AnonymousNC

Missed the mark in quite a few ways.

Revisado: 07-02-17

First of all let me say the narrator ruined it for me. His machine gun delivery was like an assault on the ears. I'm from the South and my ears just couldn't listen fast enough. I generally don't like to listen to slowed down audio but I had no choice in this instance.

The story reminded me of Wambaugh's The Choir Boys only nastier and dirtier and with no likable characters. I think for someone who lived in NYC, the constant naming of streets, restaurants, etc would give them a sense of place, but it was tedious to me.

I LOVE the drug war books, Frankie Machine, and Gentlemen's Hour. I was dying for this book to come out and was just totally let down. I'll try this book again in a few months because I can't fathom not liking a Winslow book.

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Michael Forsythe vs Sean Duffy

Revisado: 03-13-16

I have been a fan of McKinty's from the very start and I've read everything he's written multiple times (except for his young adult series). Michael Forsythe (the Forsythe Trilogy) is my favorite character of all time, but Sean Duffy is creeping up behind him with every book. With this last book, however, there was less of the cutting humor and I felt less stressed while listening to it. With the other books I've literally had to get up and walk around to catch my breath. I missed that pounding heart and fingernail chewing tension. The locked room mystery was better than the last one but the resolution was a bit unsatisfying. I liked the tricky ending and it seems Sean is going to be happy at last....maybe. It was still a better listen than 95% of most books, but it wasn't nearly as good as the first two Duffy books.

I've kept this vague because one can't really talk about it without putting out spoilers left and right...and there are multiple puzzle pieces that float around for awhile. Pay attention!

Finally, read all his other books to find out what a truly great writer he is. You get glimpses of it in this one.

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esto le resultó útil a 5 personas

One of my favorite books.

Revisado: 08-18-15

I loved this book when I read it. We actually took a driving vacation touring the sites in the book. It was a wonderful experience.

However, this narrator destroys, annihilates. ruins the experience of this book. Why didn't they use Will Patton, Holter Graham or a dozen others? He reads in an overly enunciated, monotone voice. He reads like he is bored to death. He would-duh add-uh syllables as he was narrating-guh.

I suggest reading it if this is your first look at it.

Unfortunately, I bought The Source at the same time. The narration is worse...gahhh. I've slogged through the first half but I'm thinking of returning it.

Reading Centennial is a WONDERFUL experience. Don't let this guy ruin it.

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esto le resultó útil a 37 personas

Total Enjoyment!!

Revisado: 10-31-14

A ghost who does yoga. A dog with chronic fatigue syndrome. A bear with a removable head. And a glorious array of oddball characters. What's not to love?!

Dry, witty and filled with quirky plots. Good clean writing and great fun to read!

Can't wait for the next one...

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esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

Good but faulty...

Revisado: 02-28-13

I thought this was a mystery/thriller not a romance novel. The main story is very good and could have been great with a male narrator and some editing. I'm not used to reading graphic and sappy sex scenes in the books of my favorite mystery authors. And I truly doubt that a real person, on the day of their son's kidnapping/possible murder and other assorted deaths, would be obsessed about boinking anybody much less doing it.

If Michael Connolly re-wrote this story, it would sell a gazillion copies because the story is stellar.

Listen authors, 90% of the time if there are two or more male main characters, use a male narrator. Men can do women better than women can narrate as a man. This narrator was awful in the male characters. I almost returned this book for that reason but the story hooked me into finishing it.

Almost a very good book.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

VERY GOOD first effort!

Revisado: 02-28-13

This was a can't put it down read. Great writing, great performance, and a real whodunnit. The author kept it clean and tight throughout, but the ending is a bit convoluted. I usually don't like an author having to summarize the action at the end but it was helpful in this instance. So much story! There was a lot of beautiful writing and original and creative metaphors as well.

I won't summarize the story since the Publisher Summary does that, but I will say Talty has written a humdinger.

I want to say something about narrators. Though the main character is female, David Lawrence XVII was perfect. I find that men can do women characters much better than women can do male characters. I just finished Did You Miss Me by Karen Rose. The female narrator was awful with male characters of which there were many. I almost decided to return it and buy it on Kindle. Authors...the right narrator can make or break a book.

Anyway, I can't wait to read Talty's next, and I hope Absalom has her own series.

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esto le resultó útil a 9 personas

Where's Gerard?

Revisado: 01-05-13

I love Neville's trilogy and they are a few of the not many books I've listened to over and over. Gerard Doyle is terrific as their narrator. I'm still on part one of this novel and have had to backtrack several times because the narration is so boring and strange. Weird accents come and go with the main character sounding American and bad Irish depending on a whim. It's just too distracting. I'm debating buying the kindle version. The story seems interesting but I just can't stay interested due to Mr. Smyth's reading of it.

I'd recommend reading this one.

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esto le resultó útil a 22 personas

Excellent Surprise

Revisado: 08-29-12

This author and narrator matchup is nearly as good as the Burke/Patton duo. I was pleasantly surprised at the clean writing, the genuine capturing of two brothers' relationship, and a real depiction of small town life. I sorta forgot about the crime because I wanted to read about the characters' lives. I really cared about them.

Baseball is my game, but the thrill of high school football is truly depicted here and reading about Adam's last drive had me cheering. Just great writing.

There have been a few books over the last month that I didn't finish because I just got tired of prolonged and gross violence, the degradation and destruction of a human being. I wonder about the people who think this stuff up.

Koryta, on the other hand, writes a compelling story without a madman eating a child's heart still beating or people's heads on spikes. I cut my teeth on McKinty's trilogy so I'm no faint of heart pantywaist, but enough is enough. The lack of gore in The Prophet was because the story and writing was so stellar, the story so real, it didn't need to shock us.

I just ordered another title by Koryta and look forward to reading the rest. It's just unfortunate Brick reads a lot of them.

Robert Petkoff is outstanding!!

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Clete breaks my heart.

Revisado: 07-28-12

Pegasus Descending used to be my favorite Burke book but I'm pretty sure this moves to #1. Clete has always been the character that's moved me the most and I have to admit I cried at the epilogue --such a wanting soul.

Lots of villains to hate and I loved the appearance of Gretchen Horowitz. It's a hoot to listen to Clete deal with a similar personality. Helen's involvement at the end seemed just thrown in there, but that's my sole complaint. I'm glad it was a much longer book than usual...I wish they all would be six-parters rather than two or three.

The reader will understand Clete a lot better after this book. He's matured with each book and this one seems to land him in a state of self-acceptance. Dave pretty much remains the same. Molly rarely was mentioned (good - I like Dave on his own) and Alafair needs to move to New Orleans for a bit. It's Dave and Clete against the baddies for me. The writing is as beautiful as ever and no one can set a scene in one perfectly crafted sentence like JLB does. I was raised in the South, moved west to Utah for 20 years, then back here for the past 20 years. Believe me, he gets it right in his Lousiana books as well as his Montana books.

Goes w/o saying that Will Patton does a 10-star job; he IS Dave and Clete. Does anyone watch the TV series Falling Skies? Dave against aliens... it's just that voice.

I've read or listened to each of Burke's books and I hope the Bobbsey Twins of Homicide go on forever. This is my favorite series ever. I wish I'd get amnesia so I could read them for the first time again.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Lifetime Movie Starring Heather Locklear

Revisado: 06-10-12

This book is ridiculous. Not one sympathetic character and a story so full of holes a basketball could pass through without touching the net. I don't know one person that even resembles these people. The constant multiple choice quizzes were obnoxious and Amy acted like a high school girl instead of a woman in her late 30s. Psycho wife has a cheating husband yada yada yada.

She collects the neighbor's pee??? Really?

Unless you are a fan of Knots Landing and the like, don't waste a credit.

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esto le resultó útil a 9 personas