The Dirty Streets of Heaven

Volume One of Bobby Dollar

By: Tad Williams

Narrated by: George Newbern

Length: 15 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Bobby Dollar is an angel - a real one. He knows a lot about sin, and not just in his professional capacity as an advocate for souls caught between Heaven and Hell. Bobby’s wrestling with a few deadly sins of his own - pride, anger, even lust.

But his problems aren’t all his fault. Bobby can’t entirely trust his heavenly superiors, and he’s not too sure about any of his fellow earthbound angels either, especially the new kid that Heaven has dropped into their midst, a trainee angel who asks too many questions. And he sure as hell doesn’t trust the achingly gorgeous Countess of Cold Hands, a mysterious she-demon who seems to be the only one willing to tell him the truth.

When the souls of the recently departed start disappearing, catching both Heaven and Hell by surprise, things get bad very quickly for Bobby D. End-of-the-world bad. Beast of Revelations bad. Caught between the angry forces of Hell, the dangerous strategies of his own side, and a monstrous undead avenger that wants to rip his head off and suck out his soul, Bobby’s going to need all the friends he can get - in Heaven, on Earth, or anywhere else he can find them.

You’ve never met an angel like Bobby Dollar. And you’ve never read anything like The Dirty Streets of Heaven.

Brace yourself - the afterlife is weirder than you ever believed.

©2012 Tad Williams (P)2012 Penguin Audiobooks

Great story by a great author

Loved the story. The different spin on an old struggle between heaven and hell. Definitely worth time and money.

Dresden in at play between heaven and hell.

If you enjoyed this but haven't heard of Harry Dresden, check that out too.

Felt a bit copycatish, but Tad, being the brilliant writer pulls it off on its own merits.

Good character development, snarky dialogue, and a grand conspiracy theory meld together along with a theme that questions the religious bones in your body. A great combination.

Awesome

Would you consider the audio edition of The Dirty Streets of Heaven to be better than the print version?

Great author and stellar reading. Couldn't imagine anything better.

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

Flawless narration, perfect for the noir style.

Technical trouble didn't help this.

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

The first half of this had real promise. I liked the detective noir style with the heavenly angle. It made the pretty standard story, more lively. The second half went away from the angel angle and more into a simple detective story. Now, the story being what it is the performance was very good. The reader had perfect tone for the story. The last two chapters simply refused to play, I tried to re-download it and the same thing happened, about 20 minutes left and it stopped. The way the story was going I was not terrible disappointed though.

If you’ve listened to books by Tad Williams before, how does this one compare?

This was my first Tad Williams book

What about George Newbern’s performance did you like?

Excellent! Hard to imagine someone voicing Bobby Dollar any better.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Probably not, A worthwhile rental though.

Wanted a better ending

Great premise, but I wish the ending was better. It left me feeling unforfilled.

Interesting but not what I was looking for

I love the concept of angelic advocates and the detective element/mystery of the story, but I like a little more magic in my story. The story, characters, and mystery were good enough to get me to pick up the second book which I enjoyed as well. A solid 3 stars, but it doesnt quite hit the 4 star mark.

a very interesting twist on a classic genre

What made the experience of listening to The Dirty Streets of Heaven the most enjoyable?

the characters are memorable and the story is well narrated, with a really nice rhythm that keeps you listening for more. the countess of cold hands is one of the sexiest character's i've ever read about.

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

the actor's performance perfectly fits the mood of the story and gives a very nice rendition of the characters.

i guess it's okay

What did you like best about The Dirty Streets of Heaven? What did you like least?

The narrator. George Newburn did great! I sort of liked the book. It seemed to drag on. Probably should have ended about three hours earlier.

Would you be willing to try another book from Tad Williams? Why or why not?

not any time soon.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

probably.

Not Your Momma's Angels

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. Tad Williams weaves a wonderfully imaginative tale of grit, action, suspense and non-stop snark all rolled into one in this tale of Angel and Demon advocates.

What other book might you compare The Dirty Streets of Heaven to and why?

Williams' voice for Bobby Dollar reminds me of other authors such as Larry Correia, Christopher Moore, Tom Holt, Terry Pratchett, Carl Hiaasen and the Nightstalkers (Area 51) series by Bob Mayer, so if you enjoy one liners and dialogue that make you laugh so hard you snort coffee out your nose mid sip ...

Have you listened to any of George Newbern’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I've never had the pleasure of listening to George before and OMG, my world has been lacking because of it! George was awesome. He truly gave life to all the different characters.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laughter -- to the extreme. Especially whenever G-man or Foxy showed up. On the first meeting of G-man, I was laughing so hard, I almost wet myself. (Yes, George's voice characterizations are that good. I was actually seeing the entire scene play out in vivid color in my mind.)

Any additional comments?

Come on, you know you want to hear it. Get it now. Your life won't be complete until you listen to the tale about a gun packing, smart talking, boozing, get in trouble Angel.

Interesting take on the heavenly war for souls.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The story was a little inconsistent at times. Mainly the love/romantic complication that Bobby Dollar gets himself into with a demoness. How does an angel fall for a demon? Better yet, how does am angel fall for a demon because she looks so hot, even though he knows her appearance is nothing but illusion. Otherwise, the mystery is somewhat interesting, and satisfyingly tied up at the end.

Would you recommend The Dirty Streets of Heaven to your friends? Why or why not?

Sure. I'm in for Bobby Dollar number two anyway.

What about George Newbern’s performance did you like?

Well read. I know a good narrator when halfway through a book I forget its just one guy reading the book!

Was The Dirty Streets of Heaven worth the listening time?

Worth the listen.