Obsession

Faces of Evil Series, Book 1

By: Debra Webb

Narrated by: Carol Schneider

Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's Summary

Special Agent Jess Harris has spent more than a decade studying the many faces of evil. In her determination to stop a serial killer, she broke the rules, and it cost her everything.

With her career in need of resuscitation and her love life dead and buried, Jess jumps at a chance to advise on a case that has the top detectives of Birmingham, Alabama, stumped. But the case forces her to confront all the reasons she put her hometown-and her first love-in her rearview mirror.

Four young women have gone missing, and Police Chief Dan Burnett will do anything to find them before it's too late - even if it means asking for help from the woman who has spent a decade avoiding him. Jess agrees to lend a hand and welcomes the diversion of a new case, a new life to save to make up for the victims she's lost. But then the unthinkable happens: the crazed serial killer from her past follows Jess to Birmingham. The situation is becoming increasingly desperate, and time is swiftly running out...

©2011 Debra Webb (P)2013 Tantor

Great find!

This book was recommended and selected for a group listen. This author and narrator are new to me, but were a great find! Talk about suspense, suspense, suspense! It was light on violence and gore, but still had my heart thumping and me holding me breath in anticipation. And, talk about twisted characters! These were not your run of the mill crazy people. They were down right disturbing!

I really liked this book from beginning to end. The narrator was different, but really good. Her voice had just enough roughness or edge to really fit the characters. Her characterizations were good and she pulled you into the story. You felt the fear, anxiety, frustration, and determination of the characters. It was just light enough not to be too heavy, and just heavy enough to have some teeth. I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of this series.

Edge of your seat!

Complete and total suspense from start to finish, this book will have you hooked. Debra Webb has begun the first of her Faces of Evil series with a nail biting story of kidnapping, murder, psychotic parents, coming to terms with your past and a future sure to keep you up at night. Jess is an ambitious, focused profiler, and there is nothing more exciting than getting in the head of crazy person and trying to figure out who it is and the motive behind the crime. Dan is Jess's past, and the chief of police where the crimes are being investigated. Lori and Chet, besides being incredibly lovable together are integral to the investigation as well.

The investigation of 5 missing young adult women is what brings Jess to the case, but there is a back story for Jess that continually haunts her through this book, becomes front and center and has book 2, Impulse waiting to be read.

Carol Schneider is the narrator for this suspense thriller. I enjoyed her narration, though at times her pace is a little slow. Her voices are great and easy to differentiate between characters. I look forward to the next in the series.

Is Jess Brenda Lee Johnson of The Closer?

Where does Obsession rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It ranks at the top. I am hooked on this series and cannot get enough. I will listen to the entire series.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jess because she reminds of me and my favorite t.v deputy chief Brenda Lee Johnson from the Closer. She is driven, quirky, lonely, unconventional and exceptionally talented detective. While her methods are unconventional and she skirts the boundaries of proper standards she gets results. I love the fact that she is a complex character who is still developing. I cannot wait to see how she changes over the course of the series.

Which character – as performed by Carol Schneider – was your favorite?

Carol got Jess down cold. She did a great job with all of the characters!

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

The were several but the one when she got the text message and then went to each room in Dan's parents house with her gun. I was also moved when she went into the barn and found the girls in the open grave. That was a great scene.

Any additional comments?

Thanks audible for introducing me to this wonderful character and series.

Narration drove me crazy

Story was good, thriller mixed with a little romance and the narration was fine until she started trying to do the southern accent. OMG!!! I have never ever heard such a bad attempt at a southern accent. I couldn’t tell if it Boston or New England accent or what especially is the male characters. It really ruined it for me it was that bad.

Action packed thriller!

Someone is kidnapping young women; someone is sending cryptic messages to FBI profiler, Jess Harris. Is it the same killer? Jess says no...she knows who’s sending her the messages...the killer that has been set free because she didn’t follow procedure. But she’ll deal with him later...now she needs to find those girls! Captivating story with some romance. Looking forward to the next book.

GREAT SERIES!! GREAT NARRATOR!!

This is a wild ride, a chilling and human story. Debra Webb puts a human face on evil and Carol Schneider brings it to life authentically. Well done all around.

Narrator ruins it

Ugh. For a book with so much discussion of the southern accent of the main character you'd think they'd make sure that the narrator could actually do a southern accent. On top of that, the accent she uses for the Latino cop is such an excessively stereotyped Mexican accent it's ridiculous. Especially since the background on the character included that he'd been born in the US, and his stepfather was American. Why would he have an accent at all, let alone one that sounds like Speedy Gonzalez?

Obsession

Good book! Keeps you listening and love the female lead! Narrator was also good but a little hard to follow.

Narrator Awful

Narrator that you had to speed up and f bombs made me return this book. I thought Debra Webb was one author that didn't think foul language was necessary but I was mistaken. Story probably would have been great except for those two things

Accents

I really loved the story. The characters are interesting and pretty well flushed out. I look forward to the next book. The lady who narrates does a terrible southern accent. I prefer to have dual narrators but I can live without them.