Doug

Absolutely Brilliant

Revisado: 03-16-23

I’ve followed Harry Bosch since the beginning. Having some experience with police work myself, and especially because I’m familiar with police procedure, I’ve found Bosch to be irritating, stubborn, tough and a pain in the ass, all premier qualities for a detective and a detective protagonist. But he’s also got heart, loyalty to his mission and a drive to do the right thing which rounds him into the closest thing to a real (and flawed) human being that you’ll find in the pages of a novel. I worried a bit when Connelly partnered him with Rene Ballard but that was my over-reaction. Instead of diminishing him, it actually serves to illustrate his character more fully and never more so than in Desert Star where Bosch and Ballard wind their way through a surprisingly interconnected series of murder cases to a finale that’s both extremely satisfying and sad. The best of Bosch and Ballard to this point but I look forward to more.

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A Brilliant Look Into a Creative Soul

Revisado: 02-27-23

I’ve always liked Paul Newman. Not just his acting, though that’s still fun to watch. More because of his ability to get so many things done with great passion, his generosity and his friendship with Redford. This book is terrifically enlightening. His humanity shows through and it’s sometimes disappointing. But the honesty with which he speaks about himself is refreshing. I doubt many in Hollywood would be willing to share the kinds of private insights Newman shares. It also made me look at myself…a celebrity biography has never done that. I think this is the most I’ve ever known about any “star.”
And it’s all good stuff.

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Not What I Expected

Revisado: 07-20-21

I found myself constantly skipping ahead to avoid long stretches of uninteresting story lines. The narrator’s voice added to my increasing boredom. Yes, Bender seems well-sourced but goes down paths that only tangentially figure in to the central theme. Overall, a disappointment.

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esto le resultó útil a 11 personas

Where Are You Hiding the Real Lucas Davenport?

Revisado: 01-31-18

If you have to kill a child to get your book started, you're already in trouble.

It's a cheap attention-grabber and sets a poor tone for what follows.

Taking Lucas out of Minnesota and setting him up as a U.S. Marshal would be a fine idea if the new premise and characters snapped with energy. But the poor guy wanders around looking lost and making rookie mistakes the street-smart cop we've seen in previous Prey novels would never make, backed up by a handful of stick figures with personalities poorly glued into place. It's a real disappointment. Part of the fun in past books has been his interactions with Weather, Del, the thugs and the rest of his Minneapolis base as well as the intricacies of the case he's trying to solve. Here the bad guys are really bad but the pursuit lacks his customary passion and the takedown, though exciting, seems to go on forever.

Golden Prey suggests Sanford is tiring of Lucas and crew. If that's the case, he needs to abandon them entirely and come up with a fresh series.

One note...Ferrone is the reason I kept reading. His narration, as always, is first-rate.

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Deadly But Compassionate New Protagonist

Revisado: 01-23-17

Evan Smoak is an action hero burned out from clandestine intelligence work but still compassionate toward victims of brutality. . . essentially like the guy in the old Edward Woodward TV series (and recent Denzel Washington film) The Equalizer which I enjoyed. It's not an overworked premise. It was interesting watching Hurwitz manipulate essentially three screens at once to bring out Smoak's backstory and evolution as a sympathetic character. The action keeps the book rolling and Smoak's personality is engaging, even amusing at times. What adds depth is that even the villain gets some air time; he's not exactly sympathetic but he's not one-dimensional either. Orphan X clearly kicks off a series. Hoping Hurwitz can continue the momentum and character growth.

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Suspense, Nuance and Narration Equal One Fine Read

Revisado: 04-05-16

It's a new world for now-retired LAPD Homicide Detective Harry Bosch. Though he's vowed not to cross the line and do defense work, his half-brother, Lincoln Lawyer Mickey Haller convinces him to help clear an innocent man.
Connelly is brilliant at interweaving police and courtroom procedure together with a tricky plot that puts Harry into the crosshairs of two of the most dangerous killers he's had to track. This is a superb read with Harry front and center and Haller providing the courtroom drama where needed. Titus Wellever's narration gives authentic voice to the character he portrays in the Amazon video series, Bosch. In all perhaps Connelly's best work.

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Compelling and Exciting

Revisado: 06-07-15

As with most of Perry's Jane Whitefield novels, the pace is unrelenting and the sense of worry for the characters gets ramped up to the max. This is a great getaway read from start to finish. My only complaint is with the stiffness of Perry's dialog. When Jane is tracking a bad guy or running from one, I'm enthralled. When the characters have to talk to one another, they instead talk AT each other and I start paging ahead.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

As Fast and Deadly as a .45 Slug

Revisado: 07-15-14

If you could sum up Power Down in three words, what would they be?

Research, plotting and pacing.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Power Down?

Dewey's defense of the oil platform.

What does Peter Hermann bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He understands the plot and, more importantly, gears his narration to the author's pacing. Unfortunately, where the author's dialog is overblown, Hermann's emphasis is too. As a result, the fury shown by some of the characters is overplayed almost to the point of being funny.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not all at once, no. However, I listened to significantly long parts of it while driving, even made excuses to run errands if I happened on an exciting scene.

Any additional comments?

This is a terrific read even if it tips a little over the top at times. And one technical glitch glared out at me: given the author's apparent knowledge of weaponry, I was really surprised when a character fitted a silencer onto a .357 magnum revolver. Silencers don't work on revolvers.

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Lucas Davenport Continues to Thrive

Revisado: 12-19-12

Would you consider the audio edition of Shadow Prey to be better than the print version?

One of the best in the Prey series. Subtle yet compelling and with a suspenseful plot. Richard Ferrone is a forceful and very listenable narrator.

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esto le resultó útil a 5 personas

Top of the Line Story Read By Superb Narrator

Revisado: 07-23-12

Where does Chasing Darkness rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I read several series continuously and Crais' is one of my top five.

What did you like best about this story?

Just effortless storytelling.

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

James Daniels is the only believable voice of Elvis and Joe.

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