HSJ
- 4
- reviews
- 19
- helpful votes
- 29
- ratings
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Perish from the Earth
- The Lincoln and Speed Mysteries, Book 2
- By: Jonathan F. Putnam
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 165
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 146
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 145
Newly minted trial lawyer Abraham Lincoln is riding the circuit, traveling by carriage with other lawyers and a judge to bring justice to the remote parts of Illinois. Meanwhile, Lincoln's close friend, Joshua Speed, is steaming up the Mississippi River, aboard a steamboat owned by Speed's father, when suddenly his journey is interrupted when a rigged card game aboard the ship turns to violence - and then murder.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Lincoln as a young lawyer...fascinating read!
- By Amazon Customer on 08-19-18
- Perish from the Earth
- The Lincoln and Speed Mysteries, Book 2
- By: Jonathan F. Putnam
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
Engaging and authentic
Reviewed: 08-26-21
Perversely two of the best things about this book are the main character’s ignorance and racism. So many historical novels have characters with the clothes of the past but perspectives of the 21st century. While Speed’s beliefs and understanding will invariably evolve in contact with Lincoln, Elijah Lovejoy and others, for now he is a young man of his time, geography and class. It gives the author so much more to work with. Plot lines are created and pursued not because of Speed’s uncanny understanding but frequently because of his naïveté and stubbornness. Civil rights and social equality are not forgone, obvious conclusions but radical alien notions to him, just as they were (are?) to most people. Without these elements the story and the cause of greater historical events would make little sense and less purpose.
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A Taste for Monsters
- By: Matthew J. Kirby
- Narrated by: Anna Mountford
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 61
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 57
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 57
The real monsters are men. London 1888, and Jack the Ripper is terrorizing the people of the city. Evelyn, a young woman disfigured by her dangerous work in a matchstick factory, with nowhere to go, does not know what to make of her new position as a maid to the Elephant Man in London Hospital. Evelyn wanted to be locked away from the world like he is, shut away from the filth and dangers of the streets. But in Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man, she finds a gentle kindred who does not recoil from her and who understands her pain.
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5 out of 5 stars
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An Outstanding Heroine and Deeply Humane Story
- By Amy on 10-20-16
- A Taste for Monsters
- By: Matthew J. Kirby
- Narrated by: Anna Mountford
Wasn't what I was expecting. It was better!
Reviewed: 07-26-18
I expected a detective story with a beautiful heroine, her stalwart sweetheart and faithful side kick. What I got instead was a story focused on redemption, compassion and self acceptance. The author has created a story rich with accurate historical detail about London, Joseph Merrick and the London Hospital. By focusing on the victims, rather than the killer, the story can dive into the lives of the lower social and economic classes. He reveals the limited and tragic choices forced upon these women without romanticizing them and so reveals their humanity. The author's theory on Jack the Ripper, whom he refers to in the more accurate name for the time, Leather Apron, is both obvious and incredibly ingenious.
One warning, he does not flinch from explicit descriptions of the murders, or of sexual assault.
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London
- The Novel
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Andrew Wincott
- Length: 49 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,189
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,035
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,033
Here is Edward Rutherfurd's classic novel of London, a glorious pageant spanning 2,000 years. He brings this vibrant city's long and noble history alive through the ever-shifting fortunes, fates, and intrigues of half-a-dozen families, from the age of Julius Caesar to the 20th century. Generation after generation, these families embody the passion, struggle, wealth, and verve of the greatest city in the world.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Do NOT buy on Audible
- By Diane Vanek on 06-19-18
- London
- The Novel
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Andrew Wincott
This story was my long time companion
Reviewed: 05-27-18
What a wonderful story. I have been reading his books since Sarum came out and this is one of my favorites. The narrator is very good with the variety of dialects, though his female voices just sound breathy.
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18 people found this helpful
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The Water Room
- A Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery
- By: Christopher Fowler
- Narrated by: Tim Goodman
- Length: 14 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 564
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 384
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Story4 out of 5 stars 378
Best-selling author Christopher Fowler has won a widespread following for his senior citizen detectives Arthur Bryant and John May. Here a woman is found drowned in her basement - with nary a drop of water to explain the crime.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Baby Boomers Rejoice: This is a book for our time.
- By Cholmondeley on 10-19-09
- The Water Room
- A Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery
- By: Christopher Fowler
- Narrated by: Tim Goodman
What is up with the a's?
Reviewed: 04-22-16
Why does the narrator mispronounce a's? That has been mentioned by several other reviewers but it is still disconcerting. I do like his voices for the two elderly detectives; however his women sound like Dame Edna at best.
The story itself is quite entertaining and I love all the trivia tidbits. The hindsight positionality is also very interesting. I wonder if the author already had all of the stories planned out to be able to drop references to cases that are in our future as series readers but in the character's past.
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1 person found this helpful