Tag: Narrators

The Last Great Saxon Earls Blog Tour: The Sons of Godwine by Mercedes Rochelle

 

About Audiobook #2

Author: Mercedes Rochelle

Narrator: Kevin E. Green

Length: 10 hours 25 minutes

Publisher: Mercedes Rochelle⎮2020

Genre: Historical Fiction

Series: The Last Great Saxon Earls, Book 2

Release date: June 11, 2020

 

 

 

Synopsis: Emerging from the long shadow cast by his formidable father, Harold Godwineson showed himself to be a worthy successor to the Earldom of Wessex. In the following 12 years, he became the king’s most trusted advisor, practically taking the reins of government into his own hands. And on Edward the Confessor’s death, Harold Godwineson mounted the throne – the first king of England not of royal blood. Yet Harold was only a man, and his rise in fortune was not blameless. Like any person aspiring to power, he made choices he wasn’t particularly proud of. Unfortunately, those closest to him, sometimes, paid the price of his fame.

This is a story of Godwine’s family as told from the viewpoint of Harold and his younger brothers. Queen Editha, known for her Vita Ædwardi Regis, originally commissioned a work to memorialize the deeds of her family, but after the Conquest historians tell us she abandoned this project. In The Sons of Godwine and Fatal Rivalry, I am telling the story as it might have survived, had she collected and passed on the memoirs of her tragic brothers.

Harold’s siblings were all overshadowed by their famous brother; and in their memoirs, we see remarks tinged sometimes with admiration, sometimes with skepticism, and in Tostig’s case, with jealousy. We see a Harold who is ambitious, self-assured, sometimes egocentric, imperfect, yet heroic. His own story is all about Harold, but his brothers see things a little differently. Throughout, their observations are purely subjective, and witnessing events through their eyes gives us an insider’s perspective.

Harold was his mother’s favorite, confident enough to rise above petty sibling rivalry, but Tostig, next in line, was not so lucky. Harold would have been surprised by Tostig’s vindictiveness, if he had ever given his brother a second thought. And that was the problem. Tostig’s love/hate relationship with Harold would eventually destroy everything they worked for, leaving the country open to foreign conquest.

Buy Links for Audiobook #2

Buy on Audible

Ay, the Sons of Godwine! We get a good inside scoop into the family through various viewpoints of Godwine. Harold, Tostig, Sweyn, Leofwine, and Wulfnoth. Each point of view adds a depth to a dynamic story. The narrator Kevin E. Green again does a fantastic job of voicing each, character, male and female. Very fascinating!

About the Author: Mercedes Rochelle

Mercedes Rochelle is an ardent lover of medieval history, and has channeled this interest into fiction writing. She believes that good Historical Fiction, or Faction as it’s coming to be known, is an excellent way to introduce the subject to curious readers. Her first four books cover eleventh-century Britain and events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. The next series is called The Plantagenet Legacy about the struggles and abdication of Richard II, leading to the troubled reigns of the Lancastrian Kings. She also writes a blog: HistoricalBritainBlog.com to explore the history behind the story. Born in St. Louis, MO, she received by BA in Literature at the Univ. of Missouri St.Louis in 1979 then moved to New York in 1982 while in her mid-20s to “see the world”. The search hasn’t ended! Today she lives in Sergeantsville, NJ with her husband in a log home they had built themselves.

Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook

About the Narrator: Kevin E. Green

I have been narrating audiobooks for nearly 10 years, and have recorded over 80 full length books.  I first started ‘narrating’ books when reading to my two young sons at bedtime, and I read the complete Lord of the Rings to each of them -including character voices!   I have many years acting experience, and I have my own recording studio where I record and master my own recordings.  I love narrating books for a living and enjoy all genres, fiction and non-fiction alike.

Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook

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Audiobook Blog Tour: Turn To Dust by Rachel Amphlett

About the Audiobook

Author: Rachel Amphlett

Narrator: Alison Campbell

Length: 7 hours 56 minutes

Publisher: Saxon Publishing⎮2020

Genre: Mystery, Police Procedural

Series: Detective Kay Hunter, Book 9

Release date: May 14, 2020

Synopsis: When the body of a naked man is found in the middle of a barren field, a rural community is left in shock – and fear.

Discovering that someone is offering money in return for information about the dead man and anyone connected to him, Detective Kay Hunter realises there is a dark side to the victim’s past.

When a key witness disappears and a web of deceit and lies threatens to derail the investigation, she fears the worst.

Can Kay and her team of detectives find out who is behind the man’s murder before another victim is targeted?

Buy Links

Buy on RachelAmphlett.com

BOOK REVIEW

Turn to Dust Kay Hunter book 9 is a good mystery filled with intrigue and suspense. Right away, I was drawn into the story right from the beginning; where a gruesome discovery is made. A body is found in a field in the midst of a small town with horrific injuries, but there are no leads, or suspects to be had. Of course, this sets off Kay Hunter and her company of detectives to find the culprit responsible and why.

Being a resident of the U.S., the setting in the Detective Kay Hunter books play a prominent role. Narrator Alison Campbell does a marvelous job of transporting me to places I’ve personally never been to. Even though the crime takes place in the district of Kent, there were also Liverpool and Northrumbian accents that made the book very impressive. Of course, you wouldn’t get that experience if it weren’t an audiobook!

I’ve read every book in the series and they always deliver a solid mystery. Hats off to Detective Kay Hunter, Rachel Amphlett and Alison Campbell.

About the Author: Rachel Amphlett

Before turning to writing, Rachel Amphlett played guitar in bands, worked as a TV and film extra, dabbled in radio as a presenter and freelance producer for the BBC, and worked in publishing as a sub-editor and editorial assistant.

She now wields a pen instead of a plectrum and writes crime fiction and spy novels, including the Dan Taylor espionage novels and the Detective Kay Hunter series.

Originally from the UK and currently based in Brisbane, Australia, Rachel cites her writing influences as Michael Connelly, Lee Child, and Robert Ludlum. She’s also a huge fan of Peter James, Val McDermid, Robert Crais, Stuart MacBride, and many more.

She’s a member of International Thriller Writers and the Crime Writers Association, with the Italian foreign rights for her debut novel, White Gold sold to Fanucci Editore’s TIMECrime imprint, and the first four books in the Dan Taylor espionage series contracted to Germany’s Luzifer Verlag.

Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Goodreads⎮Instagram

About the Narrator: Allison Campbell

Alison Campbell is an actress based in Bristol, U.K. She has lent her voice to 50+ audiobooks, cartoons, documentaries and dramas. She can be found treading the boards across the country, in everything from Shakespeare to hip hop kids adventures. On screen she has appeared in dramas and science documentaries, her most recent co star was a CGI elephant. She can also be found performing the Natural Theatre Company’s award-winning surreal brand of interactive comedy around the globe.

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Audiobook Blog Your: Deadly Enterprise by Kevin G. Chapman




Genre: Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Police Procedural.

Chapters: 53
Runtime: 10:23:28 
Abridgement: Unabridged
Release Date: 02/06/2020
Publisher: First Legacy Productions


https://m.soundcloud.com/user-256907084/deadly-enterprise-the-scotch-scene


Overview: “Championing the forgotten turns deadly in this pulse-pounding edge-of-your-seat crime thriller.” Bruce Perrin, author of Killer in the Retroscape.

“Unique and twisted. Another home run by Kevin Chapman!” -- Michelle files, author of The Many Lives of Ivy Wells.

THE DEAD GIRL THEY FISHED OUT OF THE EAST RIVER WAS A DRUG ADDICTED HOOKER, SO NOBODY CARES. Except that M.E. Michelle McNeill thinks it’s a murder. When NYPD Homicide detectives Mike Stoneman and Jason Dickson start investigating, they encounter unexpected obstacles that point in a disturbing direction.

Every death is a tragedy, and every murderer should be exposed, even when nobody wants to hear about it. In order to uncover the truth, Mike and Jason have to go outside the lines, and risk their own reputations, jobs – and lives. This case is one that Mike can’t walk away from, no matter how much he wants to. 

Harry Bosch fans will love this fast-paced police thriller, from award-winning author Kevin G. Chapman. Book #1 in the Mike Stoneman Thriller series, Righteous Assassin, was named one of the top 20 Mystery/Thrillers of 2019 by the Kindle Book Review. The series continues here.


Buy Links Buy on Scribd Reviews Please only post reviews of 3.5 stars ⎮ Chirp ⎮ Nook ⎮ Google Play

Excellent story that draws you in from the first page. You can get a good feel of being enveloped in a policeman’s life. Usually authors who narrate their own work aren’t very good, but I thought Chapman did a good job. Good enough to keep me turning the pages and be drawn into the story. Solid police procedural. 

About the Author/Narrator: Chapman Kevin G. Kevin G. Chapman is, by profession, an attorney specializing in labor and employment law. He is the most recent past Chair of the Labor & Employment Law Network of the Association of Corporate Counsel, leading a group of 6800 in-house employment lawyers. Kevin is a frequent speaker at Continuing Legal Education seminars and enjoys teaching management training courses. Kevin’s passion (aside from playing tournament poker) is writing fiction. Kevin’s first Novel: "Identity Crisis: A Rick LaBlonde, P.I. Mystery," was self-published through Xlibris in 2003, and is now available via Amazon.com as a Kindle e-book. His second novel, A Legacy of One, published in 2016 and was a finalist (short list) for the Chanticleer Book Reviews' Somerset Award for Literary Fiction. A Legacy of One is a serious book, filled with political and social commentary and a plot involving personal identity, self-determination, and the struggle to make the right life decisions. Kevin’s next novel, Righteous Assassin (A Mike Stoneman Thriller), was a much more "fun" read -- it's a page-turner. It has some serious sub-themes, but it's a serial killer chase and it's intended to be enjoyable and easy to read. It was named one of the top 20 Mystery/Thrillers of 2019 by the Kindle Book Review! Kevin has just recently finished book #2 in the Mike Stoneman Thriller series, Deadly Enterprise, which was published on December 2, 2019.
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The Obsolescence Trilogy Blog Tour: Crash by Chris Muhlenfeld

 

The global power and communications outage arrives without warning…

 

About Audiobook #1

Author: Chris Muhlenfeld

Narrator: Price Waldman

Length: 9 hours 46 minutes

Publisher: Chris Muhlenfeld⎮2018

Genre: Science Fiction

Series: The Obsolescence Trilogy, Book 1

Release date: Nov. 14, 2018

Synopsis: And then it went dark…the world’s electrical grid was gone. 

 

 

 

Who would survive the chaos? 

For James and Alexa, they saw it unfold from their ranch, which was a blessing. They were away

from the chaos, and they thought they were safe. They thought wrong. 

What will they do? 

All across the country cities are in crisis. 

Logan and his family look out from their Manhattan penthouse. The world is crumbling before their eyes. Unprepared, he’s got to do something. They can’t stay. But how can they leave and where will they go? 

Someone has a solution. 

It’s Logan’s domestic android. 

Can he believe a machine? 

You won’t believe the twists and turns, but you’ll love the adventure.  

Get it now.  

Buy Links for Audiobook #1

Buy on Audible

This was a very fascinating book. The premise was great and it only gets better towards the end. Although it provides good suspense, I thought the author could’ve filled in, or sprinkled, more information in the first and second acts. That’s the only reason I believe that weakened the story. However, everything is tied together quite nicely towards the conclusion of the book. Having this book as the foundation for the rest of the trilogy makes me wonder how the remaining books play out.  Looking forward to seeing what happens next! 

Narrator Price Waldman does an excellent job with a variety of accents. From British English, to American southern accents, Waldman does a good job of characterization and breathing life into the story. 

 

About the Author: Chris Muhlenfeld

Chris has been reading and writing science fiction since he was a teenager. After roaming all over the world,  he finally settled down in the beautiful mountains of western Montana where he publishes Distinctly Montana magazine with his wife. When he’s not hiking, biking or camping in the Montana wilderness, he and his wife are traveling the world. 

Website⎮Facebook⎮Amazon

About the Narrator: Price Waldman

Price Waldman is an actor and singer, born and raised in NYC. Classically trained, and working professionally in the theater for over 20 years he is new to the world of audiobooks. As an actor he has performed multiple times on Broadway, toured nationally and internationally and appeared on film and television.

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Audiobook Blog Tour: Beyond The Gates by Jason D. Morrow

About the Audiobook

 

Author: Jason D. Morrow

Narrator: Stacy Gonzalez

Length: 8 hours 39 minutes

Publisher: Jason D. Morrow⎮2019

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic; Science Fiction

Series: The Starborn Redemption, Book 1

Release date: April 20, 2019

 

Synopsis: The Containment Zone is a 500-mile radius surrounded by mountains and closed in by gates. No one can leave, and anyone who tries will die. Within are lawless bandits, corrupt soldiers, and once-human greyskins that hunt down people to spread the virus. Some say the Containment Zone is where the greyskin virus originated. Others say the people inside are little more than lab rats being studied by the nefarious Screven government.

When 12-year-old Skylar and her father, Liam, are caught trying to escape, they are taken to Vulture Hill, a government prison camp no one has ever left alive. Inside the prison, Skylar learns that the facility is little more than a testing site for finding people of a certain bloodline – the Starborn. These are people with special powers that manifests in various spectacular ways, and Screven wants to exploit them.

Skylar has always known there was something special about her family. For years, her father has had the ability to completely numb pain with just a thought. Lacerated skin, broken bones, they can all be ignored with enough concentration. Learning that her father is a Starborn means Skylar is probably one too, placing them both in extreme danger.

Now, father and daughter must do the impossible and break out of a prison known for killing so many. But Liam has leverage the government may be willing to buy – the cure for the greyskin virus.

The first two books of The Starborn Redemption are set 40 years after The Starborn Ascension and 17 years before The Starborn Uprising. Each Series can be listened to independently.

 

Buy Links

Buy on Audible

 

This book was BETTER than expected. Don’t you love it when that happens? YES. Author Jason D. Morrow does an excellent job ushering you into the point of view of the main characters; Father and daughter tandem Liam and Skylar as they navigate prison Vulture’s Hill. I was impressed with narrator Stacy Gonzalez with her ability to breath life into the characters. 

 

Interview with Narrator Stacy Gonzalez

 

What are the first things you do as you prepare to narrate a book?

Very first–read the book. A lot of people ask that question, and, yes, I read the book. After reading it, I try to think through the characters. I put either a person I know or a celebrity as sort of the touchstone for each character. Beyond that, I don’t really do too much. I like to jump into the narration once I’ve read the story and thought through the characters.

 

Does the author help you with voice creation, or is it up to the narrator?

I usually do it all myself, unless I have any specific questions. Or unless an author has something very specific in mind. However, in most cases, the narrator is left to create their own artistic take on the characters.

 

How do you keep the characters straight in your head as you read through the text? 

I usually keep a little mp3 with a snippet of that character voice. Sometimes, there’s a word or phrase that I have to say to key me in to that character. There was a character in a book I did under my romance pseudonym where I had to pause the recording and say a really angry “F**K” to get in to that character. He was an angsty sort of neo-nazi. 

 

Do you have a method for characterizing, or portraying each character?

Once I get the voice down, I just let the story guide me. My method is just to let the author’s words tell the story.

 

How do you feel about being a medium through which readers can access a story?

I just love doing this. As an avid listener myself, there is nothing better than the feeling of not being able to stop listening. I hope that I can give listeners that feeling. I love when I’m listening to a book while running or cleaning–both of which, for me, can be activities that are hard to keep on doing past a certain point–and I HAVE TO run or clean longer because I just cannot turn the book off.



What do you want readers to know about narrating audiobooks? 

I hear a lot of non-listeners say that they like to hear the story how they hear it in their own heads. I would just want to say that listening to the book does not take away from that experience. You still use your imagination as a listener in a very similar way that you would as a straight-up reader. And listening can enhance the experience in different ways.

 

About the Author: Jason D. Morrow

Jason D. Morrow is the author of more than 15 books in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres, including The Starborn Uprising, The Starborn Ascension, The Starborn Redemption and Prototype D.

 

Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Instagram

 

 

About the Narrator: Stacy Gonzalez

Stacy Gonzalez is a Chicago based narrator and commercial voice actor. She is feisty, bright and expressive. Stacy specializes in YA, self-help and romance, especially when the narration calls for a good handle on comedy, wit and sass. Audiofile Magazine has praised her pace and her ability to create bold characters. Stacy, who is half Colombian, speaks conversational Spanish. She has a great love for Old Hollywood—watching the movies and listening to audiobooks about any and every aspect of it! Follow her on Twitter at @stacygonzalezvo or visit her website at stacygonzalezvo.com.

 

Twitter⎮Facebook

 

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Audiobooks After Dark: Author Tom Abrahams & Narrator Kevin Pierce

Vintage Broadcast Microphone

 

 

Audioboooks After Dark Episode 20 – Author Tom Abrahams & Narrator Kevin Pierce

 

 

 

This podcast originally appears on Audiobooks After Dark.

Dec. 6, 2018. Duration: 1 hr 10 min.

 

Tom Abrahams image

 

Tom has traveled places most people would avoid.

He’s braved the stinging winds of a category four hurricane as it pounded The Gulf of Mexico, living and working without power for days.

He’s picked his way through the Amazon jungle, trekked across the irradiated exclusion zone of Chernobyl, Ukraine, and climbed the crumbling, high-altitude stone steps leading from the barrio Tacubaya, Miguel Hildalgo, in Mexico City.

He’s been evacuated in an ambulance from the barren Badlands of western Canada.

Tom is a veteran television journalist and author who’s spent the last 20-plus years telling the biggest stories of our time.

He’s reported from the East Room of White House and Capitol Hill, interviewed Presidents and presidential candidates, and was at the Pentagon while smoke still rose in the hours after 9/11.

He’s writes post-apocalyptic thrillers, action adventure, and political conspiracies.

Tom lives in the Houston suburbs with his wife, Courtney, and their two children.

 

Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Books

 

 

Kevin Pierce narrator image

 

I had a career path of radio and TV in the 70s, 80s and 90s and full-time voiceover work after that. Near the end of 2012, I read a blog post that mentioned ACX and I checked it out. Armed with confidence in my related narration and production experience and a copy of the ACX production guidelines, I accepted my first offer, completed the production and got rights-holder and ACX approval. I, Kevin Pierce, was officially an audiobook narrator and producer. For the next 100 days straight (weekends and holidays included), I was in my studio auditioning, reading and producing audiobooks, managing as many as 10 at a time. My Thanksgiving Day schedule was to put two 24-pound turkeys in the oven, read and produce two one-hour chapters, then serve dinner for 50. On Christmas Day, my kids, wife and I opened presents before I started opening audio files. I was the ideal designated driver on New Year’s Eve, because I would be having a Happy New Year’s morning in the audio booth. Best of all is what’s in the amazing books I’ve read: the history of Spain and the military history of Iran, how to give a TED Talk and how to keep a beehive, why filibusters belong in the U.S. Senate and why the American economy might need to stop growing. I’ve channeled a fictional voodoo priest, UFO experiencers and a science fiction protagonist with multiple personality disorder (who had voices in his head, just like me!). I doubt I’ll ever have the chance to test my knowledge against Ken Jennings on Jeopardy! but I will never run out of material at a cocktail party. I’ve had the pleasure of repeat business from publishers like Berrett-Koehler, University Press Audiobooks, Crossroad Press and Callisto Media, as well as a number of authors both self-published and those who have regained audio rights to their previously published works. All the recording was done my own state of the art, room-within-a-room studio, the audio from which, one delighted outside producer called “pristine.” More important, I’ve done enough business (and see enough ahead of me) to be able to move into audiobook narration and production full-time (which provides an answer for the wife and kids to the question, “What exactly does your husband/father do?”). So now, as an Audible-Approved Producer and narrator (a recognition I inquired about and received after I pressed “I’m Done” on number 50), I’m looking forward to the second 50 and the second hundred and the hours and hours of fascinating storytelling in the months and years ahead.

 

Audio Samples | Website | Audible

 

 

BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THE VOICE OF THE APOCALYPSE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Audiobook Review: Close to the Bone by Kendra Elliot

Close to the Bone Audio image

 

 

Widow’s Island Novella Series, Book 1

 

 

FBI Special Agent Cate Wilde is back home on a remote Pacific Northwest island when she gets the call: a teenager’s skeletal remains have been found on a nearby island.

Together with Tessa Black, a childhood friend turned local deputy, Cate confronts dreary weather and bleak leads to make sense of the death. The complications pile up as Cate is distracted by the coroner on the case—and by nagging memories that draw her twenty years into the past. The remains suggest eerie similarities between this victim, and Cate and Tessa’s friend Samantha, who disappeared when she was fourteen.

Cate finds herself up against closemouthed locals, buried town secrets, and even her own heart. As the case unravels, will she be able to cut through the fog and find justice for the missing and the dead.

 

Amazon | Goodreads | Audible

 

 

Review Concept

 

 

Bestselling author Kendra Elliot kicks off a great beginning to the Widow’s Island series! This was so well written it didn’t really seem like a novella. It had all the necessary elements of a full novel complete with mystery, suspense, crime, character, and a touch of romance. I thought the idea for the Widow’s Island setting was genius; the culture, secrets, history of families, it made the story very appealing.

 

 

NARRATOR PERFORMANCE:

 

  • Narrator-Story Connection: 8/10

Narrator Christine Williams fully embodies the story in her performance. I could tell

she was absorbed by it and displayed good skill.

 

  • Voice Creation/Switch Over: 7/10

There wasn’t much variation as far as voice creation goes for different characters. Didn’t know if if was deliberate or not because it’s a novella. However, the narrative voice was so compelling it was hardly noticed. If the book was longer then there’d be room for improvement here.

 

  • Pacing 8/10

Pacing throughout the book was good, consistent, matching they mysterious nature of the book. Very smooth performance.

 

  • Emphasis 7/10

There could’ve been more emphasis on character traits, or subtle things that help the listener distinguish who’s speaking, but still effective enough for the story.

 

  • Reader-Story Connection  8/10

When it’s all said and done, I was drawn into the story and finished quickly, which is always a good sign.

 

  • Emotional Intensity  6/10

This is a new category I’ve been wanting to add for some time now. The numbering doesn’t mean either good or bad. It reflects on the narrators style of displaying emotion overall.  For instance, a 1 or 2 would be monotone seriously lacking in variation. And on the opposite side of the spectrum 9, 10 would be too much emotion. 5-6 is moderate and 7-8 would be ideal in my opinion.  This only applies to emotional intensity and not to the other aspects of the performance.

 

  • Sound Quality: 10/10

Publisher:   Brilliance Audio

Great sound quality and production.

 

  • Overall Performance: 7/10

Overall I really enjoyed the book and narrator performance by Christine Williams. She has a very effective, smooth style of narrating that helps bring out the story.

 

 

Headphones on Laptop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Audiobook Review: Borderline by Joseph Badal

Borderline Banner

 

 

 

Borderline audio image

 

 

About the Audiobook

Author: Joseph Badal

Narrator: Pamela Almand

Length: 8 hours 40 minutes

Publisher: Suspense Publishing⎮2016

Genre: Police Procedural; Mystery

Series: Lassiter/Martinez Case Files # 1

Release date: May 17, 2016

 

Synopsis: Barbara Lassiter and Susan Martinez, two New Mexico homicide detectives, are assigned to investigate the murder of a wealthy Albuquerque socialite. They soon discover that the victim, a narcissistic borderline personality, played a lifetime game of destroying people’s lives. As a result, the list of suspects in her murder is extensive.

The detectives find themselves enmeshed in a helix of possible perpetrators with opportunity, means, and motive – and soon question giving their best efforts to solve the case the more they learn about the victim’s hideous past.

Their job gets tougher when the victim’s psychiatrist is murdered and DVDs turn up that show the doctor had serial sexual relationships with a large number of his female patients, including the murder victim.

 

Buy Links

Buy on Amazon⎮Audible⎮iTunes

 

 

 

Review Concept

 

 

 

It’s been a while since I’ve heard a police procedural and I absolutely loved this one. Having two well written female lead detectives was a breath of fresh air. Creative, fascinating characters you like to get know better if they were real. The story itself was a powerful one given the subject material; and the way that Joseph Badal tells it only leaves you wanting to more.

 

 

NARRATOR PERFORMANCE:

 

  • Narrator-Story Connection:  

The way that Pamela Almand narrates makes it easy to enter right into the story. I think those who narrate books have an extremely difficulty task. They not only have to read and portray a cast of characters with distinct voices, accents, but also learn how to tell the story in the process. Pamela Almand has done just that.  When she narrates you have the sense she’s completely enveloped in the story.

 

  • Voice Creation/Switch Over:  

The list of accents was superb. The voices of Barbara and Susan were quite entertaining!

 

  • Pacing 

Almand is a pleasure to listen to.  The pacing is spot on.

 

  • Emphasis 

Exceptional.  It was almost like watching a hit TV series from the 90’s. I’m still not sure how all the good narrators do it.

 

  • Reader-Story Connection  

I was completely sucked into this book. Hook, line, and sinker.

 

  • Sound Quality: 

Publisher:   Suspense Publishing

The recording volume was great as opposed to some other audiobooks. Almands voice fills up the sound booth very well.

 

  • Overall Performance: 

I’ve never heard of Pamela Almand before this—but now I’m a fan. She has a great voice worthy listening to and her skill is clearly evident.

 

 

 

Five golden stars isolated on white background

 

 

 

About the Author: Joseph Badal

Joseph Badal is the author of 13 suspense novels: Borderline & Dark Angel (Lassiter/Martinez Case Files series); Evil Deeds, Terror Cell, The Nostradamus Secret, The Lone Wolf Agenda, Death Ship, & Sins of the Fathers (The Danforth Saga); The Motive & Obsessed (The Curtis Chronicles); and stand-alones The Pythagorean Solution, Shell Game, & Ultimate Betrayal.


All of his books draw on personal experiences and historical events. Joe has been judged “One of the 50 Authors You Should Be Reading” and has received 3 Gold Medals and 2 Silver Medals from the Military Writers Society of America, and The Tony Hillerman Award for Best Fiction Book of the Year in 2014 and 2016. He also writes a blog titled Everyday Heroes. See past postings at www.josephbadalbooks.com


You can read more about Joe at www.josephbadalbooks.com and email him at josephbadalbooks@aol.com

 

Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Instagram

 

 

 

About the Narrator: Pamela Almand

The daughter of a cattle rancher, Pam Almand grew up in the tiny town of Brush, Colorado. Her dad, a former Air Force fighter pilot, sparked her interest in flying, and after graduating Colorado State University in 2 1/2 years with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, Pam took a flying lesson “just for fun.”

That first lesson turned into a lifelong passion, and one month later she had her Private Pilot’s License. Though there were no female pilots in the airline industry at that time, she set that as her career goal. In 1976, Pam started a small aircraft ferry service to build flight time and in that capacity, delivered new and used aircraft all over the world, including two-seat Cessna 150s she flew solo across the Atlantic!

Pam was the first woman flight test pilot for Cessna Aircraft Company’s multi-engine turbo-prop and jet division and eventually became the company’s national spokeswoman for their Learn To Fly programs.

Her dream was finally realized when she was hired by Northwest Airlines and began a career which spanned the globe, on aircraft from the Convair 580 all the way to captain of the Boeing 747 flying Asia and Europe routes. Pam had over 25,000 hours of flight time at retirement two years ago.

She is a past director of the International Society of Women Airline Pilots and organized conferences for that group in Bangkok and Fort Worth. She is a member of the Ninety-Nines, Experimental Aircraft Association, and the Air Line Pilots Association.

When arthritis and multiple joint replacements curtailed her flying, she started a company as a professional voice actor. Appearing in a national Tylenol commercial in 1995 sparked her interest and The Captain’s Voice was the result. She is now an award-winning SAG/AFTRA narrator and voiceover talent and has done commercials, videogames, e-learning, audiobooks, and phone messaging for clients including Microsoft, Brilliance Audio, Johnson & Johnson, Audible, La Costa Resort, Jet Blue, Delta Airlines, Dell, Blackstone Publishing, the American Red Cross, Canadian Realtors…all the way to being the English voice for The Hotels and Casinos of Monte Carlo!

She was nominated for an Audie Award for her 5th audiobook narration (Come To Me Alive, by Leah Atwood) and went on to also earn a Voice Arts Award for non-fiction for In Movement There Is Peace, by Elaine and Joseph Foster; another Voice Arts nomination for Cyber Crisis: It’s Personal Now, by William Kieper; and recently was awarded an Earphones Award by AudioFile Magazine for Husbands and Other Sharp Objects, by Marilyn Simon Rothstein for Brilliance Audio.

She has served on the board of several charities, including Patrons of the HeArts and local Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministries (BEAM) and lives with her husband Amos in Atlantic Beach. Pam plays piano for her local church, still returns to Telluride, Colorado every summer, loves biking, golf, hiking, and-though she’s been all over the globe!- she still counts world travel among her most-loved hobbies.

Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Soundcloud

 

 

 

 

Audiobook metal icon

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Audioboook Review: The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver

Bone Collector Audio image

 

 

 

In his most gripping thriller yet, Jeffery Deaver takes readers on a terrifying ride into two ingenious minds…that of a physically challenged detective and the scheming killer he must stop. The detective was the former head of forensics at the NYPD, but is now a quadriplegic who can only exercise his mind. The killer is a man whose obsession with old New York helps him choose his next victim. Now, with the help of a beautiful young cop, this diabolical killer must be stopped before he can kill again!

 

Audible | Goodreads

 

 

 

Highest level of performance concept, 3D rendering

 

 

 

NARRATOR PERFORMANCE: 7/10

 

  • Narrator-Story Connection:  10/10

I could tell narrator Connor O’Brien was fully enveloped in the story throughout this book. It makes it that much easier to enter into the story as a listener.

 

  • Voice Creation/Switch Over:  9/10

I have to give honor where honor is due. The voice creation, narrator voice and switching back and forth was stunning, professional and creative. The only thing I’d say here is some of the characters sound less intelligent. For instance some of the law enforcement officials sound like they’re “dumb” when they shouldn’t. It resembled some of the goons that the bad guys have at times.

The Voice of Lincoln Rhyme I thought was perfect. Somewhat stoical, nerdy,  with a nose for facts. Good fit. Emelia Sachs was also beautifully portrayed, especially for a male narrator. She was simple, innocent, yet firm and compassionate.

 

  • Pacing 8/10

It took me some time to get used to the narrator’s pace, but it was no problem after that.

 

  • Emphasis 10/10

Brilliant here. Each character was made more realistic by skilled emphasis.

 

  • Reader-Story Connection  10/10

I believe each narrator is a medium through which we see the story come alive–or not.  This narrator did a great job all said and done because I loved the story!

 

  • Sound Quality: 10/10

Publisher:  Penguin Audio

Excellent sound production.

 

  • Overall Performance: 8/10 

Connor O’Brien is a skilled narrator who knows how to bring a story to life. Admittedly, it took me some time to get used to his narrative voice, but this was no problem in the end. Great story and performance.

 

 

 

Happy young woman with headphones

 

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