Lórien

I am just beginning to discover T. Jefferson Parker's work; and it makes me happy to see that I have many more of his audiobooks to look forward to. "Silent Joe" -- though old, now -- still holds up to modern listening, and delivers the goods. If you like Michael Connelly's work, then you will enjoy Parker's novels, as well. Like Connelly, Parker writes about Los Angeles -- its seamy underbelly and its corrupt machinations, as well as the way a good human spirit can navigate unscathed through all that corruption and still triumph. Of course, that probably couldn't actually happen in real life -- corruption corrupts -- but in our novels that we listen to for entertainment, we like having the good triumph. That definitely happens in "Silent Joe." The reader, James Daniels, has a nice voice, and does a good job distinguishing the characters from one another, even voicing the female characters -- which male actors sometimes have a hard time portraying on audiobooks -- believably. I recommend "Silent Joe" pretty much without qualification.

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.