pratalife

Solid history marred by thoughtless narration

Revisado: 11-11-24

The history and storytelling is very strong. Perhaps I would have appreciated this more if I had not gone for the audio format (my preferred medium).
Not that the narration is that bad.. it is just the careless/thoughtless approach to pronunciation of proper nouns from Japan and SE Asia. After the umpteenth mis-pronunciation (Cavite, Kure, Johor, Tone, Kidōbutai...), it starts to come across as quite arrogant that one can "just figure it out" from the letters on the page. All these words have clear pronunciation guides on wikipedia etc if one would care to look (let alone ask someone who may know).

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just brilliant .. shame about the audio quality

Revisado: 07-27-16

I just finished my first Harlan Coben, and I was riveted all the way.

I see other reviews like "Coben's worst I've read" and that makes me really happy (in anticipation).

Some say it is slow; I didn't find that .. but then I do tend to listen on 1.25-1.50x. Rather, I found the slow reveal delectable: I *think* I know where this is going, but I really need to know..

So I loved it and can't wait to read more ... despite the sound quality of the edition I read sucking in a 1980's tape-to-tape bootleg kind of way. Really, this is the worst I've ever heard on audible.

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Lisbeth and Blomkvist are back with a vengeance

Revisado: 09-06-15

What a relief.. in all a worthy successor to the original Millennium trilogy.

David Lagercrantz had me in from the beginning, and I devoured the book with a rapture reminiscent of when I first discovered The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. So good to have Simon Vance continue the English narration; he does a grand job and there's nothing quite as disconcerting as switching narrators in a series.

The story riffs on many contemporary memes and is well researched and fresh, yet with a voice that is think quite true to Larsson's legacy.

Not quite however. I suspect Steig Larsson would have written it somewhat grittier and darker, and made it not quite so easy for the protagonists to unravel and resolve the plot.

But one cannot complain too much. Whether that's just the imprint of a new author, or perhaps a greater awareness of now writing for a larger, global audience, who knows.

The main thing is Lisbeth and Blomkvist are back with a vengeance (literally), and there are strong signs not for the last time.

Shameless exploitation as it may be, I do hope this means we'll also soon be seeing Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist reprise their roles on screen.

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Only great authors could make full cloth from this

Revisado: 08-30-15

At first I had no idea how the author could expect to string a complete book from the premise. I stand corrected. Great casting for the audiobook .. brought all the humour into perfect character. I love the way the Andy Wier switched left when other authors would switch right, ultimately underscoring the core theme that human nature is universal.

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The Rehabilitation? of Fat Ollie

Revisado: 08-09-15

True to the original intent of the 87th being an ensemble performance, this time McBain takes us on the curious and uncertain rehabilitation of Fat Ollie's character. Which is quite a lark. It will probably remind you of someone - the universally disliked colleague whose newly-discovered redeeming features are just painful to acknowledge and reconcile!

McBain must take curious pleasure in dumping on us bucket-loads of previously unknown facts about Ollie. 1 redeeming feature.. 2? No, that's not McBain's style: we go over-the-top.

My only disappointment with this book is missing Dick Hill as narrator. Love him or hate him, he struck me as perfect for this series. In my mind, Dick Hill *is* the voice of the 87th - over-blown performances and all.

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a guilty pleasure

Revisado: 06-01-15

Not bad, I was due for another courtroom drama fix, and this did the job.

Grisham would have made our hero work harder, fall harder and generally never have such a dream run over the Judge, jury and prosecution. So call this more a guilty pleasure rather than a realistic legal procedural.

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a great series and just gets better

Revisado: 05-29-15

OK, now I have a problem. After giving all the previous books in the 87th Precinct series 5 stars, I don't know where to go next. 5++?

I really enjoyed this excursion, as Ed McBain continues brings different characters to the fore in this classic ensemble series. And there are some true laugh-out-loud moments (such as the diversion into defining a "slob").

On the audio version narrated by Dick Hill: others disagree, I know, but I reckon Dick Hill is brilliantly cast for this series. He really delivers what I think is a stellar performance that is absolutely in keeping with the sensibilities of the material. Yes, he goes over the top sometimes. But so does McBain!

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ok bar the narration

Revisado: 03-03-15

On the story itself - yes, I generally got sucked in and will likely try another in the series. Characters are I think better rounded than Honor Harrington, but the plotting not a shade on something like Vatta's War.

As for the audiobook - I almost dropped it as Dina Pearlman's narration was a real grind: No, not everyone needs to sound like a pre-pubescent valley girl; she can't pull off a Scottish accent for chips; and when the text says "she mumbled" then don't ignore the stage direction!

I think the audiobook producer must have been asleep at the wheel. However persistence paid off and by the end of the book I'd pretty much sublimated my narration hangups.

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must be getting slow in their old age

Revisado: 11-14-14

Hmmm. 5 stars for a rollicking thriller, but knocking off 2 because Tempe & Ryan must be getting slow in their old age.

Frustrating to read of the protagonists edging towards obvious insights .. only to steer off on a tangent for another chapter.

Grievous logical oversights can't really be forgiven. Like: when circumstances point to one suspect, and the suspect is subsequently cleared, it does not invalidate the circumstances themselves (which also point to another party, who is in fact the unsub). But no-one seems to twig to this .. alamak!

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Almost the masterpiece I'd hoped for

Revisado: 08-09-14

The story unfolds in parts, with wonderful narration. The use of two (talented) voice actors is perfect for the book.

Part 1 is a cracker of a whodunnit. Gillian Flynn has mastered the art of parallel story-lines, a skill honed in Sharp Objects and wielded here to perfection.

But wait! There's more - a psychological suspense-thriller in the final parts as the protagonists grapple with the consequences. And while Gillian Flynn's second book, Dark Places, fell a bit flat due to improbable coincidences and a largely unsympathetic cast, Gone Girl had me totally sucked in.

I felt so sure this book would be 5 stars and a heart.

That is, until the final climax; the final few pages. WTF? I am underwhelmed and unconvinced.

Perhaps the silver lining is that Gone Girl was almost - but not quite - the ultimate masterpiece in the style that Gillian Flynn has been evolving over three stories to date, so I am left eagerly looking forward to her next. Will that be "The One"?

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