Joanna

The narrator was not good at all. I miss Ray Porter.

Revisado: 08-09-24

Took awhile to grab my interest. Narrator kept changing voices for the different characters and it was confusing. Not Sandfords’s best effort.

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What a train wreck!

Revisado: 01-20-23

Tess Gerritsen is one of my favorite authors, and I have always thoroughly enjoyed not only her Rizzoli and Isles books, but all of her stand alones as well. As a result, silly me didn’t bother to even glance at the reviews before I purchased it. Thank goodness it was on sale, and now I understand why!

Personally, I am always up for a good paranormal story, so that part of the plot wouldn’t have put me off at all. But there was nothing fluid about the storyline… One minute it was a romance, another minute a narrative of a woman struggling with her own personal demons, and the next a paranormal story that bounced the reader up-and-down, one minute moving in a coherent direction, and the next, leaving the reader confused and befuddled. This is not the accomplished writing style of the Tess Gerritsen I have always enjoyed. Elements of the story had the potential of being intriguing, but she just didn’t pull it off. As an example, there is a fine line between eroticism and light porn. Garritson, IMHO, could have improved these sections immensely by toning down the graphic writing and heightening the tone to be more seductive and erotic, as opposed to making the reader feel like they’re reading something from Penthouse. Same thing could be said for the paranormal by understanding the nuances of the difference between horrifying and chilling/creepy.

I would like to say that this book is for readers who would enjoy ___. However, it’s just very poorly written for any genre. Narrator does a fine job.

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This is a winner!

Revisado: 07-09-22

In the last few years I have believed that David Rosenfelt has slacked off of putting a strong effort into my long-time favorite series -- his Andy Carpenter books. It has been as though he has a template for an "Andy" book, and he simply fills in the blanks.

However, there was something more in this book...I can't even put my finger on what it was, exactly...it was just...MORE. More energy, more unique prose, and clearly more thought. ALSO, there was less! In every book he uses the same lines to introduce characters, begin his protests that he HAS to take a case, and even every description... and I mean EVERY description! However, he changed things up this time, and even left out some of the usual repetitive dialogue that has been in every book for years and years. It was refreshing!

The mystery of the murder was interesting and complex, as is always the strongest part of the "Andy" books, and I really enjoyed this story. Five stars once again Mr. Rosenfelt! Please keep changing up these stories, as you have headed towards with this book, and they will once again be firmly in the five star niche!

A shout out to Grover Gardner, a master narrator. All of your work elevates every authors' books.

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Into the Fire

Revisado: 06-19-22

I started this series in order, and have just finished this installment. Loved the first book, but the following ones have seemed to decline somewhat.

The basis for all of these stories is my favorite genre and I think Evan Smoak is fantastic. I'm crazy about his skills, his brilliance that keeps him alive, and what he has chosen to do with his life since leaving the Orphan organization. His ability and willingness to reach out to people who need his kind of help has made for some terrific stories. However, I have had a little bit of trouble embracing the writing in that ever since the first book the storylines seem to wander too much for my taste. I will say that it might be somewhat on me because there are times when I am listening that I am unable to devote my complete attention to listening, and the next thing I know Evan is doing something completely different than he was a few minutes ago. A few minutes later he seems to wander back to the previous setting. In this book it wasn't quite as bad as book 3, but I still felt that around the middle of the story the author lost his way a few times. The last quarter of this book, however, was really great. Any way you look at it, these Orphan X books require the listener to really pay attention or before you know it you will have missed something important.

A few pet peeves… Peter drives me absolutely crazy, and I have no idea why Evan puts up with him. For that matter I don't know why Mia puts up with his completely undisciplined antics. OK, so she's a single mother, and a busy one at that, but that's no reason not to teach your child basic manners and to let him run the household rather than the other way around. Same sentiments for the homeowners' association in his building. For goodness sake… Are we really expected to believe that your neighbors can have this much control over your life?

For that matter, Mia has been living in a bubble of a perfect world, where there are no bad people who go unpunished. Her relationship with Evan has been so black and white… she comes across as an immature millennial, as opposed to a mature woman in her 30s. Fortunately, this book shows promise for her taking her rose-colored glasses off and seeing the world for what it is.

Lastly, there is always a large contingent of listeners who really dislike Scott Brick as a narrator, faulting him for being overly melodramatic to the point of being sing-song with his inflections. I, however, am a fan of Scott Brick for the most part, and never worry to purchase a book which he has narrated. I would rather listen to a story that has some "acting" to it as opposed to someone just reading the book. These Orphan X books have been a sad digression from his usual stellar performances, IMHO. He is the voice of so many of these characters maybe he is trying too hard to differentiate one main character's voice from another. After Dick Hill passed away, I think he has done a great job with the Harry Bosch character, but in this book in particular it seemed he actually gave his critics some justification. He does great with Evan's voice, but during some of the story narration he seems to get carried away.

* small spoiler alert*
Being a great fan of the "nowhere Man" I was a little disappointed with the ending, but we shall see what comes next, and I do hope it will be as good as the old Evan Smoak.

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Not happy with new writing style

Revisado: 04-03-22

I've read every Reacher book to date, and to the best of my knowledge this is the first one written in first person. I really don't know why the authors made this decision, but IMHO I think the flow of the narrative suffered as a result. It bothered me all the way through the entire book... I never adjusted to listening to Reacher tell the story. Much prefer the break between dialogue and narration with this character and usual type of storyline, and I very much hope that the Childs will go back to a third person style in future books.

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THIS is supposed to be a ghost story???

Revisado: 02-05-22

I am shocked that so many people gave this story such good reviews. I am a fan of Michael Connelly, and I have a feeling that maybe that's why others gave it five stars… the stars are a show of loyalty for the author, and not for the writing, IMHO. I do love a good ghost story, and that is the reason I purchased this short story, something I never buy from Audible. I was very disappointed.

The path of the storyline was clear early on, and from the perspective of someone who appreciates the paranormal, the ending was just plain ludicrous. It would be interesting to know what anyone thought was creepy about it because I didn't even get one tiny little chill up my spine. Personally, I didn't even think it was well written. I wish I could say more, but for those of you who want to give it a try I won't add any spoilers. For those of you who pass on this waste of money, trust me… you're making the right decision. Mr. Connolly should stick to his usual genre, and avoid any more forays into the realm of the supernatural.

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Disappointing Sequel

Revisado: 12-13-19

I loved the first book in this series, but everything it was, this book was not. The dialogue was lame, the crux of the subplot was ridiculous, and Joe did everything wrong, contradicting who he was in the first book. His actions were frustrating beyond belief, and so were Lila's. It was as if the author needed them to be out of character to give him an angle to the plot that would carry the story along and make it work. The problem is that it didn't.

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Exceptional

Revisado: 12-09-19

Took a chance on this book strictly based on the synopsis, and found it to be one of the best books I have had the pleasure of listening to from Audible.

The writing was outstanding, and I completed it in two afternoons, wishing that I could have just continued it through the night. It had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

The narrator was a perfect choice for the character of Joe, and also did a wonderful job with the other characters, making it easy to distinguish between them.

I highly recommend this book as an intelligent and thrilling mystery, combined with unexpected action sequences... don't hesitate to give it a listen!

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Best Ever!

Revisado: 12-07-19

I have read every Clive Cussler book available on Audible to date. That includes the Isaac Bell series, the Fargos, Kurt Austin, and the NUMA books. I'm always quick to grab the next one in any of the series when one becomes available, which this one did last month.

The most concise comment I can say in this review about Final Option is that it is my favorite CC book of all time. I'm not sure why I can't put my finger on the "why"... something about it demonstrated an elevation in Cusslers' writing. Never has one been so authentic, never requiring the reader to suspend belief, even for a moment. In addition, it drew the reader into the characters as never before, and I felt true emotion in many places throughout the story. Even though I thought I already knew each one of them from previous Oregon Files books, after reading Final Option they are no longer characters in a story… They have been brought to life in a very personal manner.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge Scott Brick for taking the work of the author and ensuring that the final product is all that it could be. Get it and listen to it… You won't be able to put it down! If I could give this 10 stars I would!

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Tired

Revisado: 09-20-19

That's how everyone associated with this latest version of Johnson's Longmire series comes across. That's how our beloved George Guidall read the story... rushed through it as though he couldn't wait for it to be over. Craig Johnson seemingly threw the story together, as though he's getting tired of putting the usual life and heart into his books about Walt. And Walt was tired, but then he was the only one who had a legitimate reason to be tired. His time in Mexico from the previous book would have worn anyone out, both physically and emotionally. All in all, I found this story, and all manner of its production to be very unsatisfying. This is such a shame, considering how eagerly we fans await the arrival of every new installment of the series.

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