A Dangerous Talent

An Alix London Mystery, Book 1

By: Charlotte Elkins, Aaron Elkins

Narrated by: Kate Rudd

Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

From the outside, Alix London appears to have it all: a glamorous career as an art consultant, a sumptuous condo in Seattle’s toniest neighborhood, a gorgeous figure, and a presence that positively exudes Ivy League breeding and old money. Unfortunately for Alix, what you see isn’t exactly what you get. A brilliant, once-promising art student, the daughter of a prominent New York art conservator, Alix and her world were left in ruins when her father went to prison for art forgery. Now a Harvard dropout with an emptied bank account, she is languishing in a career that has produced little more than a lucky house-sitting gig.

Then she meets Christine Lemay, a novice art collector with deep pockets and a handle on a recently discovered painting by American master Georgia O’Keeffe. Chris needs the painting authenticated, and Alix’s career desperately needs the boost that will come from such a high-profile assignment. But when an attempted art theft goes horribly wrong, Alix is plunged into a tangled web of forgery, deceit - and murder. Only her connoisseur’s eye (and a little unlikely help from her roguish father) can give the FBI the expertise they need to crack the case…assuming the killer doesn’t come for her next.

Witty and surprising, A Dangerous Talent introduces a clever and enchanting new sleuth to the ranks of American detective fiction.

©2012 Aaron Elkins and Charlotte Elkins (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

So good, I purchased the series!!

I did like the narrators voice....but because of the way the book was written....sometimes the explanation just goes on and on and on and I would find myself tuning her out and having to rewind to see what I missed.

a lively listen

loved it. family dynamics real. good characters. some nice surprises. smart characters who didn't know it all.

Interesting mystery - slow at times

It is an interesting mystery that has multiple characters that lend to a slow-moving novel while it builds each character. There is no horrific language, blood, or sex scenes which is good. I won't give away the ending but it is worth finishing although certain parts are predictable.

Enjoyable art mystery

This is my first book by these authors, and I found it to be an enjoyable mystery. It is not a thriller and strikes more like a Mary Higgins Clark style than Baldacci or Child. This was a easy listen, but overall wasn’t as gripping as some other mysteries can be. I did like the scene in which Alix was able to unjam a pistol, which is the same procedure that basic handgun classes will teach you. It lent credibility to the story. All in all, this series is worth continuing with.

enjoyed

I really enjoyed this story.
I plan to listen the rest in the series it was just a cute mystery with normal people and a little fun. No psychological craziness, a good book

Will check out the next one

I really enjoyed it

Good storytelling, good pace, great characters, wonderful setting, emotive - but not too depressed/depressing (which is important to me).
Only qualm was the obviousness of the culprit.

Disappointing at Best

The backdrop of this story — art forgery in Georgia O'Keefe's New Mexico — was highly promising, as was the outline of the plot. Unfortunately, the story itself was lackluster and overplayed. Worse yet was Kate Russ's narration: not only was she horrible at mimicking any accents the characters supposedly had, she also mispronounced numerous words. Then there is the matter of whether the FBI agent's pseudonym was "Day-Beauvais," "Dee-Beauvais," or "Duh-Beauvais."

I was not surprised.

Not a bad story, but rather obvious plot points if you know anything about art. Narration was a little clunky on accents.

Good book

Fun & enjoyable. I loved the characters. It was a nice break from the overly gruesome thrillers that are so popular. People do die but not with endless torture scenes. Great narrator. I will continue with the series.

Way better than expected

I wasn't expecting much but this story and the narrator were great, a story that started slow but picked up steam and drew you in. A definite listen/read. I'd like more by this author (s)