Shaliali

I enjoyed all the previous Nancy Drew books narrated by Laura Linney who is fantastic. I did not expect this narrator to be as good as Linney, but I didn't think she would be so awful. I listened to the sample, and I thought her voice pleasant enough. But in listening to the book, I discovered that this narrator has no clue about how to present different "voices." It would have been better had she just read the book straight; instead, she attempted to create characters through caricatures. Male characters were all petulant, for example. The most heinous offense, however, was that she turned Hannah Gruen, the Drews' housekeeper, into Butterfly McQueen through an outrageously stereotyped southern, African American accent! Apparently, Birschbach believes this novel was set in the pre-Civil War era and thinks of "the help" as Mammy figures. She read all of Gruen's verbs without the final G-- cookin' instead of cooking-- which is NOT how they're written! (Shouldn't the narrator read the text *as written*?) I kept expecting to hear Gruen saying, "Miss Nancy, yo's never gonna fit in 'dat dress..." Anyone who has read the books knows that Gruen is NOT this type of character. Even anyone who has not read the books should be able to figure out that a character named Gruen is not from the rural South! The horrible and miscast stereotyped voiced ruined this book. I could not finish it! This narration is disrespectful to the novels and the fans of the series.

This book is different from my usual cup of tea, so I hesitated a bit before purchasing it. I was afraid it might be too formulaic to be enjoyable, but this has been one of my favorite audiobooks in some time. First, it is very atmospheric; I was immediately drawn into this world. Harwood created a main character to whom I was immediately drawn. Much of the story is told through flashbacks, but the narrative switches between the present and past so skillfully that transitions are seamless. As I listened, I always had questions that made me find just a few more minutes to listen a little more. The suspense isn't driven by violence and mayhem, but of situations with "something" just a bit off kilter, or the promise of information just around the bend. I don't want to say much about the plot because each new element of the plot reveals something that you've been wondering about. If you read the publisher's summary on the book's page, it gives you a decent enough feel for the book; just know that this story is very well crafted.

If you're considering this book, go ahead, you won't be disappointed. The writer is talented; Rosalyn Landor does her usual outstanding job; and the overall result is an experience that I am very glad I did not miss.

I enjoy sci-fi, and I like detective novels, so this novel was right up my alley. To top it off, I enjoy Robert Sawyer's writing, and this novel did not disappoint. The ideas in this book were very interesting. I don't want to give too much away, but the idea of consciousness transference is really well-explored in this novel. The mystery is also interesting and the suspense kept me listening when I needed to be doing other things.

I would only recommend this book for those who are already dedicated to the series. It was more like catching up with old friends than anything else. Fforde did not let us into the book world this time, and that has always been one of my favorite parts, and Thursday was the only character who really did anything of interest.

As always Emily Gray did a spectacular job on all the characters in this series.

Most Definitely! Even though it is a weak offering in the series (not the weak-est), it would still make a terrifically fun movie!

So many genre novels just seem to be slightly different versions of each other that it is a delight when a truly different novel comes along. While I could certainly detect some influences for this series, Aaronovitch has created a world that does not feel like every other wizard/detective/urban fantasy novel that has come along in recent years. Although I like many of them, I enjoy reading something distinctive, and Midnight Riot is quite different in the characters and the way Aaronovitch has incorporated magic into his world. I especially like the main character Peter Grant. I took one star off story because a few elements seemed forced, and I felt that a few things just came out of nowhere (and not by magic). Overall, however, this book was excellent and kept me looking for excuses to listen.

Kobna Holdbrook-Smith was a fabulous choice to narrate this series. He made every character stand out, and performed the book more than simply reading it.

I hesitated for quite some time before taking the plunge on this novel because of comparisons to Pratchett's Discworld series, which I have never been able to find a way to care about. Apart from the existence of magic, I saw almost no similarities. It was more like a traditional British police procedural with magic and magical creatures thrown in.

My title is really how I feel: If you read the summary or looked at the cover and thought, "I might like this," then go ahead and buy it. You will NOT regret it. Now, it is just as strange as it sounds, but it is also extremely entertaining. I jumped at the opportunity to listen to this book because I enjoyed John Dies at the End (paper, audio, and movie). As always in cases like this, I feared disappointment, but Wong's second book is even stronger than John because it is more tightly plotted. While I would have been hesitant to recommend John to just anyone, this book is more traditional without losing any of the edge or insanity that made John so fun. I was also concerned that the narrator had changed, but Nick Pedehl does an outstanding job, and I really could not choose which narrator I prefer.

If you like crazy fun, comedy, random insanity, or just hate spiders, I highly recommend this book to you.

Most definitely NOT!

I ordered this book as an import from the UK before it was even available in the US because I enjoy the wit of Hugh Laurie. When I read it, I heard his self-effacing, Bertie Wooster-esque voice as the main character. I realize it was too much to hope for to have him as the narrator, but Simon Prebble was all wrong for this part. Prebble, who is one of my all time favorite narrators, is just too formal, sounded too old and too educated for this character. It didn't ruin the book, but it was definitely a different take on the character than I heard when I read the book for myself.

Well, not exactly... It was just so absurd (intentionally so) that "edge of the seat" suspense was not really realistic, but I was always curious about what was going to happen to the protagonist next.

Stiff... All Wrong

I laughed out loud several times.

Buy the print version and imagine Hugh Laurie reading it. But if you're not a reader, this is certainly better than not enjoying this book at all.

It was so slow. I never thought it was going anywhere. I just never felt any sense of anticipation as I listened, and Hanne was very unlikeable in this book, so even though I had already met and liked her in another novel, I just didn't care about her in this one.

I first read 1222 and was enthralled from the first word, and I think I was expecting the same kind of engagement from this book. Perhaps if I had gone into this book without those expectations, I would have enjoyed it more.

The interrogations were handled nicely.

It's not a case of cutting exactly, just changing pacing. Holt does a FAR better job in 1222.

Skip this Anne Holt book and go for 1222 instead.

It is above average, but not at the very top. i did find excuses to listen to this book, and I generally just listen when I'm driving or doing chores, so it was very good.

At times, the suspense was quite tense, but only because I was willing to be involved with the story and not nit-pick the plot too much.

I have read every book in the series, but this was the first book I have listened to, and Denaker voiced Amanda exactly the way I heard her in my own head. She also made each character very distinct. I will look for more books she has narrated.

Not really, but the discussions of how MacKenzie was coping with his family's misfortunes in the aftermath of the hurricane were very well-written.

I felt that this book ended the series nicely. A few of the later books in the series were a bit weak, but this book was better.

I am a high school English teacher, so I read many adolescent novels trying to find something that I think my students might like. When I stumbled on this book on a whim, I found a real gem. First, the story is entertaining. This is not great literature, but I'm pretty sure on one thought it would be, and it is very engaging. I recommended this book to a self-professed non-reader in my class, and after the first night, she came to me saying that she couldn't put the book down; her boyfriend complained that she ignored him to READ. (If you know teenaged girls, you know what a testament to this book that is.) If you're trying to entice a teen into reading for pleasure, I recommend this book. In fact, my student was so taken with the book, she posted her own glowing review at Amazon.

The book did have one point that stretched credulity a bit more than I would have liked, but I was enjoying it so much by the time the "big surprise" was introduced that I was willing to go along. And even my student noted that the paint ball games seemed to go on forever sometimes. Listening to the book as opposed to reading it, I think, helped make those scenes go by more quickly. The narrator was excellent and this book was more along the lines of a performance than a mere reading.

It doesn't have the depth of Harry Potter of the Hunger Games, and the writing is not as polished. But it is great fun you'll find excuses to listen to.

I would definitely recommend this book because of the incredible performances. I read the book several years ago and liked it, but listening to it...I LOVE it! If you've never read Dracula, this is the version you want; if you have read or listened to Dracula before, you still want THIS version. This is sure to be considered the definitive version of Dracula.

Mina Murray was a stand out character. As performed by Katherine Kellgren, Mina was a strong female character who managed to remain feminine. Further, Kellgren voiced the other characters in Mina's narratives very distinctively.

I was particularly struck by Renfield's characterization in this version. In the movie versions and even in my own reading, I had envisioned Renfield as a victim. In this version, Renfield is clearly a manipulative madman, quite creepy even before we find him influenced by Dracula. Looking back, I was surprised to see that no single person voiced Renfield because his character was so well-defined and cohesive across different narrators.

The cast of narrators is like a list of my own favorite narrators. Each one is so good at his or her job that this novel comes to life.