The Circumstantial Man

De: Gary Reilly

Narrado por: Michael Goldsmith

All he wanted to do that day was drive into town to look for a job. But when Pete Larkey turns the ignition key, his car won't start. He decides to walk to town. He'll have a morning beer at the Lemon Tree Lounge and buy a new battery for his car. He refuses to feel victimized. At least, he tries.

But inside the bar is the last man on earth that Pete Larkey wants to see. A guy named Morton will ask a few questions that will change the course of Pete Larkey's life in a deep, dark way. There's a stolen car, a hit-and-run accident, mistaken identity, a body in his bathroom, and a deadly encounter with a condescending con man named Benny.

Pete Larkey knows he's not a perfect fit for the squeaky-clean town of Crestmoor. "Everything in Crestmoor is clean and tidy," he thinks, "except the inner lives of people like me." This innocent trip to fix his car will prove that point beyond a shadow of a doubt.

©2018 Running Meter Press (P)2018 Running Meter Press

Interesting voice.

Michael Goldsmith has a very interesting voice. Frankly, hearing the sample of this audiobook is what motivated me to give it a listen. The book is written in first person stream-of-consciousness and Michael Goldsmith's voice is uniquely suited for it. My only complaint is that he does not make enough distinction between Pete Larkey's thoughts and his spoken dialog, so it's not always clear what Pete is saying and what he's only thinking.

The story itself is not all that interesting. Perhaps I'm just not particularly fond of the stream-of-consciousness style of storytelling, but I found it a bit tedious. Anyone who can appreciate this slow-moving style of writing will likely consider this a well written story.

NOTE: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

awesome story - very entertaining!

I've read most of Gary's books I think this is one of the best ones. Very entertaining. Very suspenseful. You won't be disappointed.

CAPTIVATING!

What an interesting read, really loved this first-person story! I thought the narration was great, and loved the story and had a ball listening all about Pete. Soooo interesting, I haven't listened to anything like this before and really really enjoyed it :) So much here, don't know where to start, you just gotta listen :)
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

What did reality ever have to do with my life?

Now this is one hilarious story - unless you're the main protagonist, of course.
Pete Larkey is a loner, a bit of a recluse. At 38 years, divorced, he lives alone outside of Crestmore, in a rented house about a quarter of a mile from his nearest neighbour. Although a liberal arts major, he's always taken blue collar jobs and had recently been fired (again). Time to look for another job.But when he gets in his old blue car to drive into town, the battery is dead. And Pete's life is about to become, well, wider.

Wonderfully written in the first person, the reader follows Pete's unfolding circumstances as well as his musings - on life, the law and other people as well as the extraordinary events which occure. He's a bit of a grouch, a T.V. detective story officianado, and totally unprepared for what happens next to him and his little blue car. At first, Michael Goldsmith's narration seems a little bizarre, his slightly growly voice has strange intonation and tiny pauses in delivery. But very quickly he becomes the main protagonist, in the same way that George Kuch is the elderly detective in Robert Thornhill's wonderful Lady Justice series, - he's there, in person, intimately talking directly to us, the readers.

The occuring incidents might be hard on Pete but, for the listener, they and Pete's musings on them are hilarious. This reader kept feeling great rumblings of laughter rising that could not be suppressed. I had not heard of the author, Gary Reilly, prior to seeing this book advertised and had no idea what to expect. But whatever it was, it wasn't this. I am very grateful to the rights holder of the Circumstantial Man, who freely gifted me a complimentary copy, at my request, via Audiobook Boom. I loved it. My interest in the author is seriously stimulated and I see now why his friends are determined to publish his novels, all 25, apparently, following his untimely death several years ago.
This is a standalone novel, and one I can highly recommended.

Too dated

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."
For me this book is too dated. The phrases used to by the characters is old and the stale. I could not stay interested in the story and had to come back to the book a few times in order to finish the story.