February 2023 MBR The Audiobook Shelf

The Audiobook Shelf

An Unwanted Inheritance
Imogen Clark, author
Bronwen Price, narrator
Brilliance Audio
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781713647454, $19.99, MP3-CD

https://www.amazon.com/Unwanted-Inheritance-Imogen-Clark/dp/1713647451

Synopsis: When their father dies unexpectedly, siblings Max, Ellie and Nathan can't even contemplate emptying his house -- not least because he spent his last decade curating what feels like a museum to his polished public image. So it is Max's wife, Caroline, who finds the suitcase under a bed. A suitcase stuffed full of an awful lot of cash!

The source of the money is a mystery to them all, and each has a strong opinion about what to do with it. Ellie and her husband James have an expensive lifestyle to maintain and could do with their share of the windfall -- James in particular, for reasons he doesn't dare reveal. Nathan can't be trusted with money, as the others all know; he's desperate to get his hands on some (or all) of the cash. But Caroline is the one guarding the suitcase, and she's insisting to Max that they take it to the police.

The three siblings have always been close. But now, with this money from nowhere threatening to rewrite what they thought they knew about their father and their family, nothing seems certain. Could it really tear them apart?

Critique: A cleverly crafted and impressively original story by gifted novelist Imogen Clark and, in a superbly produced, complete and unabridged audio book from Brilliance Audio, "An Unwanted Inheritance" is brought to life by the storytelling talents of Bronwen Price. "An Unwanted Inheritance" (offers 11 hours and 32 minutes of of listening pleasure) is unreservedly recommended for personal and community library audio book collections.

Editorial Note #1: Imogen Clark (https://imogenclark.com) writes contemporary fiction about families and secrets. Her books have topped the Amazon kindle chart eight times and Where the Story Starts was short listed in the UK for Contemporary Romantic Novel of the year 2020.

Editorial Note #1: Bronwen Price (https://www.bronwenprice.co.uk) is a multi award nominated voice actor based in London. She works in genres as varied as audiobooks and corporate narration, video games and IVR, and radio drama and commercials.

Hard Fire
J. B. Turner, author
Jeffrey Kafer, narrator
Brilliance Audio
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781799798415, $19.99, MP3-CD

https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Fire-Jon-Reznick-Thriller/dp/1799798410

Synopsis: Jon Reznick is not a man to cross. A brutally effective black-ops veteran, Reznick has a history of taking the law into his own hands. So when a group of masked men murders his closest friend, he swears to exact vengeance. The now-deceased Bill Eastland had been Reznick's last living tie to his father, leaving him devastated -- and furious. Whether or not the FBI approves, he swears to hunt down whoever issued the hit on his friend.

With the help of hacker Trevelle Williams, Reznick tracks the masked murderers from Maine to Texas to New York, quickly becoming embroiled in the shadowy world of the Aryan Brotherhood and the Mafia. As Reznick's own body count begins to climb, clues lead him to one of the most dangerous crime families in New York, headed by the infamous Paul Moretti. But FBI Assistant Director Martha Meyerstein has just learned a crucial secret that could derail Reznick's quest for revenge -- Moretti is a high-level FBI informant.

Reznick faces a stark choice: take on the FBI and risk severing ties with Martha, or inflict his own form of rigorous justice no matter the possible fallout. How far will he go (and how many government agencies will he undermine) to get retribution for his best friend's death? He might just have to create his own set of rules.

Critique: A riveting novel by author J. B. Turner that will have a strong appeal to fans of Conspiracy Theories and riveting Action-Adventure stories, "Hard Fire" is the stuff of which block-buster movies are made. Deftly and effectively narrated by the vocal storytelling talents of narrator Jeffrey Kafer, "Hard Fire" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly appreciated addition to personal and community library complete and unabridged audio book collections. (7 Hours, 25 Minutes).

Editorial Note #1: J. B. Turner (https://jbturnerauthor.com) is a former journalist and the author of the Jon Reznick series of action thrillers (Hard Road, Hard Kill, Hard Wired, Hard Way, Hard Fall, Hard Hit, Hard Shot, Hard Target, and Hard Vengeance), the American Ghost series of black-ops thrillers (Rogue, Reckoning, and Requiem), and the Deborah Jones political thrillers (Miami Requiem and Dark Waters).

Editorial Note #2: Jeffrey Kafer (https://www.jeffreykafer.com) is an experienced vocal actor who has done commercial voice overs and multiple audio book narrations.

Hidden In Snow
Viveca Sten, author
Marlaine Delargy, translator
Laura Jennings, narrator
Brilliance Audio
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781799784388, $14.99, MP3-CD

https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Snow-%C3%85re-Murders-1/dp/179978438X

Synopsis: On the day Stockholm police officer Hanna Ahlander's personal and professional lives crash, she takes refuge at her sister's lodge in the Swedish ski resort paradise of Are. But it's a brief comfort. The entire village is shaken by the sudden vanishing of a local teenage girl. Hanna can't help but investigate, and while searching for the missing person, she lands a job with the local police department. There she joins forces with Detective Inspector Daniel Lindskog, who has been tasked with finding the girl. Their only lead: a scarf in the snow.

As subzero temperatures drop even further, a treacherous blizzard sweeps toward Are. Hanna and Daniel's investigation is getting more desperate by the hour. Lost or abducted, either way time is running out for the missing girl. Each new clue closes in on something far more sinister than either Hanna or Daniel imagined. In this devious novel by the bestselling author of the Sandhamn Murders series, discover what it will take to solve a case when the truth can be so easily hidden in the coming storm.

Critique: Of special appeal to listeners with an interest in Police Procedural Mysteries and the adventures of Women Sleuths, "Hidden In Snow" by novelist Viveca Sten is masterfully narrated by the impressive storytelling talents of Laura Jennings in this 11 Hour, 6 Minute complete and unabridged audio book edition from Brilliance Audio. A true delight for fans of riveting suspense thriller fiction, "Hidden In Snow" is especially recommended for personal and community library audio book collections.

Editorial Note #1: Viveca Sten (www.vivecasten.com) is the author of the Sandhamn Murders series, which includes Buried in Secret, In Bad Company, In the Name of Truth, In the Shadow of Power, In Harm's Way, In the Heat of the Moment, Tonight You're Dead, Guiltless, Closed Circles, and Still Waters. Since 2008, the series has sold more than seven million copies, establishing her as one of Sweden's most popular authors. Set on the island of Sandhamn, the novels have been adapted into a Swedish-language TV series shot on location and seen by ninety million viewers around the world.

Editorial Note #2: Marlaine Delargy lives in Shropshire in the United Kingdom. She has translated novels by many authors and the nine books in Viveca Sten's Sandhamn Murders series. (https://www.audiobooksnow.com/narrator/Marlaine%20Delargy)

Editorial Note #3: Laura Jennings (https://www.laurajenningsnarrates.com) has narrated titles for major publishers but is just as proud of her work with independent authors. She is also the Coordinator for The Podcast Academy and the Communications Manage for Eljin Productions Inc..

A Light in the Forest
Melissa Payne, author
Kay Eluvian, narrator
Brilliance Audio
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781978694453, $19.99, MP3-CD

https://www.amazon.com/Light-Forest-Novel-Melissa-Payne/dp/1978694458

Synopsis: Vega Jones escapes an abusive relationship with nothing but her two-month-old baby and the van she grew up in. Her destination is a small Ohio town her late vagabond mother left years ago. It's one full of nobodies, her mother warned. That makes it the ideal refuge for Vega to lie low, feel safe, and maybe learn more about a past her mother never spoke of.

Vega warms to the town and to new acquaintances like Heff, the young deputy and artist who prefers his yard art to actual policing, and empathetic Eve, a local farmer whose near-death experience gave her more than just her life back. But even in this welcoming community, there's an undercurrent of something unsettled, talk of a tragedy that unfolded in the woods years ago, and a mystery connected to Vega in ways she couldn't have anticipated.

As a mother on the run and following a path of mounting risks and illuminating secrets, Vega discovers that even during the darkest of times, there's light in unexpected places.

Critique: A riveting novel by author Melissa Payne that is brought vividly to life in a true 'theatre of the mind' experience by the narrative storytelling skills of Kay Eluvian, "A Light In The Forest" offers 12 Hours and 11 Minutes of riveting entertainment. This complete and unabridged audio book from Brilliance Audio is a welcome and fully recommended addition to personal and community library audio book collections.

Editorial Note #1: Melissa Payne (www.melissapayneauthor.com) is the author of The Secrets of Lost Stones, Memories in the Drift, and The Night of Many Endings. For as long as she can remember, Melissa has been telling stories in one form or another -- from high school newspaper articles to a graduate thesis to blogging about marriage and motherhood. But she first learned the real importance of storytelling when she worked for a residential and day treatment center for abused and neglected children, where she wrote speeches and letters to raise funds. The truth in those children's stories was piercing and painful, written to invoke a call to action in the reader: to give, to help, and to make a difference. Melissa's love of writing and sharing stories in all forms has endured.

Editorial Note #2: Kay Eluvian (https://www.kayeluvian.com) is a versatile, quirky, funny and friendly British transgender female (woman) voiceover actor / actress (voiceactor) with years of experience working in audiobooks, drama, games and commercials. She is a trained actor with an unusual voice - not quite a girl, not quite a guy and it grabs the listener with a smile. She has a massive vocal range (measured at 3 3/4 octaves!) and plenty of playful attitude.

The Union
Leah Vernon, author
Alaska Jackson, Sisi Johnson, Kirby Heyborne, narrators
Brilliance Audio
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781713667766, $14.99, MP3-CD

https://www.amazon.com/Union-Leah-Vernon/dp/1713667762

Synopsis: A thousand years in the future, a Black elite class reigns. The lower classes toil in the fields or scrape by in blighted cities, serving their rulers in a cruel, divided world.

Among the Elites is eighteen-year-old Avi Jore, born to a powerful father and destined to rule. But as she comes of age, Avi cannot help but notice the injustices in her world -- the treatment of enslaved workers, the oppression of the lower classes. Her disillusionment grows when she meets Saige Wilde, a mixed-race enslaved girl whose only goal is escaping beyond the borders of their brutal nation.

When Saige saves Avi from an assassination attempt, their paths become intertwined in ways they never imagined. As Saige plots her path to freedom, Avi tries to enact change from the inside. But it's a complicated endeavor, fraught with danger and malice.

Together, their efforts could spark a revolution -- and underscore the staggering power of friendship.

Critique: This complete and unabridged audio book edition of "The Union" by Leah Vernon is skillfully narrated by the team of Alaska Jackson, Sisi Johnson, and Kirby Heyborne. Carefully crafted science fiction with an underlying social message, "The Union" is certain to be a prized addition to both personal and community library audio book collections. (10 Hours, 43 Minutes)

Editorial Note: Leah Vernon (www.LeahVernon.com) is an author, body-positive activist, and the first international plus-size Hijabi model. During her double master's program, she started a blog about being a fat Black Muslim in Detroit experiencing everything from eating disorders to anti-Blackness. She's been featured in ads from Target to Old Navy and even made it to the New York Times and HuffPost. She currently resides in New York City. She can be followed on Instagram (@lvernon2000).

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Midwest Book Review