"Wow"
The combination of the narrator, interesting fleshed-out characters, and the unique setting made this book a cut above the rest.
Interesting mystery, intriguing setting; and the motivations of the characters
Okay well I love Irish accents. But Forbes did a great job of telling the story without distracting from it. That makes a narrator stand out.
It was melancholy throughout, but not too much so. The ending was quite satisfying.
Wish I could have given it 5 stars. But I save 5 stars for the tip-top cream of the crop -- such as The Help.
"Stop reading at the end of Part 2."
I don't think Nick's persona was adequately fleshed out. He didn't make sense.
The ending? Like a dull, reverberating thud.
Possibly. Flynn is a talented writer and writes with an observant wit. However I'm not a big fan of dark disturbing stories - unless they resolve in a way that makes the journey worthwhile.
Julia Whelan's narration is outstanding, as it was in Nora Robert's Witness. In fact I searched for more books she had narrated. Heyborne did a great job, too.
The plot line kept me entertained and absorbed until the final quarter of the book, at which time I was longing for it to end.
"Narrate to me if you can"
I managed to listen to the entire book. Barely. However after listening to this book, and to others narrated by Anna Fields, I've decided not to download any more books narrated by her.
Her male character voices are simply dreadful. Her male voices sound like a child imitating a man: chin down, muffled, swallowing the words. They are even hard to understand because of this. Additionally, her southern accents are the worse I've ever heard, after listening to many, many female narrators.
Ms Fields, you need to modify your timbre only slightly, or make other simple speech modifications for a male character. The reader is intelligent enough to make the distinction.
The story? Oh yes... Very cute. It's the sole reason I persevered.
"Written by precocious geeky 13-year old videogamer"
Wow, I'm sorry, but this was painful to endure to the end. Written with all the depth and maturity of a precocious, sun-starved, puffy-thighed 13-year-old techno-nurd.
The narrator was also abysmally gee-whizzy though I will say he fit perfectly with the tone of the book.
How could this book _possibly_ have rated 4 stars up to this point?!
"Boring and remote"
Ugh. I find forensic science fascinating, but preferably balanced with enough plot and character development to balance it with light and humanity.
Scarpetta is white bread served on a sterling silver platter. I mean, who cares? She is not an appealing or sympathetic character.
This story droned on and ON with psychoanalysis of, and conversations between, the flat characters of Scarpetta, Benton, Berger and the only slightly more interesting Lucy. Marino is the only appealing character in this story. Heck, in this series.
Finally, Kate Reading's narration has a brittle, patrician air to it, lending to the overall emotional inaccessibility of this book.
"Simply the best"
Craig Johnson is now my favorite author. This is the second of his books I've read and it even exceeds his first, Cold Dish. Johnson is an immensely talented writer. Aside from the good mysteries, he has created unforgettable characters and sense of place. He combines a fantastic wit with just enough warmth to make you care about the characters and the story. I'm not a writer, so I can't do it justice...
Finally, George Guidall does a _superb_ job of narrating this story. By God I think he was born for such a time as this. Don't think I've read a more perfect author and narrator combination (and i have read many, MANY audio books.)
"Boring and tedious"
I simply can't finish this book. It's dark and disturbing. But that's not the reason I can't finish it... It's because I'm about 1/3 of the way through and frankly I could care less about the protagonist. I'm sure as the story proceeds one might grow to care or at least become interested in Jude.
However I can't stick it out that long. The author/narrator reads like a reduced-speed automaton (which has been programmed to sound ominous) and the female characters all sound mentally challenged.
The narration, along with the boring protagonist, don't provide the motivation I need to muddle through this dark story.
The author is otherwise a talented writer. I wish his success with his next effort.
"Fantastic"
This might be the only book I've given 5 stars -- and i've been an Audible member for something like four years and have listened to many, many books. This one is un-put-down-able.
The story is riveting and the author is a great talent. Mr. Evans, please keep writing! Can't wait for your next work.
Mark Deakins: Hands-down the best narrator I've had the pleasure of hearing. We need more of you! In fact I'll go seek out anything else you have narrated when I finish this review.
The ending felt slightly rushed and wasn't as satisfying as I had hoped for but left me thinking long afterward. So I guess that's a good thing.
READ THIS BOOK.
"Wooden and boring"
Honestly I can't believe the good reviews of this book.
First, I strongly dislike this narrator. He sounds like he was chosen for having a deep radio voice -- not for talent as a narrator. I found his delivery to be wooden and stilted.
More importantly, the story was just boring and written at a fifth grade level. I had to force myself to finish it... Maybe I'm spoiled, because before this one I listened to In the Woods. Fantastic book, and supremely well-written.
"so CLOSE, yet..."
Oh my, this book was written more artfully than any I have read in years (and i've read many). I grew to care about the characters and became utterly absorbed in the story. This promised to become one of my all-time favorite novels. Near perfect.
But then the story declined, and left me cold. It became depressing to continue listening... One of the mysteries was solved, but I had the killer picked out early in the story. The second big mystery was left unsolved. I could have dealt with that, had the story involving the major characters come to a more positive resolution.
Tana, you are incredibly talented. You came SO close to writing the perfect novel. Please just work on your story line in the next one, which I can't wait to read.