Fio Zacha

A worthy addition to the Holmes canon superbly narrated by Derek Jacobi

Revisado: 11-25-23

With The House of Silk, Horowitz has written a worthy successor to the books by Conan Doyle. The story captures the atmosphere of the London in the late 19th century and of Watson and Holmes themselves superbly well, and moves along at a good pace, but without sacrificing detail or character development. When listening it is easy to forget that this is not a Conan Doyle story, which is not the case with the books by any other Holmes imitators or pastiche writers that I have encountered to date, so that is a compliment to the writing and the feel and style of the book. Derk Jacobi’s narration is quite simply, superb. A pleasure to listen to this accomplished thespian playing all the roles in the story with his inimitable flair. A great listen, highly recommended.

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Fun cross-over wrap up for Gin Jones’s Danger Cove characters

Revisado: 10-01-23

Keely Fairchild and Maria Dolores tackle two crimes together in the last Gin Jones authored book of the Danger Cove series. A fun listen.

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A superb and very personal biography Jane Austen

Revisado: 08-20-23

This is a wonderful book: a biography of Jane Austen where each chapter takes as it’s starting point an item of Regency domestic life or experience, that Paul Byrne proceeds to work seamlessly into the fabric of Austen’s life. Beautifully read by Kate Reading. Highly recommended for Austenites and also for those discovering Austen for the first time.

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Excellent story and narration

Revisado: 06-01-23

A great listen with a compelling story within a story and first class narration. Recommended without hesitation.

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Interesting book let down by the narration

Revisado: 04-15-23

The content of this book is interesting, and it dissects various elements of Jane Austen’s world and work in a novel way and with frequent reference to the novels. For me however, the book was badly let down by poor narration: almost no inflexion, no changes in tone or manner or even a breath between reading the text of the book and quoting the novels: I only realised when it had gone into a quote because I know the novels so well, there were almost no slight pauses between sections: it was almost like listening to a computer. All the little elements of human speech that make audiobooks so wonderful to listen to were basically entirely lacking, and perhaps poor editing is also to blame. I will read the book now myself, but I won’t be listening to the audiobook a second time, I barely made it all the way through the first time, as I found it so unpleasant as a listening experience.

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One of the better ‘later’ Marsh’s

Revisado: 02-22-23

When in Rome is one of the better of the Marsh books set in the 1960’s. With an evocatively described city of Rome and the student riots as a backdrop, Marsh makes full use of her more exotic location: the city itself is one of the main ‘characters’ in the book. For readers/listeners who know a little of Rome, this really gives the book an extra dimension. Alleyn is in Rome looking for drug dealers but also encounters murder, his postion as a ‘foreign’ policeman is delicate and also unusual and Marsh uses the leeway this creates to craft a plot where Alleyn’s responsibilities and behaviour differ from the vast majority of books. The characters on the fringe of the drug scene that he encounters are well described and engaging enough that the reader can both visualise how ghastly they are and care about the other innocent characters who have stumbled into the extended web around them that also encompasses blackmail and murder. James Saxon narrates the diverse line-up of protagonists with gusto, enjoyment and skill. An entertaining listen.

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Not as good as Fleming

Revisado: 02-18-23

This is a generally okay addition to the Bond stories, and well read by Rory Kinnear. The story is reasonably compelling, and moves along nicely, although the shock denouement at the heart of the story can be seen coming from a really long way off: I’d guessed early on in the book what it would be and was quite disappointed that something so obvious proved to be correct. My chief reason for the three stars is not the story in itself, but the fact that Horowitz has Bond make stupid mistakes, that are vital to the progression of the plot, that are basically of a ‘Didn’t complete Spy 101’ level and therefore completely unconvincing: especially in the handling of firearms. These moments essentially ruin both the tension and the suspension of disbelief necessary to stay involved in the story, which is a shame in an otherwise competent piece of work, substantially better than most Bond books by author’s other than Fleming himself.

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Superb!

Revisado: 01-04-23

A wonderful and moving book, beautifully narrated by Juliet Stevenson. A must for all Janeites and lovers of good writing and storytelling. Superb. Highly recommended.

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A very mixed bag!

Revisado: 08-13-22

Well, just skip ‘A shilling for candles’ altogether is my advice - it is nothing like the original: different motive, different murderer, different storyline. Frankly, just a load of rubbish. ‘Miss Pym disposes’ and ‘The daughter of time’ are reasonably good dramatised adaptations: they follow the original stories (if somewhat simplified) and have good actors. The abridged narration of ‘The Singing Sands’ is ook worthwhile listening. The standout story in the collection is ‘The Franchise Affair’ narrated by the incomparable Edward Petherbridge. Worth buying the collection for that alone.

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Superb!

Revisado: 07-23-18

A fascinating book, taking a 19th century quilt as the jumping-off point for the exploration of enslavement in the United States: of attitudes then and now, of assumptions and discoveries and of the complicity of north and south, the former especially largely hidden and unacknowledged even today. A book everyone should read, a paean to the unquenchable dignity of many of the enslaved, and also a domestic story, enlarged by attention to detail and by the individual stories of the enslaved women of a single family. The audiobook is beautifully narrated by Carrington MacDuffie, the book itself distinguished by Rachel May’s meticulous research and willingness to question her own assumptions. 5 stars.

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