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Friday, August 2, 2013

Audio Book Review: Maiden Voyage of the Rio Grande by Michael Coorlim

This is another quick, easy listen with a brutal mystery to be solved.

by Michael Coorlim
Narrated by Wayne Farrell
    LENGTH    55 mins
    RELEASE DATE    05-15-13
    PUBLISHER    Michael Coorlim

Genre: Steampunk Mystery
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0


Publisher's Summary
The Bartleby and James Adventures steampunk mystery series follows the cases of consulting detectives Anton Bartleby and James Wainwright through an alternate Victorian history. Their latest adventure takes them high above the greatest city in the world.

Brilliant but socially-awkward inventor and engineer James Wainwright has been accused of murder most foul, and only his savvy partner, Alton Bartleby, can clear his name. The clock is ticking, though, as the true murderer's sabotage threatens to crash the world's largest airship into the teaming streets of London below.

Who are Bartleby and James?
Alton Bartleby is a social savant, the scion of a once pround and noble bloodline, working to restore his family's name. James Wainwright is a brilliant engineer and inventor. Together they take on the cases that Scottland Yard cannot or will not handle.


Review:
Inventor and engineer James Wainwright is accused of murder when he stumbles on a dead body on the maiden voyage of the new American airship, the Rio Grande. He is facing an antagonistic interrogation when his sophisticated and detailed oriented partner, Alton Bartleby, steps in to rescue him. They convince the Captain that James is innocent and they offer to locate the real killer.

They have to determine cause of death, opportunity and motive. James and Bartleby set off by examining the corpse and the scene of the crime. They proceed with interviewing passengers and crew. They determine that the brutal murder involved a theft. The ship is using a new propulsion system which is touted as the latest and greatest but apparently the crucial mechanism that keeps the large ship balanced has been removed!

The deceased was a well liked crewmember with no obvious enemies, however the airship owner’s biggest competitor is on board and would love the chance to “sink” the ship. The suspects also include an estranged son and bitter wife. The biggest problem is that unless James can jerry-rig a fix the ship will roll and explode causing damage to the vessel and the city below. James and Bartleby race against time to solve the murder mystery and fix the ship before they all go down in flames.

I really enjoyed the step by step investigation as described by James. This is an inexpensive purchase for an hour of fun listening!

Audio Notes: As with the first book, Wayne Farrell presents the story with perfect British hauteur and aplomb. He handles the American accents well too. I hope there will be more brisk adventures written by Mr. Coorlim and read by Mr. Farrell.

I received this Audible download to provide an honest review for the author through Audiobook Jukebox.

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