Kate’s 2¢: “Sleeping Bear” by Connor Sullivan

“Sleeping Bear” by Connor Sullivan

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

Yes, this story is a good thriller. I suspect there is a lot of under-cover espionage and medical experimenting going on that the general public knows nothing about.

   Hillary Huber did a good job of reading this thriller.

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Connor Sullivan attended the University of Southern California, where he was the recipient of the Edward W. Moses Award for Creative Writing. During college, he interned for Warner Brothers reading screenplays before relocating with his family to the Gallatin Valley in Montana. His first novel is Sleeping Bear.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Sleeping bear: a thriller DB108828

Sullivan, Connor. Reading time: 13 hours, 46 minutes.

Read by Hillary Huber.

Suspense Fiction

Spy Stories

“After her young husband’s untimely death, Army veteran Cassie Gale decides to take a few days of solitude in the Alaskan wilderness before she starts her new job. But when she fails to show up on her first day and her dog is discovered injured at her wrecked campsite, her father knows that this is much more than a camping trip gone awry. As it turns out, Cassie’s not the first person to disappear without a trace in Alaska’s northern interior. Bears. Wolves. Avalanches. Frostbite. Starvation. There are many ways to die in here. But not all disappearances can be explained. Cassie’s is one of them, along with a number of other outdoor enthusiasts who have vanished in recent years. Regaining consciousness in a Russian prison, Cassie finds herself trapped in a system designed to ensure that no one ever escapes alive. It will require all her grit and skills to survive. Meanwhile, her father rushes to outrun the clock, scouring thousands of acres, only to realize she’s been taken by a nefari

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Kate’s 2¢: “QED : Queen’s experiments in detection” by Ellery Queen

“QED : Queen’s experiments in detection” by Ellery Queen

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   On listnening to several stories and EQ explains how he came to his concludion, I like to go back to the beginning of the story to find out what I over-looked.  Often, it is a detail EQ kept to himself until the end.

   I was intrigued by the safe in a safe; naming an eye-witness to who came out of the murdered man’s room; How Queen identified the one of three boys who stole the money from the teacher’s desk and where he hid it; How the unlucky lady was murdered  and who Queen identified one of her three suiters as the murderer; How the Library of Congress was used as a drug deal location and how Queen identified the participants.

   Well, I could go on, but the last story caught my curiosity. In is Queen described a Lincoln stamp worth a lot of money. I looked it up and the closest to what he described as a double Lincoln stamp with the upper image of Lincoln is upside-down and no perforation between the top and bottom stamps. We found a 1869  90-cent upside-down Lincoln head stamp, but it was only one stamp and no perforations.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ellery Queen is a pseudonym created in 1929 by American crime fiction writers Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee and the name of their main fictional character, a mystery writer in New York City who helps his police inspector father solve baffling murders.[1] Dannay and Lee wrote most of the more than thirty novels and several short story collections in which Ellery Queen appeared as a character, and their books were among the most popular of American mysteries published between 1929 and 1971. In addition to the fiction featuring their eponymous brilliant amateur detective, the two men acted as editors: as Ellery Queen they edited more than thirty anthologies of crime fiction and true crime, and Dannay founded and for many decades edited Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, which has been published continuously from 1941 to the present. From 1961, Dannay and Lee also commissioned other authors to write crime thrillers using the Ellery Queen nom de plume, but not featuring Ellery Queen as a character; several juvenile novels were credited to Ellery Queen, Jr. Finally, the prolific duo wrote four mysteries under the pseudonym Barnaby Ross.

Adding another layer of complexity to their relations, the two men were cousins, who created the nom de plume Ellery Queen using their professional names.[citation needed] Frederic Dannay was the professional name of Daniel Nathan[citation needed] (October 20, 1905 – September 3, 1982),[2] and Manfred Bennington Lee that of Emanuel Benjamin Lepofsky[citation needed] (January 11, 1905 – April 3, 1971).[3]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

QED : Queen’s experiments in detection DBC27218

Queen, Ellery. Reading time: 7 hours, 8 minutes.

Read by Traber Burns.

Suspense Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

A collection of novelettes and short stories from Ellery Queen’s many escapades. Commercial audiobook. Adult. Unrated.

Downloaded: December 17, 2022

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Kate’s 2¢: “Only a Moment Ago” by Wanita Humphrey

“Only a Moment Ago” by Wanita Humphrey

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

I liked this story. It was a wonderful love story and I like the way Eudora found to extend her love affair.  

Wanita Humphrey – Oghma Creative Media

Wanita Humphrey lives in Jefferson City, Missouri, with her husband, Glen. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, writing, traveling, and going to concerts. While teaching for thirty-one years in Missouri’s Public Schools, Wanita was active in the Missouri State Teachers Association and served as state president in 1999. She is a member of Kappa Kappa Iota and PEO.

https://oghmacreative.com/mbm-book-author/wanita-humphreyActions for this site

from NLS/BARD/LOC:

Only a Moment Ago DBC24317

Humphrey, Wanita. Reading time: 7 hours, 8 minutes.

Read by Carolyn Patterson.

Suspense Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

Romance

Defined by love. Denied by time. In 1952, while vacationing in France, Eudora Winningham meets Alain Philidor. In search of a perfect spot to capture the beautiful landscape on canvas she trespasses on his land. Enchanted by the man and his beautifully restored farmhouse, she soon learns that he exists in the year 2006. Will they be able to bridge the gap of time or will the years between them separate them forever? Adult.

Downloaded: September 24, 2022

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 Kate’s 2¢: “The diplomat and the gold piano” by Margaret Scherf

“The diplomat and the gold piano” by Margaret Scherf

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   This story is by the author of “Glass On The Stairs”  and is written in the same forthright voice and style. An interesting read.. 

From the web:

Margaret Scherf (1908 – 1979) Margaret Scherf is best known for her many humorous murder mysteries. Scherf’s writing career spans from 1940 to 1978.Margaret Scherf’s writing career came to an abrupt end in 1979 when she was killed by a drunken driver.

Margaret Scherf – Fantastic Fiction

www.fantasticfiction.com/s/margaret-scherf/

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The diplomat and the gold piano DBC25560

Scherf, Margaret. Reading time: 4 hours, 49 minutes.

Read by JoAnn Mayala.

Mystery and Detective Stories

A thrilling case involving international intrigue and a Manhattan murder. UN Ambassador, Pierre Marie Cloche, returns home from a meeting of the Committee on Outer Space to find a gold piano and portraits of two bearded men on a desk in his apartment. How they got there and their link with the murder are mysteries he sets out to solve.

Downloaded: September 24, 2022

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Kate’s 2¢: “Happily this Christmas” by Susan Mallery

“Happily this Christmas” by Susan Mallery

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   I’ve been told that the main character in a story is the one who changes the most by the end of the story. I don’t see were Wynn changes much. Garrick changes some, as he realizes he loves Wynn, but I think Joylyn is the one who changes the most. I count her as the main character.

   Joylyn comes to her dad, Garrick’s home, an angry, messed up pregnant, married girl and by the end of the story she is a more mature, poised young woman and a new Mom with an appreciation of how she’d misunderstood her parents.  

susanmallery.com

Born in 1970, Susan grew up in the Los Angeles, California area.

Mallery earned an MA from Seton Hill University.[4]

Mallery was published straight out of college with two books in January 1992.[5]

In 2008, her book Accidentally Yours became the first to make The New York Times Best Seller list.

On July 12, 2012, her book Summer Nights reached No. 2 on The New York Times bestseller list for paperback mass-market fiction.[6] A second book, A Christmas Bride, was No. 24 in November 2012.[7] A Fool’s Gold Christmas made the Times’ e-book fiction list on October 14, 2012.[8] Three Sisters reached at No. 3 on the New York Times bestseller list.[9]

Mallery’s book Thrill Me reached No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list the next year in 2015.[10]

Mallery then began to foray into women’s fiction, which she saw as an opportunity to explore some of the other relationships that are so important to women. Today, Mallery describes her work as “Romance-Plus” blending elements of both Contemporary romance and Women’s fiction in her stories.[11]

She lives in Washington state with her husband, two cats and a poodle. She is passionate about animal

welfare and has served on the board of Seattle Humane.[12]

www.tanyaeby.com

Tanya is an Audie Award-winning narrator. She has narrated over 1,000 diverse titles. TANYA EBY, 2021. She is the voice of books from publishing houses such as. Audible, …

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Happily, this Christmas DB101032

Mallery, Susan Reading time: 8 hours, 2 minutes.

Tanya Eby

Romance

Holidays

Wynn Beauchene has a thriving business, a great kid and a mildly embarrassing crush on the guy next door–local cop Garrick McCabe. She can’t help dreaming what-if about a man she barely knows, until he unexpectedly needs her help. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2020.

Download Happily this Christmas DB101032

Kate’s 2¢: “Murder in Old Bombay” by Nev March 

“Murder in Old Bombay” by Nev March 

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   Vikas Adam did a great job narrating this story.  From time to time, I slowed the speech to really hear the pronunciation, rather than hear a blur of sounds. 

   The narrative arc of “Murder in Old Bombay” took us on what, at times, seemed like a steeple chase, but Captain Jim’s various under-cover ploys sure kept us turning the pages.  There were several sub-plots and hidden background flashes that kept my interest. I tried to keep up with his travels and how it all fit together.  Also complicating the plot were the numerous cultural taboos, such as the intricate caste system.

From the web:

Author Nev March is the first Indian-born writer to win Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America’s Award for Best First Crime Fiction. After a long career in business analysis, in 2015 Nev returned to her passion, writing fiction and now teaches creative writing at Rutgers University, Ocher Institute.

Vikas Adam was born in British Columbia and lived in various parts of Canada, the US, and a stint in India, before his parents settled in Dallas. After receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting/Directing from Syracuse University, he returned to Dallas and worked professionally as an actor, director, and producer in addition to teaching acting.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Murder in Old Bombay DB103115

March, Nev Reading time: 16 hours, 4 minutes.

Vikas Adam

Historical Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

1892. The case of two women who apparently committed suicide captures the attention of Captain Jim Agnihotri while he’s recovering from injuries. He contacts the widower of one of the women and begins investigating. But long-hidden secrets are disturbed and Jim triggers an ominous chain of events. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2020.

Kate’s 2¢: “The Wolf Children” by Cay Rademacher

“The Wolf Children” by Cay Rademacher

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   There was a lot of German names of people, streets, and locations, so, this would be great for students studying German to read.

   The narrative arc was interesting, moved along, and came to a satisfying conclusion, well not really.  The children died and the detective didn’t get the woman he loved,  but he did catch the perp.

From the WEB:

Cay Rademacher is a German author that writes historical mystery novels. Cay came to prominence following the publication of the ‘Inspector Frank Stave’ books. +

   Biography:   Cay Rademacher was born in 1965 and studied Anglo-American history, ancient history, and philosophy in Cologne and Washington. He has been an editor at Geo magazine since 1999, and was instrumental in setting up the renowned history magazine Geo-Epoche. His first novel, The Murderer in Ruins, was shortlisted for the CWA International Dagger award.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The wolf children DB104162

Rademacher, Cay. Reading time: 9 hours, 53 minutes.

Read by Stephen Van Doren.

Suspense Fiction

Historical Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

Hamburg, 1947. As winter and starvation torment the city, Chief Inspector Frank Stave is handed a new case. The corpse of a boy has been found in the ruins of a shipyard. He uncovers the world of war-orphaned children. Translated from the original 2012 German edition. Strong language and some violence. 2017.

Downloaded: December 11, 2021

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 Kate’s 2¢: “Assassin’s run” by Ward Larsen

“Assassin’s run” by Ward Larsen

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   Dave Archard did a good job  of narrating this story for the Florida Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library Services.  

   It takes an assassin to take out an assassin in this action packed novel.

   It was interesting and horrifying to learn about a new  bullet that can be directed mid-flight to take out a target from such lengthy distances  in unfavorable conditions.

Ward Larsen is a USA Today bestselling author and a four-time winner of the Florida Book Award. His first thriller, The Perfect Assassin, is currently being adapted into a major motion picture by Amber Entertainment. A former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, Larsen flew over twenty missions in Operation Desert Storm. He has also served as a federal law enforcement officer, airline captain, and is a trained aircraft accident investigator.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Assassin’s run DBC17123

Larsen, Ward. Reading time: 13 hours, 26 minutes.

Read by Dave Archard. A production of Florida Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library Services.

Suspense Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

Spy Stories

Assassin David Slaton is implicated in a murder he didn’t commit. To prove his innocence, he must investigate the forces behind major transportation innovations. How are they linked? And can Slaton live to clear his name? Adult. Some violence and some strong language.

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Assassin’s run DBC17123

Larsen, Ward. Reading time: 13 hours, 26 minutes.

Read by Dave Archard. A production of Florida Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library Services.

Suspense Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

Spy Stories

Assassin David Slaton is implicated in a murder he didn’t commit. To prove his innocence, he must investigate the forces behind major transportation innovations. How are they linked? And can Slaton live to clear his name? Adult. Some violence and some strong language.

Download Assassin’s run

Kate’s 2¢: “Portrait of an unknown woman” by Daniel Silva and Edoardo Ballerini

“Portrait of an unknown woman” by Daniel Silva and Edoardo Ballerini

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   There are ample opportunities for students of French, Spanish, Italian, and English to hone their ears while listening to this story. Actually, I think I may have listened to this  story years ago, because I recognized the scene with the demonic goat and several other details of the Corsican village and other venues.  I wonder, too, if I haven’t read a book where Gabriel gets shot while in America.

   Gabriel calls on numerous ‘old boys’ from his past occupations as he delves into the seedier side of the art world, and comes out to be quite successful, not to mention, assisting a variety of criminals into lucrative lives  as upstanding citizens, still  using their talents.

   I enjoyed this book and Edoardo Ballerini did a great job of narrating the story with its multiple languages.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

www.danielsilvabooks.com

Silva was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan.[1] When Silva was seven years old, his family moved to Merced, California. He was raised as a Catholic.[2]

He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Fresno and began a graduate program in international relations at San Francisco State University, but left when offered employment as a journalist at United Press International (UPI).[3]

Career[edit]

Journalist[edit]

Silva began his writing career as a journalist with a temporary position at UPI in 1984.[2] His assignment was to cover the Democratic National Convention. UPI made Silva’s position permanent and, a year later transferred him to the Washington, D.C. headquarters. After two more years, he was appointed as UPI’s Middle East correspondent and moved to Cairo.

Silva returned to Washington, D.C., for a position with Cable News Network’s Washington bureau. He worked as a producer and executive producer for several of CNN’s television programs, including Crossfire and Capital Gang.

Novelist[edit]

In 1994 he began work on his first novel, The Unlikely Spy (1996). The novel debuted on The New York Times best-seller list on January 26, 1997; it remained on the list for five weeks, rising to number 13.[4] In 1997 Silva left CNN to pursue writing full-time.

Since then Silva has written 23 more spy novels, all best-sellers on The New York Times list. Gabriel Allon, an Israeli art restorer, spy and assassin, is the protagonist in all but three of Silva’s titles. The series has been a The New York Times bestseller since its first installment in 2001.[5][6] Thirteen of the series’ titles hit number one on The New York Times list of best sellers (Bibliography, below). Some of his novels involve Islamic terrorism, some involve Russian villains, and some are about historic events related to World War II and the Holocaust. Silva did not come into the Allon series with a significant understanding of the world of art restoration but was able to use a neighbor’s expertise to help him turn a spy-assassin into an artist.[2]

Adaptations[edit]

In 2007, Universal Pictures made an offer to option the rights to Silva’s Gabriel Allon series, starting with The Messenger (2005). In 2011, it was announced that Jeff Zucker would serve as producer, though the deal was never signed.[7][8] On May 15, 2017, MGM Television acquired the adaption rights for the Allon series, though no production schedule was released and it was not specified which novel or novels were under consideration.[9]

Personal life[edit]

Silva met Jamie Gangel, a CNN special correspondent while they were both correspondents in the Middle East. They later married, and Silva converted from Catholicism to Judaism, his wife’s religion.[2]

Silva and his wife have twin children. Silva frequently takes his children on research trips for his books.[2][10]

Edoardo Ballerini was born on March 20, 1970 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Sopranos (1999), Quarry (2016) and Dinner Rush (2000).

Born in Los Angeles, CA, The United States March 20, 1970 edit data Edoardo Ballerini is an Award-winning narrator of Audiobooks and has appeared in over 40 films and television series, including recurring roles in Boardwalk Empire, The Sopranos and 24, as well as a starring turn in the indie hit Dinner Rush.

Edoardo Ballerini (Narrator of The Metamorphosis)

www.goodreads.com/author/show/908077.Edoardo_Ballerini

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Portrait of an unknown woman DB110098

Silva, Daniel; Ballerini, Edoardo. Reading time: 10 hours, 20 minutes.

Read by Edoardo Ballerini.

Suspense Fiction

Adventure

Mystery and Detective Stories

Spy Stories

Bestsellers

“Legendary spy and art restorer Gabriel Allon has at long last severed ties with Israeli intelligence and settled quietly in Venice, the only place where he has ever truly known peace. His beautiful wife, Chiara, has taken over the day-to-day management of the Tiepolo Restoration Company, and their two young children are discreetly enrolled in a neighborhood scuola elementare. For his part, Gabriel spends his days wandering the streets and canals of the watery city, bidding farewell to the demons of his tragic, violent past. But when the eccentric London art dealer Julian Isherwood asks Gabriel to investigate the circumstances surrounding the rediscovery and lucrative sale of a centuries-old painting, he is drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse where nothing is as it seems. Gabriel soon discovers that the work in question, a portrait of an unidentified woman attributed to Sir Anthony van Dyck, is almost certainly a fiendishly clever fake. To find the mysterious figure who painted i

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Kate’s 2¢: “Snowblind: Dark Iceland series, book 1” by Jónasson Ragnar and Quentin Bates

“Snowblind: Dark Iceland series, book 1” by Jónasson Ragnar and Quentin Bates

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   I liked this story. Will Damron did a good job of narrating this for NLS. Once you pick up the rhythm of the language for names, streets, and places, the story moves along quite nicely.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ragnar Jonasson was born in Iceland and works as an Attorney at Law and writer in Reykjavik. Before embarking on a writing career, Ragnar translated fourteen Agatha Christie novels into Icelandic. Ragnar is the co-founder of the Reykjavik international crime writing festival Iceland.

Ragnar Jónasson (born 1976) is an Icelandic author of crime fiction. He is the author of the bestselling Dark Iceland series, set in and around Siglufjörður, and featuring Detective Ari Thor.

1. Snowblind (2010; translation of Snjóblinda, 2010)[1]

2. Blackout (2011; translation of Myrknætti, 2011)

3. Rupture (2012; translation of Rof, 2012)

4. Whiteout (2013; translation of Andköf, 2013)

5. Nightblind (2014; translation of Náttblinda, 2014)

6. Winterkill (2020; translation of Vetrarmein, 2020)

https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/quentin-batesActions for this site

Quentin Bates was born in southern England right around the Cuban missile crisis. At one …

Officer Gunnhildur Series by Quentin Bates

Officer Gunnhildur – Book Series In OrderThe “Officer Gunnhildur” series by the British born author and journalist Quentin Bates is about a widowed mom with two children (a daughter and a son) named Gunnhildur “Gunna” Gisladottir.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Snowblind: Dark Iceland series, book 1 DB109348

Ragnar Jónasson; Bates, Quentin. Reading time: 8 hours, 18 minutes.

Read by Will Damron.

Suspense Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

“Siglufjörður: an idyllically quiet fishing village in Northern Iceland where no one locks their doors—accessible only via a small mountain tunnel. Ari Thór Arason: a rookie policeman on his first posting, far from his girlfriend in Reykjavík—with a past that he’s unable to leave behind. When a young woman is found lying half-naked in the snow, bleeding and unconscious, and a highly esteemed, elderly writer falls to his death in the local theater, Ari is dragged straight into the heart of a community where he can trust no one and secrets and lies are a way of life. Past plays tag with the present and the claustrophobic tension mounts as Ari is thrust ever deeper into his own darkness—blinded by snow and with a killer on the loose. Taut and terrifying, Snowblind is a startling debut from an extraordinary new talent.” — Provided by publisher. Translated from the original Icelandic edition. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Download Snowblind: Dark Iceland series, book 1