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Blood Standard
- Narrated by: William DeMeritt
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
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Publisher's summary
A novel set in the underbelly of upstate New York that's as hard-boiled and punchy as a swift right hook to the jaw, a classic noir for fans of James Ellroy and John D. Macdonald
Isaiah Coleridge is a mob enforcer in Alaska - he's tough, seen a lot, and dished out more. But when he forcibly ends the money-making scheme of a made man, he gets in the kind of trouble that can lead to a bullet behind the ear. Saved by the grace of his boss and exiled to upstate New York, Isaiah begins a new life, a quiet life without gunshots or explosions. Except a teenage girl disappears, and Isaiah isn't one to let that slip by. And delving into the underworld to track this missing girl will get him exactly the kind of notice he was warned to avoid.
At turns brutally shocking and darkly funny, heartbreaking and cautiously hopeful, Blood Standard is both a high-tension crime novel and the story of a man's second chance - the parts of his past he will never escape, and the parts that will shape his future.
Critic reviews
“Massive, scarred Isaiah is a thug’s thug, but he’s also a well-read student of mythology. He’s indifferent to stab wounds and generates righteous mayhem in his quest. Fans of violent crime fiction will love this one and will be eager to hear more from Isaiah.” (Booklist, starred review)
“Laird Barron’s Blood Standard is stylish, witty, and stupendously entertaining, and it gives us a main character - Isaiah Coleridge, head-cracking classics-quoting half-Maori ex(ish)-gangster - who is entirely unforgettable.” (Lou Berney, Edgar Award-winning author of The Long and Faraway Gone)
“Rendered in icy strokes of prose, Laird Barron's Blood Standard is a remarkably self-assured crime novel - at once explosive and intimate, with a tightly wound plot and wonderfully realized characters. And then there's Barron's hero, Isaiah Coleridge. He's got a dead dog named Achilles and bits of Beowulf on his breath and in his teeth. Needless to say, there's not too many like him.” (Michael Harvey, author of Brighton and The Chicago Way)
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Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Ross
- 06-19-18
Decent First Foray into Crime Fiction for Barron
...but I'd be lying if I said it didn't have it's problems. First off, let me say that I enjoyed this title, and Mr. Barron seems to have a great amount of potential for this type of writing. There are comparisons made in the description to Ellroy and Macdonald, and having read neither (something to correct, perhaps) I think I'd put it in the Walter Mosley/Joe R. Lansdale camp for frame of reference.
I mentioned some problems. The first thing I'll point out is the pacing. This one's a slow burner (although there are some pretty good action scenes). People unfamiliar with Barron's work in horror fiction might be surprised by how dreamlike this novel can be. Hard boiled for sure, but also deliberate and ponderous. Indeed, dreams seem to be something of a theme here and dream sequences even move the plot forward a couple of times. I'm a little tempted to call that cliche, but this is Laird Barron we're talking about so most of those sequences are quite good and more than a little haunting.
No, the problems come in the form of unexplored (or at least under explored) and kind of dull side characters. They each seem as though they came out of a Crime-Noir-Starter-Kit: The kindly old couple who takes him in, the angsty teen who dislikes our protagonist then vanishes, the bad@$$ ex military sidekick, the father our protagonist hates, the love interest, various and sundry mobsters, crime bosses, gang members, rinse and repeat.
And you know what? I was fine with all that. Until the resolution of the mysterious disappearance that drives the whole plot. I won't ruin it for you here, but that kind of blew it for me. I get subverting expectations, but that was just a bridge too far. Don't misunderstand me... it all adds up but just felt...lazy.
Okay, so, you've made it through my entire first review. Do I recommend the book? Yep. Yes I do. The main character works. The setting works, and Barron's prose, gift for turn of phrase, knowledge of somewhat geeky topics such as samurai and mobster movies, as well having his Classic myths and legends down pat kept me pretty invested. There are some great lines in there. And seeing as this is the first in what's supposed to be a series, I can't imagine Mr. Barron won't continue to improve his craft even if Book One isn't perfect.
PS: William DeMeritt did a fine job with the narration. I thought at first that his voice might get monotonous, but there was more than enough hard edge to it to make it work well with the material. And his character voices were all quite good and distinguishable from one another.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Luke
- 06-19-21
5 is the highest rating. So 5 it is.
The book is not what I was looking for, until I listened to it and found that it was exactly what I wanted, even though not exactly what I had expected.
I thought this was going to be more of a cop detective mystery with some horror elements. Should've paid closer attention. This cat's no rat, nor cop. Also, a stellar narrator who has a million different voices that all come so naturally. That was pleasant.
Anyway, story was great, characters great, doesn't glorify criminals but it does shine a magnifying glass on their world, and it ain't pretty. But Isaiah Coleridge doesn't take lightly the killing of innocents, and criminals don't appreciate this weakness in him. Oh well, he is much better on this side of the law anyway, or at least acting according to his own needs.
Listen to this one.
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5 people found this helpful
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- It's Me
- 08-13-20
A Hard Listen
This was hard to listen to for a couple of reasons. In general I liked the narrator's voice and characters but the pauses drove me nuts. I listen at 2x speed normally and adjust based the narration as I can't stand the normal slower than talking speed narration. This however was like read a sentence, pause way to long for dramatic effect and let it sink in, read the next sentence, pause for dramatic effect, read the next sentence, pause for dramic effect, and so on. If you think it was annoying reading that, listen to the book.
It's almost as if the author or publishing house said, we need to lengthen the time of this somehow and came up with the decidedly bad idea to lenghten the time between sentences. I don't know if it was due to my faster than 1x listening habits that contributed to the annoying nature of this or not but talk about distracting.
The story seemed to have its moments and was interesting but it also sometimes dragged in minutia in description that didn't further anything but probably added to the word count and therefore length.
If this was re-engineered to make the narration smooth it would probably be worth the listen. Instead my recommendation is to skip it. I will not be listening to any additional books in this series.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Kyle
- 06-25-18
Well Played
Blood Standard beautifully fits Barron’s tone with all the grit and wit of his earlier work while holding on to the air dark mystery that I will always associate with him.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Mitchell Strasner
- 10-20-20
Great story
Story was great, there’s a lot of depth to the characters and twists turns to keep guessing.... good mystery and in-depth into thug life
Narration was so very good.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Lu
- 03-25-22
Good
Isaiah Coleridge, an enforcer for the Alaskan mob, gets involved in the search for a missing teenage girl. He deals with dirty cops, local gangs, and the FBI rookie agent.
There are memorable characters and an intriguing protagonist in this noir, hard-boiled thriller. Isaiah could use more charisma, though. Barron's baroque prose will divide readers, but I dig it.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Mark
- 09-05-18
This one was OK
This one was OK, with enough twists and turns to hold my interest. It may have lost a little direction in the latter stages but I'm interested to see Laird Barron's next effort. With a bit more polish he has the potential to reach lofty heights as a story teller.
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- Ia cust
- 06-13-18
Great read
A well paced interesting story. Protagonist is a great antihero who is at his best during the worst situations he finds himself. I would like to see more of this character perhaps even in a prequel as the story hints at an even darker past. Stylized and witty throughout. The excellent narration adds another fantastic layer as well.
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- Rich Tate
- 06-24-19
The next great American mystery author.
If you love an old fashioned mystery and gallons of spilled blood, Laird Barron is your man.
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- Jun Walker
- 11-03-23
Pretty Cool Story
I like book that take to place and things you can associate with. Laird did. He’s pretty good.
Narration was great!👍🏿
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- Just
- 07-10-22
Laird's Standard
After listening / reading all of Mr Barron's anthologies I decided it was time to give his novel a go, and I really enjoyed it. Blood Standard is classic Laird Barron, featuring an excellent protagonist, and excellent prose I've come to relish so much; yet the book is not without its flaws. Towards the end the pacing becomes a bit not great, and this is just a pure crime novel without any of the mysterious cosmic horror he does so very well. That being said, the book was still great. I recommend it heartily, and will be continuing with the series in due course.
Also the narration from William DeMerritt is top notch, I couldn't imagine anyone else giving voice to Isaiah Coleridge.
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- Tyler
- 05-15-21
Gritty, visceral crime noir.
Laird Barron gives us a peek into the dark underworld of organized crime through the eyes of Isaiah Coleridge, a real fish out of water and stone cold killer having to lay low after upsetting his patrons in Alaska. Isaiah is a facinating character that Laird has given a lot of depth, a warrior philosopher who reflects on his purpose as he is steeling himself for brutal carnage and his deceased mother's family been of Maori descent and his ruthless father molded from the US defence services. The world Laird creates is pretty characteristic of his work, filled with ugliness and complexity that has to be navigated giving characters a chance to sink or swim as they find themselves plunging into the abyssal dark.
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- A Detective Byron Mystery
- By: Bruce Robert Coffin
- Narrated by: Adam Verner
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When a popular high school senior is shot by police following a late-night robbery, chaos ensues. The actions of the officer are immediately called into question. Amid community protests, political grandstanding, department leaks, and reluctant witnesses, Byron and his team must work quickly to find the missing pieces. And when an attempt is made on the officer’s life, Byron shifts into overdrive, putting everything on the line. Was the attack merely retribution or something more sinister? The search for the truth may come at a price not even Byron can afford.
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love john byron
- By timekeeper on 08-01-19
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The Handler
- By: M.P. Woodward
- Narrated by: Jon Lindstrom
- Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Meredith Morris-Dale is a CIA case officer and a damn good one...even if this last mission did go terribly wrong. Now she has been summoned back to Langley where she expects to be fired. Instead, she is met by the Deputy Director with stunning news. A single well-placed CIA mole in Iran’s uranium enrichment program has kept the terrorist nation from building a bomb by sabotaging the performance of their covert centrifuge arrays. But after losing his daughter in an airliner shootdown, the mole wants out—leaving the world on the brink.
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Author and Narrator Knocked It Out of the Park!!
- By 4PawsPal on 07-28-22
By: M.P. Woodward
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X's for Eyes
- By: Laird Barron
- Narrated by: David Stifel
- Length: 3 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Brothers Macbeth and Drederick Tooms should have it made as fair-haired scions of an impossibly rich and powerful family of industrialists. Alas, life is complicated in mid-1950s USA when you're child heirs to the throne of Sword Enterprises, a corporation that has enshrined Machiavelli's The Prince as its operating manual. Consider also those long, cruel winters at the Mountain Leopard Boarding School for Assassins in the Himalayas, or that Dad may be a supervillain, while an uncle occasionally slaughters his nephews and nieces for sport.
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Signature dark crazy nastiness plus fun
- By Bill on 09-21-16
By: Laird Barron
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Don't Even Breathe
- Maggie Novak Thriller, Book 1
- By: Keith Houghton
- Narrated by: Karen Peakes
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Florida homicide detective Maggie Novak has seen hundreds of brutal murder cases, but when she is called out to investigate the charred remains of a young woman, in what appears to be a Halloween prank gone wrong, she is confronted with a twenty-year-old secret. The body is formally identified as that of school counselor Dana Cullen, but a distinguishing mark makes Maggie look again. She believes it is the body of her school friend Rita, who perished in a fire twenty years ago. Maggie’s hunt for the truth behind the murder takes her back to a cruel high school trick.
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SUSPENSE end to end... FREE with Kindle Unlimited.
- By shelley on 04-05-19
By: Keith Houghton
-
The Lost Kings
- A Novel
- By: Tyrell Johnson
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jeanie’s whole world is turned upside down. Not only has she lost her beloved brother, but with no family left in Washington, she is ripped from everything she knows, including Maddox, the boy she could be learning to love. Twenty years later, Jeanie is in England. She keeps her demons at bay by drinking too much, sleeping with a married man, and speaking to a therapist she doesn’t respect. But her old life catches up to her when Maddox reappears, claiming to have tracked down her dad.
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So good
- By Tawny on 08-09-22
By: Tyrell Johnson
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The Names of the Dead
- By: Kevin Wignall
- Narrated by: Michael Braun
- Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Former CIA officer James ‘Wes’ Wesley paid the ultimate price for his patriotism when he was locked up in a French jail for an anti-terror operation gone wrong--abandoned by the Agency he served, shunned by his colleagues and friends, cut off from his family. Now he is shattered by the news that his ex-wife, Rachel, a State Department analyst, has been killed in a terrorist attack in Spain. He also discovers that his young son, Ethan, is missing. But Wes didn’t know he had a son--until now. Why was Rachel in Spain? And why did she keep his son secret from him?
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My new favorite author!
- By Nanasue on 06-25-20
By: Kevin Wignall
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Beyond the Truth
- A Detective Byron Mystery
- By: Bruce Robert Coffin
- Narrated by: Adam Verner
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a popular high school senior is shot by police following a late-night robbery, chaos ensues. The actions of the officer are immediately called into question. Amid community protests, political grandstanding, department leaks, and reluctant witnesses, Byron and his team must work quickly to find the missing pieces. And when an attempt is made on the officer’s life, Byron shifts into overdrive, putting everything on the line. Was the attack merely retribution or something more sinister? The search for the truth may come at a price not even Byron can afford.
-
-
love john byron
- By timekeeper on 08-01-19
-
The Handler
- By: M.P. Woodward
- Narrated by: Jon Lindstrom
- Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Meredith Morris-Dale is a CIA case officer and a damn good one...even if this last mission did go terribly wrong. Now she has been summoned back to Langley where she expects to be fired. Instead, she is met by the Deputy Director with stunning news. A single well-placed CIA mole in Iran’s uranium enrichment program has kept the terrorist nation from building a bomb by sabotaging the performance of their covert centrifuge arrays. But after losing his daughter in an airliner shootdown, the mole wants out—leaving the world on the brink.
-
-
Author and Narrator Knocked It Out of the Park!!
- By 4PawsPal on 07-28-22
By: M.P. Woodward
-
X's for Eyes
- By: Laird Barron
- Narrated by: David Stifel
- Length: 3 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Brothers Macbeth and Drederick Tooms should have it made as fair-haired scions of an impossibly rich and powerful family of industrialists. Alas, life is complicated in mid-1950s USA when you're child heirs to the throne of Sword Enterprises, a corporation that has enshrined Machiavelli's The Prince as its operating manual. Consider also those long, cruel winters at the Mountain Leopard Boarding School for Assassins in the Himalayas, or that Dad may be a supervillain, while an uncle occasionally slaughters his nephews and nieces for sport.
-
-
Signature dark crazy nastiness plus fun
- By Bill on 09-21-16
By: Laird Barron
-
Don't Even Breathe
- Maggie Novak Thriller, Book 1
- By: Keith Houghton
- Narrated by: Karen Peakes
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Florida homicide detective Maggie Novak has seen hundreds of brutal murder cases, but when she is called out to investigate the charred remains of a young woman, in what appears to be a Halloween prank gone wrong, she is confronted with a twenty-year-old secret. The body is formally identified as that of school counselor Dana Cullen, but a distinguishing mark makes Maggie look again. She believes it is the body of her school friend Rita, who perished in a fire twenty years ago. Maggie’s hunt for the truth behind the murder takes her back to a cruel high school trick.
-
-
SUSPENSE end to end... FREE with Kindle Unlimited.
- By shelley on 04-05-19
By: Keith Houghton
-
The Lost Kings
- A Novel
- By: Tyrell Johnson
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jeanie’s whole world is turned upside down. Not only has she lost her beloved brother, but with no family left in Washington, she is ripped from everything she knows, including Maddox, the boy she could be learning to love. Twenty years later, Jeanie is in England. She keeps her demons at bay by drinking too much, sleeping with a married man, and speaking to a therapist she doesn’t respect. But her old life catches up to her when Maddox reappears, claiming to have tracked down her dad.
-
-
So good
- By Tawny on 08-09-22
By: Tyrell Johnson
-
The Names of the Dead
- By: Kevin Wignall
- Narrated by: Michael Braun
- Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Former CIA officer James ‘Wes’ Wesley paid the ultimate price for his patriotism when he was locked up in a French jail for an anti-terror operation gone wrong--abandoned by the Agency he served, shunned by his colleagues and friends, cut off from his family. Now he is shattered by the news that his ex-wife, Rachel, a State Department analyst, has been killed in a terrorist attack in Spain. He also discovers that his young son, Ethan, is missing. But Wes didn’t know he had a son--until now. Why was Rachel in Spain? And why did she keep his son secret from him?
-
-
My new favorite author!
- By Nanasue on 06-25-20
By: Kevin Wignall
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The Local
- A Legal Thriller
- By: Joey Hartstone
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the town of Marshall sits the Federal courthouse of the Eastern District of Texas, a place revered by patent lawyers for its speedy jury trails and massive punitive payouts. Marshall is flooded with patent lawyers, all of whom find work being the local voice for the big-city legal teams that need to sway a small-town jury. One of the best is James Euchre.
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Excellent legal thriller
- By Gypsy Wife on 06-30-22
By: Joey Hartstone
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What's Done in Darkness
- A Novel
- By: Laura McHugh
- Narrated by: Jennifer Sun Bell
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Seventeen-year-old Sarabeth has become increasingly rebellious since her parents found God and moved their family to a remote Arkansas farmstead where she’s forced to wear long dresses, follow strict rules, and grow her hair down to her waist. She’s all but given up on escaping the farm when a masked man appears one stifling summer morning and snatches her out of the cornfield. A week after her abduction, she’s found alongside a highway in a bloodstained dress - alive. Five years later, Sarabeth is struggling to keep her past buried when Investigator Nick Farrow calls.
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Horribly boring
- By Sally on 07-14-21
By: Laura McHugh
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The Bangtail Ghost
- By: Keith McCafferty
- Narrated by: Rick Holmes
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
In Montana's Gravelly Range, paw prints and a single whisker discovered at a scene of horrific violence suggest a woman has been attacked and carried away by a mountain lion. Sheriff Martha Ettinger employs her fiancé, sometimes-detective Sean Stranahan, to put a name to the gnawed bones comprising all that is left of the body. The woman's is the first of several deaths that Sean suspects are not as easily explained as they appear.
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Awful
- By pineapple67 on 12-24-20
By: Keith McCafferty