Darrell

This review has nothing to do with the quality of the book itself. I could not finish listening to it because the reader read in sporatic bursts. It was if he was reading the book for the first time and was unsure what tone to use or at what pace to read the passages.

Having grown up in a very small town in the south, I can relate to the characters John Grisham has created and throughly enjoy the short story format. Some people complain about the "abrupt" endings to the stories, but that is what a short story does...once you get to the climax...the story is over, no use (in my opinion) on dealing with the small details. I also enjoyed having the author read the book, his accent really lends to the "character" of the stories...I feel like I am listening to one of my uncles telling some of their stories about Robeson County, NC.

One will notice that this book either gets 4-5 stars or 1-2 stars depending on the reviewers politics or feelings about global warming/environment activism. If you read the book with an open mind and have not fallen into the 'State of Fear' then you will enjoy it. The book is well written and full of research you can follow up on through the bibliography. Because of this, I found myself looking forward to the commute to/from work, as well as the long trip to visit a client 150 miles away.

I did not give the book a five star rating because I reserve those for Michael Connolly and John Grisham. I did buy the hardback for my wife. Overall a very good book.

I had not read anything about the book before listening to it, so I was a bit surprised when the story skipped through time with the same character. Then I realized this book was also a bit of a history lesson of NYC. I thought of my own experiences (limited) in NYC and the places the Cormac lives, works, and visits.

I am usually a Tom Clancy/John Grisham listener...I got this book for my wife, but I ended getting into the book just as much as she did.