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  • Optical Delusions in Deadwood

  • Deadwood Mystery, Book 2
  • By: Ann Charles
  • Narrated by: Caroline Shaffer
  • Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (98 ratings)
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Optical Delusions in Deadwood cover art

Optical Delusions in Deadwood

By: Ann Charles
Narrated by: Caroline Shaffer
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Summary

Someone is spreading rumors around Deadwood that Violet Parker likes to chat with dead folks.

With her reputation endangered, her bank account on the verge of extinction, and her career at risk of going up in flames, Violet is desperate. When the opportunity to sell another vintage home materializes, she grabs it, even though this "haunted" house was recently the stage for a two-act murder-suicide tragedy.

Ghost or no ghost, Violet knows this can't be as bad as the last house of horrors she tried to sell, but sexy Doc Nyce has serious doubts. Her only hope of hanging on to her job is to prove that the so-called ghostly sightings are merely the eccentric owner's optical delusions.

But someone - or something - in the house wants Violet stopped…dead.

©2011 Ann Charles (P)2014 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about Optical Delusions in Deadwood

Average customer ratings
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  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Oh wow!!!! This is bad

I have been a fan of the Sookie Stackhòuse Mysteries and the Halfmoon Hollow series. I had thought this would be in the same vein. Sadly it isn't. I mean its not even close. Limited storyline, poor, often creepy dialogue, not enough ghostly action and a female protagonist who is too busy trying to get into Doc's pants rather than looking after her children, She is utterly unsympathetic as a main and I found myself hating her very very quickly.
The narrator is Ok, but she makes Violet seem whiny rather than likeable. I just cannot express how loathsome this book is.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

An enjoyable mystery

Things I liked: the narrator was good, a light voice, American but no overdone mannerisms.
Witty story and many good characters. Ray, Violet's co-worker was a bit of a pantomime villain, but the rest of the townsfolk were interesting and pretty believable.
The paranormal angle is handled well and is something I want the author to reveal more of in later books.

Things I was less convinced by: too many sex scenes so that it became a rather obvious page filler or padding device. The author doesn't need to try to keep readers that way as the plot is good enough to hold one's interest.
I found it hard to believe Violet's new friends and neighbours would rally round quite as much in real life. Instant childminding and vehicle loans felt a bit too good to be true for a single mother.
It took an awful long time for V’s boss to notice Ray’s sexual harassment and bullying, however tough her divorce.

They're relatively small cons and may be a cultural difference between the US and UK, so I only knocked off one star. I'm certainly willing to continue listening to the series.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

a difficult character to really like

lead is often childish, irrelevant and flippant. also find myself not at all sympathetic with her dilemma opposite her best friend and the secrets she keeps from her. glad she is not my best friend!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story

Great story and characters. Looking forward to the next book. I definitely recommend it, read it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great read, great series

Great series, amusing, action and some really wild moments from the characters I’ve grown to love. I’m fortunate to have the whole series in book and audiobooks, absolutely love Ann Charles books and Caroline Shaffer is a great narrator. These are my go to books whenever I feel I need a pick me up and even when I don’t.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

poor

whole story revolves around a sex crazed woman who seems to care little for her children and puts herself a risk for no apparent reason. then the book finishes half way through the story with the rest of it "to follow".

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Dreadful

Not for me. I gave up. Dull plot, dull heroine. Flat characters. The dialogue made me wince.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Really bad

This is listed as a cosy mystery. It is not. Bad language, bad plot, way too much sex and very thin characters.

This was written in the 21st century but it sounds like something from the 1970s. Very disappointed.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Slow mess

There are a few good bits in this story. Notably Harvey’s funny sayings. He is the most interesting character in the book.

Unfortunately the story moves slower than a snail covered in glue. I skipped more and more sections as the book progressed. Nothing missed. Sanity gained.

Violet is a nosy realtor. An amateur snoop uneloquently rummaging through people’s houses and getting caught more often than not. She is tight lipped and never lets anyone in. This is immensely frustrating as she ends up trying to do everything herself except she is a pretty poor detective. Her inability to talk to people with honesty (even her best friend) makes her unlikable and causes the story to drag.

The characters are stereotypes, reminiscent of overdone horror shows from the 80’s. Yawn. To make it worse, there are the jealous love triangles and unimaginative men that seem to have time traveled into the story from the 60’s.

I guess this might be a likable read for some, but it was an unimaginative slow mess to me.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good-ish

The story would receive 5 stars but there was way to much pining and moping after a man, in addition, once they got past that, there was way to much sex or foreplay. Now I don't have a problem with either of my above criticisms as long as they classify the book as romance, which is where they belong.

Negativity over and done with. The story was good but not brilliant. I would say this is a good continuation to a series.

The narrator, in my opinion, did a top job with the characters.

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