Review: PRINCES GATE by Mark Ellis

Princes Gate by Mark Ellis
Narrated by Matt Addis
Book 1 in the DCI Frank Merlin series
Genre: historical crime fiction

About Princes Gate:

January 1940. London. DCI Frank Merlin and his team are called in to investigate when a scientist is killed in a hit and run and the body of an employee of the American Embassy is discovered alongside the Thames.

Merlin’s investigation leads him to the office of the American Embassy and Ambassador Joseph Kennedy, a well-known supporter of appeasement. When another Embassy employee dies, Merlin, the charismatic detective, finds himself exploring the seedier parts of wartime London. A corrupt night-club owner, high-flying diplomats and the Ambassador himself appear to be linked to the events surrounding the deaths.

DCI Frank Merlin must solve the case without ruffling feathers at the embassy, or straining Anglo-American relations, at a time when America represents to many Britain’s only hope of salvation.

Source: Info in the About Princes Gate was from the press kit from the publicity team.

Buy Link(s):

Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Noble | Apple iBooks | Kobo | Audible | Indigo | Half.com | Alibris | Fishpond | The Book People | Google Play

My Thoughts:

I am an urban fantasy girl. Not much of a crime fiction fan. However from time to time, I am known to go over to the dark side. Like for example, I am a huge fan of JD Robb's In Death series. A futuristic crime fiction series. That means their forensic methods is high tech. I wonder how it would work for historical crime fictions where they have to make do with what I imagine to be medieval forensics methods...? It would be interesting to find out...

And so I started listening to this book.

A few chapters down and I thought I knew the "whodunnit". Predictable much?! And there I lost interest. Plodding on was seriously an uphill battle. And that brought the pace of this book down a notch even though this is an audiobook. And the pace did not pick up again until about a few chapters before the end. And that's a lot of plodding to do. Glad to see I was wrong though. I had no idea of the "whodunnit"... The author has also perfectly captured the inanities of high society life contrasted against the backdrop of war... There's a lesson in there somewhere... Anyway, it gives the story a realistic feel which makes it easy to suspend disbelief.

Another plus for this book is that Mark Addis' voice is pleasing to the ears. It also helps that I agree with his interpretations of the book. Kudos to the narrator!

At the end of it, I did enjoy this book. Which is saying something given that I am not a crime fiction fan. And looking forward to listening to book 2!

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4
Character development = 4
Story itself = 4
Writing Style = 3.5
Ending = 3.4
World building = 4
Cover art = 4
Pace = (10 hrs and 7 mins listening time)
Plot = 4
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries

Thank you to Audible and everybody in the publicity team for the review copy received.

FTC Disclosure:
This book was received for free from Audible in exchange for an honest review.

WW28: CLOCKWORK ANGEL

WW28

A chance to showcase your favourite!

• First you grab our Wicked Wednesday pic.
• Then you grab a book. Turn to page 28. Take the first sentence. And then you post it in your site with a link back to WW28.
• Come back to Cherry Mischievous - WW28 and give us the url of your post (in a comment at a WW28 post) so that other WW28 readers can find your WW28 offering.

WW28 book offering : Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Page 28, 1st Sentence:

It connected with a sickening sound, like glass being crushed underfoot.

About Clockwork Angel:
Book 1 of The Infernal Devices series

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother in Victorian England, something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld. Kidnapped by mysterious Dark Sisters, who are members of a secret organization called the Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she has the power to transform at will into another person. The Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own. Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons. She soon finds herself fascinated by - and torn between - two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and Will, whose volatile moods keep everyone at arm's length. As their search draws them deep into a plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world... and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

Source: Info in the About Clockwork Angel was taken from the back cover of the book.

Buy Link:

IN THE MAIL: PLEASURE OF A DARK PRINCE, CLAIRE DE LUNE & WILDTHORN

I got a vampire, a chick wolf and a historical in the mail this week :)

I would like to thank Simon & Schucter UK for the free copy of Pleasure Of A Dark Prince by Kresley Cole received!

About Pleasure Of A Dark Prince:

New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole enraptures again with this seductive tale of a fierce werewolf prince who will stop at nothing to protect the lovely archer he covets from afar.

A DANGEROUS BEAUTY

Lucia the Huntress: as mysterious as she is exquisite, she harbors secrets that threaten to destroy her—and those she loves.

AN UNCONTROLLABLE NEED

Garreth MacRieve, Prince of the Lykae: the brutal Highland warrior who burns to finally claim this maddeningly sensual creature as his own.

LEAD TO A PLEASURE SO WICKED. . . .

From the shadows, Garreth has long watched over Lucia. Now, the only way to keep the proud huntress safe from harm is to convince her to accept him as her guardian. To do this, Garreth will ruthlessly exploit Lucia’s greatest weakness—her wanton desire for him. . . .

Source: Info in the About Pleasure Of A Dark Prince was taken from the author's website at http://kresleycole.com/books/pleasure-of-a-dark-prince.html on 28/07/10.

I would like to thank Christine Johnson for hosting a contest which made it possible for me to win a signed copy of Claire de Lune & swag!

About Claire de Lune:

Welcome to the Mysterious World of Claire de Lune
Hanover Falls hasn’t had a werewolf problem in over one hundred years. Seattle, Copenhagen, Osaka–they’ve had plenty of attacks. But when humans begin dying in Claire Benoit’s town, the panic spreads faster than a rumor at a pep rally. At Claire’s sixteenth birthday party, the gruesome killings are all anyone can talk about. But the big news in Claire’s mind is the fact that Matthew Engle–high-school soccer god and son of a world-renowned lycanthropy expert–notices her. And flirts with her. A lot…

Source: Info in the About Claire de Lune was taken from the author's website at http://www.christinejohnsonbooks.com/ on 19/07/2010.

I would like to thank Jean O at Magic Bean Reviews for hosting the Got Books? Event contest which made it possible for me to win a copy of Wildthorn by Jane Eagland & swag!

About Wildthorn:

Seventeen-year-old Louisa Cosgrove longs to break free from her respectable life as a Victorian doctor's daughter. But her dreams become a nightmare when Louisa is sent to Wildthorn Hall: labeled a lunatic, deprived of her liberty and even her real name. As she unravels the betrayals that led to her incarceration, she realizes there are many kinds of prison. She must be honest with herself - and others - in order to be set free. And love may be the key...

Source: Info in the About Wildthorn was taken from Book Depository at http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9780330458160/Wildthorn?b=-3&t=-20#Fulldescription-20 on 29/07/2010.