Death on the Danube Audiobook By Jennifer S. Alderson cover art

Death on the Danube

A New Year’s Murder in Budapest

 Virtual Voice Sample

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This title uses virtual voice narration

Virtual voice is computer-generated narration for audiobooks.
Who knew a New Year’s trip to Budapest could be so deadly? The tour must go on – even with a killer in their midst…

Recent divorcee Lana Hansen needs a break. Her luck has run sour for going on a decade, ever since she got fired from her favorite job as an investigative reporter. When her fresh start in Seattle doesn’t work out as planned, Lana ends up unemployed and penniless on Christmas Eve.

Dotty Thompson, her landlord and the owner of Wanderlust Tours, is also in a tight spot after one of her tour guides ends up in the hospital, leaving her a guide short on Christmas Day. When Dotty offers her a job leading the tour group through Budapest, Hungary, Lana jumps at the chance. It’s the perfect way to ring in the new year and pay her rent!

What starts off as the adventure of a lifetime quickly turns into a nightmare when Carl, her fellow tour guide, is found floating in the Danube River. Was it murder or accidental death? Suspects abound when Lana discovers almost everyone on the tour had a bone to pick with Carl.

But Dotty insists the tour must go on, so Lana finds herself trapped with nine murder suspects. When another guest turns up dead, Lana has to figure out who the killer is before she also ends up floating in the Danube…


"With stops in Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas in Rome, and even a bachelorette party in Reykjavik, this [Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery] series is certainly one for the bucket list traveler. Lana’s status as a brand new tour guide means the reader experiences the wonder of these destinations just as she does." - Forbes.com, "Travel Books: 5 Cozy Mystery Series To Satisfy Your Wanderlust"


Introducing Lana Hansen, tour guide, reluctant amateur sleuth, and star of the Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery Series. Join Lana as she leads tourists and readers to fascinating cities around the globe on intriguing adventures that, unfortunately for her, often turn deadly.

Books in the Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery series:
Book 1 – Death on the Danube: A New Year’s Murder in Budapest
Book 2 – Death by Baguette: A Valentine’s Day Murder in Paris
Book 3 – Death by Windmill: A Mother’s Day Murder in Amsterdam
Book 4 – Death by Bagpipes: A Summer Murder in Edinburgh
Book 5 – Death by Fountain: A Christmas Murder in Rome
Book 6 – Death by Leprechaun: A Saint Patrick’s Day Murder in Dublin
Book 7 – Death by Flamenco: An Easter Murder in Seville
Book 8 – Death by Gondola: A Springtime Murder in Venice
Book 9 – Death by Puffin: A Bachelorette Party Murder in Reykjavik
Book 10 – Death by Oxcart: An Independence Day Murder in Costa Rica Amateur Sleuths Cozy Mystery Crime Murder Winter Genre Fiction Christmas Holidays
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I spent a credit on this book not realizing the narrator was virtual, which really took away from my enjoyment of this story. I will be paying better attention next time for sure! The story itself was great, murder mystery, plot twist, and interesting story concept of an American tour group in Hungary. I loved the descriptions of Budapest (pronounced Boo-duh-pesht by the way) and as I’ve been many times I can assure you that it really is that beautiful and architecturally stunning. Unfortunately the narration was awful for me twofold: I have been learning Hungarian for my whole life and it is a beautiful language and sadly if you are Hungarian or know the language, listening to the virtual narrator pronounce anything Hungarian is absolutely brutal. I do recommend reading this book but I do NOT recommend listening to this version of it.

Good story, awful narration!

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The AI generated narration on this book took a quiet decenly enjoyable mystery and turned it into a slog. I spent the first half of the book trying to figure out if the writing was really awkward and stinted or if the reader was just bad. I finally checked the narrator and saw that it was AI narration and that explained everything. The author is being done a huge disservice with this narration. I forced my way through the remainder of the book because it was so short but definitely wouldn't have bothered if it were longer. Now I am having a hard time telling if I like the author's work because it was so overshadowed by the narration

AI narration is terrible

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The author put together a story that was fun, light, and reasonably well thought out. However, the reading was so bad I felt like a third grader was reading to me. Emphasis was frequently far off, and pronunciation incorrect.

Dreadful AI Narration

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This was an enjoyable cozy mystery. I liked all the details the author gives about Budapest. Lana is a fun character to follow around. The mystery was engaging, and I enjoyed reading about Lana trying to solve it while keeping the tour group entertained. I would be interested in continuing in the series, especially since each book takes place in a different city.

To be honest, my main problem was with the narration. The virtual voice wasn't doing the story any favors. There isn't any inflection or change of voice when different people talk, so it ends up kind of blending all together.

Good Story, bad narration.

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I purchased this title not realizing that the narration is so-called “Virtual Voice” an AI-generated reading. It was terrible: in addition to the occasional missed words, and complete lack of inflection, the narration did not in any way distinguish among the voices of the characters. Everything was monotone, including the numerous arguments with raised voices, which the listener did not hear. I was dismayed to see that Audible has hundreds of title using Virtual Voice. Do not buy them. Even a capable narration would not have saved this pedestrian murder mystery, however. Strongly not recommended.

Virtual Voice Stinks

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