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Great for Bosch fans

Revisado: 12-11-21

Solid police procedural. While the lead detective is a young female, she has the same anti-authority spirit as Harry Bosch. A small but interesting cast of characters was introduced, and it seems like there may be some good character development over the course of the series. I'm looking forward to reading the next one. Fantastic narration.

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literally the worst

Revisado: 10-29-20

We've listened to practically all of the Arnie Lightning Halloween books, so I was aware that they weren't necessarily great literature, but this is honestly the worst book and audio production quality I've heard on an Audible book. We couldn't even finish its approximately 20 minutes. I'd scroll past this one.

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GREAT story - and the narration worked fine for me

Revisado: 10-18-18

I was hesitant to try this title because of all the negative reviews of the narration, but with all respect to those who didn't like it, I'll just say: try it out for yourself before passing on this book. For me, the deadpan female narrative style worked perfectly for the tough-as-nails main character. I had no problem knowing who was speaking or following the action. And the book overall is one you won't want to miss if you're a Connelly fan. It has great plotting and a lot of suspense. I really liked the main character and look forward to her appearing in the next book with Bosch.

One warning, though: this book is closer to a thriller than most of Connelly's books, with the narrator being in personal danger for part of the book. It didn't cross the line to "too scary" for me (I do a lot of my listening alone in a dark house doing construction DIY-style), but it edged up to it -- just something to know if you're a listener who likes police procedurals because they're pretty far removed from the actual violence. That section was only part of the book; it wasn't like a thriller where the tension builds to a crescendo; the main arc of the story is her quest to unravel the puzzle of the killings.

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Great story, fine narration

Revisado: 01-05-17

I love Tana French's novels. Half the suspense is whether the detectives' psychological weakness will cause them to self-destruct before they solve the crime. This novel is in the top half of her six books -- far better than the most recent two, in my opinion.

I saw many comments on the narration, but I honestly had no problem with it. The variation of characters' voices and intonations are on par with those of other top-notch narrators. At times, it felt like dialogue was being read at a pace just slightly slower than the lines would be delivered in real life, or with an extra half-second pause before a character begins speaking -- but for me this aided in understanding through the accent, and my mind adjusted to this style and pacing; I'm only noticing in retrospect. If the preview sounds okay to you, then don't let the reviews scare you off.

All in all, a fun read!

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Solid coming-of-age romance

Revisado: 02-26-16

This book is a solid gay coming-out, coming-of-age love story. I'll admit that to me, an adult who generally likes YA fiction, the relationship dynamics among the group of characters occasionally felt tedious, and at times the main character felt whiny, such that I had to push myself to keep going in a few places early on. But those are minor quibbles. The backstory paid off in a solid second half of the book where dramas peaked in exciting and satisfactory ways. The book offers nuanced, non-preachy food for thought on topics like when and why people keep secrets, and what that does to their relationships with family and friends. The main character and his family were emotionally healthy, which was nice. And the narration was great. Worth a listen!

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Murder & under-policing in black neighborhoods

Revisado: 04-05-15

I read this book in the wake of a shooting in my own urban neighborhood, one that killed an uninvolved African-American bystander. Having grown up in the suburbs, I'd long ago noted with surprise that, here, the newspaper does not even report every homicide, much less dedicate ongoing attention to an ensuing investigation. I am grateful for Jill Leovy's efforts to raise attention to this injustice. My deep sympathy goes out to the families in this book.

As Leovy explains, African Americans (particularly young African-American men) suffer from extremely high homicide rates, and these murders go disproportionately unsolved, despite the dedicated efforts of some individual investigators. Failing to solve these crimes creates an atmosphere of lawlessness, fails to protect residents, and fails to demonstrate a belief that #BlackLivesMatter. With a reporter's eye for details, a crime-scene veteran's sense of weariness, and detailed attention to historical context, she outlines the broad impacts of this under-policing and tells the story of one particularly homicide.

Because of this book's importance and overall strength, I wanted it to be perfect, but there were a few ways it wasn't perfectly to my taste. It uses extensive statistics to connect its stories to the undervaluing of African American lives in the US, i.e., to historical and ongoing US racism. Making this connection is a laudable goal and gives the book significant depth. But I personally would have preferred a sharper focus on the stories being told. After thirty minutes of statistics, I sometimes lost track of the characters or impatiently thought "you have already proven this point five times over; can we return to what's happening for the family?" I wonder if a close study of the characters' lives and family histories, or of the neighborhood, could have revealed the same larger themes, allowing the statistics to be saved for a concluding chapter. That said, perhaps other readers appreciated the extensive numerical proof that these are not isolated instances but nationwide trends.

The narration is good, and perhaps appropriate, but not among the best I've heard. Another commenter aptly wrote that "the narrator's delivery isn't wooden; it's sadness," and while I agree, I wonder if the intonation from one sentence to the next could have been a bit more varied. I would listen to this narrator again, but I also wonder what another narrator might have brought to this text.

Do prepare for this book to feel weighty, depressing, and at times somewhat academic. But it tells an important and under-told story with solid characters. Amidst a story of societal disregard, it also shows many who care. This allows readers to envision how society could better support those who are already working hard to address this epidemic and to honor the victims and their families.

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Intriguing but slow

Revisado: 05-31-14

Any additional comments?

As a person who needs a story with some momentum, I wasn't able to get into this book. The writing is beautiful, with careful and sparse diction. The author creates a strong sense of place, with an atmosphere that is worrisome most of all in the degree to which everyone treats it as normal. The main character is described (at least in the portion I read) from a detached vantage point that leaves her deliberately somewhat opaque. The anonymous narrator is perplexed by her decisions. The narration was perfectly suited to the portion of the book I listened to.

While I did become curious about what happened to Fan and how her journey went, the pace did not pick up early enough in the book, nor was I sufficiently attached to the characters, to continue listening. I liked the world-building but I didn't have the willpower to keep paying attention. Yet this wasn't a book that I sought a refund for, because it felt like it might be sufficiently worthwhile to try again when I have more patience.

If you are a listener who prefers relatively fast-paced books, think twice about this one. Or, if you are a listener with a lot of patience, please post a review to let the rest of us know if it's worth the effort!

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