Heaven, Hell, or Houston

De: Thom Erb

Narrado por: Doug Miller

After a less than successful stint as the Governor's security detail, the volatile, alcoholic Texas Ranger Jay McCutcheon wants nothing more than to get home to his wife and baby and save his marriage. He thinks the only thing standing between him and his family is five hundred rain-soaked miles of dark pavement. But he's dead wrong.

Isandro Dianira has just broken out of prison. He's been possessed by an evil voice that has spoken to him since childhood. With his gang-banger thugs, he leaves a bloody trail on his way to Mexico. Before leaving the country, he needs to kill McCutcheon, the pig that put him in the pen.

As the two men unknowingly race toward each other, a powerful rainstorm is heading westward, and along with it, a zombie virus that's causing the dead to rise. Stacy-Jo, a street-tough teenage girl from New York is about to get in some serious trouble, when she meets McCutcheon, who winds up saving her hide from a nasty situation.

Together, they hit the road and wind up at a roadside diner, where brutal violence will unfold and the undead will feed.

©2015 Thom Erb (P)2015 Thom Erb

Hell of a ride!

If you could sum up Heaven, Hell, or Houston in three words, what would they be?

Gritty, gruesome, and gory

Who was your favorite character and why?

Texas Ranger Jay McCutcheon oozes old school cowboy in an a 1980s world. He is that 1980s action hero, Clint Eastwood meets Bruce Willis having the worst day ever. A good man with some bad habits who can't stop getting in his own way.

What does Doug Miller bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Doug Miller had the gravelly voice that was perfect for the lead character Jay McCutcheon and delivered the vile Isandro Dianira's lines with villainous grace. He handled the smaller characters deftly, although I did feel he struggled a little finding the voice for street tough teen Stacy-Jo, but nothing that impeded my enjoyment of the story.

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

I ran through a few extreme emotions with this book.

Erb's villains are harsh, bad men who disgusted me and made me angry and you feel McCutcheon's inner struggle to be the man he wants to be while fighting to save what he loves...

Any additional comments?

Thom Erb can turn a phrase, reminiscent of Stephen King's deft descriptions and quality characterizations. He pulls no punches. It is a beautifully written, but brutal 'no apologies" genre bending cowboy-noir/zombie thriller through a 1980s Texas landscape.

So hang on when the rubber hits the road and keep your gun loaded (you'll need it)!

Action packed road trip with zombies!

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes, simply because I enjoyed the book. The Book wasn't too long a little over 5 hours and listened to it in a few sittings.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I wouldn't have changed anything. It was perfectly enjoyable as it was.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

I was a little put off initially by Doug Miller's voice but I must say that it grew on me as the story progressed, he aslo did very well and distinguishing between character voices.

Did Heaven, Hell, or Houston inspire you to do anything?

I did look to see what else Thom Erb wrote...

Any additional comments?

This was a very good book from an author unknown to me. It was fast paced and brutal and not for the squimish. An entertaining story and good characters overall. Very enjoyable, recommended.

I received this book for free in return to give an honest and fair review.

Graphic and intense zombie story

What made the experience of listening to Heaven, Hell, or Houston the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed the story and the narrator did a great job. He was exceptional with the different character voices.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Heaven, Hell, or Houston?

There were several very graphic and intense scenes that were hard to forget.

Any additional comments?

I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Blast

When a narrator destroys my book!

Unbiased review is hard when you hate a narrator. It is really hard when get something for free and then are going to be so hard against someone like i am going to be now. Doug Miller is awful. Not only is he awful, he is monotone, boring and sleep making. I would NEVER, ever, in a million years listen to a book he reads again. He is so bad that i begin talking about the narrator, and i have never done that before. Maybe it is Doug Miller fault, but me, but doubt it is me.

Now the book is not bad at all. Heaven, Hell, or Houston is a fun book. So i feel bad for Thom Erb, i would love to read this book, but this is a "Audible" review, so the "sound" that comes out has to be judged as it is. Thom Erb is a good storyteller, not only that i like his style of telling a story. Heaven, Hell, or Houston on its own would sure get a overall rating of 4 out of 5. To bad Doug Miller destroys this for me, but he does!

I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com"

An action-packed thrill ride. A 5 star audiobook.

HEAVEN, HELL, OR HOUSTON

Author: Thom Erb

Type of Book: Audiobook - Unabridged

Narrator: Doug Miller

Length: 5 hours, 56 minutes

Genre: Thriller, Horror, Zombie Fiction

Release Date: June 8, 2015

Publisher: Third Bay Studios

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

* I received this audiobook for free from AudioBookBlast in exchange for an honest review.

This audiobook is set in the late 1980s.

The 1980s may not seem like it was all that long ago, but it was a completely different world back then. Cell phones were only owned by the rich and famous. Terrorism was almost unheard of. The World Trade Center still stood tall and proud in New York City. Prince's music was constantly played on the radio. There are many more differences between then and now, but I cannot list them all.

A notorious cop-killer named Isandro Dianira escapes from an Oklahoma State Prison with the help of his twin brother after spending only nine years behind bars. He has a burning hatred for Texas Ranger J. McCutcheon who he holds responsible for his jail sentence.

A Texas Ranger with an anger problem is getting married to the love of his life who also happens to be the mother of his beloved daughter. When the drunken jerk who is the Governor of Texas makes lewd comments about his fiancé, J. McCutcheon punches him in his leering face minutes before their plane lands. If he could have held his temper in check just a bit longer, he may not have had the worry of losing his job added to his growing list of concerns. All he wants to do is get home to his fiancé and baby and try to save his relationship.

Driving home should only take a few hours but a storm of epic proportions has been unleashed on Texas and he decides to stop for food and to phone home. (Remember, there are no cell phones, so he needs to call from a pay-phone.).

At the Diner he "rescues" a teenage girl from a bunch of bikers who want to use her for who-knows-what. Stacy-Jo is her name and she is not as helpless as she seems. In fact, she carries a big knife and is not afraid to use it.

Isandro Dianira has heard an evil voice in his head ever since he was a small child. After escaping the prison he and other members of his gang decide to head towards Mexico. On the way they rape and murder anyone they come across.

As the two men unknowingly race toward each other, a powerful rainstorm is heading westward, and along with it, a zombie virus that’s causing the dead to rise.

This audiobook is not for the faint of heart. There is violence - and lots of it. There are forced sexual scenes that make this audiobook completely inappropriate for anyone under the age of eighteen.

Even though there are zombies in this book, they are almost inconsequential to the story. This story is more about J. McCutcheon and Isandro Dianira.

McCutcheon may be a violent alcoholic, but you still can't help rooting for him. His violent streak only comes out when he is defending someone, protecting someone's honor or if someone disrespects his family. He knows he is a screw-up. He tries to be good, but he always seems to screw something up. He doesn't care about himself, all he cares about is wife and child, and maybe his job.

Narrator Doug Miller has the ability to change his accent at will. He switches with apparent effortlessness from a Texas drawl to a Mexican accent. When portraying the voice of criminal and evil-thug Isandro Dianira he sounds exactly how you would expect a remorseless, soulless killer to sound. I have to give this narrator a rating of 5 out of 5 stars.

In fact, this audiobook is so well done and so packed full of action that I have to rate the audiobook as 5 out of 5 stars as well. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐