Celine

A Novel

By: Peter Heller

Narrated by: Kimberly Farr

Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

From the best-selling author of The Dog Stars and The Painter, a luminous, masterful novel of suspense - the story of Celine, an elegant, aristocratic private eye who specializes in reuniting families, trying to make amends for a loss in her own past.

Working out of her jewel box of an apartment at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge, Celine has made a career of tracking down missing persons, and she has a better record at it than the FBI. But when a young woman, Gabriela, asks for her help, a world of mystery and sorrow opens up. Gabriela's father was a photographer who went missing on the border of Montana and Wyoming. He was assumed to have died from a grizzly mauling, but his body was never found. Now, as Celine and her partner head to Yellowstone National Park, investigating a trail gone cold, it becomes clear that they are being followed - that this is a case someone desperately wants to keep closed. Combining the exquisite plotting and gorgeous evocation of nature that have become his hallmark, with a wildly engrossing story of family, privilege, and childhood loss, Peter Heller gives us his finest work to date.

©2017 Peter Heller (P)2017 Random House Audio

lots of character development for not much story.

this book was ok, I didn't hate it. but there was so much character development for nothing. still unable to connect and no resolve to their story. i also lived in and near ynp for many years and had difficulty getting past discrepancies of park behavior that the PI hung her case on. it made me wonder if anyone with intimate relationship to the park even read for edit.

Just buy it. Private eye. Yellowstone what else could you want?

If you like Box, Atkins, Cameron but want something a bit more sophisticated like Mcguane, or Olmsted you’ll love Heller. The narrator was a bit gushy at the first yet calmed as the story developed. Def prefer Hellers other narrators.

Not much to the story line

The main character, Celine, was interesting but there wasn't much to the story. The ending was very implausible and not well developed.

Nice story, not Dog Stars, though.

Peter Heller can write like Steinbeck and Hemingway but this story lacked the depth and warmth I've loved in his other stories. Dog Stars to me was epic, was stunning. The Painter was dark, descriptive, sinister. Celine was lovely, predictable, too short, thin at times, albeit still entertaining. I will continue to look forward to Peter's future endeavors with excitement.

Good book. Disappointing to listen to

A good detective story that was filled with lovely word images of northern Wyoming. My biggest disappointment was the reader’s male voice for Pete. It felt very exaggerated and incongruous with my image of him.

A disappointment

I loved Dogstars and The Painter - two very evocative and beautifully descriptive novels - which I read.
I like Peter Heller's pacing of words and I felt that the narrator missed the boat. I also had trouble distinguishing the different voices. She would be better suited for a romance novel - wispy.
I kept waiting for the real suspense to kick in or for the description of Glacier Park to overwhelm me. Actually, I was underwhelmed by the whole experience.

really really good

I cannot say fully how muchI loved this one but I completely recommend it. You will love this book.

Good story

The story of Celine is captivating but sometimes Peter Hellen's writing style of describing details slows the telling down too much. His tangential stories sometimes seem to have very little to with the plot. I don't get the point of so many unnecessary words. Worth reading if you don't mind descriptive passages ad nauseum.

A Strong, Delightful Hero

Where does Celine rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Celine is one of the better outdoor-themed mystery tales I've listened to.

What did you like best about this story?

Peter Heller has created a delightful hero in Celine Watkins and her husband. She's an aging boomer with physical limitation who calls on extreme intelligence and intuition to solve this and other mysteries. Her husband, Peter, is also sympathetically drawn. He's no mere bystander.

Which scene was your favorite?

The climax of the book occurs when Celine and Peter seem to be close to their prey while forging through the chilly woods of northern Montana. It's exciting and unpredictable.

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

I never listen to books in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

The narrator mispronounces the Absoroka Mountains (proper is "abSORka) and the town of Choteau (proper is SHOW-toe).Too much of Celine's background, and her son's search. Boring passages, those.

Hooray for Celine - one spunky lady!

Would you consider the audio edition of Celine to be better than the print version?

I didn't read it in print but I could not stop listening to it.

What did you like best about this story?

Moves at a great pace. Writing is very visual and lends itself well to the audible medium. Great characters and GREAT narrator.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

nope - just really liked it.

Any additional comments?

Great to see active, engaged characters beyond "a certain age" this was a wonderful book!