Songbird

Jax Diamond Mysteries, Book 1

By: Gail Meath

Narrated by: Terry Shepherd

Meet Jax Diamond, a sharp, sophisticated, skilled, no-nonsense private detective. Or is he? Glued to his side is his canine partner, Ace, a fierce and unrelenting German Shepherd whose mere presence terrorizes criminals into submission. Well, maybe not.

But the two of them are a whole lot smarter than they look. And they have their hands full when a playwright’s death is declared natural causes, and his new manuscript—worth a million bucks—goes missing.

Laura Graystone, a beautiful rising Broadway star, is dragged into the heart of their investigation, and she’s none too happy about it. Especially when danger first strikes, and she needs to rely on her own ingenuity to save their hides.

Join Jax, Laura, and Ace on a fun yet deadly ride during the Roaring '20s that takes twists and turns, and a race against time to find the real murderer before he/she/they stop them permanently.

2022 Readers’ Favorite Silver Medal – Mystery-Sleuth

Indie B.R.A.G. Medallion Award

Historical Fiction Company - Gold Medal, Highly Recommended

©2023 Gail Meath (P)2023 Gail Meath

Ace the German Shepherd Steals The Show

This is a fantastically fun cozy mystery set in 1923 New York. The characters don’t just jump off the page, they pull you into their world. Jax’s sidekick, Ace, the wonderfully charming German Shepherd, will make his way into your heart in no time.

The setting in 1923 New York City is well described and transports us back to that place and time. The portrayal of Coney Island makes you feel as if you are there, hanging on for dear life in the Steeplechase or winning a prize in the baseball toss. The mystery is very well done, with puzzles and red herrings that will keep you guessing. The main characters are complex and interesting. Jax, private investigator and former cop, has his own secrets to keep, and Laura’s talents are revealed to expand way beyond singing.

The audiobook is expertly narrated by Terry Shepherd, who portrays all the different characters in a realistic way for the time period. He shows a canny ability to convey suspense, romance, and history to bring the story alive.

There is a sweet romance, but the complex and fascinating mystery is the star of the show, along with the lovable Ace. I highly recommend this book, the first in the Jax Diamond Mysteries series, to all mystery fans and to anyone who enjoys the 1920s and New York City history.

Great narration, next books Virtual Voice terrible

This story and this narrator are excellent. It was very disappointing to learn that subsequent books in this series are narrated by Virtual Voice. They even switched to a female computer-generated voice for narration, which is puzzling since the main character is a man. I listened to the sample of the next book, "Framed," but will not be getting it. This original narrator brought Jax Diamond alive, but the new versions with Virtual Voice are an unappealing letdown. Switching to read next books in this series on my Kindle.

Great Opening for a Long Series...

This was a great listen! Characters were great, story was great and I was totally fooled as to the villains. I understand there are 5 more books with these good folks and I hope we get to hear them on Audible.