April 2023 MBR The Audiobook Shelf

The Audiobook Shelf

Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies
Blake Snyder, author
George Newbern, narrator
Dreamscape Media
https://dreamscapepublishing.com
9781974970612, $29.99, CD (8 Hours 48 Minutes)

https://www.amazon.com/Save-Cat-Goes-Movies-Screenwriters/dp/1974970612

Synopsis: In the perfect companion piece to his first book (Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need), with the posthumous publication of "Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies: The Screenwriter's Guide to Every Story Ever Told", the late Blake Snyder delivers even more insider information gleaned from a twenty-year track record as one of Hollywood's most successful spec screenwriters.

Specifically designed for screenwriters, novelists, and movie fans, "Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies: The Screenwriter's Guide to Every Story Ever Told" gives listeners key breakdowns of the fifty most instructional movies from the past thirty years. From M*A*S*H to Crash, Alien to Saw, and 10 to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Of special note is that Snyder reveals how screenwriters in the past tackled the same challenges faced by screenwriters today.

Critique: Of very special appeal to anyone with an interest in screenwriting professionally, as well as film critics and movie buffs, this complete and unabridged edition of "Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies: The Screenwriter's Guide to Every Story Ever Told" from Dreamscape Media is deftly narrated by George Newbern and an essential, welcome addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Theatre/Cinema/TV collections in general, and Screenwriting supplemental curriculum studies lists in particular.

Editorial Note #1: The late Blake Snyder (1957-2009) worked as a screenwriter and producer for twenty years. His book "Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need" and its sequels have guided screenwriters, novelists, and other creative thinkers for years and continue to be bestsellers. His methodology is also used by many development executives, managers, and producers due to its precise, easy, and honest appraisal of what it takes to write and develop stories in any medium.

Editorial Note #2: George Newbern (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0627624/bio) has appeared in Father of the Bride, Father of the Bride II, Evening Star, Adventures in Babysitting, and many other films. On television, he has had roles on Scandal, Friends, Nip/Tuck, Hot in Cleveland, CSI, and more. He is also known for providing the voice of Superman in Justice League and for narrating audiobooks.

Directing Great Television
Dan Attias, author/narrator
Dreamscape Media
https://dreamscapepublishing.com
9781666549522, $22.99, CD, (6 Hours 29 Minutes)

https://www.amazon.com/Directing-Great-Television-Inside-Golden/dp/1666549525

Synopsis: Whether it's the high-stakes pressure of solving a last-minute problem on set, or the joy of pulling off a perfect shot by the skin of your teeth, Attias brings you right into the director's chair, sharing his knowledge and taking you through the process one challenging episode at a time.

Offering a fundamental focus on story, and eschewing industry language for plain talk, Attias offers in-depth guidance how best to work with actors, how to "speak" through the camera, how to work with a showrunner, and how to be ready for the many ways a director will be challenged, large and small.

"Directing Great Television" offers a fascinating window into television's best shows, compelling to directors and non-directors alike. Attias's book transcends other filmmaking guides by detailing his journey to a surprising place of self-discovery, one with applications beyond entertainment.

Critique: An Emmy nominated director, "Directing Great Television: Inside TV's Golden Age" by Dan Attias must be considered an essential and invaluable informative resource for anyone aspiring to a television career as a program or series director. Offering a wealth of informative insights and examples from his own illustrious career, this complete and unabridged audio book edition of "Directing Great Television" from Dreamscape Media is highly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Theatre/Cinema/Television audio collections.

Editorial Note: Dan Attias (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Attias) has worked as a director in the film and television industry since 1984. As a director of series television, he has received the Directors Guild of America Award for outstanding direction of dramatic television for The Wire and has been nominated for multiple Emmy awards for his comedy directing. He continues to work on some of the most celebrated and critically acclaimed American television shows, including Homeland, The Americans, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Writing The TV Drama Series
Pamela Douglas, author
Charon Normand-Widmer, narrator
Dreamscape Media
https://dreamscapepublishing.com
9781666508611, $TBA, CD (13 Hours 17 Minutes)

https://dreamscapepublishing.com/catalog/audiobooks/detail/?writing-the-tv-drama-series/pamela-douglas+/&id=0001191 1

Synopsis: Expertly narrated by Charon Normand-Widmer, this complete and unabridged audio book edition of Pamela Douglas' "Writing The TV Drama Series: How to Succeed as a Professional Writer in TV" is an invaluable informational resource for anyone who wants to write and produce a television drama series or create an original series, as well as for teachers in screenwriting classes and workshops.

"Writing The TV Drama Series" leads listeners step-by-step through each stage of the development and writing process, offering practical industry information and artistic inspiration. This edition also takes listeners into the future, engaging provocative issues about the interface between traditional TV and emerging technologies. And it's the single most comprehensive source on what is happening in original television drama around the world, with surveys of fifteen countries.

Critique: A complete course of instruction, the "Writing The TV Drama Series: How to Succeed as a Professional Writer in TV" audio book is available from Dreamscape Media in both a tradition CD edition and in an MP3-CD format -- making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library Writing/Publishing audio book collections. It should be noted that "Writing The TV Drama Series" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.47), as well as a Library Binding edition (9781615932078, $45.00) from Michael Wiese Productions).

Editorial Note: Pamela Douglas is an award-winning writer with numerous credits in television drama. She is also the author of The Future of Television: Your Guide to Creating TV in the New World (MWP 2015). She consults internationally to professional TV writers and producers, and has lectured in Africa, Europe and throughout the United States. Douglas was awarded the Humanitas Prize for Between Mother and Daughter (CBS), an original drama that also won nomination for a Writers Guild Award. Multiple Emmy nominations and awards, and awards from American Women in Radio and Television went to her other dramas. She was a creator of the series Ghostwriter, and wrote for many shows including Star Trek: The Next Generation, named one of the top 100 shows by the Writers Guild of America She has also been a member of the Board of Directors of the Writers Guild of America, West.

Deep Sleep
Steven Konkoly, author
Seth Podowitz, narrator
Brilliance Audio
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781713623847, $14.99, MP3-CD (10 Hours 18 Minutes)

https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Sleep-Steven-Konkoly/dp/1713623846

Synopsis: Countersurveillance expert Devin Gray is unwittingly thrown headfirst into dangerous new territory after the death of his mother. Helen Gray, a paranoid and disgraced former CIA officer, believed she was on the verge of preventing a national catastrophe -- a mission worth dying for. Others, including Devin, believe she was chasing delusions. Until he finds what she left behind.

With the help of longtime friend and former Marine helicopter pilot Marnie Young and a loyal team of covert operatives Helen summoned just before her death, Devin is propelled into a high-stakes chase across the country. What he uncovers, clue by clue, is a conspiracy more widespread and insidious than anyone could have imagined.

Now it's Devin's mission to destroy a covert network poised to deliver a fatal blow to the future of the United States. And also to vindicate his mother, by seeing the mission through to its treacherous end.

Critique: Doing full justice to novelist Steven Konkoly's political thriller "Deep Sleep", this complete and unabridged Brilliance audio book production deftly narrated by Seth Podowitz is a compelling 'theatre of the mind' experience and will prove a welcome addition to personal and community library Action/Adventure Mystery audio book collections.

Editorial Note #1: Steven Konkoly (www.stevenkonkoly.com) is a graduate of the US Naval Academy, and a veteran of several regular and elite US Navy and Marine Corps units. He has brought his in-depth military experience to bear in his fiction, which includes The Rescue, The Raid, The Mountain, and Skystorm in the Ryan Decker series; the speculative postapocalyptic thrillers The Jakarta Pandemic and The Perseid Collapse; the Fractured State series; the Black Flagged series; and the Zulu Virus Chronicles.

Editorial Note #2: Seth Podowitz (https://www.sethpodowitz.com) is passionate about storytelling in audio, particularly in audiobooks. In 2017, Seth began working in audiobooks as a director, engineer, and editor for Mosaic Audio in Los Angeles, and he began narrating the following year. Since then he has narrated over 50 books for independent authors and publishers such as Harper Audio, Blackstone Audio, and Dreamscape Media.

The Fashion Orphans
Randy Susan Meyers & M. J. Rose, authors
Mia Barron & Callie Beaulieu, narrators
Brilliance Audio
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781713645641, $14.99, MP3-CD (10 Hours 7 Minutes)

https://www.amazon.com/Fashion-Orphans-Randy-Susan-Meyers/dp/1713645645

Synopsis: Estranged half-sisters Gabrielle Winslow and Lulu Quattro have only two things in common: mounds of debt and coils of unresolved enmity toward Bette Bradford, their controlling and imperious recently deceased mother.

Gabrielle, the firstborn, was raised in relative luxury on Manhattan's rarefied Upper East Side. Now, at fifty-five, her life as a Broadway costume designer married to a heralded Broadway producer has exploded in divorce.

Lulu, who spent half her childhood under the tutelage of her working-class Brooklyn grandparents, is a grieving widow at forty-eight. With her two sons grown, her life feels reduced to her work at the Ditmas Park bakery owned by her late husband's family.

The two sisters arrive for the reading of their mother's will, expecting to divide a sizable inheritance, pay off their debts, and then again turn their backs on each other. But to their shock, what they have been left is their mother's secret walk-in closet jammed with high-end current and vintage designer clothes and accessories -- most from Chanel.

Contemplating the scale of their mother's self-indulgence, the sisters can't help but wonder if Lauren Weisberger had it wrong: because it seems, in fact, that the devil wore Chanel. But as they being to explore their mother's collection, meet and fall in love with her group of warm, wonderful friends, and magically find inspiring messages tucked away in her treasures - it seems as though their mother is advising Lulu and Gabrielle from the beyond -- helping them rediscover themselves and restore their relationship with each other.

Critique: Of special appeal to anyone with an interest in women's literature and family drama, "The Fashion Orphans by co-authors Randy Susan Meyers and M. J. Rose is impressively performed by the vocal tales of co-narrators Mia Barron and Callie Beaulieu in this complete and unabridged Brilliance Audio production. Original, compelling, and flawlessly produced, "The Fashion Orphans" is unreservedly recommended for both personal and community library Contemporary General Fiction audio book collections.

Editorial Note #1: Randy Susan Meyers (https://randysusanmeyers.com) is the author of the critically acclaimed The Murderer's Daughters, which was chosen as a Massachusetts Center for the Book "Must-Read Book" and a finalist for the Massachusetts Book Award.

Editorial Note #2: M.J. Rose (https://www.mjrose.com/content) has appeared in many magazines including Oprah Magazine and The Adventurine and she has been featured in the New York Times, Newsweek, Wall Street Journal, Time, USA Today and on The Today Show, and NPR radio. Rose is also the co-founder of 1001DarkNights.com and TheBlueBoxPress.com

Editorial Note #3: Mia Barron (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mia_Barron) is an American actor known for her extensive New York City theater credits, alongside her television and independent film work. She is also known as the voice of Molotov Cocktease and Sally Impossible on the Cartoon Network's long-running comic science-fiction series,

Editorial Note #4: Callie Beaulieu (https://www.calliebeaulieu.com/audiobooks) is a NY/CT based audiobook narrator and self-professed vintage gal with a love for narrating fiction and non-fiction titles alike. A mature voice that draws on a life marinated in travel, adventure and experience, Callie delivers performances infused with gravitas, humor and over 30 years of experience as an actor and storyteller.

The Lobotomist's Wife
Samantha Greene Woodruff, author
Cassandra Campbell, narrator
Brilliance Audio
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781713638155, $14.99, MP3-CD (9 Hours 3 Minutes)

https://www.amazon.com/Lobotomists-Wife-Samantha-Greene-Woodruff/dp/1713638150

Synopsis: Since her brother took his life after WWI, Ruth Emeraldine has had one goal: to help those suffering from mental illness. Then she falls in love with charismatic Robert Apter -- who is a brilliant doctor championing a radical new treatment, the lobotomy. Ruth believes in it as a miracle treatment and in Robert as its genius pioneer. But as her husband spirals into deluded megalomania, Ruth can't ignore her growing suspicions. Robert is operating on patients recklessly, often with horrific results. And a vulnerable young mother, Margaret Baxter, is poised to be his next victim.

Margaret can barely get out of bed, let alone care for her infant. When Dr. Apter diagnoses her with the baby blues and proposes a lobotomy, she believes the procedure is her only hope. Only Ruth can save her (and scores of others) from the harrowing consequences of Robert's ambitions.

Critique: Inspired by a genuinely shocking and quite real chapter in American medical history, "The Lobotomist's Wife" is author Samantha Greene Woodruff debut as a published author. It is a compelling and deftly written novel of a woman fighting against the most grievous odds, of ego, and of the best medical intentions gone horribly awry. This complete and unabridged audio book edition of "The Lobotomist's Wife" from Brilliance Audio is vividly and effectively narrated by Cassandra Campbell and a highly recommended addition to personal and community library General Fiction audio book collections.

Editorial Note #1: Samantha Greene Woodruff (https://www.samanthawoodruff.com) has a BA in history from Wesleyan University and an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business. She spent most of her career telling stories to executives at MTV Networks as the senior vice president of strategy and business development and, subsequently, audience research for the Nickelodeon Kids & Family Group. After leaving corporate life, she pursued her varied passions, teaching yoga, cooking, and taking classes at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College. It was here that she combined her multifaceted background with her wild imagination and passion for history, reading, and writing.

Editorial Note #2: Cassandra Campbell has recorded nearly two hundred audiobooks and directed many more. She has been nominated for and won multiple Audie Awards, as well as the prestigious Odyssey Award. She has received numerous starred audio reviews in both Publishers Weekly and Library Journal and more than twenty AudioFile Earphones Awards. Cassandra was also named a Best Voice by AudioFile for 2009 and 2010.

The Night Burns Bright
Rose Barkan, author
Kirby Heyborne, narrator
Brilliance Audio
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781713649892, $24.99, MP3-CD (13 Hours 17 Minutes)

https://www.amazon.com/Night-Burns-Bright-Novel/dp/1713649896

Synopsis: Lucien has everything he needs: a loving mama, a library full of books, and House of Earth, a private school nestled safely in the woods of upstate New York. It's where Lucien is taught the importance of living in harmony with nature and building a peaceful and sustainable future. But when his youthful curiosity draws him into town and to Gabrielle, a public-school student living a life wholly different from his own, Lucien's inquisitiveness about life beyond the commune and questions regarding the events of 9/11 threaten to unbalance everything he thought he knew.

Slowly, things begin to change at House of Earth. The outside world is off limits. Security measures tighten. New rules are put in place, and anyone who violates them is asked to leave and never spoken of again.

As forbidden questions pile up, Lucien's willingness to obey weakens. Continuing to meet Gabrielle in secret only reinforces his gnawing fear that something about his world is terribly wrong. Unable to remain silent any longer, Lucien will soon discover that looking for answers at House of Earth may be the most dangerous rule he can break.

Critique: Of particular interest to readers with its deft blending of a coming of age story and cult oriented suspense, "The Night Burns Bright" by novelist Ross Barkan is brought vividly to life in a true 'theatre of the mind' experience by narrator Kirby Heyborne in this complete and unabridged audio book from Brilliance Audio. Simply stated, "The Night Burns Bright" will prove to be an outstanding and enduringly valued addition to both personal and community library Literary Fiction audio book collections.

Editorial Note #1: Ross Barkan (https://rossbarkan.com) is a novelist and journalist from New York City. He has published two previous books, Demolition Night and The Prince, and his journalism and essays have appeared in a wide variety of outlets, including the New York Times, the Nation, the Guardian, and the New Yorker.

Editorial Note #2: Kirby Heyhorne (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirby_Heyborne) is an American actor, musician, singer, songwriter, narrator and comedian. He is known for his work in films centered around the culture of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Heyborne has also worked extensively as an audiobook narrator, narrating more than 300 books. He has won two Odyssey Awards and an Audie Award for Middle Grade Title. In 2015, Booklist named him a Voice of Choice narrator.

The Raven Spell
Luanne G. Smith, author
Susannah Jones, narrator
Brilliance Audio
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781713626206, $14.99, MP3-CD (8 Hours 54 Minutes)

https://www.amazon.com/Raven-Spell-Luanne-G-Smith/dp/1713626209

Synopsis: After a nearly fatal blow to the skull, traumatized private detective Ian Cameron is found dazed and confused on a muddy riverbank in Victorian London. Among his effects: a bloodstained business card bearing the name of a master wizard and a curious pocket watch that doesn't seem to tell time. To retrieve his lost memories, Ian demands answers from Edwina and Mary Blackwood, sister witches with a murky past. But as their secret is slowly unveiled, a dangerous mystery emerges on the darkened streets of London.

To help piece together Ian's lost time, he and Edwina embark on a journey that will take them from the river foreshore to an East End music hall, and on to a safe house for witches in need of sanctuary from angry mortals. The clues they find suggest a link between a series of gruesome murders, a missing person's case, and a dreadful suspicion that threatens to tear apart the bonds of sisterhood. As the investigation deepens, could Ian and Edwina be the next to die?

Critique: Magnificently performed by the impressive vocal storytelling talents of Susannah Jones, this complete and unabridged audio book edition of "The Raven Spell" by Luanne G. Smith will have immense appeal to historical fantasy fans and gothic fiction enthusiasts -- making it an immediately and enduringly welcome addition to personal and community library Victorian era fantasy fiction audio book collections.

Editorial Note #1: Luanne G. Smith (www.luannegsmith.com) is the Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestselling author of The Vine Witch, The Glamourist, and The Conjurer.

Editorial Note #2: Susannah Jones is an audiobook narrator, writer and actress with over 150 books under her own name and her pseudonym. Her work on "Rock Chick" by Kristen Ashley was one of the top five Audible romance listens in 2014 and she and her alter ego have two AudioFile Earphones awards. https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Susannah+Jones

A Hard Day for a Hangover
Darynda Jones, author
Lorelei King, narrator
Macmillan Audio
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781250851987, $39.99, CD (10.5 Hours)

https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Day-Hangover-Sunshine-Vicram/dp/125085198X

Synopsis: Some people greet the day with open arms. Sheriff Sunshine Vicram would rather give it a hearty shove and get back into bed, because there's just too much going on right now. There's a series of women going missing, and Sunny feels powerless to stop it.

Then there is also her persistent and awesomely-rebellious daughter Auri, who's out to singlehandedly become Del Sol's youngest and fiercest investigator.

And then there's drama with Levi Ravinder -- the guy she's loved and lusted after for years. The guy who might just be her one and only. The guy who comes from a family of disingenuous vipers looking to oust him (and Sunshine) for good. -- The new day can take a hike.

Critique: Darynda Jones fans are invited to spend a fun time listening to gifted narrator Lorelei King's complete and unabridged audio book production of "A Hard Day for a Hangover" (the finale of the three-arc trilogy comprising the Sunshine Victam series. Especially of interest to fans of cozy mysteries and police procedurals, "A Hard Day for a Hangover" is strongly recommended as an enduringly appreciated addition to community library Mystery/Suspense audio book collections.

Editorial Note #1: Darynda Jones (https://darynda.com) has won numerous awards for her work, including a prestigious RITA, a Golden Heart, and a Daphne du Maurier, and her books have been translated into 17 languages. She also penned the Charley Davidson series.

Editorial Note #2: Lorelei King (https://www.loreleiking.com/audiobooks.html) has recorded over 200 audiobooks, including several titles from Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series and Darynda Jones's Charley Davidson series. Her many awards include the 2008 Audie Award for Female Solo Narration for Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas, the Radio Times performer of the Year for The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, and AudioFile Earphones Awards for Eleven on Top and Twelve Sharp, both by Janet Evanovich. AudioFile also deemed her one of the "Best Voices of 2008."

Legacy: A Novel
Nora Roberts, author
January LaVoy, narrator
Macmillan Audio
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781250802354, $44.99, CD, (8 Hours)

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250802354/legacy

Synopsis: Adrian Rizzo was seven when she met her father for the first time. That was the day he nearly killed her -- before her mother, Lina, stepped in.

Soon after, Adrian was dropped off at her grandparents' house in Maryland, where she spent a long summer drinking lemonade, playing with dogs, making a new best friend - and developing the stirrings of a crush on her friend's ten-year-old brother. Lina, meanwhile, traveled the country promoting her fitness brand and turning it into a billion-dollar business. There was no point in dwelling on the past.

A decade later, Adrian has created her own line of yoga and workout videos, following in Lina's footsteps but intent on maintaining creative control. And she's just as cool-headed and ambitious as her mother. They aren't close, but they're cordial -- as long as neither crosses the other.

But while Lina dismisses the death threats that Adrian starts getting as a routine part of her daughter's growing celebrity, Adrian can't help but find the vicious rhymes unsettling. Year after year, they keep arriving - the postmarks changing, but the menacing tone the same. They continue after she returns to Maryland and becomes reacquainted with Raylan, her childhood crush, all grown up and as gorgeously green-eyed as ever.

Sometimes it even seems like the terrifying messages are indeed routine, like nothing will come of them. Until the murders start, and the escalation begins!

Critique: A 'must' for the legions of Nora Roberts fans, this complete and unabridged audio book edition of "Legacy" is brilliantly narrated by by the vocal storytelling talents of January LaVoy. The result is a welcome, enduringly, and highly recommended addition to personal and community library Romance audio book collections and acquisition lists.

Editorial Note #1: Nora Roberts (https://noraroberts.com) is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Shelter in Place, Year One, Come Sundown, and many more. She is also the author of the bestselling In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than five hundred million copies of her books in print.

Editorial Note #2: January LaVoy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_LaVoy) is an American actress and audiobook narrator who (as an audiobook narrator), received five Audie Awards and been a finalist for nineteen. In 2013, she won Publishers Weekly's Listen Up Award for Audiobook Narrator of the Year. In 2019, AudioFile named her a Golden Voice narrator.

A World of Curiosities
Louise Penny, author
Robert Bathurst, narrator
Macmillan Audio
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781250887382, $39.99, CD (13.5 Hours)

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250887382/aworldofcuriosities

Synopsis: It's spring and Three Pines is reemerging after the harsh winter. But not everything buried should come alive again. Not everything lying dormant should reemerge. -- But something has!

As the villagers prepare for a special celebration, Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir find themselves increasingly worried. A young man and woman have reappeared in the S rete du Quebec investigators' lives after many years. The two were young children when their troubled mother was murdered, leaving them damaged, shattered. Now they've arrived in the village of Three Pines. -- But to what end?

Gamache and Beauvoir's memories of that tragic case, the one that first brought them together, come rushing back. Did their mother's murder hurt them beyond repair? Have those terrible wounds, buried for decades, festered and are now about to erupt?

As Chief Inspector Gamache works to uncover answers, his alarm grows when a letter written by a long dead stone mason is discovered. In it the man describes his terror when bricking up an attic room somewhere in the village. Every word of the 160-year-old letter is filled with dread. When the room is found, the villagers decide to open it up.

As the bricks are removed, Gamache, Beauvoir and the villagers discover a world of curiosities. But the head of homicide soon realizes there's more in that room than meets the eye. There are puzzles within puzzles, and hidden messages warning of mayhem and revenge.

In unsealing that room, an old enemy is released into their world. Into their lives. And into the very heart of Armand Gamache's home.

Critique: Robert Bathurst's impressive vocal talents and in full sway with the Macmillan audio book production of novelist Louise Penny's "A World of Curiosities". This complete and unabridged audio book experience offers the listener Providing several hours of an inherently compelling suspense thriller that is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal and community library Mystery/Suspense audio book collections.

Editorial Note #1: Louise Penny (https://www.louisepenny.com) is the author of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels. She has won numerous awards, including a CWA Dagger and the Agatha Award (five times) and was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Novel.

Editorial Note #2: Robert Bathurst has an informative interview about his work with novelist Louise Penny at https://audiofilemagazine.com/narrators/robert-bathurst

The Villa
Rachel Hawkins, author
Shiromi Arserio, Julia Whelan, and Kimberly Wetherell, narrators
Macmillan Audio
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781250878977, $39.99, CD (7 Hours, 57 Minutes)

https://www.amazon.com/Villa-Novel-Rachel-Hawkins/dp/1250878977

Synopsis: As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. So when Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend.

Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce's girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. But he also sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composing a platinum album - - and ends in Pierce's brutal murder.

As Emily digs into the villa's complicated history, she begins to think there might be more to the story of that fateful summer in 1974. That perhaps Pierce's murder wasn't just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but that something more sinister might have occurred - - and that there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Mari and Lara left behind.

Yet the closer that Emily gets to the truth, the more tension she feels developing between her and Chess. As secrets from the past come to light, equally dangerous betrayals from the present also emerge -- and it begins to look like the villa will claim another victim before the summer ends.

Critique: This complete and unabridged audio book edition of Rachel Hawkins' novel, "The Villa" is deftly narrated by the impressive storytelling talents of a team of truly gifted vocal actors -- Shiromi Arserio, Julia Whelan, and Kimberly M. Wetherell. This Macmillan Audio edition of "The Villa" is a strongly recommended addition to both personal and community library Mystery/Suspense audio book collections.

Editorial Note #1: Rachel Hawkins (https://www.rachelhawkinsbooks.com) is the author of The Wife Upstairs and Reckless Girls, as well as multiple books for young readers. Her work has been translated in over a dozen countries. She studied gender and sexuality in Victorian literature at Auburn University.

Editorial Note #2: Shiromi Arserio (https://www.shiromispeaks.com) has worked as a voice actor. As an audiobook narrator she has narrated over 200 titles for major publishers. She is an Audie Finalist and recently won an Earphones Award for The Last Garden in England which she co-narrated. She has a knack for accents and love Science Fiction & Fantasy, as well as YA and Romance and is a member of SAG-AFTRA.

Editorial Note #3: Julia Whelan (https://jmwhelan.com/narrator) Has narrated over 400 audiobooks in all genres, She has been repeatedly featured on Audiofile Magazine's annual Best-Of Lists. She was named Audible's Narrator of the Year in 2014 and is a Grammy-nominated audiobook director. She has acquired multiple Audies and SOVAS (Society of Voice Arts) Awards, including for the performance of her own novel, My Oxford Year. She has won dozens of Earphone Awards, The Audie Award for Best Female Narrator of 2019, and was presented with Audiofile Magazine's Lifetime Achievement Golden Voice Award in 2020.

Editorial Note #4: Kimberly M. Wetherrell (http://www.voxkimberly.com) is an award-winning SAG-AFTRA audiobook narrator and director who has worked with Penguin Random House, Macmillan, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and audiobook producers including Blackstone, Dreamscape, Deyan Audio, and Orange Sky Audio, among others.

What Rose Forgot
Nevada Barr, author
Kate Burton, narrator
Macmillan Audio
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781250240965, $39.99, CD

https://www.amazon.com/What-Rose-Forgot-Nevada-Barr/dp/1250240964

Synopsis: Rose Dennis wakes up in a hospital gown, her brain in a fog, only to discover that she's been committed to an Alzheimer's Unit in a nursing home. With no memory of how she ended up in this position, Rose is sure that something is very wrong. When she overhears one of the administrators saying about her that she's "not making it through the week," Rose is convinced that if she's to survive, she has to get out of the nursing home. She avoids taking her medication, putting on a show for the aides, then stages her escape.

The only problem is -- how does she convince anyone that she's not actually demented? Her relatives were the ones to commit her, all the legal papers were drawn up, the authorities are on the side of the nursing home, and even she isn't sure she sounds completely sane. But any lingering doubt Rose herself might have had is erased when a would-be killer shows up in her house in the middle of the night. Now Rose knows that someone is determined to get rid of her.

With the help of her computer hacker/recluse sister Marion, thirteen-year old granddaughter Mel, and Mel's friend Royal, Rose begins to gather her strength and fight back - to find out who is after her and take back control of her own life. But someone out there is still determined to kill Rose, and they're holding all the cards!

Critique: Author Nevada Barr's psychological thriller of a novel is vividly brought to life by the narrative storytelling styles of vocal acting professional Kate Burton. This complete and unabridged audio book edition from Macmillan Audio is a 'must' for the legions of Nevada Barr fans and an unreservedly recommended addition to community library audio book collections.

Editorial Note #1: Nevada Barr (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_Barr) received a BA in speech and drama and her MFA in Acting. For eighteen years she worked on stage, in commercials, industrial training films and did voice-overs for radio. Nevada also wrote and presented campfire stories, taught storytelling and was a travel writer and restaurant critic. Her first novel, Bittersweet was published in 1983.

Editorial Note #2: Katherine Burton (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Burton_(actress) is a British/Swiss actress, the daughter of Welsh actors Richard Burton and Sybil Christopher. On television, Burton received critical acclaim as Ellis Grey in the Shonda Rhimes drama series Grey's Anatomy, and as Vice President Sally Langston on Scandal. She has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Tony Awards.

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