Bookworm

Wherefore art thou, Joe Pickett?

Revisado: 03-13-22

The author's increasing obsession with the unappealing secondary character of Romanoffski over the supposed lead character, combined with a really skewed and unpleasant view of political reality, means that I can't read this series any more. It was one of my favorites for a long time, with Pickett striving against bureaucracy, low salaries, and immoral villains—he was a flawed, imperfect hero. I liked watching the family grow up and find their way. But even squinting I can't see that hero anymore, and the cartoonish and unstoppable secondary character is unrealistic and not worth reading about.

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Narration is dreadful

Revisado: 04-29-21

I think I'm going to return this, because I can't listen to it without constantly adjusting the volume (the narrator thinks that the best way to differentiate voices is to speak at an inaudible level). Truthfully, the sound engineer and the producer are ultimately responsible for this disaster. I can't really comment on the story, because I'm too aggravated to continue listening.

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This series is becoming a violent cartoon.

Revisado: 08-28-19

I've read all 4 Peter Ash books. I thought the dog humanized Peter a lot in the first book (was disappointed to see him go!) and his relationship with June really improved his characterization in the second. I also found the PTSD aspect interesting. Now...the books are turning into one violent fight scene after another. I'm listening to the audiobook versions, and I feel queasy listening to the unfortunate choices the narrator makes for Lewis's dialogue. The attempt to sound "street" is really dismal.

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Not easy to follow in the audio version

Revisado: 08-30-15

I was very interested in the premise of this book and bought it soon after the release. I wouldn't say the narrator is bad, but there are two universes with the same characters and it gets confusing. Somehow the two universes need to be distinguished (for instance like the TV show "Awake") although I have no idea how that could be done on audio. So I got an ebook to finish this, because I did like the characters and wanted to know what happened. It devolved into a lot of fight scenes--ridiculous fight scenes, most often featuring a karate chop to the "vagus nerve" and perfect killshots with an abundance of high tech weaponry, over and over. The science felt "hand-wavey". In general, the novel felt like I was reading a Tom Cruise movie. I expect to see it at a multiplex for Christmas 2016, and Tom will be doing his own stunts.

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Terrific debut novel

Revisado: 04-26-15

This is probably categorized as young adult, but this older reader really enjoyed it. It is a compelling story that explores the ramifications of choices made under extreme pressure, and the characters' actions and reactions feel plausible. The narrator is excellent. Throughout the story, the author plays with time, continually going backward and forward to different events. I can see why she chose to do this, but some might find it aggravating. I do think in retrospect that the novel would be weaker if told linearly.

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Good story

Revisado: 04-26-15

Although the inciting event somewhat stretches plausibility, the novel unfolds naturally and the mystery progresses well. I like stories like this one where the lead female character is smart and acts rather than reacts. This is the same narrator as the Rev. Clare Fergusson mysteries and she is very good.

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What's the opposite of a "Thriller"?

Revisado: 04-19-15

This book is a borer, not a thriller. Every mundane nuance of every miniscule event is explored in microscopic detail. It takes 2 hours before anything interesting happens. In addition, the main character seemed to be mentally challenged, if you go by his actions. The narrator did not help, but I believe the prose is at fault. I rarely return audiobooks, but this one I am.

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Just not really very good

Revisado: 10-25-14

Jonathan Frakes is not a voice actor, and his voice is too distinctive and distracting when he is (poorly) imitating voices that are so well-known. It's a nice voice, just not one that works in this situation in my opinion.

And this is one of the lesser attempts at STNG fiction. Surprisingly, Tim Russ is a good narrator who subtly imitates the characters' voices. I'm listening to Genesis Wave and although it's not great literature it is enjoyable.

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It's okay

Revisado: 05-19-13

I did not enjoy this book as much as the first--I kept having to rewind. (Without spoiling it) I thought the motive for the killings was somewhat trite and rather obvious, and at the same time preposterous (Ludlum-esque, I'd say). Throughout, it felt like the author was reaching to keep all the series characters involved (which is an appropriate goal because the characterization was one of the most interesting parts of the first in the series). I also feel it's a mistake to name two characters so similarly, Maury and Marty—very easy to conflate them when listening, and I think it would happen when reading as well.

I really like listening to these types of series while driving, so I'll give the next one a chance, but this one really failed to hit the mark for me. The narrator is fine throughout, does a good job of differentiating the voices.

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An enjoyable listen for fans of the series

Revisado: 10-04-12

The good news--Dan John Miller is the narrator, who narrated most of the previous books in the series and does such a great job capturing the unique voices. The story is a little weak, but I still enjoyed revisiting these characters. If you enjoyed the previous books, you'll probably like this one well enough. It's a pleasant listen, but not the best in the series.

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