luxurious beyond belief, this untouchably powerful enclave is home to many of the wealthiest men and women in America. But when a celebrity tech CEO is found dead at his fiftieth birthday party, suspicion begins to swirl through the community like a mist over Lake Washington.
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Meandering storyline with too many characters to get overly interested
- By Peggy M on 07-07-25
- Widows of Medina
- FBI Task Force S.W.O.R.D., Book 3
- By: D.D. Black
- Narrated by: Amber Dekkers, Joe Hempel
Overall decline from previous books & narrators still bad
Reviewed: 06-24-25
I have listened to every DD Black book available on Audible up to this one, in order. I've consistently said the same things: his storylines are good, his writing gets lazy and becomes rife with obvious mistakes, and the narration suffers from a multitude of mispronunciations. Book after book, those same things were consistently true. I can only presume that he and/or his publishers are paying for low end editing, both of writing and of narration.
But I have continued to listen, because the storylines have captured my attention, as have the characters. Unfortunately, in this book the quality of both of those declined, while narration remained very faulty. The depth of the storyline was only somewhat better than that of a cranked out romance novel. And I could cite dozens of examples of mispronounced words.
If I had not gotten the next book in the series for free, I would not be listening to any more of this author's work. And that's a shame, because he really does have good story ideas and interesting characters. But it seems that the reason he is able to crank out so many books so quickly may be that corners are being cut, both in the writing process and in all aspects of the editing processes.
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We Forget Nothing
- FBI Task Force S.W.O.R.D., Book 2
- By: D.D. Black
- Narrated by: Amber Dekkers, Joe Hempel
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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In the hushed corridors of the Evergreen Memory Care facility, a young nurse's obsession with true crime leads to a chilling discovery. An elderly patient—his memories fading—speaks of unthinkable acts. Is he the Interstate Reaper, a notorious serial killer who terrorized the Pacific Northwest in the 1970s and 1980s? Enter FBI Task Force S.W.O.R.D., fresh off their dangerous pursuit of The Color Killer.
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Good story & characters; bad editing
- By WaterPea on 06-22-25
- We Forget Nothing
- FBI Task Force S.W.O.R.D., Book 2
- By: D.D. Black
- Narrated by: Amber Dekkers, Joe Hempel
Good story & characters; bad editing
Reviewed: 06-22-25
This is one of author's best, IMO. Story line & characters solid. Better & more intelligent than the Thomas Austin series. Unfortunately author's books still suffer from poor editing (wrong word usages), and particularly from poor audio editing. So many mispronounced words. It's really getting old.
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