The Hunter

Wyatt Hunt, Book 3

By: John Lescroart

Narrated by: Eric Dawe

Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best seller John Lescroart delivers a dark, intimate thriller about the price we put on family and the terrible costs of seeking the truth.

Raised by loving adoptive parents, San Francisco private investigator Wyatt Hunt never had an interest in finding his birth family - until he gets a chilling text message from an unknown number: "How did ur mother die?"

The answer is murder, and urged on by curiosity and the mysterious texter, Hunt takes on a case he never knew existed, one that has lain unsolved for decades. His family’s dark past unfurls in dead ends. Child Protective Services, who suspected but never could prove that Hunt was being neglected, is uninformed; his birth father, twice tried but never convicted of the murder, is in hiding; Evie, his mother’s drug-addicted religious fanatic of a friend, is untraceable. And who is the texter, and how is this person connected to Hunt?

Yet in the present, time is running out. The texter, who insists the killer is out there, refuses to be identified. The cat-and-mouse game leads Hunt across the country and eventually to places far more exotic - and far more dangerous. As the chase escalates, so does the threat, for the killer has a secret that can only be trusted to the grave. Thriller master John Lescroart weaves a shocking, suspenseful tale about the skeletons inside family closets... and the mortal danger outside the front door.

©2012 John Lescroart (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Did not like the narrator, but good book.

I personally prefer David Colacci. I was able to get past Mr. Dawe's voice to enjoy the book.

Not Lescroart's best

The Hunter maintained my interest -- a good who done it, and all that. So, why am I only giving 3 stars to a writer I enjoy so much?

I suppose the answer is that it didn't have the depth of engagement of his Dismas Hardy and Glitchky series. So that must mean that the three stars are due to comparison to his other (in my view, 5 star) books.

Furthermore, the reader didn't adequately convey the commitment and enjoyment that Lescroart's writing warrants.

another winner

a little slow to start but when you think it will end..pow a new turn

Very poor narration

If you could sum up The Hunter in three words, what would they be?

Good Story, horrible narrator

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

somewhat

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Eric Dawe?

Anyone would be better

Any additional comments?

Eric Daw should go back to his day job, sorry, but it was really bad

Great plot

Very interesting story line with nice additions of actual history to lend substance and believability. This particular narrator is not my favorite (he's a little monotone). But, the story is captivating enough that I stop paying attention to it after just a couple of sentences.

The narration detracts from the story.

What didn???t you like about Eric Dawe???s performance?

The narrator does a very poor job with voices. He is equally poor with doing male and female voices. Every time he varied his normal voice it was done poorly enough to be intrusive. I wouldn't get another book with this narrator.

The Hunter

I would rather have David Colacci narrate this book. Some of the characters from the Hardy series are in this story and Dawe did not do the voices the same as Colacci. The story was interesting and had Lescroart usual description of San Francisco. The description of the small town in Mexico was like a travel guide. Jim Jones made an interesting twist in the plot. Many people still wonder where did all the money go? The story makes for a pleasant commute.

Not one of Lescroart's best

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Not particularly. The story dragged on - lots of unnecessary plot inclusions - main character's mental breakdowns, migraines, and trepidations detracted from the main plot line. And the narrator had a very difficult reading style (more later)

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The search for the killer in a 30 year old murder

Would you be willing to try another one of Eric Dawe’s performances?

No - I found his reading style very annoying. When he reads, he enunciates very precisely one word at a time. It sounds like a first or second grader in that there is little or no flow to the sentences - he is just reading one word at a time - not telling a story with a natural flow. He also mispronounces several words. Eric's voice characterizations are pretty good and he seems to do a better job of reading some feeling into the book when he is not reading the main character. Try listening to a book narration sample performance by Oliver Wyman to hear what a real performer sounds like. The plot was just interesting enough for me to tolerate Eric Dawe's performance (with the reading speed increased to 125%)

Was The Hunter worth the listening time?

Barely

This narrator is terrible. He ruins the book

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

The story is okay. Not one of Lescroart's best, but I remained interested.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Nothing special

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Absolutely. If the book had been uninteresting, I would have tossed.

Did The Hunter inspire you to do anything?

No.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

What disappointed you about The Hunter?

The long and boring journey down a road littered with repetition, meaningless characters, and the expectation that a significant event is about to occur....it never does.....

What do you think your next listen will be?

Suspect #1...James Patterson

Would you be willing to try another one of Eric Dawe???s performances?

Yes.............

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Hunter?

The story line is not interesting.......therefore I cannot identify one scene or scenes