Identical

By: Scott Turow

Narrated by: Henry Leyva

Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Identical, based loosely on the myth of Castor and Pollux, is the story of identical twins, Paul and Cass Giannis, and the complex relationships between their family and their former neighbors, the Kronons. The audiobook focuses principally on events in 2008, when Paul is a candidate for Mayor of Kindle County, and Cass is released from the penitentiary, 25 years after pleading guilty to the murder of his girlfriend, Athena Kronon. The plot centers on the re-investigation of Athena's murder, carried out together by Evon Miller, an ex-FBI agent who is the head of security for the Kronon family business, and private investigator Tim Brodie, 81, a former homicide detective. The complex web of murder, sex, and betrayal - as only Scott Turow could weave - dramatically unfolds, and the chilling truth is revealed: People will believe what they want to believe.

©2013 Scott Turow (P)2013 Hachette

A lot of words that are not what i wanted

Would you listen to another book narrated by Henry Leyva?

His style is better that not quite a monotone. Had the book kept my interest my view of the narrator might have changed

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I was disappointed in this effort by Turow. It almost seemed to me that a book was due where he could make a few bucks. I felt he got away from his base of having an attornet represent a client well.

Couldn't finish it

.... because the narration was so inane. Probably not fair to Turow, who has a great track record of publishing good legal procedurals.

Hard to Follow

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I am very easy to please, but this story was really hard to follow. The entire experience was negative so much so that I couldn't even finish it, which is something that I never do! I like Scott Turow. Perhaps this is just one story that doesn't translate well into Audio format? Who knows?

Ugh I usually can’t wait for a new release

Disappointing - a labored dense story with offensive political jabs throughout. Think I’m off turrow it was difficult to keep listening

Not worth the cost or time used to listen.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I have no idea

Has Identical turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, there are many great authors.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator can only read the written word. If it isn't good neither will be the narration.

What character would you cut from Identical?

All of them. They have no identity.

Any additional comments?

Please do not neglect to listen to the sample; it does not get any better and it was my mistake. Turow has written good books way back. He should go there and try again..
He missed here. This book is boring. The reviews are correct.

Poorest Effort Yet by Scott Turow

Would you try another book from Scott Turow and/or Henry Leyva?

I found the narrator only a C as compared to other narrators. Turow seems to be a hit and miss author and this story got bogged down in minutia and lesbian activity.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Something by Lee Child, Michael Connelly, Vince Flynn, Daniel Silva, but not Scott Turow

What character would you cut from Identical?

Evon Miller. She adds nothing to this story. If Turow wants to write about lesbian relationships he should find another genre than crime stories.

Cluttered, Trite, Ethnocentric to a Fault

Spent too much time sorting out the players in a muddled opening and it did not get better. I guess this has something to do with the genetics of identical twins, but frankly, who cares. Just because Turow tries to spice it up with politicians and billionaires, does not an interesting novel make. More evidence of a one-hit wonder!

Disappointing

Would you try another book from Scott Turow and/or Henry Leyva?

Not sure

Would you be willing to try another book from Scott Turow? Why or why not?

Not sure. Since his first ONE L, I've been a big Scott Turow fan but if this book would have been written by anyone else, I would have stopped listening somewhere about Chapter 5

Did Henry Leyva do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Ok

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Improbability and far too many story lines. A potboiler for sure.

Pretty predictable

If you’ve listened to books by Scott Turow before, how does this one compare?

Does not match up to his others. I am a sucker for a good legal drama and this one was neither.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Henry Leyva?

Just about anyone. The narrator speaks clearly and has the right inflections but he is horribly miscast. He sounds like he is far too young to read this particular story.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Before listening yes afterwards no

Any additional comments?

I usually think I have a book figured out and always pleasantly surprised when I find out that I was completely wrong. Well...not this time. Some of the clues left by Mr. Turow were like redwoods in the middle of the road.
I had the feeling that he added a few characters just for filler. I was also disappointed how a couple of characters just dropped off the map.
This book either needed to be longer or shorter. My vote is for shorter.
Turow is better than this.

Just not up to standards

Would you try another book from Scott Turow and/or Henry Leyva?

Maybe.

Any additional comments?

I have listened to all of Turow's other books. While a number of them are a bit slow, this one unbearably slow. Very predictable and he goes completely off on a tangent to try to build characters. You could skip significant portions of the book and not really miss anything because he doesn't stay on course with the story. I stopped just over half way through and only after forcing myself to listen for at least an additional hour.