Burning Man

A Gideon and Sirius Novel, Book 1

By: Alan Russell

Narrated by: Jeff Cummings

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

When LAPD detective Michael Gideon and his police-dog partner, Sirius, are assigned to the Special Cases Unit (SCU), Gideon knows their work lives will be anything but ordinary. SCU gets the cases no one else wants, the unusual and bizarre crimes that need special handling and special investigators. When a high-school student is found crucified in a local park, Gideon and Sirius must face up to the gruesome tableau and the motivation behind the murder. Complicating matters is a nightmare from their past, the scars of a terrible fire that nearly cost them their lives. The blaze left Gideon ravaged by PTSD - and yet somehow imbued him with an eerie prescience that gives him unusual insights into the crimes he investigates.

©2012 Alan Russell (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Close But Misses The Mark

This book started off well enough but over time, it seemed to lose steam and in places was downright awful. I was intrigued by the premise of a dog as a key character but the real character here is fire, and what an overdone character it was. I grew tired of the dream sequences and as the book progressed, the main characters. I found the dialog between the protagonist and his love interest especially painful and felt that the author was perhaps trying to hard to impress us with his command of the English language. By the end, there were still some plot lines left open and the author seemed anxious to wrap everything up in a neat little package so we could put it on a shelf. Ho hum....

As with the book Jeff Cummings delivery of the story was annoying

Loved finding a new author to follow

What did you love best about Burning Man?

I wasn't sure about this book is was an impulse buy after reading a general description. I am glad I gave it a chance, I now anxiously await the sequel to this book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Burning Man?

Even though it is based on a fictional character the insight into what people go through after surviving a horrible accident.

What does Jeff Cummings bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Giving life to the characters from a different perspective than how they may sound in my head. Would listen to other books read by Jeff Cummings.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

If given the time I would have listened to it in one setting, but I accomplished it in three. From start to finish there were no long dry periods where I lost interest.

Corny cop, seeking love - must love dogs..

The book was okay I guess I would have rather read the tic tock of Patterson but maybe it's not a fair comparison. Don't think I'll spend a credit on book 2. I'll wait for a sale..

Great Read

The novel contains great and entertaining conversations. The story line is simple and straightforward. The reader did a great job as well.

Michael Gideon Gets Sirius and Serious

Jeff Cummings did a truly excellent job... especially with the comedic timing. This is the 1st book of a series I intend to continue listening to. Fire is nearly as much of a character as Ellis. Both are destructive and hungry for attention. K9 Officer Sirius has gone into and returned from a living hell fire incident with his partner, LAPD cop Michael Gideon. Now Gideon gets insights. Good thing he does because he's got 2 cases to solve. Love Lizabet. Also happy to see it's set in Los Angeles. Going to read the next one now

Dark

I’m not into dark mysteries. Reader was OK. Story pretty predictable. But I’m not into the shaman being a good guy and connection between hero and villain. Not a story for a good Catholic or Protestant.

Great story and series, so glad I found it

Only on my second book of the series, but this first book is a great introduction to Gideon and Sirius books. Love the writing style and narration is great as well.

Best book in a long time!

Perfect, just perfect. Horrific beginning, as LAPD cop Michael Gideon and his police dog, Sirius, are trapped in a burning forest in pursuit of a killer. The killer shoots at them, hits Sirius, but Gideon forces the killer to help him carry the wounded dog out through a wall of flame. They all survive, the killer is sentenced, and becomes an eerie presence in the book. Both Sirius and Gideon are badly burned, but both go on to become the protagonists of what will -- I hope - become a new police procedural series for Alan Russell.

Burning Man is one of those "just five minutes more" books you can't find a place to stop listening. The cases Gideon and his "partner" Sirius get are fascinating -- a newborn baby abandoned on church steps, a teen-aged bully crucified on a tree in the park. There's a romantic interest, but just enough to make Gideon a real person. I like how Sirius is included in everything -- he's not a "sleuth", like some of the cat books, but not since Carol Lea Benjamin created PI Rachel Alexander and her pit bull companion 'Dash' has a dog played such a significant -- dare I say 'meaty'? Sirius is addicted to In 'N Out Burgers -- role in a book, and done it so well. Nothing cutesy here, just a really smart police dog with a brave and interesting human.

The narration is excellent -- thank Gd for a narrator who can pronounce California place names correctly! Couldn't be better.

Can't praise this book enough -- more, more!!

New Series with Lots of Promise

I enjoy the search for my next favorite police procedural series. This one has lots of promise, and I will definitely look into the author's second book. I liked the characters, including police dog, Sirius. I felt the beginning of the book would be predictable, but the author introduced two different and intriguing cases for detective Michael Gideon (Special Cases). The search is on for the parents of an abandoned infant which connects to Gideon's back-story. The second story has to do with the murder of a local school's athlete.

The narrator, Jeff Cummings, did a nice job. All around - an enjoyable listen.

2nd by Alan Russell, but NOT the last I'll read!

Didn't go in any sort of order, first listened to Guardians of the Night, and just finished Burning Man... can't wait to get all in the series. I love Russell's writing and wit; and couldn't have gotten a better narrator the Jeff Cummings to bring the story and that quit wit to the listener. Thank you to both!