Dark Harbor

By: David Hosp

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

From the opening chapter of the electrifying Dark Harbor, one thing is clear; this is the clarion call of an exciting new talent. Highly touted debut author David Hosp crafts an engrossing novel in the tradition of John Grisham, John Sandford, and David Baldacci.

Scott Finn survived a childhood running errands for crime kingpins to become a six-figure lawyer at a prestigious Boston firm. Now the sky's the limit...until his colleague and former lover Natalie turns up dead in Boston Harbor, her heart surgically removed. She initially appears to be the seventh victim of "Little Jack", a serial killer reminiscent of Jack the Ripper. But suspicion quickly turns to Scott, who must dig deep into Natalie's life to discover the secrets she kept.

The suspense builds to a crescendo as this stunning thriller travels at breakneck speed toward a shocking conclusion.

©2005 Richard David Hosp (P)2005 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Compelling characters pulse through attorney Hosp's surprisingly engaging fiction debut." (Publishers Weekly)

Definitely Grisham Caliber

I have been searching for new a David Hosp audio book since I read Dark Harbor and am thrilled that he has a new one on Audible now. Can't wait to read it. You will not be disappointed in Dark Harbor. It is at the top of my all time favorite's including Grisham, Patterson, etc.

Better for TV

This book was pretty good, but I felt I could have followed it better on TV. Then they would have cut to commercial when there was a change in the action. The book, as it is, would be in one character's mind. The next minute it was with someone else away from the last bit of action. You might wonder, "what was going on?" before it occurred to you this wasn't the same character. The story was pretty good, the narrator one of the greatest in the industry. The flow could have been better.

Classic Police/Attorney crime mystery

Lots to like here. Some historical facets, some character development, slight romance, and a growing interest in some of the principal folks health and welfare. George Guidall is a permanent Star in my shortlist of Great Audiobook Actors. Gentle criticism: I had some confusion with some of the cast as last name / first name were used sometimes before knowing they were in the scene. A few story paths were less informational or red herring and felt inserted for page count. HOWEVER, a solid 4 Star ⭐ read. I will seek more from author. -Guyr8s

My first David hosp

I like everything about the book. The story was good and well written. Bad boy made good only to discover good wasn’t exactly what he thought it was. And sometimes your past isn’t as past as you thought it was. Lawyers, cops, politicians and mobsters all thinking they have it all figured out.. I liked the reading as well.

Not a memorable experience

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I think that the average high school graduate might enjoy this,

What was most disappointing about David Hosp’s story?

It was bad enough that I forgot I had it in my library.

Would you listen to another book narrated by George Guidall?

I would listen to George read calculus books.

Not worth the time

First book I ever read by this author, and for sure, the last. Plot is predictable. Events are not believable, aparent "setups" can be "read" a mile away. Terrible, and the voice of the reader only makes it worse.

Shallow

Excessive profanity is used to mask the lack of a well developed plot and sub-plots. Mr. Hosp needs to leave out the f-bomb and G.D. John Sandford and Michael Connelly manage to do this.

A Minority Opinion

Obviously, a lot of people liked this book and reader. I am not one of them. I failed to find any similarity with the works of John Grisham, John Sandford, or David Baldacci, all of whom I like a great deal. I found character development severly lacking. For a former street thug, Scott is not very street-smart and the author offers very little background to support this past life. The police lieutenant is unprofessional, getting involved personally with Scott right away. Her rank is totally unbelievable given her active role in the investigation and her ineptitude. The plot line was massively predictable and the action just plain dumb; my eyes were dizzy from rolling them so often. The ending was laughable. George Guidall swallowed words and sometimes ends of sentences. He spoke so low he was difficult to hear in all but the quietest setting. This audiobook was, in a word, bad.

Can anyone write an ending?

This is not a bad book for a while. It has some clunky writing (like the detectives ham fisted handling of the case and her irrational suspicion of the main character) but the big problem comes at the end. Note to authors: pitched gun battles in mythical fortresses might have been fine for 1940s comics but they are not a satisfactory ending for modern readers. Incredibly disappointing ending but it takes several hours to get to it.

Bulge-er NOT Bulgar!!!!

Would you try another book from David Hosp and/or George Guidall?

I might try another but it was incredibly irritating to have the narrator refer to Whitey Bulger as Bulgar! Why didn't anyone bother to find out how to say this? The name came up so many times and each time it took me totally out of the story. This was a huge news story and I never heard anyone mispronounce this simple name. Bul-ger (as in Germany) not Bul-ger (as in gelding).

What could David Hosp have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

The credibility of the setting--the characters being insiders in the Boston crime world is destroyed by mis-pronunciation and mis-naming. Everyone in Boston refers to 'Fort Independence' as Castle Island. No one in Southie would have any idea what you are referring to if you called it that.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

George Guidall is an excellent narrator, not his fault but an irishman who came over when he was 8 still has a thick brogue 30 years later? Silly.

You didn???t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

No one mangled a Boston accent. Better to not attempt it. A good call.