Audio Book Review of And Then You Dye by Monica Ferris read by Susan Boyce

And Then You Dye by Monica Ferris
Read by Susan Boyce

From Goodreads.com

 Betsy Devonshire, full-time owner of the Crewel World needlework shop and part-time sleuth, has hooked more than a few crooks in the USA Today bestselling Needlecraft Mysteries. Now Betsy learns the hard way that a murder is still murder, any way you color it…
Betsy is a natural-born yarnsmith—so it’s only fitting that some of her favorite items to stock come from the dye-works of Hailey Brent. Hailey makes hand-dyed knitting wool, silk, soy, and corn yarns. She uses only natural vegetable dyes, creating soft and beautiful colors. Which means her yarns are expensive, but well worth it.

Unfortunately, someone thinks they’re worth killing for.

When Hailey’s body is discovered shot dead in her workshop, Betsy discovers that there was a lot about Hailey she would have never guessed. Like her penchant for stealing other’s property for her own use. Her use of dangerous additives to create her so-called all-natural fibers. And a scheming mind that had made her more than one enemy.

Now, Betsy must wring the truth from a bevy of colorful suspects. Because the truth just might mean the difference between living—and dyeing…

My Take:  This is another great addition to this series.  I truly didn't figure out the killer until it was revealed in the book.  Betsy does not join in on this investigation on her own but is invited to investigate by the number one suspect.  This mystery takes several twists and turns that truly kept me coming back for more and relucatant to turn off the audio.  Speaking of audio, Susan Boyce does a really good job of narration.  Although her voices aren't really that different from one another you can tell the difference in characters which makes it easy to follow along while listening and not get confused as to what character is speaking.  If you like needlework or mysteries in general you are sure to like this book.  You do not have to read this series in order but you will probably want to go back and read the previous books because this is a fun series. 

 

I am linking this to the Soundbytes meme over at Devourerofbooks.com.  Every Friday we link up our audio books there so go check it out and see if you can't find your next awesome audio. 

Remember by Karen Kingsbury and Gary Smalley Audio Review

Remember by Karen Kinsbury and Gary Smalley
Read by Sandra Burr

From Audible.com
She has locked up her heart, convinced that no one - including God - could love her. Four unlikely people - Alzheimer's patients - find the cracks in Ashley's heart and slowly help her to remember.

Then comes the nightmare of September 11, which forever changes the lives of the Baxter family, causing them to remember what is important and leading them to make decisions that are both heartbreaking and hope-filled.

Landon Blake, who has loved Ashley since he was a teenager, tries to dull the pain of her rejection by immersing himself in the rescue efforts at Ground Zero.

Tragedy and healing...hurt and forgiveness. Redemption and powerful lessons about remembering. Novelist Karen Kingsbury and relationship expert Gary Smalley have teamed up to bring you an inspiring series of stories that explore the relationship principles Gary has been teaching for more than 30 years.

My Take:

I really like the Baxter Family.  This book came up on my list right as we were remembering the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and since the main theme of this book centered around those attacks I thought it was a great time to listen to it.  Different people grieve in different ways and even if they are in the same family they react differently as is shone very well in this book.  Landon needs to go to ground zero to try and find his friend who was working that fateful day.  Luke's girlfriends father was in one of the towers.  He is racked with guilt because she was with him and ignored her father's call the night before.  The Entire nation must ask their questions and figure out where God fits into all of this. 

The narrator did a good job of reading the story.  I don't think that there were any outstanding voices or anything although she did change her voice for the different characters a bit.  Again my main complaint about this audio production is that they only have the abridged version available on Audible.  There were times during the story that I felt like I was missing something from the story.  

This book was taken from my personal library.  

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A Brew To a Kill by Cleo Coyle, Narrated by Rebecca Gibel Audio Book Review

A Brew to a Kill by Cleo Coyle read by Rebecca Gibel

• By Cleo Coyle
• Narrated by Rebecca Gibel
• Series: Coffeehouse, Book 11
• Length:10 hrs and 28 mins
• Release Date:08-07-12

From Goodreads.comCoffee. It can get a girl killed.

A shocking hit-and-run in front of her Village Blend coffeehouse spurs Clare Cosi into action. A divorced, single mom in her forties, Clare is also a dedicated sleuth, and she's determined to track down this ruthless driver who ran down an innocent friend and customer. In the meantime, her ex-husband Matt, the shop's globetrotting coffee buyer, sources some amazing new beans from Brazil. But he soon discovers that he's importing more than coffee, and Clare may have been the real target of that deadly driver. Can ex-husband and wife work together to solve this mystery? Or will their newest brew lead to murder?

My Take:  I love Cozy Mysteries and I have been wanting to read this series by Cleo Coyle so when I saw this book available to review in audio I jumped at the chance to listen to it.   Even though this book 11 I did not feel lost at all with the book.  The author did an excellent job of  making sure that you knew who everyone was, maybe a little too much.  I thought that she referred to her ex-husband Matt as her ex-husband every time he was in the story ,  OK already we know that he is your ex-husband.  The same with her ex mother in law.   As far as the mystery goes I had my suspicions  as to who did it about mid way through the book but I didn't know for sure until they revealed it in the book.  I liked the whole food truck aspect of the book as I have just started watching the Food Truck Race on the Food Network.  It amazes me how they can work in such a small space and still produce great products.  There was a bit more language in this book than I usually like in cozies and a bit more sexual conduct but over all it was a good mystery.  Will I read any more in the series?  Not really sure at this point,  I have other series that I like that don't have the language and sex that fit more into my personal likes.  

Narrator - I thought the narrator did an excellent jobs with all the characters and voice except for when she was Clare and when she was just reading .  I realize that this is a mystery and there are some tense moments in the story but I felt when she was just reading or when she was in the character of Clare her tone of voice was just a bit earnest which for me was a bit distracting from the story.  Otherwise her voice for all the other characters where right on and she was consistent throughout.  .

I received a review copy of this audio book for review purposes from the Publisher AudioGo , in exchange for my honest opinion without any expectation of a positive review.  

Devourerofbooks.com  hosts a meme for audio book reviews on Fridays.  Head on over there to see if you can discover your next great listen.  

11-22-63 by Stephen King Audiobook Review

11-22-63: A Novel

• UNABRIDGED
• by Stephen King
• Narrated by Craig Wasson

From Audible.com:

On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back?

In this brilliantly conceived tour de force, Stephen King - who has absorbed the social, political, and popular culture of his generation more imaginatively and thoroughly than any other writer - takes listeners on an incredible journey into the past and the possibility of altering it.

It begins with Jake Epping, a 35-year-old English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching GED classes. He asks his students to write about an event that changed their lives, and one essay blows him away: a gruesome, harrowing story about the night more than 50 years ago when Harry Dunning’s father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a sledgehammer. Reading the essay is a watershed moment for Jake, his life - like Harry’s, like America’s in 1963 - turning on a dime.

Not much later his friend Al, who owns the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to the past, a particular day in 1958. And Al enlists Jake to take over the mission that has become his obsession - to prevent the Kennedy assassination.

So begins Jake’s new life as George Amberson, in a different world - of Ike and JFK and Elvis, of big American cars and sock hops and cigarette smoke everywhere. From the dank little city of Derry, Maine (where there’s Dunning business to conduct), to the warmhearted small town of Jodie, Texas, where Jake falls dangerously in love, every turn is leading, eventually of course, to a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and to Dallas, where the past becomes heart-stoppingly suspenseful - and where history might not be history anymore. Time-travel has never been so believable. Or so terrifying.

My Take:  I use to read Stephen King novels all the time when I was younger but I lost interest about the time Cell came out. I recently listened to Under the Dome and really enjoyed it.   I heard alot of good things about this book and that it wasn't a horror novel so I decided to give it a try.  I was glad I did.  This story was about a man going back in time to try and stop the assassination of JFK.  It deals alot with his everyday life of living in the 60s and how much things have changed since then and not all for the best.  I was holding my breath for most of the book worried that Jake would do or say something that would give him away and whether or not he would follow though with the mission or not.  Stephen King is a great storyteller no matter what subject matter he chooses. 

Craig Wasson did an excellent job of bringing the story of Jake and the other characters to life that after awhile I felt like I was hearing the story about and from a long lost friend.  He especially breathed life into Jake's character making him someone that you really cared about. 

I would recommend this book if you are interested in the JFK assassination and if you just like a good story.  There is some sexual content and cursing so be warned.  

Devourer of  books hosts a meme every Friday for those of us who like to listen to audio books to link up to share our audio book reviews so if you are looking for your next great listen head over and check out what others are listening to , maybe you will discover your next favorite book.  

Thai Die by Monica Ferris Audio Book Review

Thai Die

• UNABRIDGED
• by Monica Ferris
• Narrated by Connie Crawford
• Series: Needlecraft Mysteries, Book 12

From Audible.com:
As owner of the Crewel World needlework shop and part-time sleuth, Betsy Devonshire has become skilled at weaving suspicious threads together. Just back from a trip to Thailand, Doris Valentine is eager to show her stitching friends her souvenirs, which include dazzling Thai silk. She also has a small stone Buddha that she agreed to deliver to an antique store in St. Paul. It's wrapped in a dirty rag, which she throws away. When she meets the dealer, he is surprised that she unwrapped it, though relieved the statue's delicate hands aren't damaged.
The next night, Doris' apartment is broken into, then the antique shop owner is found murdered, his shop ransacked, and the Buddha gone. And Betsy starts to wonder about the dingy wrapper she retrieved from the trash.

My Take:  I read the first of this series in paperback since at the time I was an avid Cross-stitcher and I liked the idea of a setting in a needlework shop.  I picked up two of these books during a sale that Audible was having.  I still like the premise and I plan on going back to the beginning as I don't remember much of the first book and I need to reaquaint myself with the characters.  This was a bit difficult to keep all the characters straight so much so that I didn't remember who the killer was when they were reveiled.  The mystery did keep you guessing to the very end and the killer was not someone I would have even thought of as the killer. 

The narration was a bit distracting in parts as the narrator read with a very clipped tone of voice at times. Also several times there were long gaps in the narration even longer than the pauses in between chapters.  The gaps were so long that I actually checked to make sure that my player hadn't turned off by accident or something. 

As I said before I plan on starting from the beginning with this series and would encourage you to pick this up if you like cozy mysteries or have an interest in needlework or both


Devourerofbooks hosts a meme on Fridays for those of us who like audiobooks.  Head over and see what others are listening to, you may just find your next listen.

Double Minds by Terri Blackstock Audio Book Review

Double Minds

• UNABRIDGED
• by Terri Blackstock
• Narrated by Cassandra Campbell

From the publisher:
Struggling to succeed in the Nashville music scene, talented singer/songwriter Parker James finds the competition fierce...even deadly. A young womans murder, industry corruption, and a menacing stalker draw Parker into danger and intrigue. Nothing is as it appears, and unraveling the truth challenges everything Parker believes about her talent, her future, and her faith.

My Take:  I thought that this was a pretty good book.  It didn't waste any time getting into the mystery and kept you guessing till the end. I was interested in the main back drop to the book , that c
Christian music business is pretty much like the secular music business , the pressure on the artists to look a certain way, sound a certain way,  Do you sanitize the music so it will reach a wider audience? Or do you stand up for your belief and principles and run the chance that your music won't get heard at all. 
I didn't like the way that Parker was second quessing her brother the police detective but I guess if she didn't there wouldn't have been much of a story.

I thought that the narrator did an ok job although I was a bit annoyed that she wasn't consistent with her southern accent.  She would be back and forth and sometimes the characters would have a fairly heavy accent and the next time they talked it was hardly noticable at all. 

I got this audiobook from my library.  I am not so sure if I like having a time constraint on my listening as I felt I was rushed to get the book done before it was due back.  I like being able to take my time with a book.  I am going to try a few more books from the library that I want to listen to but I am not sure I want to use my audible credit on.


Looking for your next great listen?  Head over to Devourer of Books and check out other audio book reviews every Friday.

Redemption by Gary Smalley and Karen Kingsbury Audio book review.

Redemption

• ABRIDGED
• by Karen Kingsbury , Gary Smalley
• Narrated by Sandra Burr
• Series: Redemption, Book 1


From Audible.com:

A Betrayal . . . Kari Baxter Jacobs is furious, hurt, and confused. Her husband, Tim, a respected professor of journalism, is having an affair with a student. Stunned, Kari returns home to the Baxter family to sort things out. But when an old flame shows up, she is more confused than ever.
A Decision. . . How can Kari forgive her husband? And what about her own revived feelings for Ryan, a man she knows she should avoid? What remedy could possibly ease the pain?A Hope. . . The gifted writing team of Gary Smalley and Karen Kingsbury brings us a profound story of redemption. A betrayal. A broken marriage. Will Kari ever love again?


My Take:  I have loved everybook that I have read by Karen Kingsbury but I have never read the series that started the saga of the Baxter Family , although I have read this book.  I decided that I wanted to listen to the series and maybe move onto the other series about this family.  This book is abridged which I really don't like to listen to abridged books but that is the only version that is on audible.com right now so....   Anyway this book was just as good as I remember it.  It had me listening to very end along with the twists and turns that are a part of every life.  That is what I like about thissereis it shows a Christian family warts and all. 

I thought that the narrator Sandra Burr did an excellent job.  She didn't do voices but just read the book but she used alot of emotion at just the right points of the story.  It made the story on that made you want to keep listening. 


check out Devourer of Books every Friday for other audio book reviews. 

Private Games by James Patterson and Mark Sullivan Audiobook Review

Private Games

• UNABRIDGED
• by James Patterson , Mark Sullivan
• Narrated by Paul Panting
• Series: Private, Book 3










From Audible.com:  
On your mark...
Private, the world's most renowned investigation firm, has been commissioned to provide security for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Its agents are the smartest, fastest, and most technologically advanced in the world, and 400 of them have been transferred to London to protect more than 10,000 competitors, who represent more than 200 countries.
Get set...
The opening ceremony is hours away when Private investigator and single father of twins, Peter Knight, is called to the scene of a ruthless murder: a high-ranking member of the games' organizing committee has been killed. It's clear to Peter that this wasn't a crime of passion, but one of precise calculation and execution.
Die!
Newspaper reporter Karen Pope receives a letter from a person who calls himself Cronus, claiming responsibility. He promises to restore the Olympics to their ancient glory and to destroy all those who have corrupted the games with lies, corruption, and greed. Immediately, Karen hires Private to examine the letter, and she and Peter uncover a criminal genius who won't stop until he's completely destroyed the modern games.
"America's #1 storyteller" (Forbes) delivers an exhilarating, action-packed thriller that brings the splendor and emotion of the Olympics to a wildly powerful climax.


My Take:  I must admit that I really enjoy James Patterson books, but the Private series is just not my favorite series of his, I think it is because in the first Private book I just didn't like the characters.  I didn't really like the second book in the series either so I almost didn't try this one.  I am really glad I did though.  Peter Knight is a very likable character and I found myself truly caring about this character.  I guess it's was because he was a single father whose wife died while giving birth to his twin children.  His children play a major part in the story so I won't say much other than he has his hands full with them. This book was very current and up to date as it deals with the Olympic games.  I even thought of this book when there was talk of the lack of security in the games this year.  This book kept my interest and kept me wanting to listen more.
Audio:  I thought that the Narrator Paul Panting did a good job with the narration.  I would listen to another book by him.  There were really nothing to distract from the story. 



Head over to Devourerofbooks.com to discover what others are listening to, maybe you'll find your next great listen. 

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch audiobook review

The Eleventh Plague

• UNABRIDGED
• by Jeff Hirsch
• Narrated by Dan Bittner

From Audible.com:

In the aftermath of a war, America’s landscape has been ravaged and two-thirds of the population left dead from influenza. Fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn and his family were among the few that survived. But when Stephen’s grandfather dies and his father falls into a coma, Stephen finds his way to Settler’s Landing, a community that seems too good to be true. There he meets strong, defiant, mischievous Jenny. When they play a prank on the town bully’s family that goes horribly wrong, they find themselves in the midst of a battle that will change Settler’s Landing forever.

My Take:  This is another audio book that I picked up through Audiofile's Summer Sync program.   Click the link to find out about the books for this week and for the books in the future weeks.  This book was one of the first weeks selections so it is no long available for free but I would suggest that you see if you can find from your library or maybe buy it.
I really enjoyed this book.  It was interesting to see how different people reacted to what had happened to the world.  As is always the the way some people tried to take advantage of the situation and some people took what ever they could from people.  Some people like Stephen's grandfather became cynical and distrustful of everyone.  Others, like most of the people of  Settler's Landing, are willing to trust others.  It was interesting to see the transformation of Stephen over the length of the book. He matured so much.  I liked the progression of the other characters as well.   
Audio:  I really liked Dan Bittner's interpretation of this book.  His characterization was really all that was needed as far as distinction between characters and his voices were not really that much different but you could tell by the tone of voice or inflection who was talking. 
This is considered YA but I think adults would enjoy it too.  I did. 

Head over to Devourer of Books for a meme that highlights the audio books that others have finished this week.  I have added to by Audible.com wish list every week since I started checking it out.