Diamondhead

By: Patrick Robinson

Narrated by: Charles Leggett

Length: 15 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's Summary

When Navy SEAL Mack Bedford's fellow officers are brutally killed by Iraqi insurgents using a cruel, new anti-tank Diamondhead missile, Mack avenges their murders by gunning down the then-unarmed attackers, ultimately getting himself court-martialed and kicked out of the Navy. To make matters worse, Mack then learns that the Diamondhead missiles were sold illegally by French industrialist and infamous politician Henri Foche. Mack believes Foche will become the next French President, and fears that his election will result in the cancellation of all navy-ship purchases from the United States, and thus protect French interests in the Diamondhead. End result: doom for Mack's hometown shipbuilding yard and the spread of international terrorism.

©2009 Patrick Robinson (P)2009 BBC Audio

A Disastrous Departure of Style and Genre

I have read or listened to all ten of the Robinson’s novels in the Arnold Morgan series. The last “To the Death” was a horrible close to the ten. I am sad to say that the first of the Mack Bedford series is even worse – something I never thought possible. One of the most interesting parts of Robinson’s novels was his humanization of the obstacle character. He forced you to get to know the bad guy and at some level sympathize; and then when the bad guy would slither away and ultimately get killed -- I was conflicted. Sure I wanted the bad guy to get what was coming, but there was still emotion there. The stories were complex, with many characters. So many characters that you sometimes needed to take notes and they resurfaced like old friends throughout the novels.

All of these reason for loving his works gone. Diamondhead is a flat story with very little thrill and thin non-existent conflict. I couldn’t connect with the plot and the main character never seemed to be in any bodily danger and just cut through challenges; by the three quarter mark I was begging for it to be over. There were no auxiliary characters of note, certainly none that I want to hear from ever again and the mission just made no sense and just doesn't tie my mental model of a Navy Seal. More laughable, the French bad guy Andre Fosch, was about as impotent bad guy as you can conjure – even his wife was flat and her backstory added nothing, was unresolved, and a yawner.

The narrator, Charles Leggett did not succeed in bringing any interest to the story. His voice was monotone, uninspiring and undifferentiated.

Maybe I’ll read the next just to see if Robinson got off on the wrong foot; but this is strike two Robinson. It will take me six months to recover from this poorly conceived and sloppily executed work of uninteresting fiction before I'll consider reading the next installment. If you had been a fan of Robinson, like me, skip this book and try the next – maybe it will be better; but I am not counting on it. All in all – a disaster.

This book is terrible

I am doubly disappointed. I listen to a lot of mystery/ suspense novels and I bought this book on the recommendation of Audible. I don't see how anybody who actually read or listened to this book can recommend it. The subtitle on the cover of the book says "A Novel Of Suspense" and it's good they put that there because you would not know it was a suspense novel from listening to it. The entire first half is dedicated to setting up a tedious and ridiculous backdrop that I found myself saying "Come on, already!" several times in the car.
I am 3/4 of the way through and will not listen to it any more.
The narrator is the only good thing in this book. Even though his narrative style highlights the incredibly bad writing, his accents are prettty good.

Contrived by an ignorant author

What disappointed you about Diamondhead?

Author has no technical knowledge worth noting. The premise is faulty. The author speaks authoritatively about guns but obviously knows almost nothing. For example, he speaks of a revolver having a 'saftey' and then talks about the additional magazines for the revolver.Also, sighting a rifle in at 40 feet and then using the same cross hair setting with no adjustments at 600 yards to hit a target dead on. I have no respect for someone who doesn't at least do a little research.

What was most disappointing about Patrick Robinson’s story?

Too contrived not believable

Have you listened to any of Charles Leggett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The only redeeming quality was the narrator. The book itself is irritating in all the little things that the author gets wrong.

Any additional comments?

Just too stupid and can't believe I listened to it as long as I did. I don't normally write reviews but this one absolutely deserved this review.

Is this the same author as the one who wrote Kilo Class...?

The submarine books were great to read. This one is full of holes, incorrect facts, weak and stupid women and clearly the author had little to no knowledge of weaponry, tactics or hand to hand combat techniques. The scene with the three stooges deaths (eye poke, ear grab and head shake to break necks) was moronic but funny (don't think it was supposed to be funny). Our hero is strong as a mountain lion, big as a bear, more agile than a porpoise and tougher than a (insert random animal name-just like the author did). This book was just bad. The author is a rabid Republican, leery of any news source that ISN'T Fox News. Listened to the audiobook while in a long family trip. I rolled my eyes so many times that I'm surprised I didn't kill us all. Find another book, any other book, and save 15 hours of your life.

Simply awful.

About 1/4 way through this book I could not figure out why I was still listening to it. To say that it is adolescent pablum was insulting to adolescents. I hung in as long as I could 1/2 way then left and started listening to the newest Nelson DeMille to purge this nonsense from my system.

Gripping

Probably my favorite audiobook yet. The reader does an awesome job with the different voices and its nearly impossible to tell that its the same person doing the narration. Gripping story and very hard to put down. It kept me wondering what was really going to happen next instead of being abe to forecast the future. Listened three times and loved it everytime

Solid Robinson Thriller

Patrick Robinson delivers a solid military thriller in Diamondhead on par with his early books. I admit that I do like this sort of thriller. But, it's not for everyone. I had grown tired of Robinson's characters, which had become somewhat stale. So, it was with some trepidation that I purchased this book. I was pleased.

Our hero is Navy SEAL Mack Bedford, who finds himself on trial for his actions after watching his comrades attacked by a banned weapon. Mack returns home to a dying son, a strained marriage, and a town in trouble. Circumstances push him to make difficult decisions. One does have to put up with a bit of political and military propaganda, as with other Robinson novels. But, that's part of the admission price.

Normally, I would give this book only three or four stars as it was solid, but not spectacular. The narration is performed wonderfully by actor Charles Leggett. He brings all the characters to life perfectly. Leggett somehow captures different accents, different attitudes, different emotions in all of the characters. His performance adds a sense of strength and intensity to this specific story that is distinct from his other narrations. The scenes really do come alive. I listen in the car and I was excited to continue the story. I am sold on Leggett as a narrator!

Boring and misleading

I’m a big Robinson fan, but this book misses the mark. If you like the military side of novels this book is not for you. This is a conspiracy novel with and extensive ramp up. This results in a boring story. Returned

outstanding

I loved it. Captivating. Good stuff

Edge of the seat suspense, rooting for an assasin!

What did you love best about Diamondhead?

Patrick Robinson got you hooked on the situation with the Diamondhead missle, the character development of the Seal Team and then hooked you into siding with the plan. I started listening while painting a room in our house and found reasons to keep doing more so I could keep listening!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mack Bedford is the type of guy we all want to be, act with your convictions ... OK, in this case becoming a potential assasin is a little extreme, but he is an awesome character.

Have you listened to any of Charles Leggett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was a first for Leggett for me, and I was impressed with his ability to switch voices so often and to stay in character. His Swiss accent was so bad I think because the author made it that way for Mack Bedford ... and Leggett went along with it. His Maine accent was more Boston, but we will forgive him, it is hard to imitate a downeast accent unless your grandparents had it, like mine.

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

The extreme reaction I had was to not want to put it down until I was done.

Phew what a slog

This story really plods. The narrator really doesn't put much effort into what is a bad retelling of Day of the Jackal.

Very disappointing

I have read a few Patrick Robinson books and have found them a simple straighforward good read - undemanding but enjoyable and ideal for holidays or long drives.
Diamondhead however is really bad - mind numbingly simple and so drawn out it could have been cut in half -
Really not up to standard and best avoided

Hes done it again.

It never ceases to amaze me how everytime i read a book by Patrick Robinson the ending takes me completely by surprise. The way he articulates the story and also the way that the narrator tells the story are in perfect harmony. Brilliant book excellently narrated.

No. Some things cannot be unheard. Much like this.

Enjoyed most of Robinson books to date but this is garbage. From start to finish, this hyper exaggerated delve into the troubled mind of a Navy Seal, and the action that tipped him over the edge is full of hooah America first BS.

I'm all for a bit of national pride but I didn't make it past Ch 3. If you like the most extreme Trump rhetoric (and to be clear I don't disagree with everything he says) then this will be your perfect read.

If you have even the slightest connection to a sane mind or to the American military you will cringe with every word uttered by the narrator.

As for that part, the narration is not great. I agree with other reviews thst the attempts at accents are poor and the faux female intonation used to depict women is horrific.

Even for a free book this is a hard sell.

Boring Propaganda

Terrible. American SEAL is a hero, even as a murderer. America keeping jobs within America for Americans great, another country bringing manufacturing back to their own shores bad. Main character supposedly honourable yet will kill a likely leader of another country before democratic election. It’s written for a very specific demographic, basically propaganda.
Story so obvious as well.
Thought the narrator was ok.

Brilliant

Brilliant. Simply brilliant. Story,narration,the whole package. Had a bit of everything.
Highly recommended

Good story line, loved it

very enjoyable, couldn't put it down, good research madd it very believable, excellent well done

The author needs to do more research

the irish accents are terrible, revolvers don't have magazines and tanks don't have a fuselage

Narration is too abrasive

I'm a huge Patrick Robinson fan and was really looking forward to listening to this, but the narrator's voice ruined it for me. Far too harsh, nasal and strident, it completely distracted from the story, especially when he tried to put on 'foreign' accents for some of the characters, but couldn't shake his strong, nasal American twang. Barely ten minutes in and I just couldn't take anymore. So disappointed.

Just bad

I like an adventure but this is one for the Gravy Seals with no self-awareness. The performance and accents are terrible. The narrator is robotic. The fact that the woeful performance isn't the worst thing about it tells you everything you need to know. Jingoistic, with cartoon characters as the main protagonists. Phrases like "the blood lust of the wolf" repeatedly intoned with robotic solemnity to describe anger in battle made me break out in inappropriate laughter. To say that an agenda is being pushed in this simplistic but over-long novel would be understating the case. It's like the British author asked himself "how can I appeal to right-wing Americans who have no subtlety or proper grasp of warfare or foreign policy?" and he made up an unfairly discharged superhuman Navy Seal forced to take on a mission by circumstances, namely his fishin' and ball throwin' son's illness and the possible demise of his whole town which is inexplicably dependent on one regular ship order from France. Having the main character slap the (Dixie) Chicks is all we're missing. It's basically under-nuanced propaganda, badly written and badly performed. Free but a waste of your time, therefore expensive. Only entertaining if you read it as a parody of the genre. Good for a laugh.