A Dangerous Collaboration Audiobook

By: Deanna Raybourn

Narrated by: Angele Masters

Published by Recorded Books 3/12/2019

Veronica Speedwell Mysteries #4

12 hrs and 33 mins

A Dangerous Collaboration Audiobook Sample

A Dangerous Collaboration Audiobook

4.0 Hearts

Veronica isn’t your average Victorian gentle lady just as Stoker can’t ever be described as the male counterpart. The pair met on a desperate adventure involving murder and a great state secret, formed an oil and water partnership, and have been a pair ever since. Veronica is a woman who knows what to say and do in every situation, but when faced her own emotions, she flounders like the next person and
does a duck and dodge. Then Stoker’s charming, but irascible elder brother tempts her with a remote Cornish island possessing a hard to find butterfly for her to study and an even more compelling mystery to solve. Surprisingly, Stoker ignored the non-invitation and follows Tiberius and Veronica to the atmospheric castle held by the Romily family where Tiberius’ friend hopes to resurrect the past and discover just what did happen to his fiancé who vanished on their wedding day.

A Dangerous Collaboration is the fourth mystery adventure for Veronica and Stoker. It definitely works best following the previous series installments in order.

I confess that this is a re-read/listen. I love the stories in this series so a second time through enjoying the voice of engaging narrator, Angele Masters, was far from a hardship. What drew me to the audio was my hope that I would enjoy my experience much better in this format (and in a different time and mood). When I read it, I struggled hard with Veronica and had the urge to bop her in the head and tell her to stop dithering around when it came to Stoker and stop provoking him to cover for her scary case of feelings. Listening to Angele Masters was exactly what I needed. I still had a twitch of impatience, but also felt some of my old amusement at their acrimonious dialogue and wit return.

Oh, and let’s not forget, the ‘cold case’, the delicious cast of suspects, and that gothic-feelingatmosphere  of a castle setting, a séance, and secret passages to round out the fun. I loved watching Veronica and Stoker work the case as they sifted through what was lie and what was truth and hunted for any clues that might still remain after all this time. The danger heightened when it became obvious that someone didn’t want them figuring out what happened to Malcolm’s bride. But, beyond the mystery, was getting a shocking reveal of Tiberius’ past and how it connected to this mystery. Some of why he is the way he is comes out and it was an eyeopener.

However, the big moment near the end when the story reached its peak had me breathless and then a very treasured swoonworthy moment for Veronica and Stoker. I might have listened to the scene twice.

For historical mystery fans who like eccentric and colorful characters, clever plots, good attention tosetting , and a mastery of slow-burn relationships, there is no need to look further than this series.

A Dangerous Collaboration Audiobook Narration

4 Hearts

So, Angele Masters delivered another engaging story that tantalized and delivered on more than one level. She voiced the Cornish from the island, the guests, and of course, regulars like Veronica, Stoker, and Tiberius well. I think Stoker’s voice goes a tad rough, but I don’t dislike it. She definitely captured the rhythm, tone, and situations along with the nuances of the dialogues exceptionally.

Reviewed by