Lórien

John Lescroart frequently builds his stories around a burning issue of the day. In the case of "The Mercy Rule," he addresses assisted suicide -- which, although "The Mercy Rule" was written back in 1998, remains a burning issue today. Throughout the audiobook, most of the characters are assuming that Graham Russo assisted in his father's suicide; sparking a lively debate in the media, and causing the listener to contemplate the issue. In fact, John Lescroart ALWAYS makes us think when we listen to his novels. David Colacci provides the perfect, versatile voice for narrating this story. A few details date these older Lescroart novels -- like, for instance, the novelty of cell phones and the relatively primitive stage of personal computers back in those days -- but, otherwise, they continue to intrigue and inspire. I would recommend "The Mercy Rule" to all fans of carefully-crafted legal thrillers.

With "Dance of Death," Preston and Child have delivered another good Pendergast thriller. The voice of the narrator, Scott Brick, spoils the audiobook a bit, not for lack of acting skills -- Mr. Brick certainly has those -- but only because of his unpleasant voice. I liked the story a lot -- as always with the Preston/Child offerings -- although one definitely needs to suspend disbelief with this one. Fortunately, the authors facilitate that suspension of disbelief with their good writing and good plotting. I recommend this audiobook to all thriller-lovers, with the caveat that one needs to endure the narrator's voice. Also, to best enjoy "Dance of Death," one really needs to have listened to all the prequels, particularly "The Cabinet of Curiosities," which Audible does not yet offer unabridged. Hopefully, they will do so soon: All the Preston/Child thrillers deserve an unabridged listen.

I agree with the previous reviewers of "Dead Men's Boots" -- Mike Carey writes superlative supernatural noir, and he keeps getting better with each entry in this series. I understand that he has written two more episodes -- "Thicker Than Water" and "The Naming of the Beasts" -- that have yet to come out in audio. As soon as they do, I will be downloading them. "Dead Men's Boots" has just the right mixture of suspense, humor, and horror; and Michael Kramer voices them all with a consummate actor's excellence. You can listen to this novel as a stand-alone story; but I recommend listening to its prequels -- "The Devil You Know" and "Vicious Circle" -- first, because they each set the stage for the subsequent stories. Mike Carey writes intricate, complex plots; so that -- although he does fill in the backstory we need -- having listened to the whole previous adventure provides a much richer and more entertaining experience.

I liked this fourth Kuzneski thriller the best so far. I enjoyed the idea of using the Greek monastery from the James Bond movie "For Your Eyes Only" in the plot. Kuzneski brings two independent ongoing investigations of the same crime together in the story's exciting denouement. The relationship between the two main characters -- Jonathan Payne and David Jones -- has developed since the beginning of the series, so that they not only save the world, but provide comic relief in the process. Even Dick Hill's reading, which previously annoyed me in earlier audiobooks, has improved. He is now providing excellent voices and accents without over-acting the way he used to. Altogether, I recommend "The Lost Throne" to anyone who likes well-researched, well-written thrillers.

I think I enjoyed the previous Dexter books a bit more than "Dexter by Design" -- maybe only because the novelty of a blood-spatter analyst who moonlights as a serial killer wears off by the fourth book -- but I still recommend this book to anyone who appreciates humor in their thrillers. One has to respect an author who can make us root for a serial killer! Jeff Lindsay can take his place alongside the wonderful crop of writers Florida has produced: Carl Hiaasen, Laurence Shames, Randy Wayne White, Tim Dorsey, Dave Barry, James W. Hall, and so many more. Just remember, while listening to the Dexter books, to suspend disbelief a tad, and you will enjoy the ride.