The Crime Writer

By: Gregg Hurwitz

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Drew Danner, a crime novelist with a house off L.A.'s storied Mulholland Drive, awakens in a hospital bed with a scar on his head and no memory of being found convulsing over his ex-fiancee's body the previous night. He was discovered holding a knife, her blood beneath his nails. He himself doesn't know whether he's guilty or innocent.

To reconstruct the story, the writer must now become the protagonist, searching the corridors of his life and the city he loves. Soon Drew closes in on clues he may or may not have left for himself. And as another young woman is similarly murdered, he has to ask difficult questions - not of others but of himself.

©2007 Gregg Hurwitz (P)2007 BBC Audiobooks America

Critic reviews

"Hurwitz's L.A. thriller has noir pulp chutzpah in spades." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Hurwitz's insights about L.A. life sound knowing and are often ruefully funny, e.g., 'L.A., where a porn star runs for governor and an action figure wins.' Crime fans looking for something different will love this one." ( Booklist)

First Rate Crime Story

Being a fan of Greg Hurwitz Orphan X series, I thought I would give a listen to this departure since crime stories are also on my list of likes in novels. The jest of this is we have a crime novel writer being rudely awakened by a SWAT team and hauled off to jail. His crime is the death of a former girlfriend which the police have compelling evidence our story lead is the culprit, His name is Drew Danner and he claims he has no recollection of the event. We quickly learn that Drew had suffered through blackouts due to a growth on his brain.

Our story unfolds in a first person delivery that is a departure from Mr. Hurwitz. We follow Drew through the ups and downs of his trial for murder and his subsequent overzealous search for the "real killer". The catch is since Drew suffered from blackouts, he does not know if possibly he is indeed the real killer. The hunt and unfolding of the saga goes through many stages, including another murder, is interesting and well paced. While a modern story, the telling has the feel of a noir type 40s black and white movie.

Scott Brick comes through admirably, once again as the narrator. Having listened to a number of Audible novels with Mr. Brick as the reader, I do find myself taking a closer look at future reads if he is the narrator.

Overall, this a very good listen with only a few slow parts here and there. I would certainly recommend "The Crime Writer" should you enjoy this genre.

Surprised me

I admittedly wasn’t familiar with Gregg Hurwitz until Orphan X. I really enjoyed that book, which lead to me getting this one. This was a very different story and I enjoyed it immensely. It’s a good, snarky thriller that keeps you guessing through its various twists and turns. There’s just enough humor bring some levity, and enough emotion to make you care. Scott Brick does a good job with the narration, and keeps things entertaining.

Wonderfully engaging

An LA Noir setting with rich characters. This book sucked me in for the jump. Creative twists and vivid Imagery. Fully recommend to anyone that enjoys a who done it novel.

An unexpected treat

I tend to have low expectations for free or discounted titles, so needless to say I prepared myself for a lackluster story... I was pleasantly surprised. The narrator's performance was excellent! And the overall story was solid enough to hold my attention until the very end. I did however have an issue with the final reveal of who the "bad guy" was. But apart from that, it's definitely worth a free read

Pleasantly Surprised

After reading the reviews I didn't Jane very high expectations but I love the author so I have it a shot and I right it was really good. The plot was a little easy to figure out, but it was an enjoyable enough read that I even rewound it at times if I missed parts of it. Alot of books I don't bother.

Wow!! Get this one!

Fantastic suspense! Wonderful writing and character development. The ending will not disappoint! Great twists.

amazing

I'm halfway through, so far its amazing.

Even Scott Brick can't ruin this one.

Well plotted poorly read

Would you consider the audio edition of The Crime Writer to be better than the print version?

I would have enjoyed the print version more just because I am not a fan of Scott Brick who has a very odd and off-putting delivery.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Not on the edge of my seat but there were some surprises.

How could the performance have been better?

Mr. Brick has a very odd delivery that did not fit the protagonist of the book. It was a bad fit.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

It isn't that kind of book.

dumb mistakes but remains exciting

Seemingly caught in the act, red handed (literally), yet due to a brain tumor, you are acquitted on the grounds of temporary insanity. It sounds convoluted but it actually does work. How would you feel if you really didn't know if you had done the murder or not!

The plot keeps getting thicker, the hero makes some poor choices, but then he's just a writer, not an operative, and you don't figure it out until (perhaps slightly before) he does! It is exciting, tense, and fast-paced.

Scott Brick does very well giving character to the people in the story.

The Crime Writer

One of the best listens on audible I've ever heard. And Scott Brick is at his best .