The Kill Room

A Lincoln Rhyme Novel

By: Jeffery Deaver

Narrated by: Jay Snyder, January LaVoy, Edoardo Ballerini

Length: 13 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

It was a "million-dollar bullet," a sniper shot delivered from over a mile away. Its victim was no ordinary mark: he was a United States citizen, targeted by the United States government, and assassinated in the Bahamas.

The nation's most renowned investigator and forensics expert, Lincoln Rhyme, is drafted to investigate. While his partner, Amelia Sachs, traces the victim's steps in Manhattan, Rhyme leaves the city to pursue the sniper himself. As details of the case start to emerge, the pair discovers that not all is what it seems.

When a deadly, knife-wielding assassin begins systematically eliminating all evidence-including the witnesses-Lincoln's investigation turns into a chilling battle of wits against a cold-blooded killer.

©2013 Jeffery Deaver (P)2013 Hachette Audio

another great story!

this was the first Jeffrey Deaver book I've listened to on audible. the voice acting was good with a few different actors and all the different voices for the different characters. I highly recommend. I powered through the 12 hours in under a week (similar to when I've read his stories in the past!)

Awesome!

Loved it. I have enjoyed the entire series and I love the narration PERFECT!!! Have recommended it to friends and family

Not like the other reviews...

I actually tried to buy the version that only had a single narrator after reading the reviews of this version with multiple narrators. But the other version is not available to U.S. customers, but since I wanted to continue the storyline, I went ahead and bought this version, thinking if it was really that bad, I would return it. So I went into this thinking I was going to hate.

Well I will not be returning it. It was a very pleasant “read” no matter what the other reviews state.

Rhyme is Back...in Action

As a fan of the Lincoln Rhyme series, I was more than ready to order this one up and dive in. After reading a few of the reviews about multiple readers, I was a bit worrried about the performance, but was soon relieved. Sure, it takes some getting used to, but I was quickly able to get used to the male and female readers and the back and forth cadence. Some have claimed that the voice of Rhyme is too soft and not authoritative. My take is that the voices in this audiobook had a strong resemblence to the actors in the Bone Collector movie, i.e. Denzel Washington playing Rhyme and Angelina Joilee as Sachs. And this goes for Thom, Sellito and others, too. I'm not sure if this was by design or not, but by the second chapter, I was already picturing Denzel and Joilee in my mind, so maybe this is why it worked for me. Denzel's portrayal of Rhyme in the movie was that of a soft-spoken, but thoughtful and intelligent character. I had the same vibe here and while some may have felt like this audiobook was "over-produced", again, I felt like this was produced with a movie-setting in mind. I actually liked the lead-in music when there was a shift or pause in the plot. Others may not find it to their liking. It's a matter of preference, I think.

As for the story, this book follows the Deaver "twist-and-turn" formula from other Rhyme novels. The story is good, but with all of the plot twists and turns, I found it difficult to distinguish between protaganists and antagonists. However, this is exactly what Deaver has in mind for the reader and the point that there are many shades of gray in the type of political/military work being done in the book was not not lost on me. It can make the reader a little uncomfortable not knowing who is good and who is bad.

Where I really enjoyed the book were the parts where Lincoln actually got out of the office and traveled (out of the U.S., no less) and was even involved in yes...an action scene! As a quad with extremely limited mobility, Lincoln has been working hard to exercise and his improved conditioning allowed him to get more involved in this book, which made for some great fun. It's a long way from the old days of lying prone in his bed and studying the white board (though there was some that, too, of course). I won't provide any plot spoilers, but there is a fantastic part where Lincoln confronts some thugs with a gun. The outcome will surprise you!

This is one of those books I will probably listen to a second time so I can pick-up on some things I missed the first time around. And who knows, I may appreciate the "good" and "bad" guys - and thus the storyline- a little more.

At the end it stared ti feel like Scuby Doo

It suffered from among other things too many endings. And the big reveals if not for the pesky Lincoln Rhyme and his team. The other difficulty was the narration. There were three narrators who at times were solo and at other times were more than one working together. I prefer if there is only one reader in a section if there must be multiple readers. Having two or more readers sometimes reading together brought me out of the story.

Yes, the voice change is jarring at first...

Where does The Kill Room rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I enjoyed this one almost as much as my other Jeffery Deaver reads.

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

No, but I've grown accustomed to Deaver's style of writing, so I don't stress as much.

Any additional comments?

I agree with previous reviewers that the multiple narrators are a bit jarring, but I believe that claiming it ruins the entire book is a bit extreme. Amelia's voice is much more clear than the others, and, as a result, comes through a bit more piercing in the beginning, but honestly, after the first few minutes, my brain adjusted just fine. No, my issues with this book had nothing to do with the narration, more I found that keeping the names of the multiple main characters/suspects straight was a bit more difficult in this book than in others. They are all government agents of some sort and are referred to by last name most of the time. I am on my second listen, because I am quite sure I missed some details the first time around. Still, I enjoyed it just fine during my commute to and from work and DO recommend it.

Jeffery Deaver does another great one!!

Would you listen to The Kill Room again? Why?

Yes. It is a great one. Jeffery Deaver and Lincoln are a great pair.

What did you like best about this story?

Lincoln's a great detective.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

Very great narration. Giving a man and a girl narrators are great. This makes the story a great listen.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Please Write Faster Mr. Deaver.

Twists and turns

The twists and turns in the plot made my head spin. I found myself wishing for a print copy to go back. Has never happened to me before.

Also, I had a preconceived idea of how Lincoln Rhyme should sound...and this wasn't it. And some sounded so similar to others that it would take me a minute or two to figure out who was talking.

review

Did not like the character voices at all. it ruins the story when you have read all the other books and then someone voiced tough, sassy characters like soft mice

Lincoln Rhyme's most thrilling case to date!

THE KILL ROOM is a thrilling listen! Jeffery Deaver is in top form in this latest Lincoln Rhyme novel. Its fast-paced plot and intricate characters make this a must listen.

With all of the twists and turns, the three readers were used effectively to make the story more compelling and capture the complexity of the plot. It's definitely one of the best audiobooks I've listened to within the past year.

If you read/listen to Ken Follett, David Baldacci, Brad Meltzer, Michael Connelly, Lee Child, or John Standford this audiobook is for you!

It's nice to have Lincoln Rhyme back in action!