A brilliant audiobook with first class narration - 5 star

There can be no doubt that the increase in listening to, and the availability of audiobooks has been helped greatly by the quality of the narration. It is the job of the narrator(s) to create a believable scenario and by the use of sound and words convey the listener to another dimension…..The trial of Doctor Crippen is the start of a number of audiobooks bringing to life the excitement, anticipation and horror that is the life and eventual death of the said doctor. This was an amazing experience, I was transported to the Old Bailey of 1910 and I felt privileged to be a spectator as the story unfolded. Crippen was accused of the murder of his American wife Cora Crippen (stage name Belle Elmore)  , described by some as an overbearing and dominant woman . The couple moved to London in 1900 and she was last seen alive Jan 31st 1910. She was reported missing after Doctor Crippen reported she had returned to the US and later died. The good doctor was arrested aboard the SS Montrose as it approached Quebec Canada…Crippen was fleeing with his lover, Ethel Le Neve, who was disguised as his son.

A truly brilliant audiobook, expertly narrated, a trial brought to life inside my head and with nervous tension, I waited for the outcome of the jury….surely they could not get it wrong? Thank you to the publisher for allowing me the privilege of an early hearing…simply wonderful :)

A superb audiobook highly recommended - 5 star

The state of Alabama views abortion as a crime punishable by up to 99 years in prison. The resident judge in Union City Alabama is Mary Stone who is about to preside over one of the most controversial cases in the city's history. A well regarded and respected doctor Dr. Bria Gaines has performed an illegal abortion on a 13 year old rape victim. The forth coming trial will divide the community like no other as pro and anti abortion supporters stand ready to fight for their beliefs. In addition Judge Stone has to fight to retain the family farm that she runs and treats as a sacred responsibility along side her court duties. With a wonderful narration by Viola Davis this legal thriller is one of the very best and highly recommended.

Utterly Brilliant! - 5 star

A number of contract killings have taken place throughout Scotland as well as the assassination of a well known author in York, possibly by Islamic extremists. DS Max Craigie works for the Policing Standards Reassurance (PSR) team within Police Scotland. This unit is a small, specialized team, Series & Organised Crime (SOC) Max and his colleague DC Janie Calder are based at Police Scotland's corporate headquarters at Tulliallan, Fife. They operate under the radar, often reporting directly to the Chief Constable to investigate the most serious crimes, particularly those involving police corruption. 

This is a complex case with numerous threads connecting local Drug gangs with mysterious assassins and Russian Kingpins with interesting names such as The Cashier and the wonderfully strange “X” The audiobook is brilliantly narrated by Angus King. I believe that the success of an audiobook is due in no small way to the ability of the narrator to bring alive not only the story, but the characters, and to do this he must be quite expert at language and dialect. Angus King’s narration is so accomplished, the story he tells just comes alive in my head, creating such drama and excitement.

This is the first book I have read (listened to) by Neil Lancaster, and am totally in awe of his storytelling ability. The reason he can write such vivid accomplished books is because he has lived that life first as a military policeman, and then a detective with the Met where he investigated the most serious of crimes in the capital and beyond. This involved specialist covert work using any means he could to gain information and evidence from and against murderers, human traffickers and drug dealers. So the books that Neil Lancaster writes reflect a life he knew so well, and oh my goodness what intense, fearful, exciting stories they are………

This is now my No 1 crime author and I heartily recommend this book, so if you are a crime fan you must read. Accomplished, marvellous, wonderful, it will stay with you for many days as will his dark humour!

An ok read - 3 star

Pepper is arrested by police and left in New Hyde Hospital, psychiatric unit simply because the police cannot be bothered to do the paperwork. He becomes lost in the system and an alteration at the unit results in Pepper being held indefinitely. The book is really a study of mental health and how it appears to be more beneficial to keep patients in a drug induced state rather than educate and help them return to the community. I quite enjoyed.

 

Great fun :) - 5 star

What a great fun read! Rose debois and her trusted friend Beauregard Miller (just call me Miller :) long term residents at The Autumn Springs retirement Home, must use all their cunning to discover why many of their friends are being brutally murdered. Someone in Autumn Springs has a desire to slaughter defenceless pensioners by the use of drugs and a rather sharp knife.

I must admit I was unable to guess the identity of the perpetrator but enjoyed the suspense and the adventures along the way! My favourite characters were the 3 Baxter sisters Betsie, Barbara and Bridget intent on summoning a devil from hell to help protect them and in return for that help one of the sisters must be a sacrifice. Things do not work out quite as planned, the sisters do play a very important part but not in the way I expected :
Very enjoyable read and highly recommended.

Superb narration, makes the story come alive! - 4 star

Jonas Merrick, may be a legendary intelligence officer but forced towards his retirement by working in the postroom does not sit well. Equally having to holiday with his long suffering wife, Vera is enough to drive our antihero to the edge of reason……thank goodness for Russian oligarchs, albanian gang money launderers, execution squads and a child killer whose principle weapon is a pair of rusty garden shears….ouch I hear you squirm! Having said all that my review refers to the audio book and although I found the story not to my taste, the narration by Ben Allen was superb, his interpretation of the languages on offer was astounding and made the whole experience a visual and edge of the seat treat, a real showcase of how good the audio experience can be and how important the choice of narrator is…brilliant!

What an amazing read - 5 star

Before retiring I worked as an usher in both Magistrates and Crown court so reading The Cut throat Trial was somewhat akin to a day at the office ;) and what an enjoyable experience that has been… Bernard Hooper an elderly gentleman in his 70’s has popped out to purchase a bottle of wine but this will be a New years eve like no other. In less than an hour Bernard will have been murdered in a brutal Zombie (knife) attack by three teenage assailants captured on CCTV leaving the scene. 

The Cut throat Trial is the story (trial) of the alleged perpetrators taking place over some 3 to 4 weeks. We meet the barristers representing the defendants, the overworked prosecutor, and the arrogant pompous self opinionated judge: His Honour Judge Letts. The story is told in the first person by all the main parties, including the defendants. It is a tense, dramatic, edge of the seat spectacle with even a little humour ……” Prosecuting counsel is like a Western gunslinger swinging open the saloon doors only to find the furniture overturned and everyone inside fatally wounded. Sometimes all you need to do is discharge a few rounds into the bodies for show, and help yourself to a drink from the bar”....... that unfolds in front of us and I was glued to every word on every page. With a shocking, unexpected conclusion this is a brilliant read told by one who has lived his life in Her/His Majesty’s Courts.  I thoroughly enjoyed and marvelled at every scene as it was played out in front of me…Highly recommended.