Lost Among the Angels

Five Star First Edition Mystery

By: Alice Duncan

Narrated by: Darlene Allen

Historical cozy mystery set in Los Angeles, CA, in 1926.

Mercy Allcutt, Boston Brahmin, wants to experience life in all its grittiness. How better than by working for a down-on-his luck PI in Hollywood? Once she discovers what PI actually stands for, she knows Mr. Ernest Templeton is the boss for her.

Raised in the ivory tower of proper Boston, when well-bred Mercy gets a job with Ernest Templeton, Private Investigator, she's ecstatic. Ernie, a jaded ex-cop, is incredulous. Together, they must cope with a stray child, kidnapping, blackmail, murder, a toy poodle, a vamp, a stalker, Mercy's overactive imagination and Ernie's strong protective streak. Throw in a speakeasy, Chinatown, and a couple of down-and-dirty criminals, and Mercy and Ernie are in for a drama that will put the motion picture industry to shame...if they can survive long enough to tell the story.

©2006 (print) 2009 (e-book) Alice Duncan (P)2013 Alice Duncan

Mercy Me

I love this book! You should really give it a try as it is an easy read and fun as well. Poor Mercy just wants to fit in and have a job. A bit too much to ask? Time will tell as she attempts her new life far away from her Mom..................

Great beginning to a series-- fabulous narration.

What made the experience of listening to Lost Among the Angels the most enjoyable?

The narration in this book is absolutely some of the best narration I have experienced in many years of listening to audio books. You can actually visualize Mercy and her conversations in her Boston accent. The narration is actually acting the parts.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Lost Among the Angels?

Mercy, a Boston Brahmin, has an admirable quality in that she has chosen to step out of her privileged life and seriously step out of her comfort zone so that she can gain experience to become a writer. To hold a job- something someone of her traditional upper class would never do. She is so sheltered that normal slang conversation is often a mystery to her. She becomes part of a sting operation to catch drug dealers in china town. I laughed myself silly.

What does Darlene Allen bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She speaks the Boston Brahmin accent perfectly, her drama with the dialogue is so good she becomes Mercy. Almost immediately due to her narration in the book you step into Mercy's perception of LA in the 1920s and the juxtaposition of her Brahmin upbringing and the "real world". The narration is perfectly timed.

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

Mercy's concern for Barbara Ann is so touching. Mercy has been so sheltered and protected all of her life that she is just heartbroken that Barbara Ann has been left alone without anyone to care for her. Often due to the writing, I would find myself wanting people to help her more. I became involved in the story.

Any additional comments?

I immediately started listening to the second book in this series.

WHAT A GREAT START TO A SERIES.

LOST AMONG THE ANGELS BY ALICE DUNCAN introduces the readers to Mercy Allcutt.
Mercy's family is of "OLD MONEY BOSTON" and Mercy wants to live the life of an independent woman of the 1920s,so she moves to California and is living with her sister who is married to "NEW MONEY" Mercy lands a job as the secretary of not so famous PI, Ernie Templeton. While Mercy has zero clue on being a secretary,let alone being a PI she gets tangled up in a kidnapping, the mob as well as murder all in one fell swoop!

I found this cozy mystery and start of what I hope is a comical series quite entertaining and fun to listen to. Her bumbling and stumbling into and out of trouble makes LOST AMONG THE ANGELS BY ALICE DUNCAN well worth the listen.
Darlene Allen,the narrator makes the story flow well and kept me interested right to the very end.

Cute

A delightful cozy mystery with the setting in the 20’s when even with the money Mercy has, she wants a job. She hit the jackpot with a private investigator In LA. A lot of mayhem and murder, like her character, believes in people, and upbeat. Enjoyed the audio and Mercy character came thru. Given audio for my voluntary review and my honest opinion