Take No More

James Blake, Book 1

By: Seb Kirby

Narrated by: Shiromi Arserio

Length: 7 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

An artistic voyage in crime - thrilling and original.

When James Blake discovers his wife murdered in their London home, he is determined to find her killer. As the prime suspect, he flees England and sets out on a journey that takes him to Florence and Venice and into a dark underworld of corruption, a trail that will lead him to the killer - and the shocking truth behind the mystery.

©2010 Seb Kirby (P)2014 Seb Kirby

Here is the challenge: piece the puzzle together

If you could sum up Take No More in three words, what would they be?

An artful puzzle

What does Shiromi Arserio bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I loved the nuanced voice and the suspenseful interpretation of the story by Shiromi Arsenio. The performance was riveting to listen to.

Any additional comments?

Structured by time and place, part I of TAKE NO MORE occurs Friday to Sunday in London; The rest occur in Florence. Part II occurs six days earlier; part III four days later; part IV six days earlier; part V four days later. So right away you realize how the author goes back and forth in time, challenging you to piece this puzzle together.

When the protagonist, James Blake, finds his wife murdered, he starts piecing together her work for a dangerous Italian family. For him, this is both an intellectual and an emotional challenge. As an art conservator, she was hoping to find a lost paintings, `Leda and the Swan' which may have been painted over to save it from destruction.

Carefully researched, the story is anchored in real facts in art history (Michaelangelo’s Leda and the Swan is missing.) From these details, which grant authenticity to the writing, the author has cast a wide web of imagination. In composing this story, Seb Kirby adds to the magic of the wonderful words and stories he discovered in the treasure trove of books in his grandfather’s mobile lending library.

The book deserved better

This book is not uninteresting. The story line is pretty well thought out and the characters are , if not well fleshed out, at least believable. However the reader is so bad that if she is not someones daughter or sister there is no excuse to use her. God help the poor author, maybe she is a undercover spy sent to sink him.

A great story, beautifully told

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this audiobook. I have read the ebook and all great stories bear revisiting. I like the fact that the book is unabridged. Seb Kirby is a master at writing emotion without overdoing it. He can make you feel the full jolt under the heart from bereavement, the lack of purpose felt by those who experience it, but he is never soppy about it. He can also express utter joy in a way many authors would love to be able to do. I really enjoy his writing style.

The reading was sensitive and well modulated. It conveyed the feelings without over-acting. Initially I found that having a woman reading what is a first person story told by a man was a little disconcerting but it's really just getting used to that fact that someone's telling you the story.

What about Shiromi Arserio’s performance did you like?

I loved the calm style of narration which allows the reader to feel the sudden shocks of the story without signposting them beforehand. It's sensitively done in a clear and comfortable style

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Nothing is as it seems.

Any additional comments?

This is the first book in a trilogy.

Great book

Very good storyline. Seb is a great author and does it again with this book. Narrator is good too.

Clever story which had me gripped

This was a new author for me and I really enjoyed the book, good characters and twists along the way. I gave 3* for performance as I didn't really like the narration. Where there are main characters of both sexes it's easier to listen to if there is a male and female narrator (like the David Baldacci ones) so this felt a bit poor. Also the accent didn't match the ethnicity of the female lead. As the book starts off as the male character it's initially a bit off putting.

Excellent!

Where does Take No More rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is the only audio book so far, but it was very well done.

What did you like best about this story?

Being brought alive with voice.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Take No More

Any additional comments?

I had read this book and found it a good story, this audio version brings it alive.