Douglas

Clearly for younger readers

Revisado: 11-23-18

Readers hoping for another adult novel like Strip Tease, Stormy Weather, Lucky You, or Sick Puppy will be disappointed by Squirm This book is clearly intended for tweeners and young adolescent readers, as evidenced by thirteen/fourteen-year-old Billy Dickens sayiing expletive instead using the curse words that might offend some parents and school personnel. Billy will appeal to many young readers who have experienced school bullying and divorced parents. He stands up for himself and others; of course, some of his bravado is pretty implausible. Younger readers will also admire the way he uses his wiles to outwit a number of adults.

Billy's mother exhibits some of Hiaasen's prototypical wackiness, basing here choice of homes on where she can see eagles. Some of the other characters Billy encounters are similarly eccentric .Hiaasen includes some historical background about both Florida and Montana. He also provides some insights into the effects of poaching endangered species. His pro-environmentalist feelings are fairly obvious.

As a retired middle school reading teacher, I was familiar with some of Hiaasen's other books for young readers such as the award winning Hoot. Thus, I knew what to expect. Perhaps the publisher's summary or Audible's promotional material should have made clear the intended audience, so as not to disappoint those expecting more mature fare.

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Good story, terrible listen

Revisado: 07-21-18

The President Is Missing has an interesting plot with the potential threats of cyber warfare pretty scary. I am guessing that Clinton's understanding of the machinations of government in Washington gave Patterson some great ideas for his patented twists and turns. Those twists kept me involved, but some of the President's actions seemed quite implausible.

The real downer, as mentioned by most other reviewers, was the horrendous narration. Many of the "voices" sounded like a sixth grader with below average reading skills trying to sound out every word in an unfamiliar text. And Quaid's voice reminded me of a teacher trying to get the class's attention by dragging her fingernails across an old slate blackboard.

A good story deserves a good narration; Patterson and Clinton deserve better. Do us a favor, and screen your narrators better in the future.

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A Belle of a book

Revisado: 08-13-12

If you could sum up Creole Belle in three words, what would they be?

Burke succeeds again!

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

As in earlier stories in this series, Dave Robicheaux has to extract himself and others from one crisis to another, often caused by his buddy Clete Purcell.

Have you listened to any of Will Patton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

It always amazes me how Will Patton can recreate his characters from one book to another. I wonder what his real voice is like - it is Dave or Clete or someone else? His narration is a perfect fit for the story.

Any additional comments?

As a reader of the Dave Robicheaux stories, I expect him to survive. The fun is trying to figure out how he will do it. In Creole Belle some of his plights are even more challenging than before. A really entertaining listen!

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Coast Guard comes through

Revisado: 01-28-06

Blindfold Game has good suspense and plot development with as many twists and turns as its ocean setting has high waves. How often do you find a story with a female Coast Guard hero? At first, I was a bit put off by the narrator's somewhat stilted style; but as the story developed, it became irrelevant. A good read!

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Wolfing down the Wolf

Revisado: 11-24-03

"The Big Bad Wolf" is one big, bad story! After listening non-stop during a seven hour drive, we made an "extra" half hour drive just to hear the conclusion--and it wasn't what we were expecting. Patterson makes extensive use of foreshadowing to lead, and sometimes mislead, the listener. The plot is like a mountain road--you are always moving forward, but the twists and turns keep you on your toes.
The production values are excellent. The use of two distinctly different narrators is a welcome feature; and both speak clearly, distinctly, and with just the right inflection. Unlike most books I've listened to, this one even adds some appropriate sound effects and background music at times.
I recommend the book with the only reservation being that some of the dialogue might be offensive to those with children listening in.

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Keep turning pages and corners

Revisado: 11-17-03

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. All the plot twists and turns kept me making extra trips around the block (I listen while driving) to hear just a little more. The narrator's voice and intonation made listening a real pleasure. Like another reviewer, I thought the ending a bit abrupt, but at least there are no loose ends.

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He said - She said - So sad

Revisado: 10-12-03

The plot and the suspense kept me listening, but it was a painful experience. Assuming the reader was reading the author's exact words, the dialogue reminds me of a junior high student making his first attempt at writing dialogue. Virtually every sentence ends with "he said, she said, Jesse said, etc." At the very least, the author could have some of the "Jesse said"s at the beginning of the sentences. On the other hand, perhaps the reader thought it necessary to constantly tell us who was speaking because he was strictly narrating -- no voice variation or inflection changes as the speakers changed. Just for the sake of doing it, I am going to go back and actually count the "he said, she said"s in a 5 minute passage. It is so sad that such juvenile verbiage detracts from an otherwise good story.

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