Proof of Life

A J. P. Beaumont Novel

By: J. A. Jance

Narrated by: Alan Sklar

Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

J. P. Beaumont's latest investigation strikes too close to home in this riveting mystery from New York Times best-selling author J. A. Jance.

Be careful what you wish for....

Before he retired, J. P. Beaumont had looked forward to having his days all to himself. But too much free time doesn't suit a man used to brushing close to danger. When his longtime nemesis, retired Seattle crime reporter Maxwell Cole, dies in what's officially deemed to be an accidental fire, Beau is astonished to be dragged into the investigation at the request of none other than the deceased victim himself. In the process, Beau learns that just because a long-ago case was solved doesn't mean it's over.

Caught up in a situation where old actions and grudges can hold dangerous consequences in the present, Beau is forced to operate outside the familiar world of law enforcement. While seeking justice for his frenemy and healing for a long fractured family, he comes face to face with an implacable enemy who has spent decades hiding in plain sight.

©2017 J. A. Jance (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Please bring the other narrator back!

How did the narrator detract from the book?

His voice was too wimpy & just didn't go with the vision I've always had of JP Beaumont.
It made for an unpleasant listening experience.

Slow Reader

What did you love best about Proof of Life?

I love the story and am glad to see Beau back!

What did you like best about this story?

JP Beaumont

What didn’t you like about Alan Sklar’s performance?

He read so damn slow that I had to change the speed on my iPod to 1.25 to get the story in a reasonable voice and speed.

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

Lucy's story.

Any additional comments?

Love the book, dislike the new reader intensely but only because he reads so slow. Won't listen to any more books with Sklar as the reader.

Nguyen is pronounced whe-en.

One would think a little research before pronouncing a words so often used in a story before reading the book to thousands of people. It was a real distraction throughout listening to this book.

TERRIBLE NARRATION!

Same G-PG rated book but narration beyond terrible. From character voices to inflection. Some should seriously consider this before choosing a narrator, as it can make or break. I will not be back.

Story great, not a big fan of reader

As usual, the author writes a great story. However, I not a fan of the reader's style.

Engaging

J. P. Beaumont appears to be in a post-retirement depression. His wife, Melissa Soames, is the Chief of Police of Bellingham, Washington. One of Beau’s least favorite news reporters, Maxwell Cole, dies in a fire. The Maxwell character has appeared off and on throughout the series. Erin, Maxwell’s goddaughter, contacts Beau about Maxwell’s death. She thinks he was murdered because he was working on a book about political corruption at a very high level. I enjoyed the information about the Wolf Hound. Beau and Mel unexpectedly get a dog named Lucy and have to adjust their life to accommodate the dog’s needs. Lucy features prominently in the ending of the book.

The book is well written. The plot twists and turns with subplots tossed in. There are quite a few flashbacks which at times I found annoying as I have read most of the books in the series and did not need a refresher. Jance is a great story teller and I always enjoy her books. I do appreciate that the author has aged Beau over the years of.

The book is twelve hours long. Alan Sklar does an excellent job narrating the book. Sklar is an actor and voice-over artist. He is also an award-winning audiobook narrator. This series has had different narrators over the years. I prefer that series stay with one narrator for the entire series for better consistency of the characters.

Miss old narrator

I made it through the book but barely... really disliked the narration. Love JP and have been a Beaumont fan for 15 years but not sure I'll buy another with this narrator.

Pronounce names correctly

Ugh— did not like this narrator. He reminded me of Winnie the Pooh. And I found it totally annoying how he pronounced Nguyen. It’s pronounced with a soft “n” followed by “win.”

Worst narrator ever.

I just returned this book, I could not listen to this narrator. It was unbearable. I have enjoyed all of J. A. Janice’s books and always look forward to new releases. I have never listened to this narrator before and he ruined what was probably a great read.

Reader hinders a great story

Wonderful JP is back, liked the story but could not stand the reader/narrator. I had to stop the audiobook and turn my Kindle on to finish the story. Please, please return to the original reader he is so much better and keeps the story interesting!!! I LOVE this series but not the audiobook for this book.