Inkslingers Ball cover art

Inkslingers Ball

Forensic Handwriting Series, Book 5

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Inkslingers Ball

By: Sheila Lowe
Narrated by: Richard j Brewer, Donna Allen
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About this listen

Explosive drama erupts when the life of a teen with a tortured past is jeopardized by her secret tattoo. Handwriting expert Claudia Rose joins forces once again with Detective Joel Jovanic, who is investigating a firebombing, a young woman found dead in a dumpster, and the disappearance of a journalist. The investigation heats up when Jovanic uncovers evidence that the same tattoo is linked to his cases.

“Lowe expertly delivers a solid criminal investigation while guiding her readers into a unique culture where tattooing and the murder of a young girl come together on the autopsy table. Hit the lights and siren because this is one fast ride from beginning to end.” (Lee Lofland, author of Police Procedure and Investigation and founder and director of the Writers’ Police Academy)

“Inkslingers Ball is the perfect novel for an afternoon by the pool. With vivid characters, smooth writing, and a twisty plot, Sheila Lowe has crafted a mystery that will keep you guessing to the very end.” (Boyd Morrison, international best-selling author)

©2014 Sheila Lowe (P)2023 Sheila Lowe Mystery Police Procedural Fiction Crime Exciting Suspense

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Critic reviews

“Lowe expertly delivers a solid criminal investigation while guiding her readers into a unique culture where tattooing and the murder of a young girl come together on the autopsy table. Hit the lights and siren because this is one fast ride from beginning to end.” (Lee Lofland, author of Police Procedure and Investigation and founder and director of the Writers’ Police Academy)

“Inkslingers Ball is the perfect novel for an afternoon by the pool. With vivid characters, smooth writing, and a twisty plot, Sheila Lowe has crafted a mystery that will keep you guessing to the very end.” (Boyd Morrison, international best-selling author)
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Listener received this title free

Some very tense moments in this book especially surrounding Annabelle. I find her very believable despite some of the scrapes she gets into and her rash moves. As the father of 6 daughters, now thankfully all adults, I can relate to both her and those who care about her and the anguish she causes them.
There's a good pace to the story and more interaction between Claudia and Joel as their relationship develops although not always smoothly.

I like the use of two narrators here which works well and both play their part nicely. My only minor niggle was Donna, the female narrator who at times sounds like she's gasping loudly on the inhale. I only really noticed during the Inslinger's Ball event but from then on I found it quite distracting no matter how much I tried to ignore it. I wonder if she caught a cold or something while recording.

Still, an entertaining and enjoyable listen and I'm already looking forward to the next book, Outside The Lines.

I was given a free copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review.

Cool thriller

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If you are looking for a mystery that will suck you in and keep you listening, this is the book for you. This story, from the very start had me. I love Claudia and Joel and their ability to figure things out. But what really intrigued me with this was the back story of the tattoo artists, their competitiveness and their signatures in each of their tattoos. The story revolves around the young girl, Annabelle, that is living with Claudia. She finds herself involved with some questionable people from her past, gets a tattoo, and when her friend is found murdered, we get to go through the case to find out how this and other murders are all connected. The art of graphologist, Claudia is amazing to me, how much can be figured out in the personality of a person by the loops and spaces in a person's handwriting and how it all can help lead to the killer. The relationship with Joel and Claudia has some bumps in it this time and I really commend Claudia for her loyalty to Annabelle. It's a great listen, has a lot of twist and turns, and it's action packed!

The narration by Donna Allen and Richard Brewer is spot on! It's full of intrigue and emotion as we get into the story. They each have a way of giving the characters the necessary feelings in their personalities and bring the story to life with their performance.

Inkslingers Ball

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Listener received this title free

The story centres around Annabelle, a troubled teen with a fondness for questionable decisions who lives with Claudia, her surrogate aunt. When an old friend of hers gets murdered, she finds herself stuck in the middle of a murder case being investigated by Claudia’s boyfriend, Joel.
There were times when I wanted to shake Annabelle, but her heart was in the right place, and the household dynamic between her, Claudia, and Joel was well-written. The mystery element kept me interested, and there were also fascinating snippets about handwriting analysis sprinkled throughout.
Overall, I thought this was a good suspense novel with a nice twist at the end, and I’d recommend it.

Great story!

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Listener received this title free

Wow loved this book absolutely brilliant a wonderful listen love Annabel she is great. Brilliant narration as always

A brilliant murder mystery book first class author

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This was awesome, I loved it brilliant storyline and great characters. I highly recommend this audiobook wish I’d have started with the first in this series. The narrators were spot on really great. Can not wait to listen to more.

Fabulous

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