I received a complimentary copy of this book for use in my review. All opinions are my own.
Quick Summary of The Murders at Astaire Castle. Never tell Mac Faraday not to do something. Spencer's police chief, David O'Callaghan, learns this lesson the hard way when he orders Mac Faraday to stay away from the south end of Spencer's mountaintop - even though he owns the property. It doesn't take long for Mac to find out what lies on the other side of the stone wall and locked gate, on which hangs a sign warning visitors to Keep Out!
Topping the list of the 10 top haunted places in America, Astaire Castle is associated with two suicides, three mysterious disappearances, and four murders since it was built almost a century ago - and Mac Faraday owns it!
In spite of David's warning, Mac can't resist unlocking the gate to see the castle that supposedly hasn't seen a living soul since his late mother had ordered it closed up after the double homicide and disappearance of Damian Wagner, a world-famous master of horror novels.
What starts out as a quick tour of a dusty old castle turns into another Mac Faraday adventure when Astaire Castle becomes the scene of even more murders. Mac is going to need to put all of his investigative talents to work to sort out this case that involves the strangest characters he has run into yet - including a wolf man. No, we're not talking about Gnarly.
Listening to the story gave the series a different voice for me. I have read a few of the Mac Faraday mysteries--and; unfortunately, I had voices in my mind for the stories as I read. In my mind, the narrator was female--and I had imagined "voices" for the many characters. The male narrator for this audiobook caused my imagination (and attention) to struggle for a while to settle into the story and even to accept the familiar characters. I listened for a couple of hours--and then listened again. Once I settled into the narration--I was able to focus more on the storyline. (And--this really has nothing to do with the storyline or the narration--it is purely me telling other series readers-turned-listeners that they may not, immediately, feel the same connections they have had to Carr's past stories.)
Carr combines her usual vivid mix of suspense with character interaction. The introduction leads readers to suspect a stronger paranormal spin than readers/listeners will encounter through the book. While the paranormal aspect is less than I had anticipated; readers/listeners will find typical Carr twists, suspense, and character dialogue as they move through the story.
Listeners will need to focus on the story. The storyline seemed a little complicated at times. I am not sure if it was simply harder for me to focus on the spoken word--or if I wasn't devoting the proper attention while listening--but, I had to re-listen at times to keep the storyline and characters in order. The story is a good one--but, it did not seem to be as concise and coordinated as previous books in Carr's series.
Expect some chills. Paranormal aspects will rear their heads at times to give readers a few chills along the way. I do think these aspects are more spooky with the spoken narration than they would have been had I read them!
Would I recommend The Murders at Astaire Castle by Lauren Carr? I did like the story and I did enjoy listening to the narration. I don't think I liked this book as much as other books from Carr's series--but, I really wonder if I, personally, wouldn't have liked it more if I had READ it rather than listened..The storyline was a little more difficult to follow than in previous books--and the narration seemed to cause my attention to wander. I liked the story--and I did appreciate the spine-tingles from the occasional, paranormal angle--but, I think I really may have enjoyed the whole story more had I read it! If you are an audiobook fan--you will probably love it.
Listening to the story gave the series a different voice for me. I have read a few of the Mac Faraday mysteries--and; unfortunately, I had voices in my mind for the stories as I read. In my mind, the narrator was female--and I had imagined "voices" for the many characters. The male narrator for this audiobook caused my imagination (and attention) to struggle for a while to settle into the story and even to accept the familiar characters. I listened for a couple of hours--and then listened again. Once I settled into the narration--I was able to focus more on the storyline. (And--this really has nothing to do with the storyline or the narration--it is purely me telling other series readers-turned-listeners that they may not, immediately, feel the same connections they have had to Carr's past stories.)
Carr combines her usual vivid mix of suspense with character interaction. The introduction leads readers to suspect a stronger paranormal spin than readers/listeners will encounter through the book. While the paranormal aspect is less than I had anticipated; readers/listeners will find typical Carr twists, suspense, and character dialogue as they move through the story.
Listeners will need to focus on the story. The storyline seemed a little complicated at times. I am not sure if it was simply harder for me to focus on the spoken word--or if I wasn't devoting the proper attention while listening--but, I had to re-listen at times to keep the storyline and characters in order. The story is a good one--but, it did not seem to be as concise and coordinated as previous books in Carr's series.
Expect some chills. Paranormal aspects will rear their heads at times to give readers a few chills along the way. I do think these aspects are more spooky with the spoken narration than they would have been had I read them!
Would I recommend The Murders at Astaire Castle by Lauren Carr? I did like the story and I did enjoy listening to the narration. I don't think I liked this book as much as other books from Carr's series--but, I really wonder if I, personally, wouldn't have liked it more if I had READ it rather than listened..The storyline was a little more difficult to follow than in previous books--and the narration seemed to cause my attention to wander. I liked the story--and I did appreciate the spine-tingles from the occasional, paranormal angle--but, I think I really may have enjoyed the whole story more had I read it! If you are an audiobook fan--you will probably love it.
Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries. The twelfth installment in the Mac Faraday Mystery series, Candidate for Murder will be released June 2016.
Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, son, and four dogs (including the real Gnarly) on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.
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