The Other Side of Silence

By: Bill Pronzini

Narrated by: Nick Sullivan

Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

When his wife finally left him and filed for divorce, Rick Fallon put his house up for sale and took the last two weeks of his vacation. Then he loaded his Jeep and drove straight to Death Valley, the one place he truly belongs. On his third day in Death Valley, Fallon comes upon a deserted car, and soon thereafter, the almost-dead body of Casey Dunbar.

After rescuing her, Fallon soon learns what had driven her to give up on life and - his own life on hold - he resolves to unravel the twisted and dangerous strands of hers, a quest that leads him to the glitter-dome of Las Vegas.

©2008 The Pronzini-Muller Family Trust. All rights reserved. (P)2008 BBC Audiobooks America

Another view of the narrator

First off, let me say that I understand Robert's objection to the narrator. I'm a big Pronzini fan, and this is the first of his books I've listened to on audio. I wouldn't have picked this narrator. That said, I don't find his voice as irritating as the other reviewer did. I like this book so much that I am now listening to it a second time. Although the narrator's normal tone takes a bit of getting used to, I've come to appreciate that he does the other voices, male and female, extremely well, IMO. Not every narrator can do this. In this narration, you get more of the feel of hearing an ensemble of actors perform the story. One of my favorite narrations is Jeremy Irons' narration of Lolita (who can compare to Irons?) But even he falls a bit short in the female voice. As for this story, it's suspenseful, surprising, and satisfying; a great example of Pronzini's writing. So I highly recommend this audiobook, and say give the narration a chance, even if it takes most of the book to do it. It's outstanding Pronzini, of the non-Nameless variety.

Needs another narrator.

Before my review, I'd like to say that there is a technical problem with this particular title, and Audible's customer service has been very helpful resolving this issue to my satisfaction (although I'm not sure the book has been "fixed" yet). That said, I would like to say that I'm a huge fan of audible books and Audible.com. I'm a big Pronzini fan. I've read all of his "nameless" books and many of his others. I've listened to a few on CD (which were great). "The Other Side Of Silence" is the first Pronzini book I've purchased from Audible.com. The book itself is a good read, but I have a very difficult time with the narrator, Nick Sullivan. He's one of the most irritating readers I've ever listened to. He is certainly wrong for a Pronzini book. He adds too much of his own spin - his own mood. His voice is grating. I would not recommend anything read by this narrator. I went so far as to go to the library and pick up a print copy of the book. Reading the print version is like reading a different novel. It is like reading Pronzini. Listening to Sullivan is not! Stay away from this one until it's offered by another narrator.

Thank Goodness it’s over

Why an author has to inject their personal beliefs and prejudices stumps me. This book is loaded with righteous indignation. The lead character should live in the desert away from humanity. Maybe then he’d be happy.