Reasonable Doubts: Guido Guerrieri Series, Book 3

I heard Gianrico Carofiglio interviewed on public radio and was intrigued enough to buy my first audio version of his book. I liked it so much that I bought another one this month. The vividly depicted internal monologue of this brilliant, but damaged attorney successfully blends the story of his psychological struggles with the legal mazes he maneuvers. The "voice" of the author is well served by the narrator, Sean Barrett, whose performance is outstanding - giving the listener the sensation of being inside this lawyer/sleuth's head!

Guerrieri loves Leonard Cohen and old movies.
By no meams does a person have to have read the earlier books to enjoy this well written story, so well interpreted by Sean Barrett.

While there is implied threats of violence because of Mafia involvement in drug running, the story needs no graphic descriptions of violence. There is a lingering desire for revenge for past events that Guerrieri has to confront, he thinks, to represent his potential client.

The story walks us through a story of the city of Bare using the very personal and professional experiences of Guerrieri. At times humourous and at times visually 'poetic' this is a good story from start to finish.

This is the second Carofiglio novel I've listened to and I loved every moment. The main character is an honest defense lawyer in the city of Bari who makes a living defending all sorts of low lifes who walk into his office. But once in a while he gets a client he can really believe in, and this restores his love for the law and brings out his talents in court. This is no run of the mill "procedural" whodunit. Sean Barrett, as always, does an outstanding job.

If I was in serious legal trouble, I would want Guido Guerrieri to defend me. He accepts cases that have no obvious solution, yet he finds alternatives and fights to the end. If you enjoy intriguing legal stories, you will enjoy this series. I can honestly say that the closing arguments between the prosecutor and Guido in this story is one of the best listens I have had with Audible. I am still thinking about those words several days later. The narrator, Sean Barrett, did his usual outstanding job.

I am glad I got to know Guido better. His life in Bari, Italy is just so fascinating to me. He loves his music, wine and bicycling to work or walking the streets during the evenings. Due to recent events, he is very vulnerable and makes bad decisions that he genuinely regrets and tries to fix. Imperfect as he is, I wish there were more people like Guido in this world.

I am nervous that it appears the next book (4th) in this series is the end. I hope that Mr. Carofiglio will publish again soon. It will be a sad day when I have read the last story with Guido.

Worth a second listen

guerrieri (main character) - you are in his head - his soul and his inner life is so rich
you live & laugh thru him

everything - character voices - timing

laughed

this author is fabulous!!!

Yes, Italian novelist, Gianrico Carofiglio and narrator, Sean Barrett. How could you go wrong? I listened to the first two books in this four part series and really enjoyed them. In this third book, Barrett did his usual impeccable narration and interpretation of attorney, Guido Guerrieri. Barrett elevates any book at least by one star. However, I did not find this book as compelling as the first two and have been left with alot of random thoughts and questions as to what I found lacking.

Is it obligatory that all of these books have sex in them even if it is not in character with our protagonist's usual (ethical) behaviors? Do we the readers demand sex? Because it is fiction and we like him, do we ignore his unethical behavior related to the practice of law? Are ethics not important because it is fiction? Do attorneys and detectives have to have crumbling personal lives just to make them interesting to readers? Do any of them have good relationships? Would Guido's girlfriend have left him if he wasn't so introspective? Is he just a depressive character that would drive any woman away or was he depressed because his girlfriend left him? Or, would he really be more boring to us if he kept a romance going through two books? Could the story have been more interesting (to me) if there was a bit of local color (Bari) or more action?

I finished this book in two days. It was an easy listen . . . but not so memorable. I am not sure I will be getting the last book, but I probably will. If you are at all interested after my less than rave review, definitely start with book one and then two. I found those stories much more enjoyable. They made me feel light and happy. This one just took the wind out of my sails. Not a bad book at all. Just not up to my expectations.

Very skillfully constructed legal thriller with entertaining insights into the similarities and differences between Italian and American courts.
What makes this series is Guido's internal dialogue. His self-effacing insights into his own life and into the case at hand keeps the series fresh.
This is the first series I have found translated to English that holds my interest. The English accented narrator somehow works perfectly.

As wonderful -- with as much depth and substance -- as his other books. What a beautiful writer he is! Perfect narration, too. Reasonable Doubts is a treat and I will remember it for a long time.

Great intimate thriller that brings all the details together. Brings you to the Italian city of Bari& appreciates the local color, culture, cuisine of the tough coastal city.

This is a tough one to answer because the style of this book is so restrained and understated so comparison is difficult. It is almost unique in my experience because it is very slow and measured and very little really happens. At first it was difficult to even pay attention except that Sean Barrett's voice always encourages me to keep going. Gradually the listener notices that behind the careful sentences there is a pleasing intellect and that it is very pleasant indeed to focus on procedural matters rather than wearisome forensic accidents and less than convincing coincidences. The absence of violence is rather pleasant also.
So my ranking would place this title up at the credit pass- but not brilliant.

There is a very unusual part where the protagonists discuss the significant selection of a very specific colour name matched to three of their wishes. Of course the sub text is intimate in nature but it does reflect the successful efforts by the author to use the detective/lawyer genre within slightly wider parameters.
Sadly this can also reflect that the novel is showing its age.

It was a surprise to find a moment of separation between two characters by a moral decision, finally, to be so clearly but modestly evoked. So few modern stories choose to capture quiet but dramatic losses.

Here is a novel with an exotic location, Bari Italy, reflected in an intelligent little story. No wonder there are a solid group of supporters of this series. " But I didn't say so." The listeners to this book will understand what I mean.