Chablis from Seattle

This book is delightful, especially for M C Beaton fans, who have learned to suspend disbelief and simply enjoy the odd characters that inhabit Hamish Macbeth's life and the author's amazing imagination. I expect her books to be fraught with plot twists and turns and unusual characters. The humor in this book revolved around the highlanders' belief in fairies, and I howled with laughter when listening to the description of the kingfisher's funeral.

The plot didn't exactly keep me on the "edge of my seat," but I was certainly fascinated by the crafting of the action and introduction of new characters and their motives. I've read other readers'/listeners' criticism of the personality and actions of the flat, amoral children, but I've seen that facial affect in the televised interviews with children of gang life. (I did think that the European escape was a bit "over-the-top", but I dismiss devices like this as part of M.C. Beaton's charm.) As usual this plot is a mixture of the familiar (Hamish's troubles with his superiors, the village characters, the desire by Macbeth to keep his beloved friends out of the murder investigation) with unusual devices that make the action complicated and interesting (the Russian who wants the nursery property as a site for his mansion). I loved it. I don't require M.C. Beaton to be believable at all times.....how could you possibly believe Nessie and Jessie with their verbal repetition and outlandish accusations about Hamish's love life? But it works.

Malcolm has a sense of timing..pausing between scenes, changing voices in a subtle manner so the listener always knows when the speaker changes, but effecting the change in an unobtrusive manner....no screeching or phlegmy voices. His voices add a sense of continuity and realism to the Scottish brogue.

I will never forget the hilarity of the kingfisher's funeral.......so funny and outlandish.

I can't imagine anyone listening to this narrator whose voice is atonal, lacking in inflection and irritating.

I don't know. Didn't get beyond the first 30 annoying minutes.

Never!!!!!

No.

This book is boring....so sad after the three previous Keller tales. The characterization of Keller's wife is beyond ridiculous, and the conversations between the two droned on and on with the most idiotic convolutions that I simply couldn't finish listening.

The tediousness of the conversations bored me to death....In the other Keller books, the conversations advanced the story, but, in this book, the dialogues simply made me irritated. The description of the various "hit man" episodes were so minimal that I finally almost fell asleep. In addition, I don't believe the relationship between Keller and Julie for one moment.....her silliness in devising situations to test Keller and her participation in the murder for hire were ridiculous. (I also found it interesting that, on the cruise, Julia and Keller didn't mention their daughter's existence or the fact that they'd left her behind....not normal for the devoted parents that they are portrayed to be.) Interestingly, the philately and the information surrounding Keller's hobby was fascinating and not at all tedious.

Richard Poe's ability is excellent...He doesn't attempt to change his voice or use falsetto for female characters, and, yet, I found it interesting that I never questioned the identity of any of the characters.

No.

I was so excited that Block had finally released a new Keller book, and this was a huge disappointment. It's almost like he didn't have a good editor to help him with the pacing of this book. If this had been the first Keller I'd read, I would never have attempted another.

Hire a different narrator. I read the hardback version of this book and was looking forward to listening to the audio version. I did not expect to be chronically irritated and distracted by Reynolds' phlegmy, gutteral, whiny versions of the voices...to the point that I removed my earplugs every time Jesse Ventura began to speak. Also, he mispronounced simple words in the text. What a shame. This is a terrific story that was ruined by a totally inept narrator.

None.

Burt Reynolds was a charming actor, and I've heard him read one other Parker book. In the other novel, his voice didn't flummox me with its grating, unrealistic tone. In CHANCE the narration was so distracting that it was impossible to ignore its poor quality to listen to the story. It sounded as though he needed to clear his throat or nose. In addition, I resent the mispronunciation of words over and over again. Very unprofessional.

I would edit every scene in which Shirley Ventura appears. The scene between Spenser and Shirley in a restaurant was overly long and painful to read, and her drunken, loutish behavior didn't contribute to the story.

This is one of my favorite Robert Parker books and Robert Parker is one of my favorite audio book authors. This plot is different, because there isn't a murder mystery to be solved, but a complicated issue of seeing to it that a neglected, young boy is prepared to lead life as an adult---and, then, unraveling the sordid pasts of his parents so that he can live as he wishes with no interference from his miserable, self-absorbed mother and father. I loved this book.

The moment when Spenser admonishes Susan and tells her not to be "ordinary: because she's jealous of the time he has spent away from her. I enjoyed the fact that her reaction to Spenser's absorbing attempt to care for Paul (who appears in later books) was selfish and self-absorbed. I enjoyed the fact that Paul understands that she resents him. And I enjoyed the fact that she does "come around" but only with limitations. Parker does not go for the stereotypical "feel good" solutions.

My favorite scene occurred when Spenser tells Paul that he was right about his plan for the boy's future and Paul asks, "What..do you want a Nobel Prize?" The "smart" response showed his increase in self-confidence and his adaptation of Spenser's repartee for his own personality.

Jog a mile, punch the bag, expand your mind...grow up!

The character of Maddie made me laugh as she resisted Spenser's desire to help her/change her/improve her life. Her attitude toward life was both realistic and sad, but I giggled as she resisted Spenser and Susan's attempts to improve or change her approach to negotiating her days. She absolutely tolerated no coddling, no interference with what she perceived as the "right" approach to avenging her mother's death, and, yet, small insights about her feelings emerged with such hints as the fact that she had a toy tiara on her head when Spenser first visited her.
None of the characters reacted in a stereotypical fashion.....the convict was not grateful for Spenser's help, the "dirty" cops don't get their comeuppance, the old foe ends up being sympathetic at the end. But Hawk is always Hawk, and Spenser is always Spenser.

Maddie is spectacular. Mantegna does a good job with her cynical voice. I will always remember the scorn in his/her voice when she announced that the "cops" gave her a card so she could see someone to talk about "her feelings and crap."

Maddie is my favorite, but Mantegna does a great job with the by-play between Hawk and Spenser. His "Hawk" is, by far' the best of all the narrators.

Spenser Meets His Match.

I thoroughly enjoyed the snippets of parallel history that Parker inserts periodically and, because I'm a history buff, I considered that, because I was learning new and interesting historical connections, it was time well spent. I also liked the fact that Parker's characterization of Wyatt Earp dovetailed with his descriptions of Virgil Cole in his other western series. Unfortunately he peopled this story with rather colorless characters, unlike Pony Flores, Hitch, Allie and Laurel who made the Cole series crackle with life.

I might recommend this book to people who enjoy history, especially western history, because I know that Parker researched the Earp history carefully. I wouldn't recommend it based on a compelling narrative or spine-tingling action.

Unemotional, flat, mediocre

Perhaps, but the movie has already been made with Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer.....with variations to the story. The movie script was more compelling than this story.

Parts of this book were delightful and interesting, but some sections (the two trips to Coney Island, the fight with the assassin, the deliberation before the final altercation) were maddeningly egregious in the writer's use of excessive detail, exhausting thought processes, and boring tedium. This writer does not belong to the minimalist school of writing. Every movement is described with nothing left out.......slowing the pace to such a degree that I simply left the room to retrieve a cup of coffee, letting the narrative drone on. In addition, I think that many of the sexual references, including one unbelievable scene in the Coney Island "fright scene" are so unreal that the terminology and the actions seem a bit juvenile.....and the sort that would appeal to adolescent males. (I did repeat some of these references to my female friends; none of them were the slightest bit amused.)The earlier flashbacks, the main character's trip to Poland, his earlier life are extremely interesting. In addition, the author's description of many of the medical decisions made by his "doctor" delighted me with the unexpected deductions...and his view of life is undeniably humorous. Some plot devices seemed undeveloped (such as the courtroom scene, the strangely abbreviated love affair, and his stupid, fateful decision to accompany his former friend), but I suspect that this is probably considered to be humor by younger readers.

After the snail's pace of much of the rest of the book, the abrupt ending annoyed me. Also, I didn't understand why the character, who had previously announced that he disliked his profession, now, all of a sudden, seemed anxious to continue. I also was nonplussed that his former mentor, who, earlier was not available for help (for no apparent reason), then offered him tepid advice, all of a sudden showed up at the end to give him some advice (like some things can't be helped) and, bingo! The story is concluded with little plot resolution. (For example, what about his nemesis' gangster father? And what does the character do at the end?) Very Strange.

This is the first performance of Petkoff that I have heard. His voice and timbre is excellent.

I would probably not be interested.

This book was so interesting in some parts and so deadly dull or irritating in others that I can only wish that he'd had a better editor.

The other reviews were so terrific that I was certain I would love this book. The title is quirky, the premise is interesting, and the characters seem to be unusual. I could not listen more than 1/2 hour before I fell asleep. Twice! The unenthusiastic narration, and the monotone voice of the narrator bored me senseless.

No. I found this book boring, even though I tried to treat it like I would a college lecturer who doesn't need to be interesting--just informative. I tried twice to listen to the words of the author, but fell asleep both times. With so many other audible books available, why take "the medicine."

Boring, unimaginative, monotone.

I don't know. I didn't listen long enough to make a judgment.

Potshot is one of my favorite audiobooks, but, then, I am an avid Robert Parker fan. I like Jesse Stone and Sonny Randall, but Spenser and Hawk are the best! This plot is absorbing, convoluted, as usual, and entertaining, because of the plethora of characters involved. Who can NOT enjoy the bi-play between Hawk and Spenser, but this book adds the rest of the rascals....including Bernard Fortunato, Horse, Cholo, etc.....Very funny.

The plot is intricate, and, as usual, Parker begins the book with one presumption, but, through all the plot twists and turns, the issue of murder becomes another problem. At the end, multiple issues are solved, the characters have developed sufficiently to end with the necessary plot resolution.

Any scene in which Spenser, Hawk and the cohorts interact is both revealing and hilarious.

To not listen to this all the way through makes it a scattered plot. The reader needs to keep track of all the plot threads.