First Evidence

I didn't want to stop listening!

I lost track of Ken Goddard a few years back and was excited to find him on Audible. OMG this was such a deviation from the older books I read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to read the next!

I thoroughly enjoyed this from the start. It moves fast and keeps you interested with the facts of the forensic investigation and then the UFO connection. I will go on to the next one in the series. I didn't know it was a series until i started it, and I rarely do series as they can lose their way after the first one and leave you disappointed but this was good and warrants going on. I happened to have the book also and there is a "map" of the evidence location as well as a detailed list of items that help to visualize the layout, but it may not be necessary to enjoy the book after the initial setup.

First Evidence-I never did figure out what first evidence the title referred to- is an average UFO/missing persons/Aliens all around us, type novel which takes place in rural southern Oregon. If you really enjoy forensic evidence and alien theories and extraneous information about old guns, you might enjoy the story..I found it to be barely average in plot though it might be made into a good movie because the primary protagonist continually sees shadowy mysterious creatures creeping up on him, it didn't really grab me as a scary story when read.

Kevin Kenerly the narrator didn't do much to add excitement to the plot either. Most of the mens parts sound the same and he can't do a woman's voice at all...he would have been better off simply reading the story without trying to do different voices. The few places where humor might be injected were lost on him.

The story arc is simplistic-a town in he boonies of Oregon is up in arms because there has been a rash of missing people, signs of UFO lights and strange happenings. The main protagonist, an Oregon State Patrol forensic expert has moved to this community to be close to two old friends. This part of the plot is pretty trite-the author wants to inject some romance and does a bad job of it..He'd have been better off sticking to a straight Aliens and UFOs story.

His old friend goes missing in a bloody massacre that includes a dog being killed-lots of detail here about blood and guts-again good movie stuff but not something I care to imagine-and strange disfigurement done to the body of the friend. There is a rash of exploding cars and a totally comic Captain of the OSP who rants and raves and kicks things. Very contrived exploding things that would play well in a movie, but which reader Kenerly made dull.

On and on we go, with a young girl who looks like his old girlfriend, a lackluster back story about the aliens which really needed to be fleshed out more and what tries to be an exciting ending, but fails. Lots and lots of detailed info on guns in the book-if you're a gun nut, this might appeal but to me it was useless information what size a bullet is and how fast the bullet goes-like who cares?

The book was on sale-I got it cheap and I'm glad I did, because it wasn't worth buying, in my opinion. I enjoy books about aliens, good sic-fi and First Encounter stories, but this tale wasn't worth a credit.