Audible Book Review: Inside Jobs, Tales from a Time of Quarantine by Ben H. Winters

This is a humorous take on crime during Quarantine situation.

Inside Jobs
Tales from a Time of Quarantine
By: Ben H. Winters
Narrated by: Scott Aiello, Kevin T. Collins, Ellen Archer

Length: 2 hrs and 32 mins
Release date: 04-30-20
Publisher: Audible Originals
Categories: Literature & Fiction, Anthologies & Short Stories
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

About This Audible Original
Three offbeat stories of crime and conundrum, set in the present moment, from The New York Times best-selling, Edgar Award-winning author of Underground Airlines and The Last Policeman.
Inside Jobs: Tales from a Time of Quarantine includes:
The Crimson Parrot
It's not easy masterminding the crime of the century when your whole gang is working from home. A high-stakes tale of larceny, deception, and teleconferencing.
The Cape House
As the world shifts around them, two estranged brothers end up in their childhood home. But it's the memories they unearth that will change them forever.
Stop Motion
With endless time on her hands, an apartment-bound young woman gets to all the hobbies she's neglected—martial arts, playing the sax, photography...and solving a murder?
©2020 Ben H. Winters (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC

Review:
This is a fun look at crime and the route it could take during a pandemic. The Crimson Parrot tells the tale of three thieves planning a heist through a Zoom meeting. Behind their meeting they have to deal with family or situational issues. Learning new technology won’t change the stripes of these criminals.

The Cape House is a house inherited by two estranged brothers when their father dies. They have memories of the home but most of them are not good memories. They realize that each one wants to keep the house for their own reason. But they don’t want to share. They discover their father’s pistol hidden in the attic and now their options expand.

Stop Motion is my favorite of the three stories. It has elements of Rear Window as a woman stuck in her apartment begins to suspect a neighbor has killed his partner. She ropes her former boyfriend into helping her investigate. It is a little macabre, but fun…in a twisted way.

I always love irony that twists in a story and the author does that well in these three short stories. I didn’t realize this was an author I read before but when I checked I realized I like another short story, Q&A, that I listened to. I think I have looked at his longer works and now I am ready to take a longer look. I recommend this to fans of mystery with twists.

Audio Notes: The three narrators, Scott Aiello, Kevin T. Collins, and Ellen Archer deliver the stories with clear voices that fit the characters and the situations. I am glad that I got to enjoy this on audio.

Source: December 2020 Audible Plus. This qualifies for 2022TBR, 2022Audiobook, and 2022Alphabet goals.

Audible Book Review: Departure by A.G. Riddle

I liked this engaging time travel suspense.

Departure
By: A.G. Riddle
Narrated by: Nicola Barber, Scott Aiello

Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
Release date: 02-17-15
Publisher: Audible Studios
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Technothriller, Time Travel
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.5.

Publisher's Summary
En route to London from New York, Flight 305 suddenly loses power and crash-lands in the English countryside, plunging a group of strangers into a mysterious adventure that will have repercussions for all of humankind.
Struggling to stay alive, the survivors soon realize that the world they've crashed in is very different from the one they left. But where are they? Why are they here? And how will they get back home?
Five passengers seem to hold clues about what's really going on: writer Harper Lane, venture capitalist Nick Stone, German genetic researcher Sabrina Schröder, computer scientist Yul Tan, and Grayson Shaw - the son of a billionaire philanthropist.
As more facts about the crash emerge, it becomes clear that some in this group know more than they're letting on - answers that will lead Harper and Nick to uncover a far-reaching conspiracy involving their own lives. As they begin to piece together the truth, they discover they have the power to change the future and the past - to save our world...or end it.
To read an epilogue to Departure and access other bonus material, go to agriddle.com/departure/extras
©2014 A.G. Riddle (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Review:
Harper is a writer who has been offered a contract to do an important biography. She is flying home from the interview and trying to decide if she should take this lucrative offer or turn her energies to her fiction writing. Near her in first class seating is a drunken, obnoxious man, Grayson Shaw, the son of the man she may write about. When Grayson gets too rowdy with an attendant, another passenger, Nick Stone, tries to calm him down. While they are in conflict the plane suddenly lunges, and quickly crashes.

Nick, a confident venture capitalist, takes charge at the crash scene where many of the passengers in the front have survived. He enlists a doctor, Sabrina, to help with the injured. Meanwhile, one man, later identified as computer scientist Yul Tan, remains in his seat fiercely working on his computer. The survivors soon realize that the rear half of the plane has fallen into a nearby lake and is in danger of sinking.

This group of five primary characters have an interwoven past that they aren’t aware. When a current day conflict involves them, they begin to question what is really going on.

I had some frustration with the stubbornness and opposition of characters who were supposed to be altruistic visionaries. Still, their behaviors created the conflict that fueled the tension among the characters. I enjoyed the suspense and time travel elements. There was also a small, but nice element of romance. The story is told in alternating views by Harper and Nick. The reading moved along at a quick pace. All together the plot and action made for an entertaining reading/listening. I recommend this to readers who enjoy time travel and suspense.

Audio Notes: I enjoyed the dual narration by Nicola Barber and Scott Aiello. They managed to portray the character personalities through their voices. The narration enhance my reading experience.

Source: Audible Two for One Credit Sale 10/31/2020. This qualifies for 2021TBR, 2021Audiobook an 2021Alphabet Audio goals.

Audible Book Review: Genesis by Ken Lozito

I enjoyed this fast moving military sci fi.
Genesis
By: Ken Lozito
Narrated by: Scott Aiello

Series: First Colony, Book 1
Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 02-27-18
Language: English
Publisher: Audible Studios
Genre: Colonization, Military Sci Fi, Space Fleet
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.5

Publisher's Summary
A mission gone wrong. Innocent lives have been lost.
Escaping wrongful imprisonment wasn't something Connor had in mind, but being put into stasis aboard Earth's first interstellar colony ship was something he couldn't have prepared for.
For 300,000 colonists, the new colony brings the promise of a fresh start...a second chance. Connor might be the wrong man for the colony, but he's the right man to see that it survives what's coming.
A new world with new challenges, but the mission has changed.
If you loved Old Man's War and Ender's Game, you'll love Genesis from First Colony, a new military science fiction series.
©2017 Ken Lozito (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

Review:
Colonel Connor Gates is hot on the tale of a criminal mastermind. He thinks his elite team of ‘Ghosts’ has the leader cornered. Instead, the mission explodes around them, taking millions of innocent lives. Connor goes to sleep wondering what charges he will have to face. He isn’t at all prepared for what he learns when he wakes up – over a hundred years in the future.

Connor was smuggled aboard the Earth’s first interstellar colony ship. The 300,000 colonists and their leaders had set out to establish a peaceful society. They have security but no true military experience. This might have worked fine if the ship had arrived at the expected planet. When the ship is detoured to a different planet they must deal with natural predators that weren’t planned for.

Connor is invited to tour the planet base and begin to think where he might fit. It doesn’t take long for him to see gaps and weaknesses in the security system. This riles the man in charge of the local force. But increasing predator attacks make it clear that Connor has a better plan to protect the people. He sets out to train a dozen men and women to be a new special search and rescue team. Can they get the defenses in place before losing people, even the newly trained team, to the surprisingly clever beasts?

Connor is a well-developed dedicated and intense character. He is not a superhero but has the skills and instincts that are needed for the colony. I especially enjoyed the fast-paced military action as well as the mysteries that are presented. Why was the ship diverted? What secrets are contained in the ancient city that seems to be affecting the enemy beasts? What is the true danger revealed by the encrypted message sent through time and space to warn the colonists?

I will be picking up more in this series. I recommend this to readers who enjoy military sci fi and first colony stories.

Audio Notes: I’ve enjoyed the narration of Scott Aiello on other works and he does another good job on this one. He presents the characters with different voices and fitting emotions. He helps put the listener in the middle of the action. I am very glad I listened to this on audio.

Source: 8/30/18 Audible Daily Deal $2.95. This qualifies for 2019TBR and 2019Audiobook goals.

Audio Book Review: Dreamer's Pool: Blackthorn & Grim, Book 1 Written by: Juliet Marillier

This dark faireytale, complete with tortured characters, tricky fae magic and mysteries, is probably my favorite read of 2014.
Dreamer's Pool: Blackthorn & Grim, Book 1
Written by: Juliet Marillier
Narrated by: Scott Aiello, Natalie Gold, Nick Sullivan

Length: 17 hrs and 44 mins
Series: Blackthorn & Grim, Book 1
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:11-04-14
Publisher: Audible Studios
Genre: Fantasy
My Rating: 5.0 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
Award-winning author Juliet Marillier "weaves magic, mythology, and folklore into every sentence on the page" (The Book Smugglers). Now she begins an all-new and enchanting series that will transport readers to a magical vision of ancient Ireland...
In exchange for help escaping her long and wrongful imprisonment, embittered magical healer Blackthorn has vowed to set aside her bid for vengeance against the man who destroyed all that she once held dear. Followed by a former prison mate, a silent hulk of a man named Grim, she travels north to Dalriada. There she'll live on the fringe of a mysterious forest, duty bound for seven years to assist anyone who asks for her help. Oran, crown prince of Dalriada, has waited anxiously for the arrival of his future bride, Lady Flidais. He knows her only from a portrait and sweetly poetic correspondence that have convinced him Flidais is his destined true love. But Oran discovers letters can lie. For although his intended exactly resembles her portrait, her brutality upon arrival proves she is nothing like the sensitive woman of the letters.
With the strategic marriage imminent, Oran sees no way out of his dilemma. Word has spread that Blackthorn possesses a remarkable gift for solving knotty problems, so the prince asks her for help. To save Oran from his treacherous nuptials, Blackthorn and Grim will need all their resources: courage, ingenuity, leaps of deduction, and more than a little magic.
©2014 Juliet Marillier (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Review:
Blackthorn is a woman who suffered loss and was locked up and abused when she tried to speak out about murder and injustice. The reader meets Blackthorn and Grim in a cesspool of a dungeon. Blackthorn is hoping to finally get a chance to speak out to the counsel on her innocence and the abuse she has suffered. Instead she is mocked by the guards and told that she will not be alive in the morning. Before she can succumb to complete despair she is visited by a fae Mage. He offers her freedom with several conditions. She must go to the village of Dalriada to serve as a healer; she must help whoever asks for help; and she must remain for seven years, setting aside her plans for revenge. Although the terms are hard to accept she decides it is better to live for now.

Grim is a giant of a man who has watched Blackthorn constantly from the next cell. He has watched over and tried to encourage the “Lady” whenever he could. Grim helps Blackthorn to escape the dungeon when the opportunity unexpectedly arises. He also tries to help other prisoners before he follows Blackthorn. He has nowhere else to go but really he is determined to protect her and be near the hope and light he sees within her battered being. There are only glimpses of Grim’s past but it is clear that he too is an anguished soul.

Blackthorn and Grim set up in a cottage on the estate of Prince Oran. The Prince has finally agreed to marry after a letter courtship with his intended bride, Lady Flidais. Lady Flidais and her entourage suffer tragedy when Lady Flidais’ handmaiden is drowned near the edge of the village of Dalraida. Oran is excited to welcome Lady Flidais but he is surprised by her behaviors. At first her headaches and sudden estrangement from her beloved dog are explained as the result of fatigue and distress. However, as the days come closer to their hand-fasting, Oran fears that something serious has happened to the young woman and love he dreamed of through her letters. He seeks the help of Blackthorn in a last effort to resolve his confusions.

This book is filled with totally engaging characters and a gripping tale of tragedy, hardships, folklore and dark magic! The story is told in a versatile manner from the rotating first person views of the three primary characters, Blackthorn, Grim and Oran. There are wonderful historic descriptions of the settings - dungeon, fortress, village, gypsy camp - all blended nicely into the storyline. There is backstory woven in as well as mysteries to be solved with steady reasoning and bold courage. Although I guessed the details in both mysteries it was still a delight to watch the protagonists unravel the truth and deal with the wrongdoers.

This was a delightful surprise and a book I did not want to put down. This entanglement concludes satisfactorily but leaves open questions that make me eager for more episodes and adventures. I have not read Ms. Marillier before but I will definitely be seeking the next book in this series and other works too. I highly recommend this tale to readers who enjoy a thoroughly engaging fantasy.

Audio Notes: The three narrators, Scott Aiello, Natalie Gold and Nick Sullivan, did a great job in
sharing the depths of their characters. There were times I was annoyed by the characters’ emotional responses, or lack thereof, but I felt this was intentional and that the narration conveyed the nuances of each character. The audio enhanced my pleasure in an already absorbing story.

This was a really lucky pick for me to receive from Audible through Audiobook Jukebox.