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Did not fulfill its potential

Revisado: 07-11-18

This book had a lot of promise and I'm sure for some it will still be a worthwhile read. It chronicles interesting serial killers and some basic psychopathology. It also spends a lot of time talking about the FBI and tangential topics related to the bureau albeit in a self-congratulatory tone.

It's a book that doesn't know what it wants to be. Is it a history of the FBI Behavioral Science Units? Kinda. Is it focused on pointing out how amazing the authors are while pretending to be humble about it? Constantly. Does it cover serial murder? Yes, but other books do it far better.

What stuck in my craw was the way the authors stressed that personality profiling of serial killers was not magic and then presented numerous case studies where profilers seemed to reach the conclusion almost magically or with only the most shallow of details.

However, anyone with even a passive interest in serial killers and true crime work knows that profiling has often been used to terrible effect. The Beltway Snipers were profiled as a single white male, something the police believed so fervently that they dismissed reports of the suspects being black.

If we'd seen both the good and the bad of profiling along with case studies and, perhaps, a little less rambling on things such as Silence of the Lambs. Then this would have been an excellent read. As it is I would strongly recommend checking out Peter Vronsky's, Serial Killers: The Method and Madness of Monsters. Which does an excellent job of giving case histories, examining police profiling and even shares the alternatives to the FBI's organized, disorganized, and mixed categories.

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I Wish It Was Fiction

Revisado: 01-17-18

This is a hard road to bridge, that of loving the book and the inside scoop on a highly dysfunctional White House, but knowing that this is the sorry state that my inherited country finds itself in.

If anything it gave me a few new takeaways and insights that I hadn't gathered from the regular media and it gave the country a week of angry tweets from the Orange man-child himself.

Here's hoping that if things continue this way we'll actually see congress impeach him for violating the emoluments clause.

If you are in anyway interested in seeing the madness behind the curtain of the current regime then this would be a great way to do so.

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A Compelling Review of a Controversial Life

Revisado: 12-12-17

If nothing else this book will make you think. Jim Jones was a complicated person, an early social reformer, later a man who used people and his status for his own gain and someone who ultimately took the lives of his followers.

It's a testament to Jeff Guinn that Jones defies easy characterization and the author doesn't force you to view Jones on way or another but presents his life, the frauds and the real social benefits his temple provided.

Definitely recommended for anyone interested in Jim Jones and Peoples Temple

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A Worthy Journey

Revisado: 11-21-17

I doubt I can add much to the eloquence of my fellow reviewers but perhaps I can impart something in my stead.

The story can seem to abruptly change from the dungeon to Rome. When this happens stay with it and realize that the following characters remain the same, merely their station and thus their titles change.

Fernand Mondego becomes the Count de Morcerf
Mercédès Herrera the Countess de Morcerf
Villefort, now procureur du roi

All the loose threads tie together in a most agreeable way.

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I Tried To Enjoy It

Revisado: 11-13-17

Let me start by saying that I didn't really enjoy 14 and I listened to this in the hope that the author would grow on me.

Sadly this wasn't the case.

Set in the same Cthulu cosmic-horror inspired universe as 14, The Fold focuses on what appears to be a new form of transport that allows the universe to bend, putting two areas within proximity to one another via gateways.

Unfortunately, what is happening becomes very obvious from the first chapter and it takes another 4 hours, or half of the book, for the characters to realize this. The characters were overwhelmingly obtuse considering that they are all meant to be scientists and the eidetic memory of the main character felt like an extremely poor deus ex machina

These aren't necessarily flaws in the writing, the book is well written and acted, these are features. If you love goofy over-written sci-fi that is predictable then The Fold is your book.

As for me, I wish there had been some magical fold that let me skip the first four hours at least.

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An Excellent Creepy Atmosphere

Revisado: 11-11-17

This is one of those books where the characters are overshadowed by the setting, in this case, a large estate that has more than it's share of mystery and which seems to infect the residents over time.

If you're looking for gore or non-stop action then you'll want to move on. If, however, you want something that slowly builds in creepiness then this may very well be the book you're looking for.

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A Mismatch of Cultural References & Tedium

Revisado: 11-10-17

The initial stages of this book had me interested, however, once the narrative moves to space it lost me pretty quickly. It seems more interested in pop culture references than advancing the story and I was unable to finish it.

Maybe I'm missing something but it's hard to understand the appeal that this trilogy seems to have garnered.

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The Couple Behind the Infamy

Revisado: 06-22-17

What made the experience of listening to Go Down Together the most enjoyable?

The book was fantastically meticulous, detailed in so many ways and able to account for it's titular protagonists using witness testimony and historical documents

Who was your favorite character and why?

Bonnie & Clyde of course! Jeff Guinn does an excellent job of humanizing these outlaw figures into the real flesh and blood people they were. Quirks et al. Behind the infamy Bonnie was very much a normal girl who would have loved this Instagram age and Clyde is a victim of his own poor judgement and stubbornness mixed with a lot of bad and good luck.

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

I know a lot of people have complained about the narrator. I didn't notice or have any issues and found his voice a good fit for this book. Maybe I don't hear the subtle nuances that American listeners do.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Despite all the people that were killed by the Barrow gang I still didn't want them to die. Again, this is because of the excellent exploration of Bonnie & Clyde, by the time they reach the end of their journey we know them intimately and it's hard to dislike them in spite of their crimes.

Any additional comments?

Worth a credit!

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Enjoyable Sci-Fi Horror

Revisado: 01-16-17

What did you love best about The Stone Man?

I liked the whole concept, it would be very easy for the 'monster' to become boring or overwrought. The author manages to avoid this by focusing on the impact that is had by the main characters and the ripples that extend out from that first contact.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Andy, because of how human he is. He is a flawed man that is easy to relate to and since he is recording an account that will be the ultimate version he is unapologetically frank with the reader.

Which character – as performed by Matt Addis – was your favorite?

Paul - very solid Yorkshire accent and I grew up in Sheffield so I should know!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When the main protagonists are making important decisions at the end of the book it made me wonder what I would do in that situation. When the author makes you identify with the characters on that level then they've done a good job.

Any additional comments?

This review is spoiler free!

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Good Enough

Revisado: 12-04-16

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

I think I'd have preferred to find something better, it wasn't something I wanted to finish but felt I had to.

What could Peter Clines have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I saw several plot twists coming, in that sense it let me down considerably. On another level it could have been far shorter than it was.

What about Ray Porter’s performance did you like?

Performance was top notch, I would listen to Ray Porter again.

Could you see 14 being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

It could be a movie, I would also find that somewhat boring.

Any additional comments?

I think this is probably a solid listen if you like sci-fi and action. Definitely targeted at the YA and millennial crowd. The mystery in it is not really that mysterious IMHO. It's more 'odd' and I found the protagonists motivation to be lacking for his actions. The best part by far is the way the characters interact, but ultimately I found this book something of a let down. As a huge fan of cosmological horror, I felt that the book did that aspect of it's story the worst.

TL;DR - Boring for first two hours, picks up in terms of intrigue, at hour 8 it gets strange. Ultimately felt banal in several places and could have been shorter.

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