Turn to Dust ~ Audio Book Blog Tour & Review!

TURN TO DUST

Detective Kay Hunter Series, Book 9

BY RACHEL AMPHLETT

Narrated by Alison Campbell

Length: 7 hours 56 minutes

Publisher: Saxon Publishing

Sub-Genres: Mystery, Police Procedural

Released: May 14, 2020

When the body of a naked man is found in the middle of a barren field, a rural community is left in shock - and fear.

Discovering that someone is offering money in return for information about the dead man and anyone connected to him, Detective Kay Hunter realises there is a dark side to the victim’s past.

When a key witness disappears and a web of deceit and lies threatens to derail the investigation, she fears the worst.

Can Kay and her team of detectives find out who is behind the man’s murder before another victim is targeted?

RachelAmphlett.com

HALL WAYS REVIEW: AUDIO BOOK REVIEW. Reading (with my ears) the latest book in the Detective Kay Hunter series was the perfect escape during these social distancing days. It felt like spending time with old friends after a long time apart from them – I read the prior book, Cradle to Grave, nearly nine months ago! The fabulous Alison Campbell returns to narrate the story, and within four minutes, author Rachel Amphlett gives us the first mention of steaming hot coffee. Perfection.  

Amphlett has a predictable formula that’s held for all nine of the books so far in this series – and that’s why I keep returning. I know exactly what to expect: a hideous death that turns out to be a murder; an investigation that uncovers nefarious goings-on, a late-in-the game discovery where the clock is ticking, and lives are on the line. The stories are police procedural, with the same core team working the crime and crime scenes, and main character Kay’s husband can be counted on to be her rock and our source of amusement. Sound dull? No way. Amphlett fleshes out these bones to provide readers a unique, gruesome, and engrossing story every. single. time. I almost always listen straight through in a day – do-able since most books come in at around 8 hours.

“Hunger beats solidarity most of the time, in my experience.”

In Turn to Dust, Amphlett masterfully builds a story around the victim and masterfully manipulates readers into making (incorrect) assumptions and drawing (wrong) conclusions about him. Predictably, the murder barely scratches the surface of a bigger sinister picture in Amphlett’s stories, bringing in a human-interest element that reminds readers to look beyond appearances and not to judge. I am being intentionally vague because to be specific would spoil the fun of discovering and uncovering the truth, right alongside Kay and her investigative team.

Did I mention gruesome? I do believe Turn to Dust has the most bizarre murder scene of the series thus far, and some really twisted (literally) things happen to victims. Amphlett’s descriptions are rich and detailed enough that readers’ noses will be wrinkling and stomachs clenching. This, in contrast to the ever-polite and proper manner of the British detectives, is one of the things I love. (Side note: I always learn new Brit-speak, and in this book, I learned the term “sleeping rough,” for how the homeless spend the night. Accurate.)

“She was partially thankful that the sign had been turned in the window to read “closed.” Otherwise she would have been tempted to browse the shelves. Adam…would have a heart attack if she bought more books.”

I also love the core characters, especially in off-duty mode. I love Kay and her love of wine, books, and bookshops; I love Barnes’s humor, even (especially?) when it comes out at inappropriate times; I love Adam and his rotating animal menagerie; I love Carris’s loyalty and empathy. Amphlett shows the human side of the detectives and peeks into their lives outside working the cases. There was less of the characters’ private worlds in Turn to Dust, and I particularly missed not having more Adam/Kay time. Strangely, Kay’s extended family is completely absent in this installment, unless I missed any mentions since I was reading with my ears. 

Regardless, I’ll be back for the next installment in the Detective Kay Hunter series – and there just must be one. I’m not anywhere near ready to say goodbye. And Kay would never stop at a ninth story. A nice round dozen, I’d think, is more her style.

ABOUT THE NARRATION: Alison Campbell provides an outstanding performance, as always. Campbell’s pacing is even, her diction perfectly clear. I listened at regular speed for once, though Authors Direct, the platform I used, allows small incremental tweaks to the speed. Nice. Still waiting for the return of her creepy-guy voice, but she had lots of practice with weepy women in this one.

Thank you to the author and Audiobookworm Productions for providing an audio code in exchange for my honest review – the only kind I give. Forgive any misspellings of character names – don’t know ‘em when I read with my ears.

I received this audio book as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Rachel Amphlett. The gifting of this audio book did not affect my opinion of it.

Before turning to writing, Rachel Amphlett played guitar in bands, worked as a TV and film extra, dabbled in radio as a presenter and freelance producer for the BBC, and worked in publishing as a sub-editor and editorial assistant.

She now wields a pen instead of a plectrum and writes crime fiction and spy novels, including the Dan Taylor espionage novels and the Detective Kay Hunter series.

Originally from the UK and currently based in Brisbane, Australia, Rachel cites her writing influences as Michael Connelly, Lee Child, and Robert Ludlum. She’s also a huge fan of Peter James, Val McDermid, Robert Crais, Stuart MacBride, and many more.

She’s a member of International Thriller Writers and the Crime Writers Association, with the Italian foreign rights for her debut novel, White Gold sold to Fanucci Editore's TIMECrime imprint, and the first four books in the Dan Taylor espionage series contracted to Germany’s Luzifer Verlag.

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Alison Campbell is an actress based in Bristol, U.K. She has lent her voice to 50+ audiobooks, cartoons, documentaries and dramas. She can be found treading the boards across the country, in everything from Shakespeare to hip hop kids adventures. On screen she has appeared in dramas and science documentaries, her most recent co star was a CGI elephant. She can also be found performing the Natural Theatre Company's award-winning surreal brand of interactive comedy around the globe.

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OF OTHER BOOKS

IN THE DETECTIVE KAY HUNTER SERIES!

Scared to Death (#1)

Will to Live (#2)

One to Watch (#3)

Hell to Pay (#4)

Call to Arms (#5)

Gone to Ground (#6)

Bridge to Burn (#7)

Cradle to Grave (#8)

Shadow in the Smoke ~ Audio Book Blog Tour Review & Giveaway!

SHADOW IN THE SMOKE

THE McLAREN MYSTERIES, BOOK 3

BY JO A. HIESTAND

Narrated by Steve Hart 

Sub-Genre: Mystery

Length: 8 hours 32 minutes

Series: The McLaren Mysteries, Book 3

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Released: Nov. 30, 2019

Janet Ennis tragically died five years ago in what the police labeled an accidental fire. But Janet’s mother, Nora, believes it to be murder and arson. And she’s hoping ex-cop Michael McLaren can prove it quickly, for she’s losing her memory to dementia.

As McLaren pokes through the case details, he becomes emotionally involved with the dead woman. Yet, Janet isn’t the only person who threatens his mental well-being. A series of arsons on his own property hint that he’s upset someone connected with this case.

Motives for Janet’s murder rise like the smoky tendrils of a fire. And motive aside, the murder scene seems a bit too pat: a drought-stricken landscape eager to lap up flames and a conveniently locked door barring Janet’s escape.

Will McLaren solve the case while Nora can still comprehend the resolution, or will Harvester’s plans see McLaren’s career go up in smoke?

   

HALL WAYS REVIEW: Audio Book Review: Shadow in the Smoke is the third book in The McLaren Mysteries by Jo A. Hiestand, and the first I’ve read, but it won’t be the last. It works perfectly well as a stand-alone book and I never felt lost or confused due to lack of backstory. The author gives readers enough to pique interest in learning more about ex-cop Michael McLaren, though. It seems there are juicy details to why he’s an ex-cop and not still in the force, and what’s the story with his girlfriend Dena? I’ll be adding the first two books to the ever-toppling TBR.

What becomes clear from the get-go is that Jo Hiestand excels at characterization, and with the apt narration of Steve Hart, I was already loathing a character within minutes of listening. OH! His condescension and patronization! Hiestand uses just the right words to describe scenes and people and evoke very specific responses from the reader. For those who are reading with their ears, the huge cast of characters and how they are related to one another can be confusing. New characters continue to be added up until very near the end of the book, and it seems everyone has a motive to murder. I recommend pulling out a notebook and playing detective yourself to keep track of who’s who.

Shadow in the Smoke is really a police procedural, and readers are right there beside McLaren as he gets information and puts the pieces together. It sometimes feels a bit too convenient that Michael has multiple connections at the police department who are willing to break the law in sharing classified information and documents. McLaren doesn’t hesitate to use it and even plays dirty with suspects as he tries to solve the case and protect himself as he becomes a target.

The story is heavy on dialogue, but it has some action that will pull readers out of rumination mode and into danger, right along with McLaren. And beneath all the sleuthing, there is also a sub-plot threading its way through the book that shows the sadness and loneliness of dementia. Having had a parent suffer through it, I found these scenes accurately heartbreaking, and the respect and tenderness shown by McLaren in dealing with Nora brought another dimension to his already complex character.

The story ties-up rather quickly, and admittedly, I was still scratching my head to figure out the convoluted known and unknown relationships between several characters. If I had the book in print, I would have probably pursued that so I could have it all straight -- especially because the final sentence only added more questions rather than providing a resolution to anything. Perhaps it tied up a loose thread, or perhaps it was a hint at things to come. Either way, I’m on board for more of Michael McLaren and this series.

ABOUT THE NARRATION:  The setting of Shadow in the Smoke is a little wiggly for this Texas girl; I think it’s set in England but I didn’t take the time to use the Google and look-up any of the towns mentioned to verify it. Narrator Steve Hart seems to have an Australian accent in portraying Michael McLaren, which is fine with me because it is a delightful accent, but I am not sure it was accurate for the character. Overall, his pacing is consistent, and it was easy to follow along listening to the audio at regular speed. The exception is that there aren’t appropriate pauses for segues to scene changes, which sometimes caused confusion. Even so, I wouldn’t hesitate to listen to him narrate another story. He performs both male and female voices well, uses a nice technique for when the dialogue occurred via telephone call, and his diction is clear – even with the multiple accents and unknown towns, I didn’t have any trouble understanding him in any character voice. Well done.

Thank you to Audiobookworm promotions and the author for providing me an audio book code in exchange for my honest opinion – the only kind I give. 

I received this audio book as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Jo A. Hiestand. The gifting of this audio book did not affect my opinion of it.

Jo A. Hiestand can usually be found at her computer, which is good, since she writes three mystery series. It seems a natural progression from her job as a graphic artist – crafting word images on a sheet of paper instead of creating graphics on the computer screen. Between the two computer stints, she lived in Britain for her semi-pro folk singing career and became friends with several English police detectives. The latter relationship was not a consequence of the former calling, however, but all these UK aspects find their way into her books. When not tapping on the keyboard, Jo enjoys reading, baking, and photography. She lives in the St Louis area with her cat, Tennyson, and way too many kilts.

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After a number of years with commercial radio covering two continents, Steve Hart moved toward narration after being asked to perform his first novel in 2005. As it turned out, his story telling ability became stronger as each book and year passed. Steve considers narration an on-going study that even requires constant focus and the mindset of ‘always be willing to learn and grow.’

“Many people have an opinion on ‘how to read’ a book, but I believe there is only one way—you have to be in it! Immersed in the story and being the character(s) as they move through it. Projecting the emotion and bringing the whole story to life, while making it easy to consume for the listener.”

Prize: $30 Amazon Gift Card / Open Internationally

Shadow in the Smoke Giveaway: $30 Amazon Gift Card



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