Death Vows

A Donald Strachey Mystery

By: Richard Stevenson

Narrated by: Richard Stevenson

Private eye Donald Strachey is out to solve another mystery, this time in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. When he starts probing into the institution of gay marriage, he doesn't expect it to lead to murder. Along with a birds-eye view of Berkshire culture, this audiobook combines the literary styles of Dashiell Hammett with the wit of Dorothy Parker. A taut, suspenseful, ripped from the headlines thriller, this is the ninth in the Strachey series.

©2008 Richard Stevenson (P)2009 Bma Studios

Critic reviews

" Death Vows is engaging and powerful. Richard Stevenson can write." (Robert B. Parker, author of the Spenser series)

A Good Time-Killer

This was an interesting read for me. It took a while to get into the author's reading of the book. Some of the phrases seemed stilted and therefore difficult to understand. The voices were rarely acted and a lot of the characters seemed to run together when speaking. This title won't be on my list of favorites due to the narration. Having said that, though, it wasn't the first audiobook that I have listened to where the narrator put me to sleep. IMHO, author's should stick to doing what they do best and let actors bring their works to life whether on screen or in the spoken word. As for the plot, it was well thought out, but was resolved before we even had a chance to guess at it. One of the fun parts of a murder mystery is trying to figure it out. This book just laid everything out all at once without most of the vital clues necessary to put the pieces together yourself. It felt more like deus ex machina than murder mystery...

Authors, never narrate your own books.

I only rated this book 3 stars because the author narrated it. Most authors do not have the talent to transfer their written work into an enjoyable listening product. It was hard to discern who was "speaking" because the narrator's inflection never changed. I don't know how they pay the narrator, but it makes a difference to the listeners. Bad reviews because of bad narrations means fewer people will purchase your audible book.

Five Stars

I'm giving this 5 stars because I prefer authors reading their own work. No one can be as authentic or know the character's psychologies as well. Such is the case with this rendition. Stevenson's tough but ironically funny delivery delivers detective Strachey in pure form. The text is as compelling as a Hammett or Chandler. I only wish Hammett recorded his own material. This will be a classic.