Cause to Kill

An Avery Black Mystery, Book 1

By: Blake Pierce

Narrated by: Elaine Wise

Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's Summary

Homicide Detective Avery Black has been through hell. Once a top criminal defense attorney, she fell from grace when she managed to get a brilliant Harvard professor off - only to watch him kill again. She lost her husband and her daughter, and her life fell apart around her.

Trying to redeem herself, Avery has turned to the other side of the law. Working her way up the ranks, she has reached the rank of homicide detective, to the scorn of her fellow officers, who still remember what she did, and who will always hate her.

Yet even they cannot deny Avery's brilliant mind, and when a disturbing serial killer strikes fear into the heart of Boston, killing girls from elite colleges, it is Avery they turn to. It is Avery's chance to prove herself, to finally find the redemption she craves. And yet, as she is soon to find out, Avery has come up against a killer as brilliant and daring as she.

In this game of psychological cat and mouse, women are dying with mysterious clues, and the stakes could not be higher. A frantic race against time leads Avery through a series of shocking and unexpected twists - culminating in a climax that even Avery could not imagine.

©2016 Blake Pierce (P)2016 Blake Pierce

Good mystery

I listened to this book. The narrator was excellent. The plot was good and very well written. Characters well developed. Avery, the female former criminal defense lawyer turned detective, is a strong, intelligent, complicated woman. She endures the macho dislike of her fellow officers who blame her for the death of her partner in a previous case. She solves the case in spite how they treat her because she uses her mind and intelligence. I listened non-stop to the entire book beginning to end.
The author has the ability to make some of the characters so real that they made me dislike them intensely.
Good book!

Especially poor as an audiobook

I don't know why this book was recorded by a reader with a strong British accent. It is supposed to take place in Boston--many characters are described as having strong Boston accents, and are given British lower class accents that don't resemble Boston in any way. There are also mispronunciations of Boston locales like Brandeis University. Unfortunately, the heroine has an implausible back story and does many stupid things. A very disappointing book.

Narration

The book takes place in Boston but, the characters are all British. Why? Doesn't make sense and was distracting.

Accent

Didn't like the English accent. Especially because the story was set in Massachusetts. Next time have someone who speaks with an American accent.

Accent?

Enjoyed book once I got used to a girl from OH working in Boston with an accent that doesn't jibe.

Story line good but British accent in Boston?

Really like story line but did not finish the book because took place in Boston but everyone had a British accent. Just did make sense.

Wrong Accent!

The narrator was good but she was English and everyone in the story was from the US. When the character had a "strong Boston accent" she spoke with a cockney accent. The story was great though although the "romance"/ flirting Avery Black did was kinda lame. Overall pretty good

Accent?

Why would you have a British narrator for a story that takes place in Boston? A Boston cop that sounds Cockney! So annoying. I gave up after Chapter 19.

Very similar

if you liked Silence of the Lambs, you'll like this book. Frankly surprised the author didn't get sued for writing the same story!
The narrator was excellent. The varying voices were believable.

Serial Killer vs. Flawed Cop

Avery Black, high powered attorney, turned homicide detective, is on the trail of a serial killer . . . but she is plagued by her own past, not accepted by the very team she works with . . . and questioning herself at every turn . . . yet she is dogged in her search for the killer, and her instinct as a cop is right on . . . I found it sick that she had to go visit the old man in jail to get "advice" on the case, the very one that caused her fall from grace as an attorney . . . yet in some ways, I understand, given her childhood . . . the narration is very confusing, as the setting is in Boston, yet the narrator is British . . . you just have to ignore that . . . this is a book for women . . . I don't see men getting in to the nuances of the story . . . it could be better without the profanity . . . but realistically, I'm sure that's what goes on in police precincts . . . the resolution was very good . . . harrowing . . . nail-biting good . . .

Please don’t shout!!

This was a good story but spoilt by the narrator shouting when a slightly raised voice would have sufficed

good read.

the story was very good but too short. The narration was very good she read well.

Doesn't work for me

A decent enough story but I personally had problems with a very English narration for what is a gritty American police drama. At times I was tempted to quit the book but managed to get to the end.

Awful narration

American setting and story but very, very British narration doesn't work at all. A shame.

Cause to kill

I really didn't like the narrator of this book. Had to give up after an hour.