
Crime Stories
Twenty Thriller Tales
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Narrated by:
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Luke Daniels
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By:
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J. A. Konrath
About this listen
This collection features twenty short stories from humorous thriller writer J.A. Konrath. Included are a few hardboiled tales, some noir, some parody and satire, a few straight-out comedy pieces, and a few stories that didn't fit into Konrath's other two collections, Horror Stories and Jack Daniels Stories.
The twenty stories include:
The Big Guys - Flash fiction, winner of the Derringer Award.
A Fistful of Cozy - A satire of the mystery cozy genre.
Cleansing - An ancient crime of biblical proportions.
Lying Eyes - Solve it yourself, given the clues.
Perfect Plan - Another solve it yourself. Don't you remember One Minute Mysteries and Encyclopedia Brown?
Piece of Cake - Another solve it yourself, originally featured in Woman's World.
Animal Attraction - Solve it yourself.
Urgent Reply Needed - A cautionary tale about dealing with spammers.
Blaine's Deal - A parody of hardboiled noir.
Light Drizzle - A light-hearted send-up of hitman stories.
An Archaeologist's Story - How digging up old bones leads to fresh corpses.
Don't Press That Button! - An essay about the gadgets in the James Bond universe, and which you need to buy.
Piranha Pool - A writer seeking criticism pays the ultimate price.
A Newbie's Guide to Thrillerfest - Never been to a mystery conference? Here's the in-depth dirt.
Inspector Oxnard - He's either brilliant, or too stupid to breathe.
One Night Only - A sports fan ends up in jail, all for the love of the game.
Could Stephanie Plum Car Really Get Car Insurance? - An essay about Janet Evanovich's famous character.
Cozy or Hardboiled? - Take the test to find out which type of book you're reading.
Addiction - What's the worst drug you can get hung up on?
Weigh To Go - A humor column about health clubs.
©2012 J. A. Konrath (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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The List
- By: J. A. Konrath
- Narrated by: Benjamin L. Darcie
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
They are ten strangers with one thing in common: A mysterious tattoo on the bottom of their feet. None of them know how it got there or what it means. One of them is a homicide cop who’s determined to find out. All of them are marked for death - because they’re next on...The List. The explosive thriller from bestselling author J.A. Konrath, The List takes you deep inside a top-secret techno-conspiracy that’s too shocking to comprehend, too insidious to detect, and far too powerful to stop....
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Better than expected
- By Sammie on 07-19-19
By: J. A. Konrath
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Origin
- A Thriller
- By: J. A. Konrath
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When linguist Andrew Dennison is yanked from his bed by the Secret Service and taken to a top secret facility in the desert, he has no idea he's been brought there to translate the words of an ancient demon. He joins pretty but cold veterinarian Sun Jones, eccentric molecular biologist Dr. Frank Belgium, and a hodge-podge of religious, military, and science personnel to try and figure out if the creature is, indeed, Satan. But things quickly go bad, and very soon Andy isn't just fighting for his life, but the lives of everyone on earth…
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Making My Beelzebubble Burst
- By Carol on 01-01-14
By: J. A. Konrath
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Exposed
- A Thriller (Codename: Chandler)
- By: J. A. Konrath, Ann Voss Peterson
- Narrated by: Angela Dawe
- Length: 3 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
She's an elite spy, working for an agency so secret only three people know it exists. Trained by the best of the best, she has honed her body, her instincts, and her intellect to become the perfect weapon. Before special operative Chandler was forced to FLEE, she executed the most difficult missions - and most dangerous people - for the government. So when she’s tasked with saving a VIP’s daughter from human traffickers, Chandler expects the operation to be by the numbers…until she uncovers a secret that will endanger the entire population of New York City, and possibly the world.
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Exposed
- By Canino on 02-22-20
By: J. A. Konrath, and others
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Triptych
- By: Karin Slaughter
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
From Atlanta's wealthiest suburbs to its stark inner-city housing projects, a killer has crossed the boundaries of wealth and race. And the people who are chasing him must cross those boundaries, too. Among them is Michael Ormewood, a veteran detective whose marriage is hanging by a thread and whose arrogance and explosive temper are threatening his career. And Angie Polaski, a beautiful vice cop who was once Michael's lover before she became his enemy.
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Spoiler Alert
- By Patricia on 12-13-15
By: Karin Slaughter
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From the Corner of His Eye
- A Novel
- By: Dean Koontz
- Narrated by: Christopher Lane
- Length: 23 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Bartholomew Lampion is born on a day of tragedy and terror that will mark his family forever. All agree that his unusual eyes are the most beautiful they have ever seen. On this same day, a thousand miles away, a ruthless man learns that he has a mortal enemy named Bartholomew. He embarks on a relentless search to find this enemy, a search that will consume his life. And a girl is born from a brutal rape, her destiny mysteriously linked to Barty and the man who stalks him.
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One of Koontz's best!!
- By hambrick91 on 04-15-23
By: Dean Koontz
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Birds of Prey: The Harlan Coben Challenge
- By: Kelley Armstrong, Ace Atkins, C.J. Box, and others
- Narrated by: full cast
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
It all started with a simple, yet sneakily difficult challenge from global best-selling author Harlan Coben: Pick a bird of prey, then use it as the inspiration for a brand-new story. The response from some of the best writers on the planet: Game on! The result: Eleven stories that are twisty, scary, surprising and bursting with imagination. An egg worth more than its weight in gold. A mysterious operative known only as Owl. An eagle-watcher who sees more than she should. Even a story that somehow places the Maltese Falcon in a nursing home.
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Worth a listen!
- By GLENNO on 10-09-22
By: Kelley Armstrong, and others
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The List
- By: J. A. Konrath
- Narrated by: Benjamin L. Darcie
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They are ten strangers with one thing in common: A mysterious tattoo on the bottom of their feet. None of them know how it got there or what it means. One of them is a homicide cop who’s determined to find out. All of them are marked for death - because they’re next on...The List. The explosive thriller from bestselling author J.A. Konrath, The List takes you deep inside a top-secret techno-conspiracy that’s too shocking to comprehend, too insidious to detect, and far too powerful to stop....
-
-
Better than expected
- By Sammie on 07-19-19
By: J. A. Konrath
-
Origin
- A Thriller
- By: J. A. Konrath
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When linguist Andrew Dennison is yanked from his bed by the Secret Service and taken to a top secret facility in the desert, he has no idea he's been brought there to translate the words of an ancient demon. He joins pretty but cold veterinarian Sun Jones, eccentric molecular biologist Dr. Frank Belgium, and a hodge-podge of religious, military, and science personnel to try and figure out if the creature is, indeed, Satan. But things quickly go bad, and very soon Andy isn't just fighting for his life, but the lives of everyone on earth…
-
-
Making My Beelzebubble Burst
- By Carol on 01-01-14
By: J. A. Konrath
-
Exposed
- A Thriller (Codename: Chandler)
- By: J. A. Konrath, Ann Voss Peterson
- Narrated by: Angela Dawe
- Length: 3 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
She's an elite spy, working for an agency so secret only three people know it exists. Trained by the best of the best, she has honed her body, her instincts, and her intellect to become the perfect weapon. Before special operative Chandler was forced to FLEE, she executed the most difficult missions - and most dangerous people - for the government. So when she’s tasked with saving a VIP’s daughter from human traffickers, Chandler expects the operation to be by the numbers…until she uncovers a secret that will endanger the entire population of New York City, and possibly the world.
-
-
Exposed
- By Canino on 02-22-20
By: J. A. Konrath, and others
-
Triptych
- By: Karin Slaughter
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From Atlanta's wealthiest suburbs to its stark inner-city housing projects, a killer has crossed the boundaries of wealth and race. And the people who are chasing him must cross those boundaries, too. Among them is Michael Ormewood, a veteran detective whose marriage is hanging by a thread and whose arrogance and explosive temper are threatening his career. And Angie Polaski, a beautiful vice cop who was once Michael's lover before she became his enemy.
-
-
Spoiler Alert
- By Patricia on 12-13-15
By: Karin Slaughter
-
From the Corner of His Eye
- A Novel
- By: Dean Koontz
- Narrated by: Christopher Lane
- Length: 23 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bartholomew Lampion is born on a day of tragedy and terror that will mark his family forever. All agree that his unusual eyes are the most beautiful they have ever seen. On this same day, a thousand miles away, a ruthless man learns that he has a mortal enemy named Bartholomew. He embarks on a relentless search to find this enemy, a search that will consume his life. And a girl is born from a brutal rape, her destiny mysteriously linked to Barty and the man who stalks him.
-
-
One of Koontz's best!!
- By hambrick91 on 04-15-23
By: Dean Koontz
-
Birds of Prey: The Harlan Coben Challenge
- By: Kelley Armstrong, Ace Atkins, C.J. Box, and others
- Narrated by: full cast
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It all started with a simple, yet sneakily difficult challenge from global best-selling author Harlan Coben: Pick a bird of prey, then use it as the inspiration for a brand-new story. The response from some of the best writers on the planet: Game on! The result: Eleven stories that are twisty, scary, surprising and bursting with imagination. An egg worth more than its weight in gold. A mysterious operative known only as Owl. An eagle-watcher who sees more than she should. Even a story that somehow places the Maltese Falcon in a nursing home.
-
-
Worth a listen!
- By GLENNO on 10-09-22
By: Kelley Armstrong, and others
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Watch Me Die
- A Novel
- By: Lee Goldberg
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 5 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Harvey Mapes is a 26-year-old security guard who spends his nights in a guard shack outside a gated community in Southern California, reading detective novels, watching reruns, and waiting for his life to finally start…which happens when Cyril Parkus, one of the wealthy residents, asks Harvey to follow his beautiful wife. The lowly security guard jumps at the opportunity to fulfill his private eye fantasies and use everything he’s learned from Spenser, Magnum, and Mannix. But things don’t exactly go according to the books…or the reruns.
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Security Guard Fantasy
- By Chip Atkinson on 02-10-14
By: Lee Goldberg
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A Filthy Business
- By: William Lashner
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
A lifetime ago, brutally efficient fixer Phil Kubiak coldly cleaned up the messes of shady clients from Miami to Las Vegas by any means necessary - short of murder. Now he's one eye and one working leg short of the man he used to be, scarred beyond recognition, and with the feds and criminal organizations in hot pursuit. Throwing back sour beer in a dingy bar, Phil recounts the long story of his bitter life to the only person left to listen.
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Weird, funny, shocking, unforgettable crime novel!
- By Wayne on 07-09-17
By: William Lashner
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11-22-63
- A Novel
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Craig Wasson
- Length: 30 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? In this brilliantly conceived tour de force, Stephen King - who has absorbed the social, political, and popular culture of his generation more imaginatively and thoroughly than any other writer - takes listeners on an incredible journey into the past and the possibility of altering it.
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I Owe Stephen King An Apology
- By Kelly - Write Well Academy on 04-16-12
By: Stephen King
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Full Dark, No Stars
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Craig Wasson, Jessica Hecht
- Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
"I believe there is another man inside every man, a stranger...." writes Wilfred Leland James in the early pages of the riveting confession that makes up "1922", the first in this pitch-black quartet of mesmerizing tales from Stephen King. For James, that stranger is awakened when his wife, Arlette, proposes selling off the family homestead and moving to Omaha, setting in motion a gruesome train of murder and madness.
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Eerie, honest, frightening!
- By 9S on 01-15-11
By: Stephen King
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The Bazaar of Bad Dreams
- Stories
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Stephen King, Dylan Baker, Brooke Bloom, and others
- Length: 20 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
A master storyteller at his best - the O. Henry Prize winner Stephen King delivers a generous collection of stories, several of them brand-new, featuring revelatory autobiographical comments on when, why, and how he came to write (or rewrite) each story. Magnificent, eerie, utterly compelling, these stories comprise one of King's finest gifts to his constant fan. "I made them especially for you," says King. "Feel free to examine them, but please be careful. The best of them have teeth."
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HE'S A CUP OF COFFEE
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 12-10-15
By: Stephen King
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Step on a Crack
- By: James Patterson, Michael Ledwidge
- Narrated by: John Slattery, Reg Rogers
- Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
NYPD Detective Michael Bennett is about to take on the most sinister challenge of his career. The nation has fallen into mourning after the unexpected death of a beloved former first lady, and the most powerful people in the world gather in New York for her funeral. Then the inconceivable occurs. Billionaires, politicians, and superstars of every kind are suddenly trapped within one man's brilliant and cold-blooded scenario.
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Not James Patterson
- By Jennifer on 02-12-07
By: James Patterson, and others
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Tilt-a-Whirl
- John Ceepak, Book 1
- By: Chris Grabenstein
- Narrated by: Jeff Woodman
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
There isn't much fun in the sun when a billionaire real estate tycoon is found murdered on the Tilt-a-Whirl at a seedy seaside amusement park in the otherwise quiet summer tourist town of Sea Haven. John Ceepak, a former MP just back from Iraq, has just joined the Sea Haven police department. The job offer came from an old Army buddy who hoped to give Ceepak at least a summer's worth of rest and relaxation to help him forget the horrors of war. Instead, Ceepak will head up the murder investigation.
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All I can say is WOW!
- By Catherine J. Pondozzi on 08-06-13
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Spoonbenders
- A novel
- By: Daryl Gregory
- Narrated by: Ari Fliakos
- Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Teddy Telemachus is a charming con man with a gift for sleight of hand and some shady underground associates. In need of cash, he tricks his way into a classified government study about telekinesis and its possible role in intelligence gathering. There he meets Maureen McKinnon, and it's not just her piercing blue eyes that leave Teddy forever charmed but her mind - Maureen is a genuine psychic of immense and mysterious power.
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Slow start, but patience is your friend here.
- By Heather on 08-22-17
By: Daryl Gregory
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Now You See Her
- By: James Patterson, Michael Ledwidge
- Narrated by: Elaina Erika Davis
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
A successful lawyer and loving mother, Nina Bloom would do anything to protect the life she's built in New York - including lying to everyone, even her daughter, about her past. But when an innocent man is framed for murder, she knows that she can't let him pay for the real killer's crimes.
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Now You See Her
- By Cheryl on 07-04-11
By: James Patterson, and others
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Bloodsucking Fiends
- A Love Story
- By: Christopher Moore
- Narrated by: Susan Bennett
- Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
A striking red-head, 20-something Jody is attacked and transformed into a vampire while walking home one night in downtown San Francisco. Befriending 19-year-old Tommy, Jody tries to understand her new undead life, but trouble finds her when the cops start suspecting Tommy of being a local bloodsucking serial killer.
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Bloodsucking FUN!
- By SHEILA on 10-02-08
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Tourist Season
- By: Carl Hiaasen
- Narrated by: George Wilson
- Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Tourist season is swinging into high gear in Miami. So are the activities of a bizarre terrorist group determined to keep the hapless "snowbirds" away. Armed with bombs, weed, and jumbled credos, they move toward their grand target, the Orange Bowl Parade, with plans to bring Miami and its tourist trade to a halt.
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CAUTION: BELLY ACHING LAUGHTER IMMINENT!
- By Tracy P. on 02-08-17
By: Carl Hiaasen
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Practical Demonkeeping
- By: Christopher Moore
- Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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In Christopher Moore's ingenious debut novel, we meet one of the most memorably mismatched pairs in the annals of literature. The good-looking one is one-hundred-year-old ex-seminarian and "roads" scholar Travis O'Hearn. The green one is Catch, a demon with a nasty habit of eating most of the people he meets.
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I named my cat after the demon Catch
- By colleen on 08-24-11
What listeners say about Crime Stories
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Performance
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- The Dark Side
- 10-24-16
Crime Stories contains no Crime stories ? Just FYI
I disliked that the title of the book is a misnomer. It is a collection of satirical look at very disjointed topics. JA Konrath is of course known for his horror stories. I took it for granted I admit. I did enjoy it though as Luke Daniels is a great narrator . And the stories are sometimes entertaining. There were 2 I could really relate to, one on assassin novels , was great. Also the roast of James Bond gadgets. I believe people may want to skip this one if they want a crime novel .
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- Jennifer W.
- 04-17-18
A great set of stories!
I had no idea that I was going to laugh so much during a collection of thriller stories! I'll definitely be checking out more of Konrath's work. Good humor is difficult to write out so the reader actually laughs out loud, but Konrath has easily mastered this.
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- Delilah
- 05-22-15
Fun for Fans of Konrath
I don't think it works well as a stand alone collection, but fans of Konrath will enjoy this lighthearted insight into his world.
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- Mike
- 08-05-17
Stinks! Save your money.
Several of the short stories are just horrible. Not one good story in the entire collection. I kept waiting for the non existent good story. Painful to listen to.
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