Mystery Archives - AudiobooksNow Blog

Don’t Look at the “It”….”Birdbox”, by Josh Malerman

Like some amusement park rides, perhaps this book needs a warning for those with heart issues. Author, Josh Malerman, has written a very suspenseful tale of a beyond odd occurrence happening to ordinary people in a world gone berserk. For five years people have lived in fear of “whatever ‘it’ is”. The person who sees the evil, immediately becomes deadly violent. Nobody knows whether it is man, alien, beast, or monster……it is just always out there waiting for the next victim.

“It” has been out there for five years, and just a few scattered survivors remain, among them is Malorie and her two young children. They live in an abandoned house close to the river, and she constantly thinks of some way to escape to a better place. The children are four now, so she feels it is time to try to escape. But, it must be very carefully planned, or they will all three perish. The journey will be beyond terrifying with a twenty mile downriver rowboat trip. Oh, and did I mention….blindfolded!

People rarely leave their houses, but when they do they are wearing blindfolds. That gives them some small protection by keeping them from seeing “It”. Violence and danger is fear creating enough, but add no sense of sight to the equation, and it becomes terrifying.

This has been described as among the best books to provide so much suspense in the writing style that you feel immersed in the storyline…….right there along with Malorie and her children…… a truly spooky thriller novel…. people wandering around in an apocalyptic world with only their sense of smell, touch, and hearing.

Movie adaptation, staring Sandra Bullock, was release in December on Netflix.

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What Can Be the Best In People…”Elevation”, by Stephen King

In a surprising variation from mystery and gore, author Stephen King presents a poignant novel about what can be the best in people. Of course, King cannot help himself in adding just a bit of supernatural to enrich the story of tolerance and rising above the frey.

Elevation is set in King’s iconic town of Castle Rock, as have many of his stories emanated from. There are a few odd things about his main character, Scott Carey but one really mysterious one is that it does not matter what he eats, or what he wears, he always weighs the same.

The audio version seems best to many readers, since Stephen King himself narrates the story. Nobody would know how to project the story better than author King.

Unlikely alliances are made as local battles ensue in the community. Some call Elevation the feel good novella of the year. And with the audio version, you get a bonus story called Laurie. King also reads the bonus story, which by itself is not fantastic, but it does mesh with Elevation, and it is free. The ending of Elevation is mesmerizing with a kind of emotional finality.

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Put on the kill list….”Paradox”, by Catherine Coulter

For those readers who enjoy the genre of murder/mystery, the latest work by author Catherine Coulter, Paradox, is just the right choice for your next read. She writes her novels in series form, always leaving just enough suspense at the conclusion to warrant another book.
For FBI agents Sherlock and Savage find themselves on the kill list of an escaped mental patient. The FBI pair, who are also husband and wife, have caught many criminals and have solved many cases, but it is a game changer when their own lives are at stake. As they were sleeping in their rural Maryland home one night, Sherlock heard a noise coming from their five year old son’s room. She raced in to catch an intruder hovering over the boy, holding a knife. He escaped when she pursued him. Thus, they knew they were now on the “kill” list. And they had no intention of letting that happen.

In the same area, Chief Ty Christie observed a murder from her deck, overlooking the local lake where she lived. She saw an altercation, then a body being pushed out of the boat into the lake. Chief Christie immediately has the lake dragged to locate the body she observed being murdered. And the divers did find the freshly murdered body, but also found many other bones. They had found the dumping site used by the escaped mental patient. They knew his name, but finding him would be a certain challenge. So, Sherlock and Savich were called in to help, not knowing how connected they would be to the investigation. They were also going to request the help of Agent Porto, an old friend of Savich.. The bones were found in close proximity to an old mansion that was known to be haunted. It had stood empty for years, but they found one bedroom that was fully furnished and had been recently lived in. At one point Savich had a “premonition” and followed it upstairs where he found his old friend Agent Porto, who has been locked in a closet and left to die. The team is shocked…

…I guess Agent Porto will not be assisting in finding the killer.

Paradox is the twenty-second in the series of novels by author Coulter. It is a fast paced mystery with twists and turns that the reader will not see coming. It is definitely a race with a psycho killer who would like nothing more than adding Sherlock and Savich bones to his collection.

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Taking the Reading to the Edge of Horror…”The Outsider”, by Stephen King

Once again, the “King” of horror and mystery author, Stephen King, has given his fan base another hit book in The Outsider. It has mystery, but also subject matter that will seem over the top for some readers. But, that is what the author thrives on……providing such subjects that take the reader to the edge of horror, then snapping them back to a sort of literary reality. When the victim is an eleven year old boy, that gives an indication of how distasteful the crime is.

There are several characters that are woven together in The Outsider. Some are victims, some appear to be perpetrators, but aren’t, and then some complete the stories. Oh yes, there will be no mention of the actual villain……the reader can find that out as they go.

The Outsider has been added to the top five Stephen King novels by some reviewers. One such review gave this order: (1) The Outsider; (2) Bag of Bones; (3) Revival; (4) Pet Semetary; (5) It
They add……that is how good this book is.

“King constructs a propulsive plot, and a race against time to uncover the identity of a terrifying and diabolical killer who has left victims…..and “perpetrators”……and across the country, and who is on his way to his next horrific act”.

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Desperate Choices are Made Which Will Change the Future of Several…”Accidental Hero’s”, by Danielle Steel

The new best seller by author Danielle Steel, Accidental Heroes, is a sort of compilation of the suspense of the 9-11 tragedy and the landing of the plane on the Hudson River. In this day and age of continual threats, you would think each situation would be taken very seriously. However, when TSA agent, Bernice Adams finds a postcard with a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge with an ominous note written on it, her supervisor just laughs it off. Apparently, that supervisor either had forgotten the horror of previous tragedies, or she was too young to remember them. Bernice took it upon herself to call Homeland Security, who took it very seriously.

Two planes are departing from New York’s JFK airport on a beautiful spring morning, traveling to San Francisco. One is a huge 757, and the other an Airbus A321. Homeland Security is quickly trying to determine who left the warning, and which plane they are on. They are fortunate to have the expertise of veteran Homeland Security officer Ben Waterman.

Ben’s focus turns to the A321 Airbus with Senior Pilot, Helen Smith and her male Co-Pilot, who was showing vocal irritation at being passed over, especially for a woman pilot. He had also been overheard speaking racial slurs. Fortunately, Helen had an off-duty pilot on board. In a novel unlike other novels by Danielle Steel, she combines intense action with emotional stories and intertwined lives. Desperate choices are made which will change the future of several accidental heroes. The mental visuals are plentiful in this book…….such as getting the plane back under control at the last minute, including flying under the Golden Gate Bridge and landing the Airbus in the San Francisco Bay.

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A Recipe Made for Complete Chaos…”Red Sparrow”, by Jason Matthews

In such a timely manner, new author Jason Matthews has written an excellent spy novel about the continuing high stakes operations among the power nations. Matthews has been a veteran CIA officer, so his novel is based on personal experiences. Those stories are always the most realistic and the best.

Present day Russia is ruled by blue-eyed, unblinking Vladimir Putin, who has not really changed from his former KGB days in the Soviet Union. Most agencies have essentially just changed names rather than actual change in operation. It has been said…….if you think the cold war is over……think again. It is that startling revelation that makes the novel, Red Sparrow, so intriguing. Matthews assembled a remarkable cast of characters in Dominika Egorova, and Nathaniel Nash. Dominika is a struggling survivor in the post-Soviet intelligence jungle, and Nathaniel is a young CIA officer who handles the USA’s most important Russian mole.

Dominika was ordered to attend the Russian hidden “Sparrow School” located just outside of Moscow. It is there that, many times, unwilling participants are taught the espionage tool of “sexpionage”. Luring vulnerable foreign agents into the trap of personal intimacy has been a Russian espionage tool for years and years. Nathaniel is Dominika’s victim…..all this in the midst of careening out of control action among Russia, Finland, Italy, Greece, and the United States. A recipe made for complete chaos that could eventually lead to many country’s military secrets being compromised, or in death.

Jason Matthews is in a good position to become a major new American author. His first-hand knowledge of espionage, counterintelligence, surveillance, spy recruitment, cyber- warfare, and communications gives him a huge edge among his spy thriller peers. He can remove what is perceived, and without exaggeration, tell a thrilling story of what is lying under the veneer of that perception.

Soon to be a major motion picture starring Jennifer Lawrence and Joel Edgerton!

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Why is Roxy on the Run…”Look for Me”, by Lisa Gardner

In #9 of her series of D. D. Warren detective novels, author Lisa Gardner presents, Look for Me, another in the established series. Gardner also brings back a survivor character from previous novels. Flora Dane is a true survivor from having been abducted at one time for over 400 days. We are never quite sure how a person comes away from such horrific circumstances with all faculties intact. Flora possesses knowledge that only someone who has lived through abduction and captivity can know. She also runs a group for survivors. And, so their investigation begins.

Once D. D. and Flora get rolling, they play off of each other throughout the novel. The storyline is very heart wrenching, but there is still some levity as the two provide humor, snarky comebacks, and their dynamics as they work together. A family of five is brutally gunned down, but one person is missing from the group. Roxy, a 16 year old girl was not found with the rest of the family. That begs the question……is she a victim or a perpetrator? D. D. and Flora find a lot of clues to the personality of Roxy through different essays she has written on her ideas of the perfect family……and what the reality is of the family she was currently with. Why is Roxy on the run? The answer may not be what is expected.

Look for Me is a story of brutality, but also has much to say about the foster care system. According to readers who are Lisa Gardner fans, the book is a well-written, well-paced and cleverly plotted storyline that is told in the voices of the three main characters. Roxy’s thoughts are most thought provoking, as she told many secrets that came from her life as a foster child. Readers were sad, shocked, and angered by the foster home in this story…… a clue in itself.

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What is Legitimate and What is Not??…”Two Kinds of Truth”, by Michael Connelly

There are very few authors who could continue a series about the same main character for 22 episodes, but author Michael Connelly has done just that with his Harry Bosch series. His newest in the series, The Two Kinds of Truth, is another page Turner for Harry Bosch fans. For someone who retired from the very stressful LAPD job, he stays very busy with the San Fernando Police Department, comprised of just three detectives.

Harry’s new position has him tackling a stack of cold cases. However, as he was delving into the cold cases, a new case came up. A father and son, both pharmacists, have been murdered. Harry is immediately thrown into an undercover position and must enter into a very dark world of drug dealing by script. As if illegal drug dealing is not enough, now it is difficult to distinguish what is legitimate and what is not.

Harry also gets pulled back into an old LAPD case where an inmate on death row is claiming that Harry planted evidence on him. The reader will find both cases intertwining as Harry works on both.
“The two unrelated cases wind around each other like strands of barbed wire. Along the way Bosch discovers that there are two kinds of truth: the kind that sets you free, and the kind that leaves you buried in darkness.”

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Plague, Chaos, Death, Destruction, with some Supernatural Thrown in…”Year One”, by Nora Roberts

Who would be your first guess as an author of a book which begins with the plague, chaos, death, destruction, with some supernatural thrown in for good measure? It is an apocalyptic end of the world scenario. My guess would immediately be Stephen King. But, I would have been way off the mark. Usually known for her feel good, comforting books, author Nora Roberts has ventured into a different genre which includes all of the above mentioned subjects. There is no one central character, or no immediate love story, but some current oriented topics with several interesting characters involved.

Reviewers have been pleasantly surprised by Robert’s ability to transition into a darker world than any of her 200 previous novels have entered. Readers were happy that she did recover the book in the middle to show the new beginning of the survivors, after the assault on the population from several different directions. There are many happy, bright scenes as the new beginning takes place. Roberts follows the various characters who lived to carry on. There are still dark spots to be dealt with, but nothing as terrifying as they already survived.

Year One is the first in a new trilogy. For those who may have been left wondering about some subjects at the end of this book, there are two more books on the horizon that may have your answers. With book one of the trilogy by author Roberts, “the end has come……the beginning comes next”.

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Snakes, Professional Grave Robbers, 90 Year Old Grandmothers, and a Plethora of Corpses…”Hardcore Twenty-Five”, by Janet Evanovich

Hard Core 24 is the most current in the Stephanie Plum series of books by author, Janet Evanovich. Having written 23 other episodes, the 24th has proven to be in keeping with the hallmarks of her writing. Her new offerings come out about every Thanksgiving time, and her reading fans are never disappointed.

Meandering through a Stephanie Plum mystery may take you down many roads before you reach the final page. In the 24th book, Plum arrests a looney professional grave robber, but before she can take him in, he requests that she babysit his boa constrictor, Ethel. She tells him that she will do it, but if Ethel gives her any trouble, that she does own a stun gun. It would take more than a stun gun for most of us to agree to watch a huge snake that is capable of killing. As if that were not enough on the bizarre side, things turn even darker.

Plum is confronted with headless bodies being spread around town, discovering that they are coming from a funeral home and morgue. But then, a homeless man is found murdered and dumped behind a church. Now, time is of the essence in finding the killer. Plum is very capable of tracking down this killer, but learns that she has competition from bounty hunter, Diesel, who knows no limits when he is in pursuit of a perpetrator. The locals who are interested in competing bounty hunter, Stephanie, are not pleased that Diesel has appeared out of nowhere.

What sounds like a very serious murder mystery is actually filled with humor. Stephanie’s 90 year old Grandma Mazur gives hysterical scenes that will have the reader chuckling, and Lulu adds to that humor with her antics. It is a successful author who is able to peak the interest of her readers with characters whom they know very well from the previous 23 books. It takes talent to combine big snakes, professional grave robbers, 90 year old grandmothers, and a plethora of corpses into a #1 New York Times bestselling novel. Readers have already exclaimed that they are eager to read #25.

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