The Great Leader

A Faux Mystery

De: Jim Harrison

Narrado por: Ray Porter

Author Jim Harrison has won international acclaim for his masterful body of work, including over thirty books of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. In his most original work to date, Harrison delivers an enthralling, witty, and expertly crafted novel following one man’s hunt for an elusive cult leader, dubbed the Great Leader.

On the verge of retirement, Detective Sunderson begins to investigate a hedonistic cult, which has set up camp near his home in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. At first, the self-declared Great Leader seems merely a harmless oddball, but as Sunderson and his sixteen-year-old sidekick dig deeper, they find him more intelligent and sinister than they realized. Recently divorced and frequently pickled in alcohol, Sunderson tracks his quarry from the woods of Michigan to a town in Arizona, filled with criminal border-crossers, and on to Nebraska, where the Great Leader’s most recent recruits have gathered to glorify his questionable religion. But Sunderson’s demons are also in pursuit of him.

Rich with character and humor, The Great Leader is at once a gripping excursion through America’s landscapes and the poignant story of a man grappling with age, lost love, and his own darker nature.

©2011 Jim Harrison (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A classic Harrison novel, complete with humorous and introspective characters.” ( Library Journal)

Wonderful per usual

Ray porter is a top notch narrator even if he miss pronounced Munising a dozen times. Pro tip always have food on or in hand while reading anything Jim Harrison wrote

Good story, excellent writing, place names not pronounced correctly

Jim Harrison is a great writer. Here, the story was very good, enjoyed the ending. It was a little distracting to hear the place names mispronounced because it’s easy to get that sort of thing right.

Jim and Ray,,, Perfect Pairing

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

If you love Jim Harrison, then you will enjoy this book. It is classic Harrison.

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

Yes. I like his style and I adore his take on life. Jim Harrisson is pretty consistent with both of these elements in his books.

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

Ray Porter is THE perfect reader for Jim Harrison's work. No other reader captures Harrison as well as Porter does. Excellent. He brings Harrison's words alive. I feel a tad let down when listening to a Harrison with another reader. Porter's voice and cadence personifies Harrison's characters.

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

I pretty much did.

Any additional comments?

Keep up the good work, Jim. Listening to a Harrison-Porter book is a great experience.

I love Jim Harrison

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

Yes. Harrison writes stories with interesting characters, and wonderful descriptive prose. He is also thought provoking. I want to read "Playing Indian" now, which is referred to many times in "The Great Leader".

Are you an over-thehill guy with one last mission?

Jim Harrison sneaks into the headspace of middle-aged men whose greatest fears are diminishing libido, loss of purpose, and the death of adventure in their lives. He's is so good at this that readers/listeners of both genders become spectators in the secret rituals of the society of men.

The Great Leader: A faux Mystery messes with our heads. It asks us to make value judgements about his main character, a washed up detective whose last case nags at him like his fears of losing his libido. We don't know whether to cheer for our hero or curse him for his behaviors. But, what we do know is that our personal tolerance for edgy behavior and thinking is questioned by the actions of the protagonist.

You should listen to this book, if nothing else than to test your own values about ethics, sexuality, and justice. Don't be afraid to challenge your core beliefs with this excellent mystery.