adrienne

Once again our nomadic hero, Jack Reacher, wanders into trouble. This time it’s an abduction in progress involving a woman. They both become hostages, there is gun play, there are physical injuries, and a plot to overthrow the government is thwarted. In typical Reacher fashion he overcomes all and moves on to his next adventure.
This fun listen is iconic Reacher from beginning to end.
Jonathan McClain does a good job narrating.

Kurt Wallander is able to take seemingly unrelated events and clues and piece together a cohesive picture that solves several murder cases. The book seems to progress at a moderate pace, gain speed, and then explode in the "aha moments."

Mankell writes in a similar style to other Scandinavian authors. However, I am not left feeling the gruesome depravity and evil found in some of the others. He weaves a great story and tucks in all of the threads at the end.

Dick Hill is an excellent narrator.

This was worth the time spent listening. I am not a fan of post apocalyptic fiction as it usually involves horrors that I do not find entertaining.

This book, however, is believable. The characters have substance, their need to protect themselves ongoing, and the tedium of little or no change in their microcosms is palpable.

Hig's decision to break the 9 year pattern is a do-or-die move. It has more than one consequence and a new equilibrium is established at the end.

This is not an action packed adrenaline fueled book. It does, however, portray human adaptability and the will to survive. Needless to say some think individually, some on the group level, and some are just evil.

The narration is appropriate for this book; it is not too emotional nor too flat.

This novel is very well done. The characters and conflict slowly unfold, reach a crisis point where I thought that the poor man couldn’t take any more stress, and then the situation is resolved at the criminal level. Joseph O’Loughlin is left with the job of putting his personal life back in order.

I plan to move on to the next book: Lost.

Simon Prebble is an excellent narrator.

As usual, there is a "cleaner" issue and you are immediately drawn into a tense adventure. Nate disappears, Jonathan and Orlando investigate, several other operatives are involved, and the only thing they all have in common is the name of a past job.

New to this episode is a cliffhanger ending. As usual I am eagerly waiting to see what happens next.

Scott Brick has become THE voice for these books.

I love this series!

This is another “try something new” purchase. I was engaged throughout the book. This really should be a 3.5 star as I can’t put it in my most memorable category, but it is interesting enough to pursue another Pickett story.

The mystery surrounding the motives and method of multiple murders unfolds as the character of Joe Pickett develops. I find it refreshing to have the sleuth a game warden instead of a detective. At times Pickett seems bumbling and at others he is tenacious following his moral compass and his duty to protect the wildlife of Wyoming. He also deserves some sympathy as he is underpaid, his intelligence is underestimated, he is verbally assaulted, and his family is targeted. I suspect that he will become more “real” as the series progresses and look forward to listening to the next episode.

This is not a rush-of-adrenaline adventure. Instead, it is more of an easy listening mystery. David Chandler does a good job of narrating: there is expression to his reading, but excessive emotion or tension would seem out of place here.

It is always amusing to me that Jack Reacher, who would prefer to be an anonymous wanderer, gets pulled into so many different scenarios. Some are by accident and others, when his expertise is required, take someone some clever investigating to track him down.

This is one of those “find him” episodes. His expertise is needed for an issue with the Vice President. His experience as a sniper and an investigator take him on a dash across the US and a final resolution that is very Reacher. This is a well developed story with a few more tidbits about Jack’s past. It builds from the introduction to the conflict and through the adrenaline rush to an unusual conclusion.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Jack Reacher is one of my favorite characters. I will definitely continue my journey through all of the episodes.

As usual, Dick Hill is an excellent choice for narrating any Reacher novel.

This is another “try something new” purchase for me. It is a decent listen. However, it is predictable with a formulaic bad guy terrorizing the cities, the need to identify him, and the chase to bring him to justice.

Lucas Davenport is a loner detective that doesn’t follow all the rules, but “catches” the evil doer. His personal life, loves, and interests make him unique character.

I always enjoy Richard Ferrone as a narrator.

I try not to retell a story or give any big spoilers. There is more than enough information in the publisher’s summary to get you into this one.

As the characters develop, it is easy to fall into their basic household routine. Of course there are some tensions, but they seem to be under control. Then one decision by one individual destroys the equilibrium. Like dominoes, things seem to fall one at a time and set off the next disruption. As the story proceeds the characters must adapt and, of course, life will never return to its previous status.

This is very well written and narrated. It is believable, cohesive, and well developed. I would not hesitate to purchase another book by this author and/or narrator.

First, this is mild in terms of sci-fi or fantasy.

Second, in my opinion, this belongs in the young adult category. Some hand holding, kissing, reference to spending the night together, but nothing graphic.

I was engaged for about two thirds of the book. Then it got lame, like the author lost his muse. I was vested in the characters, but many just withered away.

When I am really into a book I can listen for up to 6 hours per day. When it took me 4 days to listen to the last three hours, I knew it was really bad.

The narrator did an admirable job with the material. In fact, he's probably the reason I trudged through to the end.

This series fits the lawyer/crime/mystery parameters.
The main characters each have a history and make contributions to current cases.
The tone is light hearted and sarcastic. Grover Gardner narrates this perfectly.

I have enjoyed every one and often listen to them as a a break between deeply disturbing books.