The Troubles Keeper
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The Troubles Keeper
Buy Now for £18.99
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Narrated by:
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Steve Marvel
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By:
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Susan May
About this listen
In The Troubles Keeper, narrated by three-time Voice Arts Award finalist Steve Marvel, we meet a wonderful character we can love, who possesses a unique gift.
Most of us are lucky if we have one friend to simply be there when we're down. Well, meet bus driver Rory Fine, who possesses the unique gift of relieving others of their troubles. For real! Strangers, friends, anyone he passes by, he can help. With just the barest of touches, for a while, the troubles in their hearts simply fade away.
It's his way of making the world a better place, by giving people the chance to get out from under the weight of their woes. His bus-driving job is perfect because it allows him to meet so many people every day. And all of them are completely unaware why being near him makes them feel happier and more able to face life's struggles.
There's another bonus, too. He's smitten with one of his regulars, sweet Mariana, but he can't find the courage to even say hello. He's shy and awkward and, well, different because of his gift.
Until one stormy night, when he makes a bold announcement to his passengers. Upon disembarking, he suggests they offload their worries into his palm. This might present the perfect chance for him to finally speak to the girl he thinks he just might love.
But....
There's a killer aboard, and he leaves behind something darker and more terrifying than troubles. Soon Rory will discover a powerful entity also seeks Mariana, but his intentions have nothing to do with love.
Can a gentle soul such as he, stand the remotest chance of stopping a cold, relentless evil?
To do so, he’ll face more than this enemy. He'll face his own harrowing past. But he will need to find a way to overcome everything he fears. For not only is Mariana in terrible danger but the very fabric of the world is at stake.
From international suspense author Susan May comes another story keeping listeners awake way past their bedtime. Board The Troubles Keeper for a non-stop killer suspense ride. Meet memorable characters you’ll love and a world you won’t want to leave.
©2016 Susan May (P)2017 Susan Mayyou need to listen to this
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Would you listen to The Troubles Keeper again? Why?
Probably. I've only just finished it, so it's hard to say. It is certainly good enough to read again.What does Steve Marvel bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Steve can do different voices and bring a range of emotions to each. This really helps convey the story.Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It made me happy, sad, scared and frustrated at different times.Any additional comments?
I was gifted this book in return for an honest review. I read a lot of audio books and feel well placed to review from that point of view, as well as being a big SF, Crime, Fantasy fan.I'll start at the beginning (good place huh?).
I had a few problems in the opening few chapters and you might too, so I want to tell you about them in the hope that I can convince you to keep going. You won't regret it.
The narration is excellent! However, this wasn't immediately apparent to me. Frequent audio readers will know that, in addition to getting used to the writing, as with any book, you also have to get used to the reader. I was honestly confused to begin with, was there two or more resides here? Whose voice belonged to which character? Possibly it was just because I read while driving and often have to pay more attention to the road. Anyway, there is one reader and he gets the voices, in my opinion, spot on.
There are several characters that have big speaking parts. The main one, Rory, is read in a completely befitting laid back style, but you get exactly how Rory is feeling from the inflection and intonation and this is crucial. Rory is a thoughtful, introspective person who takes the weight of the world on himself. Inevitably this pulls him in many directions. The pain and difficulty is apparent.
A big one for me is the bad guys voice. It's creepy, but not in a pretend, put on way, it sounds like a real person who really is evil.
A warning is appropriate at this point, the evil character really is evil and some events are not for the squeamish. I hear Susan May had to tone it down even! It borders on Lovecraftian sometimes.
All of these things the reader is aware of in the opening chapters. It can be confusing, dark and even feel slow because of it. You might find yourself saying - oh get to the point Susan! Believe me, she will.
When an event, around chapter 5/6, brings the story to life, there is no turning back. Apart from a mid book slow down, the pace lifts and you will be hooked til the end.
I found it easy to suspend my disbelief because Rory is a wonderful character and I hope we hear more from him and his abilities. Even so, I found I was even more enthralled in the second half of the book, once a lot of things are more out in the open. You really care for Rory and Susan keeps us guessing right to the end. There are many truths spoken about the universe and the evil person perpetrates his evil by doing a real, horrible thing that I hadn't heard of before. Creepy! Brilliant!
I have a couple of things that, I pondered as I read, and I hesitate to include them, both because, having thought more about them, I understand now, though it wasn't stated in the book. Also, this section might include spoilers.
I don't like it when something is introduced in the latter half or worse, near the end of a book, that helps solve the problem. Especially if it's a gadget. It is arguable as to whether this is the case here, but there is a Character who could be a great one, if there are further books in the series, who has solutions in his box of tricks. He could easily have been introduced earlier, even right at the start. However, because the start already has so much going on, I think this would have been a mistake. As it is, he appears in the mid book lull, and explains himself fully - so I'm ok with this now.
Also, I kindof wish there was more to Marianna. I won't expand on what I mean, that would be a big spoiler. It doesn't affect this book though.
Overall, I tend to rate a book based on how it made me feel, how good it was to read, how difficult it was to put down and if there were any major gaffs. Add to this book the excellent narration and there is no contest. It's a straight 5.
Wonderfully read, gripping, scary, but ultimately
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Entertaining
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