Awesome Listen!

It's Murder, My Son by Lauren Carr is awesome! I loved the meeting of Mac Faraday with Archie and Gnarly. It was wonderful getting the back story on these favorite characters of mine. I had previously listened to a prior recording of this book, and I must say that Mike Alger has done a fantastic job bringing the characters to life in this book. He gives distinguished voices for the various characters. I loved the imagery in this book too. I can envision so much. There are unexpected twists, some great humor, well developed characters, a complex plot, and a surprise killer. I love it when I do not have the killer figured out. I requested this review copy audiobook and have voluntarily written this review. I will definitely listen to more books by this author and narrator. This book is the first of the series and is a standalone listen. I loved it!

2 people found this helpful

Funny and mystery mixed together

This book cracked me up and had me on the edge of my seat! I do have to say the dog is my favorite character! This is a story that I will be recommending! The narrator's voice was a bit nasally but fit the characters well.

1 person found this helpful

Try this book!

Wow, lots of twists and turns, with great narration. Payback. It can be a heck of a problem. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

very interesting

The first book in the series. I thought it was well written and well plotted

Deep Creek is no small town escape

It's Murder, My Son
A Mac Faraday Mystery #1
By Lauren Carr
Narrated by Mike Alger

Mac Faraday has just come into an inheritance he never expected. The mother who gave him up for adoption has never stopped loving him and has left him a legacy. A legacy that includes a German Shepherd named Gnarly. And Gnarly is quite a legacy to inherit - Mac's life will never be the same again.

Deep Creek is a small community that is a destination to get away to. At least until the murders start piling up. With a chief of police anxious to close the cases as soon as possible evidence is being ignored or thrown out. As a former homicide detective, Mac is not about to sit on the sidelines as a murderer gets away with a crime. Are the murders related or has Deep Creek just become a new crime hot spot? With the help of his late mother's assistant Archie Monday, his just discovered half brother David O'Callohan, and his delinquent German Shepherd a killer just may be brought to justice.

The narration by Mike Alger is well done so that this listener's attention didn't wane as the story progressed. The pacing didn't drag in any way. The narrator has a good voice for presenting the story which is always a plus so that one isn't distracted by a poor presentation, rather his voice draws one into the story.

I have to say Gnarly makes the series and the book! His antics are what keeps bringing me back. Who could say no to a kleptomaniac dog with a hidden past (classified, might I add) who has political aspirations? If you are in the mood for a small town caught up in a rash of murders and political corruption, this is for you.

I received a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations - all thoughts expressed are my own.

You will be hooked on this series after listening

Several years ago I read reviewed the book,' It's Murder, My Son' and I remembered I loved it, but I had forgotten much of the story. listening to it was fantastic!

This is a story of a former Chief of Police, who retired when he discovered he was heir to millions from his birth mother he never knew. He is adjusting to his new "plush "life. He was less happy to discover he was the owner of a huge German Shepard. H becomes more disgruntled when he discovers "Gnarly" has some disturbing habits.

Shortly after arriving to his new home, meeting his mother's editor living on the estate, people begin dying in this very small town of Spencer. He and Archie cannot avoid becoming involved, especially when it becomes personal!

This non-stop mystery, adventure is captivating, suspenseful and hilarious!

The character will, surely, capture your heart. Their individual personalities are so different, yet fit so well together.
The Tittle & Cover re simple, but fitting. From the first page to the last, it will, certainly, maintain your interest.

Narrator, Mike Alger, was a perfect "voice" and mannerism for "Mac" & his half brother, David, which are the key characters. On some of the other "voices", his higher pitched male voice wasn't a great fit, but I still feel he was PERFECT for this narration.

I just love Lauren Carr and her books

This is my third audiobook by Lauren Carr and it won't be my last, and not just because I am reviewing another book by her next week. In fact, since I am reviewing The Mac Faraday series book #1 and book #13, I'm going to have to read books 2-12. I just have so many questions, but for now, I will focus on the first book in this series, It's Murder My Son.

Here, we have a mystery series that begins in an extremely unlikely place. A police detective who retires because he learns he has inherited a massive fortune from his late mother, whom he never knew. As Mac begins to adjust to his new life, with a new dog, he finds he also has a new roommate and a mystery to solve.

This kind of mystery is different from the pulse pounding, gripping suspense novels that I am used to. Here we have a very funny, character driven mystery with a true whodunit plot twist. Mac Faraday was likable from the jump and easily became a hero we could root for. The other characters add so much nuance to the story that I reminded of Lauren Carr's other books and her ability to write a complete cast so well.

It must be mentioned, as I have in my other reviews, how much I like the dogs in these books. They are so extraordinary, with different facets to their personalities. They propel the story forward in a humorous way. At times, I even found myself yelling, "Just listen to the dog!" Which is really dumb, because if my dog was digging a hole, I probably wouldn't think he was being more than just a nuisance. I definitely wouldn't think he was finding solving unsolvable mysteries.

In conclusion, I just love Lauren Carr and her books, but I particularly loved this series. With a hint of romance, and a tough puzzle to solve, this is perfect rainy day couch reading.

An Wonderful Start to An Amazing Series

Mac Faraday has just hit rock bottom as he comes out of his divorce hearing. But things are looking up. It seems that he is the son of America’s Queen of Mystery, Robin Spencer and he has inherited her fortune. Mac retires to his new home in Spencer, Maryland but finds this his new neighborhood has a murder in it and he just has to stick his nose into the case to help out.

Katrina Singleton is rich and single. She made her living in movies and has now found that staying young looking is harder than she thought. Then someone calling themselves Pay Back starts stalking her. Could it be her ex that took off? What about the local author that seems to think he is the cat’s meow?

I have loved the Mac Faraday series since I started reading a while ago. When I had an opportunity to see how everything started I just had to jump at the offer. Mac may have just gotten the break of a lifetime with his inheritance, even if you consider Gnarly part of that inheritance, but he is still a cop at heart and can’t let the murder of Karina Singleton go unsolved.

I love the introduction to everyone and connecting the current to the beginning. Of course you have an amazing mystery that will keep you guessing right up to the end. This is a great series that you can skip around in but what better way to enjoy it than to read it in order. I also have to say that Mike Alger is the voice of Mac Faraday. He is an amazing narrator!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

Where it all began

I had the pleasure of listening to and reviewing this book some years ago. And now it’s back with a new audiobook addition, this time narrated by Mike Alger (instead of Janean Jorgenson). It was so good to pick this book up again. The Mac Faraday mysteries are my favorites by Lauren Carr and I love this opening tale that introduces us to Mac, Gnarly, and Archie.

Mac Faraday receives the best news of his life on the toughest day he’s had yet. Just finalizing his messy divorce, he learns that his deceased birth mother who put him up for adoption has left him a fortune. Now Faraday has moved to Spencer Manor in an effort to connect with the mother he never knew. But murder lurks just around the corner and Mac puts his DC detective skills to use.

I’ve been listening to several Lauren Carr books recently and I love that they can be explored as stand alones. It was great to go back to Book 1 and see how things got started for Mac, how he met Archie, learned about his mom, and adopted Gnarly dog. While this isn’t my favorite book of the series, it’s a solid start to an entertaining murder mystery series.

Set in Spencer, Maryland, the Spencer Manor sits next to the lake in a gated community that harbors many secrets. Mac is new to wealth and he finds it takes some skills to navigate this new economic reality he’s landed in. It’s good that Archie is there to help him fit in. She was Robin Spencer’s assistant and lives in the guest cottage.

A few months before Mac moved in, a neighbor in the area was strangled to death. Katrina was a very charming woman who had a stalker. Of course, the husband Chad has to be cleared first but after 3 months, there are few clues to David (the local police officer) to continue on with the investigation.

I really enjoyed learning about David in this book. He’s Mac’s younger half-brother. The two have never met and it’s a bit awkward. Toss in David’s current problems with his boss, Chief of Police Roy Phillips, and David’s got a few reasons to be angry. Things get even more aggravating for the two experienced investigators when Phillips brings in his ‘expert’, a crime fiction author. Awkward, indeed!

Gnarly was the star of the show once again. He has his own insecurities and is something of a klepto. Mac has to learn about this the hard way and Archie does her best to keep Gnarly out of trouble. Of course, that all goes out the window when Gnarly turns up with a human skull. Good boy! Er… maybe not. Where did you get that? No! You can’t eat it! Here! Have my breakfast instead.

There are lots of characters in this novel and I sometimes had trouble keeping up with all of them. I think it could have been slimmed down a bit and the plot would have been less tangled. I also would have liked a bit more Archie. I feel she’s underutilized even though I know she comes into her own later in the series. Still, it’s an entertaining read and I’m glad I skipped back to this book to see how things got started for Mac. 4/5 stars.

The Narration: Mike Alger is at his best as Mac Faraday. I don’t think I could picture any other voice for Mac. Over all, this is one of his better performances. I like his voice for David as he does a great job of making him sound related to Mac but also younger. His voice for Archie is also well done. The pacing is perfect & there’s no issues with the technical recording. If anything, Alger could have a little more variation in voices. 4.5/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Great series

I chose to listen to this book after receiving a free audio copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

I’ve read several of Lauren Carr’s books about Mac Faraday and his family and they’re always a good read. I was thrilled to listen to the first Mac Faraday book. I knew his story from reading later books but it was nice reading how his life of wealth began as well as the start of his relationships with Gnarly, Archie, and his brother.

Mac started his new life in Deep Creek Lake helping to solve a murder mystery. He just thought he was going to be retired! There’s also a thief that the town is looking for…will he be able to figure out the murder and the thief? It almost seems like one of his mother’s novels come to life. There’s never a dull moment in Deep Creek Lake!

The characters are great, and I feel like I know most of them already. I also like the narrator. I’ve come to associate his voice with Lauren Carr’s books/characters. Now that I’ve finished this book, I’m going to listen to #13 in the Mac Faraday series.