Parole

By: Bruce Hartman

Narrated by: Jimmy Yu

Length: 6 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

“You can get out of jail, but you never get out of parole.”

Kenny Ruffin, a former gang leader serving hard time in San Quentin, looks forward to his release so he can get his life back and meet his teenage son for the first time. His destiny becomes entangled with that of a redneck career criminal called Cat McGrath when the two of them are sent back to LA on the same bus. McGrath warns Ruffin that the gangs will never allow him back on the street and he will end up back in prison no matter what he does.

As predicted, they are met with gunfire as they step off the bus. Ruffin vows to track down the shooters to redeem his honor and status, as McGrath draws him into a crackbrained scheme to even old scores with a gang of dirty cops. With memorable characters, lots of action, a suspenseful plot and plenty of humor, PAROLE is a crime thriller in the tradition of Elmore Leonard.

“A tale that is hard to put down and satisfyingly original: a standout in its genre.” (Diane Donovan, Midwest Book Review)

“A joy to read!” (Ken Bruen, author of the award-winning Jack Taylor series)

©2019 Bruce Hartman (P)2023 Bruce Hartman

Solid Plot, Action and Unique Characters

Kenny Ruffin is an ex-con out on parole. Ruffin finds himself caught up in a corrupt system and finds himself being manipulated by another ex-con. Warned that he will never be able to walk away from prison or redeem himself, Ruffin is faced with a difficult decision. Prove the prediction correct by joining the corruption or doing what is right. Sacrificing his freedom, Ruffin attempts to bring down the corrupt officials and provide financial support for his estranged son.

The author, Bruce Hartman delivers a solid plot that flows smoothly and is interesting. The dialog was believable and authentic moving the plot forward at a steady pace. There were no plot holes or continuity issues.

The narrator, Jimmy Yu, did a really great job at voices. His voices were varied, clear, and believable. There were a few times during the narration sections where his tonal inflection indicated a question rather than a statement. This was slightly disorienting. However, Yu did a great job of accents and providing solid female/male voices for the characters. He kept the action in the story moving forward with his narration performance.

This was an interesting story with lots of action and unique characters.

There were no issues with the production or quality of this audiobook.

Good story

The story was good, but somewhat predictable. The narration was very good; so many voices.

Fun Los Angeles action crime story

Enjoyable story with a lot of interesting characters and plot twists. Impressed with the variety of voices of a single narrator for many unique personalities. Will continue to look for more books narrated by Jimmy Yu. Bruce Hartman in combination with the Jimmy Yu brought the characters to life and made the book a great experience.

Great story brought to life by great narrator

This is a great story about friendship and family with some action involving dirty cops! The ending kind of left me hanging so I’m hoping for a sequel. I enjoyed the narration and thought Jimmy did a great job bringing both male and female characters to life. I could listen to him read to me all day!

Parole

Love the plotline. I enjoyed the humor as well. The narrator was excellent, so many characters and different voices. When the narrator is good, it makes a difference when you’re listening to a book. Bravo.

Awesome

The writing was humorous and engaging. I really enjoyed the various voices used in the narration. Highly recommend!

Cool and funny crime drama

Really enjoyed this audiobook. Jimmy Chu brings the characters alive with his performance and the writing made for an engaging story with good twists and turns. If you live in LA or have ever visited you could see the venues clearly as they are described well.