Cicada Spring

A Novel

De: Christian Galacar

Narrado por: Kevin Clay

On a warm May evening in the spring of 1979, the people of Heartsridge, Massachusetts, are living the American dream. Families are gathered for barbecues. Kids are playing in front yards. Gardens are being kept. Meanwhile, Kara Price stumbles home through the woods, raped and beaten, her life shattered by a wicked act of violence, perpetrated by one of the town's most beloved and public figures.

Surrounding Kara is a cast of compelling and nefarious characters - a violent-tempered mayor who can do no wrong in the eyes of the town, a sheriff bound by the rules and plagued by a guilty conscience, a father bent on revenge, a serial killer in the midst of an identity crisis. And at the center of it all there's Kara, who just wants to move on with her life and forget everything that happened to her. But how can she do that when everyone thinks she is a liar who is only out for attention? With plot and emotion braided together by a careful hand, this haunted group of people all acting on behalf of their own interests begs the question: How far would you go to protect your own?

©2015 Christian Galacar (P)2016 Christian Galacar

Excellent suspense audiobook

It's not often that I pick a mystery novel, but this one could send me on a suspense novel binge. Good character development, a bit squeamish for me in some parts, and great narration. I'll be looking for more from this author and narrator!

This audiobook was given to me at no in exchange for an unbiased review, thanks Audiobook Boom.

Such a Well Written Novel... This one is a Film

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

I'd recommend this book to any Producer/Director looking for one hell of a story that needs to be adapted, turned into a script, and produced as one scorcher of an Indie Film.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Every one of the characters was so well developed by the author, how could anyone possibly have a "Favorite"?

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I think he could have spent more time working with the casting director, finding the right actors to bring their individual characters roles to life.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were points where I'd suddenly realize that one of the character voices had distracted me so much, I'd completely missed the last ten to thirty seconds of dialogue. At those points I was moved to grab my phone, and press the "Rewind" button, to go back and pick up the story where I'd momentarily tuned out.

Any additional comments?

Kevin Clay has an amazing voice, and I could listen to it for days. (Wait... I think I just did... ) For the most part, I really enjoyed his work. But there is that small part that goes along with the most part, to make the whole part, that left me a little disappointed. There were character voices that didn't match the characters (like a highly competent Sheriff's deputy, with a voice that made him sound like a man who could barely be trusted with a broom, let alone a badge, a gun, and the keys to a car) Or women's voices that sounded pouty and depressed, when the dialogue wasn't pouty or depressed. There were times when I'd wished that he'd simply told the story in his own beautiful voice... Because, when he does that, he does an amazing job.

Narrative of Rape Culture

If you could sum up Cicada Spring in three words, what would they be?

murder, rape, cicada

What did you like best about this story?

The author does a great job of bringing levity to some very dark and serious subjects. This is the perfect summer read without it being too dark. I thought that there is great commentary on the ugliness of rape culture in America, but it is very subtle and not at all preachy.

Which scene was your favorite?

The ending!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely; you had to tear me away from listening to it. I listened to it every chance I had.

Any additional comments?

First, this book really surprised me; it has so much depth. Cicada Spring is a beautiful narrative portraying the ugliness that is rape culture in America. This is not your standard mystery/thriller, and I think the genre-bending qualities really add to this novel. I listened to the audiobook, and there were times that I forgot that I was listening to such dark subject matter, as it was brought with such levity and beauty (if that's at all possible). I was stunned to find out that this was a debut novel, as there aren't that many books out there that just blow my mind from the very beginning. I had been complaining about many books having endings or climaxes that were just too short and weren't suspenseful enough, and then I read Cicada Spring, and this book did not disappoint. There was enough meat there to keep me on my toes. I truly enjoyed the experience of this tale.

I listened to the Audible version of this book, and Kevin Clay did a great job narrating. The recording was very high quality and he did a good job of discerning between characters in dialogue; I was never confused with who was talking at what point. Because I listened to this book, I cannot comment on grammar/editing, although it seemed to read smoothly and eloquently.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for something a bit deeper than your typical whodunit mystery.

I would recommend

I thought that the book did s really good job of portraying small town America and delving into what can happen when something isn't right. The characters were very well written. It was interesting to see the story from different perspectives.

Kevin Clay did a great job narrating. He kept you in the story with believable renditions and didn't pull you out with over the top voices.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com

Good story

Good story. Performance would be a 5 had the narrator used more feeling in the voice.