The Big Sheep

A Novel

By: Robert Kroese

Narrated by: Fred Berman

Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Los Angeles of 2039 is a baffling and bifurcated place. After the Collapse of 2028, a vast section of LA, the Disincorporated Zone, was disowned by the civil authorities and became essentially a third world country within the borders of the city. Navigating the boundaries between DZ and LA proper is a tricky task, and there's no one better suited than eccentric private investigator Erasmus Keane.

When a valuable genetically altered sheep mysteriously goes missing from Esper Corporation's labs, Keane is the one they call. But while the erratic Keane and his more grounded partner, Blake Fowler, are on the trail of the lost sheep, they land an even bigger case. Beautiful television star Priya Mistry suspects that someone is trying to kill her - and she wants Keane to find out who. When Priya vanishes and then reappears with no memory of having hired them, Keane and Fowler realize something very strange is going on.

As they unravel the threads of the mystery, it soon becomes clear that the two cases are connected - and both point to a sinister conspiracy involving the most powerful people in the city. Saving Priya and the sheep will take all of Keane's wits and Fowler's skills, but in the end they may discover that some secrets are better left hidden.

©2016 Robert Kroese (P)2016 Macmillan Audio

Hard-boiled amusement, a little flawed

I picked this one up because I've enjoyed Kroese's other works (namely, the Dis series and the Rex Nihilo books). I liked this, but it was a little bit of a miss for me. The concept was interesting, and the way it played out was really neat. The performance was also good -- the narrator managed to run from Joe Pesci to GLaDOS with relative ease.

What got to me, I suppose, was that this story couldn't seem to get out without a massive amount of expository dialogue (a classic violation of the show-don't-tell maxim). Maybe I don't read enough detective stories for this to not bother me. I know a lot of action needs to happen off-screen, as it were, in such a tale, but this just felt so extreme that it took me out of it a little. There was a very long section of villain-telling-hero-the-entire-plan that was certainly interesting in the way it worked, but sort of made it fail as a cohesive story. The secondary main character, the actual detective, seemed simultaneously overpowered and yet very much failed at his job.

This story was entertaining, but the actual writing was a little shakier than I've noticed Kroese's work to be. If you like your hard-boiled detective novel with a little weirdness, I'd say your time won't be wasted with this. The book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger that clearly carries into the next one. I'm not sure this is enough of my cup of tea to keep going, though.

Mckey Spillane steps into the future

Kind of a quicky story with a gun shoe that I thoroughly enjoyed. The narrator really brought the characters to life.

hope this gets a sequel.

I liked this one a lot. My only real complaint was that I felt that there were moments that may have been a little too easy to figure out. the performance is top notch!

omg!!!!!!!! amazeballs!!!!!!

I finished this in record time. seriously. You need to get this. Robert Kroese is a KING!

Clever, Engaging, What Sci-Fi Should Be

Science Fiction is at its best when it is a metaphor for something we face today. It just so happens when you make it funny and quirky and fill it with a bunch of plot twists, you get smart entertainment.

Robert Kroese, author of the very complex and witty and yet slapstick Starship Grifters, delivers a grand slam with Big Sheep. I really do not want to spoil the plot, so I won't. But let's just say that while you read this book, you might read (listen to) chapter one and think "ok, what's the big deal?". My dear reader, you don't know what you are in for. PAY ATTENTION. Like all great books, this one lays everything in plain sight, but you just can't see it. Let the book unfold and you will see all kinds of very interesting ethical dilemmas play out that leave you thinking, guessing and wondering what will happen next.

At no point after chapter 3 does the book ever drag. The stage is set quickly and the action begins. But instead of just being mindless action, the book engages you into a mystery that gradually gets bigger and bigger and bigger. By the end, the entire fate of Los Angeles in a post apocalyptic world is at stake and yet you will still be focused on THE BIG SHEEP.

Fred Bermans does a superb job reading the book. He uses a very quick voice for the protagonist that sounds a lot like Joe Pesci that makes you think you're in a futuristic My Cousin Vinny. He has a wide range of voice for the other characters and he reads with great expression and emotion. I thought his female voices were even well ranged. When he expresses the outrage of a body guard in chapter 31 (Something to the effect of 'I just want to love the damsel in distress, but you @hole detective keep bringing up this f'ing sheep!') you feel the rage and the hilarity at the same time. I laughed out loud.

Seriously, I've been wanted to find a great book for the summer and had not found one until I stumbled upon Big Sheep. Highly endorse. Hope you love it.

Detective Noir meets Dystopian Future

I loved this book. It has compelling characters with their own quirks and idiosyncrasies. The plot is tight. No threads are left hanging, and they all tie together nicely. There are a few well-placed twists and turns that will surprise even the most experienced reader.

The world is well thought out and captivating. The suspension of disbelief is not really required.

Rob Kroese is a funny guy. There are many scenes where I laughed out loud! If you like his humor, you will want to check out his other books.

Fred Berman did an outstanding job bringing the various characters to life. His performance definitely added the prose.

decent

It was somewhat interesting, and occasionally funny. I am not generally a big fan of detective stories, and this is definitely that. But it was okay. I found some of the voices done by the narrator to be a bit annoying, but that is pretty much always true for these audiobooks.

not my favorite

if you like crime mysteries with lots of twists and turns and thrills and chills with gun play and showdowns up to the very end you might enjoy this.

lots of misdirection at the same time lots of things that you can predict in this rather traditional crime drama with science fiction subplots.

personally the body count was too high and grotesque for me. too much talking exposition.

enjoyed star grifters much more.

Fun read

What did you like best about The Big Sheep? What did you like least?

I have read a lot of PI books set in southern CA and this is futuristic spin on that kind of book. At first I thought it would be silly - and it is a bit silly - but the characters were well developed and the story kept on moving.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Blake Fowler. You had to feel for him as he kept the various factions at bay and sorted out a wacky scenario.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Fred Berman?

Yes. His voice was a little scratchy sounding at first but he did a good job of reading with inflection and making the various characters sound different. He was a good choice for a PI story set in La.

Do you think The Big Sheep needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

It doesn't need a follow-up but I could see them solving other cases. I would read more books with these characters.

Do electric sheep dream of fame?

Robert Kroese does it again. This book is a great play on the recurring themes in Philip K Dick's books that manages to blend the seriousness of some of those themes with humor. The characters are well crafted and interesting and Kroese leaves the reader wanting more at the end of the story.