The Infinite Blacktop

A Novel

De: Sara Gran

Narrado por: Madeleine Maby

Named one of the best books of 2018 by NPR

The “delicious and addictive” (Salon) Claire DeWitt series returns with a thrilling, noirish knockout of a novel that follows three separate narratives starring the self-proclaimed “world’s greatest detective.” As Cara Hoffman, author of Running, says, this “is a hard-boiled, existential masterpiece.”

Claire DeWitt, the world’s best private detective, wakes up one dark night in an ambulance in Oakland: someone has just tried to murder her. But she’s not dead. Not yet.

More sure of herself than of the police, Claire follows the clues on a 52-hour odyssey through shimmering Las Vegas and the shabby surrounding desert to find out who wants her dead. But in order to save herself, Claire will have to revisit her own complicated past as she navigates the present: a past of childhood obsessions, rival detectives, lost friends, and mysteries mostly—but not always—solved.

Three intertwining stories illuminate three eras of Claire’s life: her early years as an ambitious girl detective in Brooklyn (before it was gentrified), which ended when her best friend and partner in crime-solving disappeared; a case of an unexplained death in the art world of late-1990s Los Angeles, when, devastated by the demise of her mentor in New Orleans, Claire was forced to start again; and her current quest to save her own life from a determined assassin.

As the connections between the stories come into focus, the truth becomes clear. But Claire, battered and bruised, will never quit her search for the answer to the biggest mystery of all: how can anyone survive in a world so clearly designed to break our hearts?

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Claire DeWitt is a private eye like no other, and narrator Madeleine Maby embraces her feisty personality. Three subplots covering three time frames make up DeWitt's latest story. In the present, someone has just tried to kill her and may try again. In flashbacks to her childhood, listeners learn how she came to be a detective. And in the middle, linking the two, DeWitt solves the murder of an artist in 1990s Los Angeles. All the strands fascinate, and DeWitt is a marvelous blend of detectives from classic fiction and from comic books. Maby ensures that this is a great listen as long as disbelief is totally suspended."

Great in parts- but a mixed Bag- and thus disappointing.

Very intelligent- literary- stories within stories that wind back into other stories. Ms. Many was good. The heroine is unsympathetic, egotistical, no warmth or compassion for herself or others. There is a Lot about the art world which I know well. The book was confusing to me

Wrong narrator

I listened to the first 2 Claire deWitt stories 3x each. They are in my top 10. I am confident that I would not have bought the first one with this narrator. The original is the only voice of Claire deWitt!

Not the best

I don’t understand why they switched narrators for the this installment. It def detracted from the story. I didn’t enjoy this one at all

Very satisfying

Lots of threads, all followed to their (almost) conclusions. I love Claire’s voice. I hope there are more to come in this series. Some have complained about the narrator, and I would say this: do not listen to this immediately after the two previous volumes. I tried that and was put off, but after taking a break and listening to some other books, Madeleine Maby sounded just fine.

Missing Carol Monda

I love me some Claire DeWitt, the hardboiled metaphysical detective of two previous books by Grann. This new book doesn't disappoint, and Madeleine Maby did a decent job narrating it, but for me Carol Monda will always be Claire and I could never quite get used to the switch. Monda just sounds tougher and worldlier, and you don't get much tougher or worldly than Claire DeWitt

The 3 books are great.

I liked the first narrator better in books 1 and 2. if I had listened to this book first I would not have listened to the others, and would have missed out on something wonderful.

More Claire

I’m hooked on Sara Gran’s PI and this mystery is at least three in one. Worth reading just for the answer to the question: What did the guy say to the hot dog seller?

Seems like someone should have picked up these novels for film.

I miss the narrator from the first two books!

The original narrator had this great, gravely voice. The new narrator's voice is much softer, and she cannot pronounce "Andre" or "détection." Switching narrators mid-series is the worst!

A great Dewitt story

I feel bad because this narrator was extremely competent and did a great job but she is NOT Carol Monda who is just so perfectly Claire Dewitt. like I found myself replaying narration in my head how I thought Monda would have read it.

Sara Gran is a wonderful story teller. this book more it felt more like Claire DeWitt and the Bohemian highway rather than the city of the dead, but I love the world she builds I love how gritty + dark and also Zen influenced it is. if there is another Claire Dewitt story I will eat it right up, but if there isn't I also feel like the way this book ended would be a satisfying end to the Claire stories.

Disappointed

Carol Monda is a better fit for narration. I’ve come to identify her voice with the protagonist. Carol Monda is able to fully embody the personality needed for such a strong yet flawed character. Madeleine Maby just read. Huge difference. I couldn’t lose myself in the narrative.