The Holy City Murders

A Duke Dempsey Mystery

By: Ron Plante Jr.

Narrated by: Gene Blake

Duke Dempsey is a private investigator in 1938 Charleston, SC. He is thrust into the case of a lifetime when the Vatican comes calling and hires him to find an invaluable relic. Charleston is also hit with the mysterious murders of a prominent priest of St. Patrick's Cathedral and a local cop. Duke is forced into a partnership with the presiding detective, Johnny Stampkin, to find the relic and solve the murders. The case takes a multitude of twists and turns as they navigate through Roman Catholic puzzles, Civil War secrets, and a Nazi assassin.

©2019 Ronald A Plante Jr (P)2020 Ronald A Plante Jr

Loved it!

This is not my typical genre, but as a Charlestonian I had to check this one out. I loved every minute of it. Great story and I really enjoyed the fusion of Charleston’s historical landmarks. I definitely recommend. Cannot wait for the second installment to be released on Audible.

Awesome!!!!!

I read the book and really loved it!! When I saw the audiobook came out, I just had to get it too! The narrator really brings this story to life!

If I could give this more than 5 stars, I would!!

Mystery of Charleston!

This was a really good book,I am from Charleston S.C. So a lot of these places in the book I knew of and it was like I went home,even not,you will want to! I don't read a lot of crime-murders but to me this was fantastic! I was given the audio of this book to listen to after I had already read the book and the narration of this storytelling it's like you are sitting being told a story and can see everything that is going on and Gene,the narrator makes it so real! The different parts of the characters in this story,they were done so well it's like you actually begin to know the characters! Read the book or listen,but either way you won't be disappointed!! It has humor in it even though it's a murder mystery,you will see what I mean when you either read or listen,it's in All the right places! Reading the book,then listening,I heard so many parts that I had missed by reading, so I'm really glad I was given the chance to listen to the audio. Gene did a "fabulous" job in the storytelling and that's what your looking for,a fabulous story that was written to tell!🙉🙈🙊. Understand there is another book coming of these two old friends,these detectives who don't take any nonsense from criminals,I know I dont want them coming after me!!

Detective novel meets WW2 action brilliantly!

I enjoyed this story very much. A detective novel with a difference, The Holy City of Charleston - so named because of its multitude of churches and spires - at the time of the second world war, combines the complex relationships of ex colleagues and friends with international intrigue and some romance. I liked the simplicity with which this story was told, along with the clever use of multiple perspectives on single scenes. In a way, this use of perspective is almost like watching a scene in a movie, which perspective that shifts from one character to another seamlessly, thus bringing more dimension to a scenario. I think this strategy plays out particularly well in the case of the Holy City Murders.

The narrator is, in many ways, a very good fit for this book. His style and command of accents is very good considering the challenging range he had to work with. With a measure and tone that is evocative of both a time gone by and a specific place, the narrator beings characters like Duke to life with words. The only negative points I would note are the narrator's tendency to pause at odd moments in a sentence, although I can't accurately tell if this is error or a common idiosyncracy. Whether this habit was intentional or not, it was distracting for at least the first part of the book before I got used to it and stopped noticing this odd quirk. The quality of the recording - quiet background noise at times - was also a trifle distracting and off-putting.

All in all, though, I would rate this audiobook as being very, very good, a compulsive read and already one of my favourite of its genre. The negative points, of which there are few, are not enough to detract very far from this excellent book and I would give it a 4.5 star rating if I could.

I was given a free copy of this audiobook by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Gritty Hard-boiled Detective Novel

The narrator Gene Blake does an amazing job transporting the listener to 1939 Charleston in this detective novel reminiscent of the detectives of yesteryear. Gene’s voice is perfect for this genre and his performance really shines. This will be a series and we hope Gene continues as Duke Dempsey!

PRT

I was interested from the first - There were killings as needed in a murder mystery BUT the descriptions were not done in a graphic way that so many books today are done. The book moved along quickly with no dragging sections The plot was interesting with same religious claims made from two different political philosophies. All was played out in a realistic description of the muggy heat of the deep South. The two main characters were likable. I would definitely buy this author again.

Riveting!

noir, 1930s, Charleston, private-investigators, law-enforcement, relics, murder-investigation, torture, nazis, suspense, ex-cop, religious-symbolism

The first torture/murders are a priest and a street-wise cop on the pier, but certainly not the last ones performed by the fanatic nazi specialist on a mission from the fuhrer. The police detective is very sharp and his former partner (now a PI) joins in when given an amazing case from The Church. It's a fascinating story with lots of twists and misdirection in the months immediately prior to the German invasions in Europe. Very riveting!
Narrator Gene Blake has a very emotive delivery well suited to the material.
I won the audio in a giveaway and will look for more!