Mark Bray

Don't buy if you're not caught up on the series

Revisado: 09-15-24

Anyone who buys a "bobiverse" book needs to know that the five books read like one giant, continuous book. By that I mean in every new book there's little to no setup to the characters, places, things and events that already exist from the previous books--and book 5 is FAR down the bobiverse road. That's true for the book as a whole and for each chapter you come to. When you come to a new chapter it's usually a complete scene change from the previous chapter, with different characters and in another physical place, and Taylor just proceeds as if you know the entire history of the series. You have to catch up a bit--who are these people? What? Where are we? Sometimes catching up involves making some assumptions, and other times it's about just saying to yourself that you can't really know what's going on so just get what you can from it and move on. It's like you're constantly coming into a conversation that's already in progress. This, I think, would be less of a problem in an actual book because in a book you can read a passage a few times to try to get a better sense of it. It's more awkward and less helpful to keep going back 30 seconds with an audiobook.

Also, there's always a lot going on in a bobiverse book, constant scene changes, characters coming and going, coming and going, and new characters popping up. Couple that with what I noted above and the fact that Taylor uses a lot of bobiverse insider lingo, and this book feels like more of a test than an enjoyable read.

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Tasty little snack

Revisado: 01-20-24

Ok, I think we know the premise of a Lee Goldberg book--basically, a TV series episode that you can read or listen to. Anna Karenina they are not, but they're not intended to be and they're usually enjoyable.

That was the case here, and with the entire Eve Ronin series. I have other, more "substantial" books in my wish list, but as soon as I saw that Dream Town was available I immediately bought it, and just a few days later I'm done with it.

Goldberg paints a scene well--it's easy to visualize a scene that he has written is (of course, given his background), and his books flow well. There's a good balance between action and dialogue and plots are pretty straightforward. If an Eve Ronin book was a food it would be nachos. Tasty and satisfying, but not something that lingers in one's mind afterwards.

Bottom line, I'm glad I listened to this book, and I hope Dream Town is not the last in the Even Ronin series. And by the way, Nicol Zanaarella always does a great job with the narration.

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I just can't believe they wrote this

Revisado: 10-13-22

So...I agree--the story and narration were actually as good as all of the gushing reviews say they were. Why the two star rating?

At the end of the book (no spoilers here), Chunk and Watts, the two main characters, are talking and Chunk asks Watts how she can do it, how she can maintain her conviction that her assessment of a situation is right before any evidence supports it. She replies that she does it for no one but herself. Then, she goes on to insult people who serve out of a sense of duty, saying about them "Those poor fools. What a wasted life".

Chunk first chides her for saying this, chalking it up to her being a "me me me" millennial, then thinks about it and ends up agreeing with her! She asks, "Am I wrong?", and he replies "no". After I read that I sat there in my chair with my mouth hanging open.

First of all, this idea that if you're not living your life all for yourself, if you're serving others, you're suffering, is just factually wrong. It's possible, and entirely normal, to serve out of a sense of duty and to also be proud and happy to do so. Thinking that anyone doing anything out of a sense of duty is suffering is just plain wrong. And, never getting past the "it's all about me" phase is the sign of a juvenile mind, a narcissistic, perennial teenager. It's the VERY LAST THING people in this increasingly insane, off the rails world need to hear.

If this reflects the opinions of the authors--and I have to assume it does, since their heroic main characters are the ones saying the words--then I'm out. I can't and won't give another penny to people who think this way. I expected better.

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Ridiculous audio production

Revisado: 04-16-22

Seems like a good book, as far as I got with it anyway. The problem is with the narration--not the quality of David Duchovny's narration itself, but the quality of the recording of that narration. He sounds like he's at the other end of a long hallway, or imagine you're outside of a public restroom at a park or something and you're talking to someone who's inside the restroom. I'm not finished with it and I'm not going to finish. Too bad!

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I'm amazed by how Sandford still keeps it fresh

Revisado: 06-26-17

Any additional comments?

Another great installment. I think getting Lucas out of Minnesota was a great idea--he's not dealing with the same situations or people, and I think that really works well. He's still a smart guy, but his Minnesota contacts, and to some extent, his usual methods of going about his job, don't work for him in the new gig. Also, in Minnesota he was in management and kind of legendary, and that helped him get things done. As a U.S. Marshall he's in the position of having to prove himself to a group of smart people who are prepared to not like him because of his special status (he gets to work only the cases he's interested in--long story).

The new job also introduces some new characters, which I think is also really a plus. I hope there'll be a few more Lucas-as-Marshall installments.

Richard Ferrone does yet another Richard Ferrone-type job (which is to say fantastic).

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It's true--for me, too--relentlessly boring

Revisado: 06-23-17

This is great story in concept, and a one or two paragraph synopsis of it sounds riveting. And these stories are normally right up my alley. I just couldn't get into this one, though.

To me there are three issues with this book: one, the writer's style is erudite and intelligent but it's passionless, sort of clinical. These are people who went through amazing trials, but as I listened I didn't feel it. In a word I'd say it was dry.

Two, the narrator's style added to the dry quality of the book. His voice is clear but also sort of , hate to use the word again, but clinical. The narration had a school book report quality to it.

Three, this book truly has an impressive amount of detail, which to me added to its textbook quality. Putting in just the right amount of detail must be a daunting task for a writer, and I think the author erred on the side of too much.

I really wanted to like this book, and in the end I can't say it's a bad book, just not for me.

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