The Hunter

By: John Lescroart

Narrated by: Eric Dawe

Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's Summary

New York Times best seller John Lescroart delivers a dark, intimate thriller about the price we put on family and the terrible costs of seeking the truth.

Raised by loving adoptive parents, San Francisco private investigator Wyatt Hunt never had an interest in finding his birth family - until he gets a chilling text message from an unknown number: "How did ur mother die?"

The answer is murder, and urged on by curiosity and the mysterious texter, Hunt takes on a case he never knew existed, one that has lain unsolved for decades. His family’s dark past unfurls in dead ends. Child Protective Services, who suspected but never could prove that Hunt was being neglected, is uninformed; his birth father, twice tried but never convicted of the murder, is in hiding; Evie, his mother’s drug-addicted religious fanatic of a friend, is untraceable. And who is the texter, and how is this person connected to Hunt? 

Yet in the present, time is running out. The texter, who insists the killer is out there, refuses to be identified. The cat-and-mouse game leads Hunt across the country and eventually to places far more exotic - and far more dangerous. As the chase escalates, so does the threat, for the killer has a secret that can only be trusted to the grave. Thriller master John Lescroart weaves a shocking, suspenseful tale about the skeletons inside family closets... and the mortal danger outside the front door.

©2012 John Lescroart (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

The narration detracts from the story.

What didn???t you like about Eric Dawe???s performance?

The narrator does a very poor job with voices. He is equally poor with doing male and female voices. Every time he varied his normal voice it was done poorly enough to be intrusive. I wouldn't get another book with this narrator.

An okay read

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Not really.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No.

Any additional comments?

I've not been one for romance in suspense/thriller novels and my position still has not changed. The relationship between the protagonist and his secretary adds no context or dimension to the story. Even more confusing when his so-called girlfriend (which happens way too quickly and not logically) spends her entire time trying to get him to abandon his mission: to find his mother’s killer and his long lost father. I say, “He could’ve done without her”.

There was nothing suspenseful or interesting about this story. I purchased it on the recommendations and glowing comments by other readers. Also, the summary made it seem quite alluring. A secret people would stop at nothing to conceal. I found the dialogue less thought-provoking and somewhat lacking. There was too much tension between characters, especially when it came to Wyatt’s so-called friends. I understand that the relationship between private investigators and the police is usually strained, but not your best or very close friends. The connection between his mother and a cult does nothing to arouse my desire for inquiry.

Finally, the narration sounded somewhat automated. Oftentimes I wasn’t sure if a person was narrating or if a machine was doing it.

Before He Learned to Write

This must be an early transcript, something from the early days when Lescroart was trying to decide if he had what it takes to be a novelist. Based on this performance, he would not have had the career he has since enjoyed. Thin story (Jim Jones!?!?!), weak character development and the absolute wrong voice to present the material.
Avoid, then fast forward to the Dismas Hardy books.

Dreadful narration spoils this

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Male narrator uses grating falsetto for women's voices. I have listened to hundreds of audiobooks and good narrators of either gender can make the various voices work well, without forcing it. But this guy was awful and spoiled the book for me. The rest of his performance was amateurish also, with some stilted phrasing and a clunky reading style. He was okay only when doing dialogue for male characters. Too bad.

Ugh..Why?

Dear John,
I really missed the familiar voice of David Colacci whom I've come to know and love as the personification of your books. If you're attempting to go in a different direction with your reader, please turn around NOW. This was painful.

Great story, bad narration

The story is up to Lescroat's standard, but the narration is very distracting. As long as Dawe is just narrating the story, he is fine, but when he does voices, awful. The women sound like chattering crows and the men just sound false. I'll read the next John Lescroat book.

Terrible, terrible narrator

Would you try another book from John Lescroart and/or Eric Dawe?

I like John Lescroart, but I will never listen to another book read by Eric Dawe. He is absolutely horrendous. I don't understand how someone who sounds like a first-grader sounding out every word, and who gives every female character a ridiculous falsetto, can make a living as a narrator. Makes me think that maybe I'm in the wrong field.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I was constantly conscious of and annoyed by him, whether it was his stiff, staccato style, or the stupid voices he gave all of the women and some of the men. Also, it irritated me every time he pronounced Devin Juhle's last name as

Hold out for another narrator.

Would you try another book from John Lescroart and/or Eric Dawe?

Lescroart? Yes! In a heartbeat. Eric Dawe? No freakin' way.

What did you like best about this story?

As much as I was able to listen to it, it's classic Lescroart. Love him.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I'm not sure this is his calling.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I'm super disappointed that spent one credit on a book I don't think I can finish listening to.

The narrator encourages you to READ the book

What would have made The Hunter better?

Someone who is a good reader.

Would you ever listen to anything by John Lescroart again?

Not with this reader.

How could the performance have been better?

If my 5 year old read the book.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Don't know, my wife and I started listening to it on a road trip and had to turn it off after about 15 minutes of very poor reading.

Any additional comments?

I'm sure the reader is a talented person but he is very, very bad at narrating. Audible (or whoever choses readers) really messed up on this one.

I'm Sorry

I hate to say a book was bad. I'm sure the author worked very hard on this book. The story line was good. But either the writing or reading was horrible or maybe both. The characters were poorly developed and the narrator was just the worst. I finish a book in 2-3 days this took over a week.