Double Forté

A Gus LeGarde Mystery

By: Aaron Paul Lazar

Narrated by: Robert King Ross

Gus LeGarde's life essentially ended four years ago, when his beloved wife, Elsbeth, leapt from the Letchworth Gorge cliffs. These days, the music professor plays endless Chopin etudes on his antique piano and lavishes love on his family and dog - but nothing buries the pain or answers his burning questions. What made her jump? Why didn't she say goodbye? And how will he be able to live without her?

Trouble comes to Gus and his daughter, Freddie, when her arrogant husband, Harold, is caught in several love affairs and begins to verbally abuse her. To protect his daughter and two-year-old grandson, Gus threatens to throw Harold out himself the next time he messes up. But when Harold's law partner goes missing, a police search in the woods on Gus's property reveals a shocking find. The mystery deepens as Gus's innocent friend is set up to take the fall.

In the deep cold of winter, threats erupt from the dark woods, spinning events out of hand - and Gus braces for the fight of his life.

The author's alternate suggested listening order for the LeGarde Mysteries series:

1. Double Forté 2. Upstaged 3. Mazurka 4. FireSong 5. Tremolo 6. Don't Let the Wind Catch You 7. The Liar's Gallery 8. Spirit Me Away 9. Under the Ice 10. Lady Blues 11. Voodoo Summer

©2011 Aaron Paul Lazar (P)2012 Aaron Paul Lazar

Enjoyed it!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

It was a sweet book that had some interesting twist and turns.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked most all the characters but found the brother-in-law's character pulling at my heart strings.

Which scene was your favorite?

I enjoyed the description of characters at the winter BBQ.

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

When the little girl finally spoke

Engaging....

I found the book engaging and couldn't put it down until it was done. The characters seemed "real" and were so likeable. The book dragged periodically, but the suspense was entertaining. The writing style really touched me. I will definitely read this author again, and I'm looking forward to picking up the next book in the series.

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

A Wonderful AudioBook!

Double Forte is a fantastic story! Aaron Paul Lazar has quite the storytelling gift! The story progresses through the simple joys and sorrows of family life, along with a lot of drama and adventure. Large portions of the story are mesmerizing. I didn't want to stop listening! One of the things that I like the most about this book is the humanity of the characters. I felt like I was there and part of the family. I appreciated the good versus evil values throughout the story as well. The narrator did a good job; however, his voice sounds unremarkable and too ordinary. I think this audiobook would be even better with a different narrator, who has a natural dramatic tone to his voice. Despite this, I enjoyed this audiobook so much and would definitely recommend it to others!

An excellent, enjoyable mystery

Music professor Gus LeGarde's wife Elspeth died four years ago, and he hasn't really recovered. There's still a huge hole in his life. He keeps going, though, teaching, playing Chopin, and lavishing love on his daughter Freddie, his grandson, and his dog Max.

It all starts to unravel when he rescues a child in the snow, who is too scared even to give a name.

Finding out where the little child belongs is the beginning, not the end, of the trouble, and soon expands to endanger Gus, his family, and the first fragile shoots of possible new love.

I very quickly became totally caught up in Gus's story. He's upright, decent, gentle, and kind. His friends, neighbors, and wider circle are mostly good people, too. There's action here, but Gus is not presented as improbably heroically formidable. He's just a guy who is well-built and has kept himself physically active, so that when he needs to, he can put in a creditable showing in a fight.

Lazar provides a good, involving mystery, with good, involving characters, and in trying times for me, I found it but enjoyable and comforting. The narrator, Robert King Ross, also has an excellent voice for Gus LeGarde and his story, and added to the pleasure.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the author, and am reviewing it by my personal choice.

Good read

It's a good book but several questions were left unanswered or felt left behind. why didn't they get Harald alone to arrest him rather than with the family, how could Sigfried stand the sight of Harold after getting him arrested....things like that. It had great descriptions and images.

Strong, likeable characters and a good mystery

I really enjoyed Double Forte, which I read some time ago. I’ve recently found audio books an excellent way to make time pass when doing chores and got this one. The characters and the easy, pleasant descriptions of life in Gus’s house, his interactions with members of his family, and the overtones of suspense appeal to me. This isn’t edge-of-your-seat action but a steady threat that sometimes comes to the fore, sometimes hovers below the surface—perfect for listening to over several days. I even cook more so I can listen. :-)

Lazar’s writing is smooth and easy to follow without being simple. The story is rich and the subplots add depth. The characters are (mostly) people you’d like to spend time and be friends with. Gus, the protagonist, is a strong family man with many facets--a quiet hero. Siegfried is a wonderful character, Harold is portrayed quite well, and the others are clearly drawn and stand out as individuals.

Overall, the narrator did a decent job, but to my ear, he made Gus sound like a man in his late fifties, older than I think Gus is. He also mispronounced a number of words, and in some of the tense situations, I thought the dialogue sounded too casual and laid back. Still, it was an enjoyable performance and I’d recommend it. I’ll listen to it again sometime.

Wonderful!

Wow! This is only the beginning of what I hope is a great reading experience with Mr. Lazar’s books. I can’t wait to get to the next book! Love the mystery, dry humor, and realistic touch of romance!

A perfect book for a long drive

This audiobook was given to me as a gift, the first I've read by Aaron Paul Lazar. I found Gus LeGarde an enjoyable companion on an interstate drive. The plot was involving but not so edge-of-seat as to make me a menace on the highway - a perfect drive-time book. Some people might object to the lengthy breaks between action sequences and concrete plot developments, but they can write their own reviews! IMO, the pace suited Gus's character and gave Lazar time to paint wonderfully sense-appealing details about the setting and to develop the romantic element.
I docked Robert King Ross a star because he often crooned the ends of words to no purpose and because his pronunciation of some words was distractingly incorrect, especially Siegfried's German comments. (I'm not expecting a perfect accent, just correct basics.) Otherwise, the performance was very good.
I definitely will read more by this author. (In fact, I already did - I liked Tremolo even better!)

I'm no critic, but I really enjoyed this one.

Where does Double Forté rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 5

What other book might you compare Double Forté to and why?

I'm not an avid bookie and this is really my first foray into mystery stories... so not much to compare with for me. If you have a mystery book that weaves multiple plot threads with a wonderful sense of place and the everyday joys and not so everyday tragedies of life... You would be getting close on this one.

Which scene was your favorite?

There is genuine tension in several scenes, but especially when The professor is snooping where he probably shouldn't... And you sense the moral dilemma and character traits under making his decisions. There is also genuine joy at points. There are times you can't believe one guy can have such bad luck, patience and good fortune, all at the same time.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I had several verbal moments while listening... A few chuckles and a "good grief", or two.

Any additional comments?

Mr. lazar writes about an area of the country I am familiar with. His sense of place and descriptive writing style will draw pictures in your brain for you. You'll smell the food cooking, feel the chill in the air, see how the relationships built over time and sense what the characters are going through. All the plot lines resolve in the end and leave the future wide open. At no point did I fast forward, but admit I sped up the playback a bit during a few sections. Very enjoyable and I think I will follow up on the next in the series. Great down time for me. I'm a busy guy and this story created a great escape for me. Wouldn't mind meeting Gus, some day. He seems a decent fellow. Yah!

Excellent

Good beginning to this series, the emotion of Gus draws the reader in. Losing his wife, the music consoles him. With love of a grandson and dog. A skiing excersiin leds him to a child, chained, and now danger has entered his life. A social worker for the child, and a killer who seeks revenge by taking his grandson. Emotions, tension and they are not trained, can they do anything, or trade to stop the nightmare. Well written, the characters worked well together.
Given audio with excellent narration for my voluntary review and my honest opinion