In Absentia (Black Acres #1) by Ambrose Ibsen Narrator: Joe Hempel
Series: Black Acres #1
Published by Self-published on 04-20-18
Genres: Horror
Length: 2 hrs and 25 mins
Format: Audiobook
Source: Narrator
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Overal Rating:
There's no place like home.
Kim and Julian Taylor are in the market for their first home, and a visit to the secluded Beacon estate finds them enamored. It's a peculiar home, rather large and in need of some renovations. The price is right however, and after a tour, they snap the house up without hesitation.
The man who sells them the house has one last detail to share before they sign on the dotted line. The previous owners of the home disappeared under mysterious circumstances nearly eight years ago and have recently been declared dead in absentia. Unperturbed by this fact, Kim and Julian set about making the home their own.
It quickly becomes clear that the two of them are not alone there, however.
Kim and Julian are a young couple who were looking for a house and found a bargain. It is an old house but with lots of possibilities, and placed in an isolated and quiet area. While doing the renovating themselves, Kim finds several items that will make her ill at ease. The fact that the previous owners went missing seven years prior does not help to calm her down.
Reading a novel by Ambrose Ibsen is a guarantee for a great time. It is amazing how fixed Ibsen is on the theme of old and haunted houses, and each time he does it in a different and surprising way. It is not that his plots are clever and he knows the exact moment when to startle the reader, but also the way he introduces the ‘House’ (because I believe that the house in each of his books is just another character) just makes you want to know more about it, explore it along the main characters, knowing that you won’t find nice and friendly things but even like that, unable to stop moving forward.
Ibsen’s characters are relatable and fully fleshed. It’s easy to connect to them and understand them, even though we don’t get much information. They are alive in a very simple way, giving the impression that creating characters is an easy feat. Bravo Mr. Ibsen.
The audiobook is narrated by Joe Hempel, one of my favorite narrators of all time. I would listen to any book narrated by him (if I just had the time). Hempel sets the right atmosphere with his compelling tone, delivering great characters interpretations, and differentiating them in a subtle but clear way. You just can’t go wrong with Joe Hempel. The audio production was spotless.
This is a relatively short audiobook, just short of two hours and a half. It’s a presentation book, ending on a cliffhanger, and setting things up for the real action. I’m looking forward to the next book.
I received a copy of this book in audio format from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.| Story (Plot) |
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My name is Elena. Since I was a little child I loved science fiction and fantasy, and I can’t resist a good novel. In 2015, while wait I started to listen to audiobooks and I discovered the pleasure in being able to read while doing my daily tasks, so there’s always an audiobook playing on my phone. If you see me with my Bluetooth headphones on, please be gentle, I get easily startled.
I live with my boyfriend, which I met during my six-year stay in Belgium, four cockatiels, eight lovebirds, and a hamster in Madrid, Spain; and I like to spend my free time knitting and sewing while listening to audiobooks.
