Just One Look

By: Harlan Coben

Narrated by: Angela Dawe, Luke Daniels

Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

An ordinary snapshot causes a mother’s world to unravel in an instant. After picking up her two young children from school, Grace Lawson looks through a newly developed set of photographs. She finds an odd one in the pack: A mysterious picture from perhaps twenty years ago, showing four strangers she can’t identify. But there is one face she recognizes—that of her husband, from before she knew him.

When her husband sees the photo that night, he leaves their home and drives off without explanation. She doesn’t know where he’s going, or why he’s leaving. Or if he’s ever coming back. Nor does she realize how dangerous the search for him will be. Because there are others interested in both her husband’s past and that photo, including Eric Wu: A fierce, silent killer who will not be stopped from finding his quarry, no matter who or what stands in his way.

Her world turned upside down, filled with doubts about her herself and marriage, Grace must confront the dark corners of her own tragic past as she struggles to learn the truth, find her husband, and save her family.

©2004 Harlan Coben (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Yikes, she’s rough

The female narrator is so grating, you’ll swear she’s pranking you. She makes almost every single-syllable word into 2, just by dropping her voice. Ouch!

The story is decent, but I’ve been spoiled by far superior narrators of Coben’s work. Gotta shoot the messenger here.

Annoying Narration

I have listened to several of this author's books and have generally liked them. This one is a dud. It's hard to keep the characters straight since they are all so similar. On top of that is the narration. There are two narrators which is slightly confusing. Both do men's and women's voices so I am not sure why they would need two narrators. I keep having to rewind to get back on track with the story. I listen to audible books because they generally help me fall asleep. This one certainly does.

Great book, probably a great READ.

Oh boy, I had read the reviews but nothing prepared me for Angela Dawe's delivery of the narration. It was a struggle to listen. Her dialogue parts were not bad but her straight out narration has the oddest cadence and flatness of tone to it I have ever heard. It's as though she had no feeling for the words at all. Luke Daniels did a fine job with his parts. The story was a typical Coban with intricate twists and suspense, again taking the reader to the very last page with new information. It's a great book but it's a great read, not a great listen.

Fascinating book; Horrible Female Narrator

This is a very good Harlan Coben book. Unfortunately, the female narrator was the worst I have encountered in nearly 200 audible books. The worst. I have read other reviews panning the narrator and found I wasn't bothered myself, but this time the reviewers really had it right. It is a testament to the gripping story line that I was able to keep going despite the awful female narrator.

Good Story -- but a disappointing performance

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

I found the intonation used by Angela Dawe (the female performer for this book) for the narrative portion of the book to be annoying. I enjoyed her performance of character dialogue --- but for some reason she performs the narrative portion of the book with a sing-song intonation that began to grate on me about a third of the way through the book and caused me to be distracted for the remainder of the performance.

Narration made it impossible to finish listening

What did you love best about Just One Look?

I also wish I had read the reviews, but I am always so excited to listen to one of Harlan Coben's books. I had to stop listening and will read it on my Kindle. Great story so far though!

What didn’t you like about Angela Dawe and Luke Daniels ’s performance?

Angela Dawe's voice was incredibly distracting. Luke Daniel's was not an issue at all.

Angela Dawe's narration is unbearable

Would you be willing to try another one of Angela Dawe and Luke Daniels ’s performances?

No. The cadence of her delivery is just too distraaaaacting. The vowels are drawn out at the end of every seeeeentence. No one I know really talks that waaaaay. If she were the only narrator, I would have quit much eaaaaaarlier.

Intriguing twists

Narration was perfect. Story line was filled with multiple twists that kept me guessing until the end.

Keeps u guessing

Another success by Harlan Coben!! Keeps u guessing until the end!! Believable characters and a great plot

Save yourself a credit!

AWFUL reader! it sounded like SIRI was reading half of the book! Save yourself the trouble, and just read this one.