Front Page Fatality

A Nichelle Clarke Crime Thriller, Book 1

By: LynDee Walker

Narrated by: Therese Plummer

Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

A suspicious accident. A determined reporter. And a ruthless criminal who will stop at nothing to tie up loose ends.

This suspenseful thriller series is recommended for fans of James Patterson, J.D. Robb, and Melinda Leigh.

"...five stars out of five." (Hot Mystery Reviews)

When two rookie cops are killed in a fiery crash near Richmond, Virginia, crime reporter Nichelle Clarke is sent in to investigate.

But as Nichelle digs deeper into the case, she discovers this was no ordinary accident.

People and evidence soon begin to disappear. Someone is one step ahead of her. A master criminal with a deadly secret, covering their tracks with ruthless efficiency.

The killer will stop at nothing to keep the truth hidden. But as she draws closer to unraveling the mystery of two dead cops, Nichelle realizes that she's become the next target.

"Front Page Fatality immediately draws the reader in, provides plenty of twists, and keeps its audience guessing up to the end." (Style Weekly)

A murder mystery series taut with gripping, authentic plots that only a former crime reporter could write - pick up your LynDee Walker thriller today.

©2012 LynDee Walker (P)2019 Audible, Inc.

So good I listened Twice!!

Do not that the slow beginning turn you off. This story has plenty of twists and turns. I look forward to more books in the series. Added bonus the Narrator is GREAT.. she really makes the book come alive. This book is so good you will listen more than once. !!!!!!

Slow start, hell of a ride thereafter!!

Slow start, hell of a ride thereafter!!! Great characters, story line fabulous, I’m glad I gave it a go!

Fun listening that doesn't disappoint

Nothing new here except a well performed story that has enough to keep you interested but not make you think hard. A great ride for a relaxing time.

A fun listen, quick and easy

Not gone with the wind but it’s not supposed to be , just a fun story

Decent Story

Trying too hard to be cool, current and witty but sadly it just ended up being annoying. It was also too descriptive, instead just kitchen table it had to be " Café style kitchen table" not just tea" Earl Grey tea" and I just got sick of Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik….no journalist runs around in "red strappy Manolo" in Richmond, VA,

Strap in...

This is an entertaining book with plenty of detail from a journalistic insider. I very much enjoyed seeing the contrast between what the main character, Nichelle Clarke, learns from her interviews and what she ultimately writes for publication. The mystery of the crime-thriller itself is presented as a well-paced rollercoaster of information. Nichelle's sublimation of any sense of self-preservation to her ambition is sometimes a little hard to take, but she's strong and resourceful, and her ambition is counterbalanced by the drive to set things right as well as solve a puzzle, so she's an engaging character. I was pleased to find this is the first in a series. The side characters are well crafted and there is a build up of inter-office tension which will easily carry through more books.

Therese Plummer's range of voices and her timing in delivering dialog is extraordinary, she makes everyone come alive as a unique and interesting character. I would have readily given her five stars, but I have to admit listening to her perform these books (I've started the second in the series) exhausts me. I haven't tried another author that she's performed yet, but the samples from other authors, lead me to believe that this might be a consequence of these Walker books being fast-paced crime thrillers. But I find it overwhelming after awhile when every single phrase is delivered like a critical reveal, even when she's describing a location or talking about shoes and latte. This might not bother another listener, and the dialog saves the listening experience because she slows down and concentrates on the unique voice and the emotion behind each interaction. And she does that so well! (If you've ever seen His Girl Friday, the pacing in Plummer's performance reminds me of that - a sometimes frenetic barrage of detail and ideas all delivered at critical urgency. And we are after all, in a newsroom where deadlines loom.) Anyway, I'm looking forward to listening to more in the series, and I've ordered one of her other performances to see how it compares.

Excellent mystery!

This was an amazing mystery to listen to! At first I wasn’t a fan of the narrator’s voice, it sounded like she was whispering. But I got used to it and LOVED the story!!

Now I like reporters!!!!

I really enjoyed this book. I wish it was longer, but I'll take what I can get. Lead charter and her shoes are just like me.

Movie Trailer Man Narration. Great Dialogue.

I have mixed feelings for this book. I can't decide anything about the writing, because the narration is so unusual. Dialogue is great, and this woman does great voices for men - which requires a lot in this book because most of the characters aside from the main are men. I'm not super fond of the accents, which sound less Virginian and more hillbilly. The "hot" Italian sounds a little like Joe from While You Were Sleeping in this narrator's voice, which makes envisioning him as this super handsome guy a very difficult thing. That's the nature of narrating dialogue. HOWEVER, the weird thing about this particular narrator is that she reads all narration VERY dramatically - like dangerous Phil Marlowe Private Eye type things are afoot. There is *super dramatic* emphasis on even the most prosaic of lines like: "I took the dog out to pee." This is not how I would be reading this if I were reading it on the page and it is superbly distracting. Oddly enough, I managed to enjoy the book in spite of this, but for the life of me I can't figure out why the narrator chose this route. Does she narrate everything this way? I've never heard her before, so I don't know.

My main complaint about the story itself was that at times it was difficult to keep track of the numerous background male characters - there are just so many. Sometimes the author reintroduces them to you, sometimes she just throws the name out there and expects you to remember it even though you haven't heard it for the last 70% of the book. Difficult, when you're trying to solve a whodunnit. There are too many F words for my taste - the current trend of using it almost religiously is just exhausting. Also, while the protag's high heels are constantly commented on as being ruined, or as being the inappropriate shoe for the occasion, she never learns this and continues to wear them in really dumb places. Learn some self-respect, please, and also you (main character) should not be allowed to adopt Louboutins. Journalists - they are hard to like. I don't like the competitive nature of newsrooms or the idea that any tragic story could be "sexy" but it is what it is, and I appreciated at least a little moral compass in Nichelle. I'd like to see it grow stronger. Last critique - I wanted a bit more comeuppance at the end for a couple characters - maybe I need to keep reading to see them really grovel.

Something I appreciate - that not every guy in the book has the hots for the main character. THANK YOU for not being a Mary Sue about this. It was refreshing.

Just alright

The story was OK but I won’t be looking for the others in this series. I don’t understand why I needed to constantly know what type shoes she was wearing and that sh only wore designer brands. It was sometimes hard to keen-up with all the characters. Glad I didn’t pay full price.