East Hartford, CT, United States | Member Since 2010
"Engrossing"
If you've liked previous outings with Will Trent, you will love this trip!
Slaughter demonstrates layered with style and substance not just volume. Her characters are relevant and her storyline line is tight.
The performance was right on point as well. It is great when a performer can put you into the story without becoming part of it them self.
"Not his best"
I loved his Hollywood Station series, but this was a little dated. The dialog felt very heavy bogged down with metaphor and simile instead of actual conversation. In all the other stories I've read by Wambaug it didn't seem crass or vulgar for the sake of a laugh.
Overall I did enjoy the story and pace, he does set a scene nicely I just wish the dialog was as crisp as the Station series. The intersecting stories, character development and underlying humor saved it for me, but Lynne was unlikable, plain and simple.
When an author is capable of writing like "The Onion Field" and "Choirboys" (both very bleak looks at humanity), its hard to believe the same author wrote this book.
A beach listen, not much more.
"Hill is a great author"
Another great stand alone novel, a little sad as usual, but not grim. This is an older novel and I think as with a lot of novels of its era and place there is some reference to the IRA. However, it is not over political so it can be enjoyed for its wonderful writing.
"I really liked this but can't give it 4"
This has a good storyline decent procedural steps with semi accurate if sometimes unbelievable police actions for Louisiana and the south during the time period. Something bothered me and I still can't figure it out. Maybe the narration? There was one glaring contradition but it was inconsequential to the story so it didn't rate. Maybe it was the girl, or the lack of other strong fleshed out characters.
Anyway, Dave is kind of the southern version of Harry Bosch. I enjoyed listening and will look forward to reading the next in the series.
"decent"
A decent story, seems a little dated, but not horrible.
If you are offended by chauvinistic thinking roll your eyes and keep reading. Overall it was a nice break from the endless serial killer books that seem to be the only reading on the market.
I welcome suggestions on a good old fashioned mystery series that develops the characters maybe has one or two serials in the series but doesn't balk at a real whodunit and isn't cheesy or gimmicky.
"I stumbled onto this series 20 years ago"
Waited and waited for it to come to audible, only her last was on audible and without having read the series people might not really have developed the fondness for Jury and Plant that develops when reading a series.
The books are witty and dry without being too graphic. Not as cutesy or silly as cozy mysteries tend to be; the gimmick is the inns so it doesn't seem as childish or staged.
These are not modern mysteries with psycho serial killers and ritual murders, just plain old fashioned murder with a little wit and sadness.
The only flaw is that after waiting soooo long, they picked the worst narrator. The dry humor is still there but he is so annoying it detracts from the overall enjoyment of the story.
"Waited so long"
For Martha Grimes Jury series on Audible, I love this series and it only gets better. However, the narrator is all wrong, he misses the wit and nuance. The humor is dry and smart, the narrator is not.
Good mysteries, but I'm not sure I'll keep buying if they are all narrated by West.
"Performance was so so"
I love the story and listened to a couple of samples, this seemed like it would be okay, it was just that, okay.
If you haven't read the book, I'd suggest a different version. The women sounded ridiculous.
"Excellent"
Someone wrote that the book was dated... I'm not sure how that applies to a book written in 1971 about the beginning of WWII, dialog, attitudes and most especially gender roles were different. I was born in the late sixties and did not find it to be dated.
This was an excellent story full of detail and history, mostly accurate with a little poetic license. It brought home the reality that although the means of war change with technology, the fact of war is never as simple as good versus evil. The winners write the history books. There is much evil in the world, but sometimes we don't take action because of, maybe despite it.
Even for a non politico like me, the book was engrossing. Excellent narration.
"fair"
This was actually a good story, but I had serious issues with stupidity Joe displayed at certain points. It was beyond credulity, I almost stopped listening at two points, but ended up sticking it out and did enjoy the book overall. All I could think of was the woman in a slasher film limping along in high heels, he was that stupid and it almost ruined it for me.
I may try another by the same author, but it won't be anytime soon. The publisher's summary was an accurate description of the plot.
"Printed version is better"
The wrong narrator waters down this otherwise great story.
Having read and loved the three part series when it was first published, I was so excited to see them on audio and so inexpensive...that should have been a clue. I read so many mysteries it should have been obvious there was something wrong, namely the narration.
The stories are wonderful, truly the "he said" side of the argument. For those who loved to hate the detestable Caroline Bingly, more to hate she is a great bad guy for the Austen set.
However, as I stated before the narrator is horrible! He makes Darcy sound like an effeminate dandy, not the over proud slightly arrogant idiot he starts out as until he is enlightened. I'm not sure what happened after the enlightenment because the narrator then has him sounding like a 16 year old girl. Lord!
Loved, loved, loved the stories, could do without the narrator. However, even the performance couldn't totally ruin this great version of one of my favorite classics.