Johnnie Walker

I know what to expect from Lincoln & Childs books so did not stumble into this one blindly. I also do not usually buy books before they have been reviewed by Audible listeners but did check external reviews of this book. I knew it would not be great literature but figured that with Brick reading it, it would at least be entertaining and would serve for a road trip.

I was wrong and the fault is Brick's. This is a truly annoying reading and it took me some time to figure out why. Brick does a great job of portraying different characters. I still love The Company and others of similar ilk he has done. However, his reading of the narrative is just flat not good. That may also be why I generally do not like his reading of non-fiction.

Give this one a pass.

There is no one more "doggy" than I am and mystery is my favorite genre. I don't mind dogs as narrators. In fact, one of my all time favorites is "The Art of Racing in the Rain." This book is OK but I did not find it particularly gripping and it certainly does not make my top 10 list of either animal based books or mysteries.

Want to read an absolutely outstanding book on the relationship of animals and humans? Try "The Elephant Whisperer." There is more suspense in that one and it is non-fiction.

Just a charming story wonderfully read by Simon Vance. Don't over think it; just enjoy it.

The plot; the characters; the action; the reading. I normally am a great fan of Dick Hill but I got the feeling he did not know what to do with this book and was over compensating. I need something that is a little more believable and with a touch of finesse I guess.

I am a financial crisis junkie and have listened to most of Audible's offerings on the topic. Simply put - those who do not know history are destined to relive it. Matters of finance are so complex that it is difficult for most to grasp what happened. For that reason, it still goes on. We cannot stop what we do not understand.

Two of the three books rolled out and purporting to fill the gap in the Jack Reacher series were already available on Audible read by Dick Hill. This one read by Jonathan McClain is not totally awful but it is a pale imitation of the real thing. If you are a Jack Reacher fan from the previous books available in the Audible series, you will be sadly disappointed.

I am 69 years old and the period of this book - late 50's and early 60's - was my coming of age. There are things about that era that I had forgotten over time - both the simplicity and complexity of that period. I could relate to the time traveler wanting to stay.

King is also showing his age and he obviously has a better memory than I do because it was an honest portrayal of the time. It truly felt genuine. Beyond the question of what would have happened with another road traveled, this is worth reading as a period piece.

One of those books better in audible format than written not because the text version would leave something to be desired but because the performance was so outstanding.

Not another Swede

Not that I have anything against Swedist detectives. In fact, I have listened to most of them and like the genre, but try the one from Denmark! Like all Scandinavian detectives, Adler-Olsen's hero is a little broody, but the cast around Detective Carl Morck is a kick. His villians are the worst and they are always plural. You do just have one bad guy to hunt down but rather a cast of evil, very twisted characters.

I wish the narrators had been the same for both books and I might favor Erik Davies who did The Keeper of Lost Causes over Steven Pacey who performed this one, but both do a more than credible job.

There are two more in the series that have been published but am not certain they have been translated. I fervently hope that Audible will make then available when they are.

Wamu was my banks for over 25 years after they acquired a small Washington Savings and Loan where I had my account. I was both stunned and saddened by the demise of the bank. After this reading, I was also very angry. This is the story of how a marginal little financial institution became a good little financial institution became a questionable big financial institution became an evil, out of control institution! This gives great insight into the people behind the bank both honorable and not as well as some great insight into the financial misdeeds that led to our nationwide financial collapse. Strongly recommend the read.

The story of the training in the first half was interesting; the action in the field much less so. What was really discordant was the use of derogatory terms to describe the enemy.