Chase Baker and the Lincoln Curse

A Chase Baker Thriller, Book 4

By: Vincent Zandri

Narrated by: Andrew B. Wehrlen

Renaissance man and adventurer Chase Baker rarely visits home in upstate NY. But when his late dad's resting place is about to be dis-interred to make way for a new road, he volunteers to operate the backhoe. It's the least he can do for a father who was always there to help Chase, the young man. But what he doesn't expect is a job offer by the local Albany Police Department to look into a missing elderly couple. Maybe Chase wants nothing more than to get back to New York City to work on his latest novel, but when the detective in charge happens to mention the couple lived in the same house as Clara Harris and Union Major Henry Rathbone, the young couple who accompanied President Abraham Lincoln in the Presidential Box on the night of his assassination back in 1865, he puts his plans on hold. What makes the job impossible to ignore (aside from the badly needed payday) is that Clara Harris's dress which is rumored to be soaked with Lincoln's blood, is also said to be stored inside a secret vault somewhere in the house. While Chase decides to take on the job of looking for the old couple, he can't help but put his treasure hunting tools to work in searching for the dress first. Standing in his way, however, is not only an egocentric and murderous Civil War reenactment historian who believes he is the reincarnation of John Wilkes Booth, but more importantly, the dress itself. A dress that bears the blood of the Lincoln Curse. Filled with suspense, real history and alternative history, cliffhangers, action, and paranormal dream-like events, the newest novella-length episode in the best-selling, award-winning Chase Baker "pulp fiction" series is sure to thrill.

©2015 Vincent Zandri (P)2017 Vincent Zandri

What a woot!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Chase memories of his dad.

Any additional comments?

I love to see how Chase gets into and out of situations. Another hit in both story and narration. I received this audiobook for free from Audiobook Boom for my unbiased review.

Great addition to the series

Any additional comments?

Another great addition to the series. As usual you are pulled into the story from the beginning. The whole series is fun, entertaining and humorous to listen to and this installment is no different. Very entertaining and enjoyable.

While this is book 4 in the series each story can be listened to as a standalone.

My only complaint about this installment is that it was so short. Chase just can't walk away from a good mystery. Although short, it moves at fast pace and is still packed full of adventure. Interesting twist on history.

Andrew B Wehrlen did a fantastic job of narration once again. Nice voice. Easy to listen to for long periods of time. Great character voices. Perfect tone and delivery. He brings the characters and the story to life. He's one of my top 5 go to narrators. I really enjoy listening to all of the stories he narrates.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher.

Chase Baker, Curse Breaker

Chase requests to operate the backhoe (for which he is especially trained) to disinter his father when a roadway project makes it necessary to move his father's grave. We gain a lot of background from the first minutes of this listen into Chase's relationship with his father. This is foreshadowing as Chase's father will save his life later in the story. I really enjoyed the revealing of the down to earth relationship Chase shared with his dad. After the grave comes up, Chase discovers the local law is waiting for him but instead of hassling him about past indiscretions, they offer him a job. This job is of special interest to him as it involves a rare piece of history and that makes him want to search for the 90 year old couple who have gone missing from the ancestral home of Clara Harris and Henry Rathbone, the couple who accompanied Lincoln to the theater on his last, fateful night.

So begins a tale of the curse on the dress Clara wore and that was spattered with the blood of both Lincoln and Major Rathbone when John Wilkes Booth assassinated the President. Add in a professor who thinks he is the reincarnation of Booth and a couple in their 90's for a humor element and you have a nice, fun adventure.

I always enjoy the narration of Andrew Wehrlen. He does a great job with both female and male voices and his timing on the rest of the narration is excellent. He always seems to capture the tone of the writing perfectly. He speaks a little faster so I listened to this on 1.25 speed instead of my usual 1.5 speed.

I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom! in exchange for an honest review.

Keeps you guessing!

The author introduces actual events and adds a darker, deeper side to an already interesting story.

Whenever you think you might know what is going on, there is a twist. It keeps you guessing what is going to happen next, therefore it slowly absorbs you into the story.

Personally, I like stories like this one, the Da Vinci Code and others like it. I found this one to be particularly good as it is also relatively short. It compacts all the action instead of dragging the story and making it a boring Soap Opera.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Not bad for a shorty story...

After listening to the first three Chase Baker books, I’ve grown to love his smart-butt, hard headed adventurer. They are great books, however, this one fell flat to me. It’s worth a listen but it’s not something I would reach for again, or go out of my way to recommend.

Chase and the Lincoln Curse

Chase baker is in his hometown to dig up his dad,literally.His grave needs moved to make room for a road.Chase is used to a back hoe,he is a 'sand hogger' among other things.While there he is tasked by the police to find an elderly couple who have gone missing.This wraps around the death of A.Lincoln and the other people in his box that night.Andrew B Wehrlen is a fine narrator for this book.Twists and turns abound.I was given this book free by the author, narrator or publisher.

Grave Robbers

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this and every other Chase book I've listened to. This was a shorter Chase adventure, with a balancing amount of humour, twists, and waltz with danger.
I started with Zandri's more recent books in this series and it's apparent he has grown as an author with time and experience. It's not awful in this book, but the constant "a minute later" or "xxx minutes later" was unnerving. Something he's drifted from with experience.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Balkiss, who thinks he is John Wilkes Booth. It's funny how he switches personalities (on purpose; this isn't a mental disorder, although he may be short a couple marbles!)
I think my second favorite was the memory of Chase's dad.

Which character – as performed by Andrew B. Wehrlen – was your favorite?

Andy does a wonderful job as Chase, of course. But Balkiss/Booth was the comic relief and came across as the guy we wanted to keep an eye on, but wanted to adore. Andy nailed it on the head. (No pun intended.)

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This was a light adventure with many moments of Laugh Out Loud. Although the suspence and mystery was a stronghold, this felt like a break from the action packed books in the series. It does not discredit; on the contrary, overall, it builds depth to Chase, the author, and the narrator for being flexible and creative.

Any additional comments?

To the powers that be:
Please, please, please get all of this series on audio!

Incredibly Good !!

“A fascinating and complex murder mystery that keeps readers involved and guessing till the exciting climax.” 
Excellent narration that is so realistic it's as if he was really there.. To me the performance of the narrator rated in the top 10 of all the audiobooks I've listened to so far. 
mA time old tale told in an Excellent and Extremely Believable way..Exquisite!!!

"I was provided this audio book at no charge by the narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBoom dot com".  

The Curse Strikes Again

Great book. I love thrillers that don't take themselves too seriously. Chase is funny and irreverent. The history is a little skewed, but it is still loosely based on historical facts. This is a good escape from winter story.
The narrator is perfect. He really sounds like Chase Baker (or what I would expect him to sound like). For a fun couple of hours try Chase Baker and the Lincoln Curse.
I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom

Interesting take on history

Very interesting listen. Didn't know what to expect when I read the title but the story was a captivating taste on a small piece of the Lincoln Assasination story.

Andrew Wehrlen did a great job of characterizing Chase.

This book was provided to me free as part of Audiobook Boom.