At first I was very lost in what was happening. I even looked up the book to see if I started in the middle of a series. Sadly I did not. So there are things going on that have no explanation to them. There are two things going on and it didn’t mash up well in my opinion. Love and being a vampire and detective trying to solve a case. Separately. They would be great but together there are a lot of holes in the story about the vampire side.

This is a great cop drama with a twist! Our lead detective is not only female, smart, tough, but she's also now a vampire in training! An interesting twist to the usual detective drama! The plot is extremely well woven to create a murder mystery that needs to be solved, but also a fight between good and evil being fought by the vampire leaders. An engaging story with multiple layers and multiple plots. The characters were extremely well written and brought to life very well by the narrator of the audio book. I have to say the book was good, but the audio made it great by giving each character an individual voice. I can't wait to listen to more of this series!

I read almost 60% of the book and I just could not finish. I didn't feel involved in the story whatsoever and I was dreading just thinking about having to finish the book to review it.

I listened to the audiobook on the NetGalley app and it was a terrible all together experience. The app is honestly horrible. It kept randomly stopping and even when I closed the app and opened it again, it just wouldn't play. Considering I listen to books while driving, this was not a pleasant experience. The app would also constantly lose my progress and I would be left to figuring out where was I the last time I listened to the book. Of course I understand this has nothing to to with the book but I wanted to point it out as it could be a small reason why I didn't enjoy the book that has nothing to do with the writing or plot itself.

Lastly, the narrator did attempt to make different voices and accents and succeeded with some. However, voices sounded the same to me.

I just couldn’t get into it. I restarted it a few times and got a little further each time but it just wasn’t it for me. It felts confusing and all over the place. Having gone back through others reviews and seeing there was a prequel, that would have been good to know. I wish that was made clear anywhere. The premise seemed interesting but just took too long to get there.

I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was just not for me.

Thank you NetGalley & publisher for the arc.

I did not really enjoy the bookk and I did not finish it. I prefer to not post bad reviews if that is okay. I don’t want a negative review to effect the author badly in any way the book just wasn't f0r me.

"The Immortal Detective" by D. B. Woodling, narrated by Lisa Larsen, presents an intriguing premise with Detective Celeste Crenshaw grappling with newfound immortality after facing death. Woodling re-introduces readers to a world where mortality meets the supernatural, with the promise of an engaging fantasy adventure.

Lisa Larsen's narration adds depth to the characters and helps immerse listeners in the fantastical elements of the story. Her performance brings Celeste's journey to life with clarity and emotion, enhancing the overall listening experience.

However, while the concept of an immortal detective navigating mortal foes is intriguing, the execution feels trite and pandering in my opinion. The pacing feels a bit choppy, switching between her time learning "how to be immortal" with her "legendary historical figures" as teachers, pulling unbelievable names from history into this world. Additionally, some plot points may feel predictable or lacking in originality, diminishing the impact of the story's twists and turns. This is very much a sequel where the reader lands straight into the last scene of the previous novel and offers the bare minimum for bring the reader up to speed with the fantastical world they've been dropped into. The reader can piece it all together, but it can feel a bit disorienting at first.

Despite these shortcomings, "The Immortal Detective" offers moments of entertainment and imagination. Woodling demonstrates potential as a storyteller, and Larsen's narration elevates the audiobook with her engaging delivery.

Overall, "The Immortal Detective" earns a three-star rating for its effort in blending fantasy and detective genres. While it may not fully realize its potential, it still provides a satisfactory escape for fans of supernatural mysteries.

Thanks to CamCat Books, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks for the advanced audiobook copy to review via NetGalley.

Nice Story line
cool plot.
love the vibe and setting
Got removed before I could finish the ending but the whole vibe of the book is pretty good.
Definitely recommend it.

The Immortal Detective by D.B. Woodling is an intriguing mix of paranormal fantasy and kind of police procedural. Celeste is a newly created vampire. She was changed to save her life but she is not very appreciative considering she never wanted to be a vampire. She was understandably angry but she had good mentors and her family to help her transition from human to the undead. One thing I really liked about the book was the vampire back stories of real life historical figures. I always enjoy creative takes on famous people in history.
The story was fast paced. There were not a lot of over descriptive long winded writing, which I liked, but I kind of feel like some of Celeste’s police cases were wrapped up too quickly. This is a good book with a lot of interesting characters. If being changed into a vampire wasn’t big enough, Celeste experiences huge changes at the end of the book and I wonder what will happen in the next book in the series.
Lisa Larsen, the narrator did a great job. I enjoyed the accents, accents can be hard and this narrator handled them well.

Thank you to the author D.B. Woodling , the publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Immortality is not what Celeste thought that she was going to have to deal with but decides that it might not be a bad idea especially since the powers that come along with her being a vampire will also help with her life as a detective.

I loved the idea that she was mentored by the likes of Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci and Nostradamus but the story fell a little short for me. The powers that she received because of being a vampire helped Celeste to work on her cases but I did miss out on the wow factor that I was looking for. There were quite a few amusing moments because of the banter especially between Celeste and her nanny but this was just okay for me overall


I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved this audiobook. The story, the reader (Lisa Larsen) has an amazingly captivating story telling voice and perfectly captures each characters individuality. A very good voice actress.
The story is alluring, fun, adventurous, and magical. The story sucked me in from the beginning to the end. Very exciting.
The story had a decent flow, but did seem overly wordy at times, but generally was pretty good. Each character stands out with their own personality and seem to be pretty well rounded, making them feel more real.
I think this author may become a new favorite.

Really enjoyed this audiobook. The story is a unique vampire tale with a well developed plot outside of vampires. The narrator was great!

Thank you to @netgalley for the chance to review The Immortal Detective by D.B. Woodling. The book started abruptly with Celeste waking up as a vampire. She is being trained by the Elders in the art of invisibility and shapeshifting, but still faced challenges of her appetite as a new vampire. I loved the people that she met along the way and I really enjoyed the relationship between Celeste and her lover Tristan.

I loved the twists and turns and despite being able to typically catch on to the surprise, I missed this one! Excellent narration by Lisa Larsen.

This book is about a detective who turns immortal, her life as she adjusts to it, and a case she is working on.

The storyline was ok. It was really hard to follow in the beginning, but eventually became more clear and somewhat enjoyable. Some of the tangents were unnecessary though. Definitely had a lot of stereotypical vampire stuff and them some really off the wall stuff. I felt the main character was just magically impervious to not wanting to eat everyone. She can just go to work and not have any issue?

I "read" this as an audio book. The narrator has a very pleasant voice, is distinctive enough between characters and did a great job.

"The Immortal Detective" by D.B, Woodling, is not the first book in the series, and the description should have included that information. I felt confused at the beginning, and disappointed by the abrupt ending, because this is definitely not a stand-alone. The author could definitely do their audience more service by perhaps adding additional backstory, and the cover design should definitely included which book in the series this was. Despite the drawbacks, it is an entertaining police procedural with snippets of supernatural.

I wasn't sure how I felt about this book at first but once I got into it I was totally here for it. And I would really like some of her vampiric abilities! It felt like this book should be a part of a series, so I am going to hope for that and eagerly await the next book! This was my 1st book by D.B. Woodling but will not be my last!

#TheImmortalDetective
#NetGalley

Thanks to CamCat Books for the audiobook provided via NetGalley; this is my unbiased review.

🎧 The Immortal Detective by D.B. Wooding
Narrated by Lisa Larsen
CamCat Books, 21st March 2023
⭐️⭐️

Synopsis:
After Detective Celeste Crenshaw faces death and wakes up immortal, she reluctantly makes a promise to the Elders to grant immortality. But when she returns home, she battles mortal foes, and her world spirals out of control. 

Review:
The promise of an immortal detective and this being the first book in the series made it too hard to resist, which is why I requested to review it.
It started out so well, with the line: 'The only thing worse than never waking up is waking up dead.' But then it got confusing. Celeste is transitioning into a vampire, but it seems to be in the middle of a story, and very little back story is provided. A little digging, and I learn there's a prequel called The Immortal Twin. It would've been useful to know that, and to have read that prior to this.

The detecting really gets going in the second half of the book, where it becomes much more appealing. If readers manage to stick with it until then, there's a decent story here. Listening on audio, there was no opportunity to flip back and forth between pages to check out details, which is what I'd normally do if a book confuses me. I didn't find the narrator particularly engaging. It was a disappointing listen at first, which got better towards the end.

#TheImmortalDetective #NetGalley #CamCatBooks #Bookstagram #BookReview

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this audio.

Umm this book just wasn’t for me. I didn’t like the narrator and the story was confusing. It could be a me thing but this was just not the book for me.

"The Immortal Detective" drew me in with its fascinating premise, following Celestine Crenshaw's journey from a regular detective to an immortal vampire. I loved how the author mixed in famous historical figures like Queen Elizabeth I and Leonardo Da Vinci, adding depth and humor to the story, which was beautifully captured in the audiobook's narration. As Celestine navigates her new life, unexpected twists kept me hooked, and the big plot twist at the end really surprised me.

While I enjoyed the mystery, romance, and supernatural elements, I felt a bit disappointed with the ending, especially when it came to Celestine and Tristan's relationship. Still, "The Immortal Detective" offers a fascinating exploration of what it means to be immortal, with plenty of action and intrigue to keep readers entertained.

A vampire detective story? Sounds great right?

The premise seems super promising and has a lot of great ideas, but just doesn't seem to hit the mark as well as it could. I found myself confused in the beginning chapters of the story and felt like there was a lot of context misisng. So much of this book was disjointed at times with characters that were introduced with little to no context.

The main character, Celestine, spends so much time lamenting her transformation into a vampire. She gives off extremely mixed feelings on whether she actually wants to be a vampire or not and spends o much time adjusting, that we don't get to see her actual detective work until close to halfway through the book. When we do get into her detective work, the story certainly picks up and catches your interest more. It's a whirlwind of crime solving that really makes up for the slow start

The general idea is great, but could've been executed a bit better with more context to better understand character dynamics and overall world building, alongside have a more cohesive flow to make details mesh better together. Overall, a fun interesting read!