C. Mings

I have listened to the entire Pendergast Series, one right after the other, and I have really not enjoyed this "Helen" trilogy. Is it just me or are these getting more violent? My penchant for murder mysteries usually means that the stories will carry some level of violence, but these last few have made me physically cringe. And Pendergast comes across not as a bit unusual, but like a cold-blooded, thoughtless killer. I miss my D'Agosta. I hate the fact that he acts like a little puppy trailing behind and begging for the attentions of Hayward. I miss the all-knowing mysteriousness of Pendergast. I liked that his wife was dead and that was all we knew. I can't go back and un-listen to it...but I almost wish I could.

HORRIBLE. The narrator reads the book tolerably well, but his voicing of the characters is beyond what I can stand to listen to. His deep, blustering characterization of the Marquis brings to mind an old, fat, bellowing man! I just could not picture him as the hero of this story or that ANYONE would be attracted to him or that he could be at the top of the Ton! I could even get beyond the occasional cockney accent that would slip in during the narrator's reading of Frederica, but, without the hero of the story (in my mind), this book fell flat and became just background noise for me. I found myself replaying parts over and over again as I would find my mind wondering. I love Georgette Heyer, but I will avoid this narrator in the future!

I preferred her first book, A Discovery of Witches, and the mystery surrounding Ashmole 782 (or however that is spelled). This book instead moved in more of how difficult it is to love a vampire. I love books about the unknown, lots of mystery, a little romance...this became all about the romance. Or at least it did until I just could not take it anymore! I stopped little more than a quarter of the way through and have NO desire to finish. Too bad, I would have loved the mystery!

Perhaps I should not review this if I actually was unable to finish it, but I absolutely could not get over Elizabeth McGovern's performance of Cora with "old-lady" creakiness in her voice even though Cora is only 36! She comes across as Louise's crotchety old grandmother, instead of being a mature,but still vibrant, woman. I did not feel the story in the first quarter was compelling enough to make me forget about the part of the narration and I had to turn it off. Perhaps another time...