Beth I-L

Great narration on an intriguing mystery

Revisado: 03-12-25

<strong>Intriguing mystery with interesting history</strong>

The mystery here is intriguing though it is best to read the previous books and read them close together. It’s been a while since I read book three and the references back to events from the earlier books had me confused and feeling like I was missing information I needed to fully enjoy the story.

As usual, Kale Williams narration is excellent. He is one of my favorite performers/narrators. He narrates one of my favorite series, where he absolutely gave depth to the characters above and beyond the writer’s beautiful prose. Then I listen to him here, with totally different characters and again, makes them jump off the page. I almost always listen to audiobooks as a re-read so I am mostly familiar with the story (unless there’s a significant time gap) but Williams’ performance keeps me riveted.

This is mostly Jason’s story. While Sam is in the book, and plays a key role in a critical part, he isn’t really involved in the case. I like Jason. Sam I’m not so sure about.

The book is shorter than the previous books and that’s kind of disappointing, especially since there is a pretty big wind up and then as we move nearer to resolution the events move like a speeding train and lots of details are left out. There are some elements to the crisis moment that really bugged me (can’t say much without spoilers) and some fantastic parts in the buildup that I wish had been more fleshed out. Really wanted to know more about Doc. I’m also a bit confused about one of the character’s role in the whole mystery.

There are some serious TSTL moments that make me think Jason must be one of the dumbest and most unprofessional FBI agents ever. Seems to happen every book. And the relationship drama is getting old and repetitive.

So a good story that would have been better with more length and more detail. But an enjoyable story nonetheless. This seems to be something of a pattern with this author. She spends a lot of time building an intriguing storyline and then it’s like she gets bored and says “ok, enough of that! The end!” Or she hits a word count and the music starts playing like on an award show speech so she has to wrap it up then and there.

It ends on a not quite HFN which makes the wait for the next book more painful.

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So so good!

Revisado: 02-22-25

I am a huge fan of this author and this series. Each book in this series keeps getting better and there are more and more depths to explore.

We see a big leap forward in the overarching mystery in this book. While it starts with a specific crime, this one, like the two previous books, has a tie in to the others. Larkin also begins to see a bigger picture.

Another huge element of this story is the evolution of Evie and Ira’s relationship. Evie begins to face some revelations and truths and to look at the impact Ira has had on his outlook and his psyche. The scenes between them are gut wrenching as Evie tries to assimilate this new development in his worldview. The writing is, in a word, beautiful.

Of course, like the previous two books, NYC itself is a character and Poe’s outstanding research skills are again front and center as she makes the reader feel a part of the gritty 70’s and 80’s in Times Square. I have such an awesome respect for an author who clearly cares so much about getting it right. From the descriptors and historical/cultural references about Times Square and what was happening politically at the time including the reference to the nearly devastating financial issues, (I immediately pictured that infamous 1975 NY Daily News headline!) to the series’ thematic information on mourning rituals that Doyle serves up, the details do so much to add the gravitas of the story and understanding the plight of the victims. It’s masterful writing. And as I read I also felt as though I was seeing this story through the lens of the range of movies depicting NYC in this same way. Poe’s writing made me feel that grit in a visual way…highest praise possible in my mind.

I’m almost sorry I read the book in one sitting as I now have so long to wait for book four! The only solace is that I will get to re-live it later this summer when the audiobook book comes out and I can enjoy it again, this time with Kale Williams’ stellar narration.

Highly recommend though you must read these books in order to fully understand the story and the characters.

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Distracting production, more radio play than audiobook

Revisado: 12-31-24

The story, Agatha Christie’s first mystery introducing Hercule Poirot, is a great story but this audible original production is not great. This is more radio play than book narration and while I thoroughly enjoyed Peter Dinklage as Poirot I did not enjoy the rest of it. The music and the sound effects are distracting and annoying. The sound engineering is not done well given the number of time voices disappear into the background making them hard to hear. It was difficult to differentiate between voices quite a few times which made it hard to follow the storyline. 

I recommend reading this book or finding a normal audiobook narration in order to maximize your enjoyment.

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Another winner

Revisado: 11-29-24

<strong>Another winner</strong>

This is yet another exciting entry in the In Death series. This one features a race against the clock to catch a teenage serial killer who is killing at a rate of one a day. The author does a great job of conveying the urgency and frustration in trying to find a killer who is smart and a planner.

Bit by bit, piece by piece, clues come together as Dallas races not just to find their killer but also save another girl and to prevent the case being handed over to the Feds. The climactic scene is well written to convey the urgency and the stakes. Dallas’ time with the killer in the box is perfectly executed.

As usual, Ericksen does a superior job voicing these myriad characters and conveying the emotions and personalities.

I like it when we get the books that are mostly procedural and we get to watch the nuts and bolts of an investigation. It makes for a nice change of pace. This was an enjoyable read and I look forward to the next one.

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An interesting and twisty case

Revisado: 11-22-24

<strong>An interesting and twisty case</strong>

As usual, this latest Eve Dallas book grabs you and pulls you in. I enjoyed working through the mystery along with Dallas and Peabody and was happy I twigged to several things early on. We get to see quite a few of the secondary characters in this one which is always fun.

There’s a lot going on in this case about a former IAB Captain who is murdered in his home where it’s made to look like suicide. Webster plays a key role in this one and there’s an interesting twist there. This case is more procedural and I like those. It gives a more realistic look at detective work…all the research and leg work. And I like the books where the big climactic scene doesn’t come down to life or death. Eve and those close to her have nearly been killed or maimed in the three year time frame of the book than a whole division of cops in their lifetimes! It’s nice to take a break from that for a while and see good brain power to put use. There is a bit of violence for those that like that…kind of a strange sidebar story.

There are several very sweet moments in this book as well and I always like those. This series does a great job of mixing the brain power, the action, the cleverness, the gadgetry, the emotion, the sense of found family, and the true love, loyalty and devotion that most of us want to find in our lives.

This is my favorite series and I’ve read and listened to all the earlier books multiple times. These characters and the steadiness of the universe that’s been built is like a homecoming twice each year when the new books in the series are released. The storytelling is magnificent and this world is one of my favorites to visit over and over again.

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Performance slipped in this book

Revisado: 04-08-24

Story was great. The usually superb Susan Erickson was not as crisp and clear in this performance. Several times throughout I could not discern which character was speaking as they began to sound alike. That disrupts my enjoyment as I have to take a second to figure out which character is saying/doing what.

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Story is great, performance ok

Revisado: 11-03-23

The story here is heart wrenching, emotional, tough. The production values and performance are just ok. The is the first one I’ve noticed with amateurish production values. Clear breaks in the recording, sections of silence mid paragraphs/sections. At times it seemed like the speed has ramped up and I kept checking to see if I’d hit the button on the app to increase speed but I hadn’t. Seemed to happen a lot when Roarke was speaking. Again, the vocal performances were inconsistent, mostly noticeable on Morris this time.

This section of the series has some issues with the audiobooks. No idea why. But I’m doing a re-listen one after the other so it’s very noticeable.

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Great story, fair performance

Revisado: 10-26-23

This is another book, like the last where the characters are not performed the same. It’s jarring and off putting. Particularly Roarke this time. Way too heavy on the brogue. He’s described as having a “whisper of Ireland” in his voice. This makes him sound like he’s fresh off the boat. Also tone is off for him as well as Feeney. Not sure what’s going on with Erickson in these past couple books.

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Another good story but performance was off putting

Revisado: 10-15-23

I have listened to this whole series more than once and I can’t figure out what was going on in this section of books. The narrator seems to have no recollection of how she voiced these characters in the previous 17 books. Additionally it sounds like she was working with a bad head cold.

It was jarring to have the characters not sound as they have for 17 books before. Plus, she voices Reva almost exactly the same as Eve and it was confusing listening.

Unfortunately, things don’t improve with the next book as we can hear in the preview included at the end of this book.

The story is a good one as far as the crime portion. The interpersonal relationship part between Eve and Roarke is tough. I can see Eve’s point but she knows who she married and vice versa.

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Narrator sounded a bit off in this one

Revisado: 08-27-23

I am bingeing the series and Erickson sounds distinctly different in this one than the previous books. Could be the studio used muffles the voice more or she had a cold but it was off from the previous audios I’ve listened to and was jarring at first.

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