A. T. Al Benelli has narrated 7 audiobooks on Listento.it by 4 authors. The most-rated is Engine 24: Fire Stories.
Psychotrance
Summary
Detective John Black finds himself working full time at the NYPD. Initially called in to investigate a body found in a shallow grave, Black and his rookie sidekick are drawn deeper into a world of brutal ritualistic murders. On the trail of a serial killer, John Black has to endure a number of setbacks which include corruption and questions about his own sanity.
©2015 Jason Connor (P)2015 Jason Connor
Done and Dusted
Summary
This is the continuing story of a grave digger called John Black who moonlights as a private detective. The backdrop for this story is New York City in 1948. Back then, what with the mob and all, Gotham was a hotbed of hoodlums. It was no surprise then that the City had more than its fair share of murders. For John, there was to be one too many murders - namely of his boss, Jack Berry. Determined to get to the bottom of things, John finds himself in over his head as investigations lead him into a murky underworld of graveyards, funeral parlors, and casinos flush with easy money and fast women.
©2014 Jason Connor (P)2015 Jason Connor
The Starlight Club ll
Summary
Red Fortunato's Starlight Club in Queens is back, still teeming with mobsters and their "business" each night. Trenchie, Tarzan, and Moose have returned. The Genovese family and others hang out amidst the grandeur of Red's renovated baby - the Grand Ballroom. Columbia Pictures studio head Larry Bernstein is being blackmailed. "He knew that once any money had been exchanged, that this would not prevent any future demands. These people were nuts and nuts meant dangerous. There was no one in Hollywood he could trust. This was a gossip columnist's dream scoop" that could ruin the studio. Big Red eagerly offers assistance, on his terms, with a caveat - a piece of Hollywood, and Swifty, the son he never had, is his ticket in the boxing ring and in glamour city. "Red was what some in the neighborhood called a 'benevolent dictator'. His neighbors loved him and his enemies knew he was the boss of a crime family that numbered a thousand men or more. It was just a given that no crime would take place in Red's territory. The outcome was a reprisal called 'the wrath of the Red Head'." Too bad no one told the power hungry Detroit capo. He violated the "rules." The phone was reminiscent of the red phone that led right to the White House. The council's decision would stand. "The chief tapped the fingers of both hands twice. That was the signal" to Red that it was okay to proceed with justice - mob style. "The car moved slowly ahead until it reached a huge yellow machine. It was the car crusher. Reilly and his men instantly knew their fate. There were whimpers from inside the car, grown men pleading, pleading for their lives, begging for mercy."
©2012 Joe Corso (P)2015 Joe Corso
The Old Man and the King
Summary
Royal protocol dictated that the king exit the car last. But as the important man was about to emerge, a hail of gunfire erupted, spraying the royal Hummer. Alone, in a foreign city, he seeks temporary refuge in the Good Burger diner. Here he meets Lom, a crazy Korean War vet, who misses his old life of danger and intrigue and who embraces the idea of hunting those who are hunting the king. Lom does so by kicking ass and taking names, and by teaching the baby-faced king the ways of the street, battlefield style. His written message is clear: "I heard you were looking for me. Now I'm looking for you!" This action-packed hunt for the assassins begins with the United Nations. It takes us from Charlie's New York City pawn shop into hidden train stations and desolate warehouses, and ultimately to carefully orchestrated deals with jewel thieves and gun runners. Things move along well until the heart-wrenching kidnapping. With the clock ticking against him, Lom must think quickly in order to save the life of the one he loves. Will the old man make it in time? Will the King live? Only time, and his survival skills, will tell.
©2013 Joe D'Albert (P)2015 Joe D'Albert
Dangerous
Summary
Eleven years from the day he left, Xan Davis returns to Los Lobos a changed Wolf. After promising his insane Alpha, Magnum, that no one will ever know who he really is, he is forced to endure unspeakable torture in distant lands. The Black Hills call to his tormented soul, so he goes, hoping the familiar forests will soothe his suffering inner beast. Liv Dunn, born a coyote but living as human, constantly looks over her shoulder. Less than a year before, a former patient attacked her, leaving her emotionally devastated. Hoping for a fresh start and the chance to find the coyote who's remained elusive since childhood, she travels to the Black Hills. Suffering from PTSD and no longer able to shift, Xan loses it in Gee's Bar. Drew intervenes, forcing him into therapy with a human doctor living near Los Lobos. But just when their professional relationship blooms into more, Xan's past arrives on his doorstep. This time, his enemy has set their sights on his mate, knowing he will do anything to protect her.
©2015 Dawn L Jackson (P)2017 Dawn L Jackson
Harvest Leaves and Roses
Summary
It is said that imitation is the greatest form of flattery. If that is true, then Harvest Leaves and Roses will emerge as a riveting salute to T.S. Eliot and Walt Whitman. With neither pretense nor ornamentation, Peavy continues the project of Eliot in freeing poetry from its straitjacket of sentimentality and rhyme while accentuating Whitman's sensuality. Yet, this volume is not just about imitation. It digs deep into the zeitgeist of the 20th century and exposes it for what it is with fresh insight and the skill of a linguistic surgeon. However, there is neither anger nor condemnation within this book of poetry. Instead, there is warmth, hope, and an abiding tenderness. Although many subjects are treated herein, they are all done so in the rhythm of life and the spirit of the upward spiral of humanity, which continues even in the darkest of times. This small volume of poetry is big in its call to come to the harvest and taste of the fruit of life. Baby Boomers will find it rich with cultural references, which they can enliven their parties by seeing who can guess the most ones while church groups can gather together to see who can identify the most biblical references. Now that is the life of poetry.
©2015 Don E. Peavy, Sr. (P)2016 Don E. Peavy, Sr.
Engine 24: Fire Stories
Summary
Every firefighter has a treasure trove of interesting stories to tell and the stories more often than not are instructional, as well as exciting. When I was a firefighter, I kept notes of the fires I responded to. Now that I am retired, I have reflected on my career as a firefighter and have written a book about the men alongside whom I worked, facing dangerous situations daily. This book is a compilation of five FIRE short stories written between 1964 and 1972, from notes I wrote after returning from fires. "FIRE: Box 598" tells the tragic story where 12 New York City firefighters lost their lives in a fire. The short book won the Readers Favorite 2013 award in the short story category. "FIRE: Trapped on the Fourth Floor" takes place in the mid-1960s and was written from notes I took after the fire. While the story was still fresh in my mind, I added a sub-story about a friend of mine who I worked with in the FDNY. While searching through boxes I hadn't opened in decades, I came across notes about the day I drove my buddy Joe Black to the hospital and I decided to honor his memory by including a few words about what happened that day in this short story. "FIRE: The Bouncing Lieutenant" occurred at the Keneret Restaurant cellar fire on Jane Street in lower Manhattan and was taken from notes written by me almost a half century ago. As I wrote this story, the memories of that night came flooding back in vivid detail. I hope that I have successfully captured and conveyed the drama of the moment to the listener. "FIRE: The Broadway Central Hotel" "FIRE: Mutual Aid"
©2014 Joe Corso (P)2016 Joe Corso