Audiobooks discussion

I'm going to put Rex Stout's series featuring Nero Wolfe here. I loved Michael Pritchard's narration. However, I tried the first of Goldsborough's series continuation efforts (sequels), which was definitely enough for me!

John wrote: "I'm going to put Rex Stout's series featuring Nero Wolfe here. I loved Michael Pritchard's narration. However, I tried the first of Goldsborough's series continuation efforts (sequels), which was d..."

Good to know. I've wondered about those but find I am addicted to Michael Prichard's Archie and Rex Stout's stories.

So, would Agatha Christie go here--the Hugh Fraser narrations are the best--or do we divide dear Agatha and discuss Poirot here and Miss Marple with the Cozies? I imagine you'll let it slide a bit...

No, throw all of Christie in together.

One of my great detective addictions is Sherlock Holmes. The Complete Sherlock Holmes Heirloom Edition read by Simon Vance is superb; although one reviewer on Audible pointed out one book of collected stories is absent. It is nearly sixty hours long so most people will feel satisfied anyway. The Complete Stories of Sherlock Homes read by Charlton Griffin is truly complete and, if there are no females in the story, the narration is good. But the females are so painful to listen to it is sometimes tough to keep on with the story.

How could I forget to plug one of the best series-narrator fits I've ever run across: George Guidall's reading Tony Hillerman's books featuring Navajo tribal cop Jim Chee!

He also does a great job in the Walt Lonmire series... another great mystery series.

I think I forgot to mention The Neon Rain the Dave Robichaux series.

Louise Penny's Armande Gamache/Three Pines Mysteries sometimes go under the Cozy heading, but I think they belong here. Armande Gamache is my literary crush and Three Pines is the place I want to live someday--yeah, I know it's figtional, but it seems so real. Ralph Coshem's narration is wonderful to my ear and somehow becomes part of the environment that is Three Pines and/or Quebec. I love Penny's prose style, sense of humor, and her characters. She has written a world so real to me that the ups and downs of her recurring characters can lift me to the heights or drop kick me to the depths. Can you tell I just love this one?

I think this one fits here such a great book Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson by, Lyndsay Faye narrated by, Simon Vance

MissSusie wrote: "I think this one fits here such a great book Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson by, Lyndsay Faye narrated by, Simon Vance"

I loved that one! I think it captures Conan doyle's style better than any other works that attempt to continue the Holmes stories. And Simon Vance does such a good job with the narration.

The Sherlock Holmes/Mary Russell series by Laurie R King is excellent, especially if you are already a Sherlock fan.

Jeanie wrote: "MissSusie wrote: "I think this one fits here such a great book Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson by, Lyndsay Faye narrated by, Simon Vance"

I ..."

Agree 100% I felt it could easily sit in the canon.

I've started The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rawlings), narrated by Robert Glenister and loving it so far. The narrator did Cuckoo's Calling as well and has the perfect voice for the character. Or is the first narrator always the "perfect" one?

I do like the Cormeran Strike series by Robert Galbraith/J. K. Rowling and have always thought she would do well with the mystery genre. I think The Silkworm was a little too long for a mystery and wasn't thrilled with the very dark turn of the story--it was a very gruesome murder. I like Strike and Robin as characters and want to continue to follow their story arc so Rowling succeeded there, not to mention a very clever solution to the mystery, imo. I also hope Rowling will lighten up a little and shorten her books slightly in order to provide the tight, well-crafted stories that make it a pleasure to follow her characters.

Jeanie wrote: "I do like the Cormeran Strike series by Robert Galbraith/J. K. Rowling and have always thought she would do well with the mystery genre. I think The Silkworm was a little too long for a mystery a..."

I agree with the wish for lightening and shortening, but Harry Potter grew darker and longer, so I'm not hopeful. Haven't gotten to the dark parts of Silkworm yet.

Sandy wrote: "Jeanie wrote: "I do like the Cormeran Strike series by Robert Galbraith/J. K. Rowling and have always thought she would do well with the mystery genre. I think The Silkworm was a little too long ..."

Yeah, who's going to tell J. K. Rowling to keep it short... most highly successful authors seem to be given a pass on the editing process, at least when it comes to shortening. I didn't mind the length of the Potter books because it meant extending the time in that world, but even JKR admits now that Order of the Phoenix should have been better edited.

I finished The Silkworm and loved it. The mystery is engrossing and the main characters background is expanding. A couple of new characters are introduced and Matt is rounding out.

i liked Silkworm, but it did need a bit of editing/shortening...I did ilke that I didn't really see the who doen it this time - I figured out Cuckoo about half-way through

I just finished "The Long Way Home" by Louise Penny, narrated by Ralph Gosham - #10 in the Inspector Gamache / Three Pines series. I love this series and the characters. After the tension of "How the Light Gets In" this quieter story is a bit of a relief. Good plot with twists and neatly tied up at the end. The narrator, Ralph Gosham, is wonderful. It is heavy on artistic descriptions and insights that I don't really connect with, but I love hearing the language. Unlike some of the reviewers, I prefer it when the characters leave Three Pines; I find the village restful but limited. These are great characters that I hope to revisit again and again.

Good to know Sandy - it is in my tbr list

I love the Three Pines series, too. I do have to wonder how Penny plans to continue after this one. Gamache is retired and, unless a string of Three Pines citizens enlist his help in finding missing relatives who live in far-flung Canada, he doesn't have a current excuse to investigate anything.
I always love wherever Penny's prose takes me and she can bring things to life with words in ways that make me "get it" like no other author can. My quibble with this one is an almost fated aspect to the outcome and, I swear, Clare had a personality transplant one third in. And I want to know if she'll recognize and be in long-term therapy for her blunder that led to the ending.
I'm hoping someone will start a thread where we can discuss this one in detail because it's impossible to discuss this one without spoilers.

Jeanie and Sandy, I have also greatly enjoyed Louise Penny's audiobooks. However I'm way down on the waiting list at the library for this newest one.

I suppose this is as good a place as any to mention that Ray Porter does an excellent job with the recently released Audible-produced UNABRIGED editions of Raymond Chandler's stories featuring Philip Marlowe. Elliot Gould's recordings were excellent, too, except that all but the first book were abridged only.

OH! Heck Yeah! I LOVE Ray Porter!!! I Just finished listening to Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker narrated by him and loved him. I gave the story 3.5 stars and only gave him 5 stars because I couldn't give any more than that.

You can read the review on my blog here: https://jeffreybarronowens.wordpress....

Or on Audible.com here:
http://www.audible.com/listener/A3GXR...

Or on Goodreads here:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Ruth Rendell: never disappoints! I've been listening to Shake Hands Forever, mostly when walking to work. Today I had to stand outside my building for a minute to keep listening until the suspense ebbed a tiny bit. This audiobook is read by Nigel Anthony who makes the characters so distinctive that I forget just one man is doing the narration. Highly recommended, both narrator and author.

John wrote: "How could I forget to plug one of the best series-narrator fits I've ever run across: George Guidall's reading Tony Hillerman's books featuring Navajo tribal cop Jim Chee!"

I loved those books! I read them all a long time ago and was thinking of rereading via Audible. However they only have 3 of his Navajo series. Have you read his daughters work?

I also loved Tony Hillerman's Navaho books read by George Guidall. All of mine are on cassette. When I looked in Audible to buy a couple of favorites they were narrated by someone else. Woe is me.

Like many others, I really like the Cormoran Strike series. I was surprised because I tend to like cozies or historical mysteries. I don't like a lot of grit, blood or physical violence. (I have a rule of thumb to avoid anything described as "gripping" or "chilling ".) However, I like the characters so much that I am willing to deal with the heavy stuff. So now I'm wondering what other series I'm missing where great characters might offset the violence. For instance, I also liked the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Does anyone have recommendations for me?

John wrote: "I'm going to put Rex Stout's series featuring Nero Wolfe here. I loved Michael Pritchard's narration. However, I tried the first of Goldsborough's series continuation efforts (sequels), which was d..."

Rex Stout, Rex Stout, Rex Stout! I think I read most of Nero Wolfe as a much younger adult and with all the positive comments throughout many threads I may have to give one a try in audio. The same with the John D. MacDonald mysteries. I got hooked on them many years ago and just recently bought Condominium. I'm wondering if I'm going to like revisiting my past.

Interesting thread

Julie wrote: "I don't read many mysteries, but of the ones I do, I can NEVER figure out Whodunnit until they tell me at the end.

How much of a sleuth are you ? Do you always have it figured out before they tel..."

I love reading mysteries but only ones with lots of character interaction, and generally I don't really try to solve the mystery. That doesn't stop me feeling annoyed if the author doesn't play fair and give the reader all the necessary information!

Julie wrote: "I don't read many mysteries, but of the ones I do, I can NEVER figure out Whodunnit until they tell me at the end.

How much of a sleuth are you ? Do you always have it figured out before they tel..."

I always pin it on the least likely suspect, and 9 out of 10 I am right. I think that maybe I have a bit of a knack with fictional murderers, but don't think it would tranlate to real life - though it would certainly make life simpler for the police ;)

I always try to figure it out first!

Julie wrote: "I don't read many mysteries, but of the ones I do, I can NEVER figure out Whodunnit until they tell me at the end.

How much of a sleuth are you ? Do you always have it figured out before they tel..."

I am an odd mystery reader in that for me the least interesting element is who did it and why. I like a distinctive setting (preferably historical), characters with some depth, and sometimes a bit of humor. I feel that trying to figure out who did it is a bit like peeking at the end of the book.

If you enjoy cosy mysteries, I recommend the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley. Not since Arya Stark or Hermione Granger have I been so in love with a fictional little girl. Flavia de Luce is delightful and the audiobook narrator, Jayne Entwistle, portrays her fabulously.

Robin wrote: "I am an odd mystery reader in that for me the least interesting element is who did it and why. I like a distinctive setting (preferably historical), characters with some depth, and sometimes a bit of humor...."

I am the same, although when I read the ending I do like to see that all the clues were there in the book. I think the reason I like mysteries is that the circumstances highlight characters and their interaction (which is what I like to read about), and give a reason for close examination of them. There is also a clear story arc, and a satisfactory ending.

Robin wrote: "Like many others, I really like the Cormoran Strike series. I was surprised because I tend to like cozies or historical mysteries. I don't like a lot of grit, blood or physical violence. (I have a rule of thumb to avoid anything described as "gripping" or "chilling ".) However, I like the characters so much that I am willing to deal with the heavy stuff. So now I'm wondering what other series I'm missing where great characters might offset the violence. For instance, I also liked the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Does anyone have recommendations for me? "

As always, I'm a lot late to this party, but if you like Cormoran Strike, you might like Robert Crais' Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series - sometimes they are set up as 2 series, but they all intertwine so they are really one series. They don't really have so much blood, guts and gore, and the two characters are just fun to be around. But then I feel the same about Harlan Coben's Myron Bolitar series, which again doesn't have a lot of blood, guts and gore on scene. Most of the murders all take place off stage, and the heroes come late to the party, and have to find out who done it. <><

Copied from August reads:
I just finished Clouds of Witness and last month I listened to Whose Body? (a year-long challenge in another group). I had read them both before, and enjoyed then a lot, but Ian Carmichael adds a whole new dimension. I thought he was only okay in the old TV series (he didn't match my picture of Peter) but his narration is perfect.

I've just finished The Crossing Places and quite enjoyed it. The main character is much more interesting than the run the mill police procedural stuff - she is and archiologist.

This is Aurelia posting for AudioFile with a cause for celebration! In honor of Women's History Month, we're giving away sets of two great Maisie books: the newest, Journey to Munich, in which Maisie is sent to Hitler's Germany, and A Dangerous Place, just out in 2015. More details in the giveaway discussion area.

This is Aurelia for AudioFile with a heads-up that Lorelei King, narrator extraordinaire of Janet Evanovich, Kathy Reichs, and many others, is in the Narrator's Corner today and tomorrow (March 23 and 24). She's looking forward to chatting about audiobooks and narrating with you.

To celebrate Lorelei's visit, AudioFile is giving away audiobook CDs of Evanovich's latest books. It's a random drawing of the names of everyone who comments or asks Lorelei a question.

This is Aurelia for AudioFile with a repost from the Latest from AudioFile discussion, as I don't want folks to miss it. Simon Vance just won an AudioFile Earphones Award for the newest Hakan Nesser Hour of the Wolf: An Inspector Van Veeteren Mystery. Here's our review: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/revi....

Yay! Simon is great. It was fun having him here as a guest narrator. Congrats, Simon.

Audible is highlighting the 175th anniversary of the first mystery story plus those that followed. They have a page with a number of notables from the various kinds of mysteries.

Going to resurrect the thread with mention of Magpie Murders, which could be seen as literary fiction I suppose, but to me is a mystery on two tracks.

Thanks John, I'm glad to see this resurrected. I read mystery but it is a genre in which I am more than usually fussy about the narrator. Maybe this will encourage some good suggestions.
I completely agree with your Nero Wolf post that started off this discussion.

Over the last few years I've been gradually listening to J.D. Robb's In Death series. This morning, when I started Creation in Death, I realized two things. One is that Dallas has a virtual assistant at home: she just doesn't use the word Alexa. Second, Dr. Mira and Maisie Dobbs have similar talents. I felt impelled to share these astounding connections :-)

Grover Gardner narrates a few mystery series and is wonderful. Two I have been listening to are Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano series and Ross MacDonald's Lew Archer series.

I've recently been listening to the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly. The narrators change frequently so that's not a selling point. The stories are excellent police procedurals... but I'm finding out anew why I'm such a cozy mystery fan! :) Harry Bosch can be a bit hard core cop for me, but I understand the LAPD just loves him!

Jeanie wrote: "I've recently been listeing o the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly. The narrators change frequently so that's not a selling point. The stories are excellent police procedurals... but I'm find..."

If you are enjoying the book series give the Amazon series Bosch a try as well - maybe bringing Harry to life for you will increase your love for him.

I also like cozy's they are far less edgy and good for an easy read, but personally I love the edgy darkness that some non-cozy mysteries bring to the table.