Eva Gannon

A Gem of a Short Story

Revisado: 03-12-23

I couldn't get into the full length I started, and was looking for something short & easy to follow. Found it! Winslow packs a huge punch in this story. Plot, character development, message, it's got it all.

Ed Harris is a spectacular narrator. Wish he'd do more.

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Worst Reacher Book

Revisado: 11-01-22

There are at least three plots going & it's hard to see how they relate to each other. Plus, they're not that interesting. The book meanders over the river and through the woods but somehow manages to avoid grandma's house.

Scott Brick's narration has robbed Reacher of his once-distinctive voice. Now he's just another character, and they all pretty much sound the same.

I'm a Reacher fan and pre-ordered this book. I was happy when it was released and looked forward to another good Reacher read. I kept trying to like it, because it's Reacher, but finally I gave up. Unfortunately, by that time it was too late to return.

I'll be cautious about ordering another. Sadly, I don't recommend this book, not even to Reacher fans.

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Not the Best Amos Decker book

Revisado: 10-18-22

I struggled to finish this book. The story is convoluted, so pay close attention. Even then it's hard to understand. By the time I got to the resolution, I just wanted the book to end. Maybe I should have quit and returned it, but I'm an Amos Decker fan and couldn't quite bring myself to do it.

Decker struggled more in this book than in any other. While understandable, it wasn't that interesting.

Narration was up to it's usual standards..

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A Good Story With a Lousy Narrator

Revisado: 03-16-21

This is an entertaining story, albeit somewhat predictable. It's spoiled by one of the worst narrators I've ever heard.

First, he reads as if he's reading to schoolchildren. His voicing of the women characters is just plain awful. He uses a screechy falsetto that hurts the ears and is totally devoid of nuance or emotion. All the women are voiced in the same screechy falsetto, no differentiation at all.

Finally, Decker, an American, sometimes speaks in an Irish brogue.

I'll never listen to another book from this narrator.

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A Good Story With a Lousy Narrator

Revisado: 03-16-21

This is an entertaining story, albeit somewhat predictable. It's spoiled by one of the worst narrators I've ever heard.

First, he reads as if he's reading to schoolchildren. His voicing of the women characters is just plain awful. He uses a screechy falsetto that hurts the ears and is totally devoid of nuance or emotion. All the women are voiced in the same screechy falsetto, no differentiation at all.

Finally, Decker, an American, sometimes speaks in an Irish brogue.

I'll never listen to another book from this narrator.

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Boring Bodice Ripper

Revisado: 08-01-20

This book isn't a thriller, as advertised. It's a romance novel, and a poorly written one. There was a murder in the first pages, but after that it was all romance. Rich boy, poor girl, morphs into rich married man, still poor woman. The dialogue and plot line are totally predictable. Characters have no appeal.

After three hours, I put it down in disgust. Just couldn't waste any more time on this boring potboiler.

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Author Doesn't Know Chicago

Revisado: 03-25-19

This book is ostensibly set in Chicago. I'm from Chicago: Barker was a suburbanite, and is obviously unfamiliar with the city. That's how it is; some who live in the far flung suburbs don't come into the city. He's not familiar with the geography or the ethos. The errors in the book are so glaring it was like having cold water thrown in my ear.

Examples:
Chicago Police Department: detectives wouldn't introduce themselves to an interviewee as being from "Chicago Metro." That term doesn't really exist. Detectives would introduce themselves as being from the Chicago Police Department.

Tea and bagels: seriously? If the cops come to your house you might offer coffee, but not tea. Who eats bagels with tea?

It's North Avenue, not North Street. And taking it to I294 would take over an hour to get to the expressway. There are much faster ways to get there. And the police would take them, assuming CPD detectives had a reason to venture so far out of their jurisdiction.

Every time I heard one of these errors it jolted me out of the story, such as it is. I don't recommend the book, and am going to return it.

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A Big Rotten Apple of a Book

Revisado: 12-29-18

After this book, I'll regard future Gregory books with skepticism. It's way too long, meanders over the river and through the woods in the story line, and the main characters are unlikable.

The central character, John Tradescant, is repellant. Totally self centered and lacking in introspection. He leaves England (and his children) for the New World to collect new plants. There, he falls in love with a 14 year old Powwatan girl, and promises to return to marry her.

Upon his return to England, he discovers that his father died, and had appointed Hester guardian of his children and the rarities. It was his father's intention that John marry Hester. He does, but in such a churlish manner I wanted to slap him. He never attempts to form a relationship with her.

He departs England again in a snit over the fate of the King whose gardener he is, during the Civil War. I suspect it was his lust for the teen aged Suquhana that was the real reason. Again, he abandons his children, and now his wife. In Virginia, he almost dies during his first winter, and I found myself wishing he would, so the book could end. Instead, Suquhana rescues him. She's married. John becomes a member of the tribe and is allowed to marry her. However, he is unable to take part in the war against the white settlers and ends up going back to England.

There, the author tries to save the character by giving him some small introspection and a bit of a civil relationship with Hester. It's too little, too late.

Then the focus shifts to Johnny, his son. Filled with teen aged angst, he is unable to accept that he isn't the gardener to a king. His adolescent protestations are annoying. I won't reveal his fate so as not to post a spoiler.

By this time, I was debating putting the book down, but forced myself to finish. Gregory finishes the book like the child Johnny. She takes her creation and smashes it as a child would stomp on a sand castle. Hopefully, this will be the last in the Tradescant series.

Finally, the narrator is awful. The voices he does are harsh and stereotyped. He doesn't use a separate for John or Hester. He has no sense of pacing or emphasis.

This book runs over 25 hours: that's a long time to listen to a poor narrator. A lot of it could have been edited out. I so disliked it, I'm thinking of returning it.

I do not recommend this book. In the future, I'll regard Philippa Gregory books with great caution.

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Silly Fun

Revisado: 12-29-18

This book is just a lot of silly fun. Don't look for anything profound, just take it for what it is.

My one regret with the book is that Ranger appears to have become more protector than lover, and he teams up with Morelli to do so. Still, he grows as a character, so that's OK.

If you're looking for some relaxation and entertainment, this is your book.

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Not Your Usual Mma Ramotswe Story

Revisado: 12-29-18

Our intrepid detective runs for office. She doesn't want to, but allows herself to be "persuaded" by Mma Potokwane, who, btw, comes across as a bit of a bully. For the first time Precious shows indecision, and it doesn't fit her well.

Not the best book in the series.

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