DCrants

Sophomoric

Revisado: 03-06-24

Reading other reviews, sophomoric is definitely the best descriptor. Really grade school writing here. From dialogue to romance (if you can call it that) to the overall machinations of the plot and story development. Truly one of the worst books I’ve ever spent money on.

I’m not sure the narrator is bad, I think he’d do well with some non-fiction. However the story could have just been so terrible there was simply nothing he could do.

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A bit of a mess

Revisado: 08-29-23

Sluggish. Nonsensical. In desperate need of a good editor. If you're looking for a Japanese-styled crime novel, I would suggest you look elsewhere. It starts OK but quickly falls off and really lacks focus and cohesion. This one was really difficult to get through. And just when you think it should be over...there's still an unnecessary hour to go. It seemed as if it would never end. Good job with the narration, as you would expect from PJ Ochlan.

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Wasn’t sure going in…blew me away

Revisado: 03-10-23

I bought this trilogy on a whim, not really knowing much of this author’s work. I had seen this had some high praise and figured why not. Well, after finishing this first book, I’m amazed. This is an intense look into the Mexican drug trade from all sides, both of the “war” and the border. Terrific all around.

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Enjoyable ending to a novel

Revisado: 11-25-22

This is an enjoyable, detailed crime novel that wraps up the less focused elements from Part 1 into a somewhat more standard police procedural while still maintaining some of the unique, Japanese societal focused items that were the main driver of the first half of the English release.

If you enjoyed the first part, then absolutely this is a must get. If you're looking at Part 2 to decide if you want Part 1, then you need to just be prepared for a slow burn of a novel. Part 2 picks up the pace a good deal but this isn't an edge-of-your-seat type of story. Things happen, as they normally do in real life, bit by bit. There's no "mystery" as you get the perspectives from everyone involved.

I enjoyed it and, oddly, found it fairly relaxing to listen to. It's an odd book to place as it's part police procedural, part corporate intrigue, and part investigative journalist novel. If you are interested in Japanese society then, for me, it was worth the listen.

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A slow burn that can satisfy

Revisado: 11-25-22

If you're considering this book, you need to go in aware that this is truly a Part 1 in the purest sense. There's no resolution or real ending. You'll need to get Part 2 (recently released) in order to have the actual complete novel.

This is an odd duck. It's a crime novel but really it feels more like a look inside boardroom politics at a Japanese company in the final decades of the 20th century. The initial crime is there but a great deal of this novel deals with the inner machinations of scandals and coverups and how they're dealt with internally and externally in Japanese society.

While I enjoyed Part 2 more than Part 1, this is still an intriguing listen. That said, don't be expecting much progress or resolution in sight. I found it relaxing and interesting delving into how a situation like the one laid out in the book would be dealt with. While picking up on the initial extensive list of characters took some focus, once you're introduced and get a feel for the flow, I was able to relax and listen without having to focus on every word as can sometimes happen in very detailed books of this nature.

Don't be in a rush, this is a slow burn but one that I ultimately enjoyed.

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Solid Fact Based Review of Case

Revisado: 09-30-22

This is the most current review of the Zodiac crimes. It is an overview of the facts of the case with no significant speculation or opinions. Good summary worth a listen if you’re looking for a general breakdown of the facts of the case.

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Slow, boring, and disappointing

Revisado: 12-20-21

The book never got going and just kept getting bogged down with fluff and lackluster writing. It’s incredibly slow and I just never cared about anyone or anything going on. I should have returned it but kept thinking it would get better. Silly me, it only kept getting worse.

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For a writer he’s a terrible storyteller

Revisado: 10-28-21

First problem, he narrated his own book and is awful at it. Second problem, he takes what could be an interesting story and makes it very blah. His writing style is not for me. His overall approach left me thinking much of the book was embellished or twisted to build himself up. Rather bored by the end and I didn’t like the overall setup of the book.

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Low Rent Bosch Story From an Outsiders Perspective

Revisado: 10-14-19

First off, this is really a Terry McCaleb story with Bosch as the main focus. Secondly, despite all the negative reviews claiming the narrator is the "worst ever," he does a decent job. He's not my favorite Bosch narrator but he's good enough. The main problem with this story is the unexpectedly lazy writing from Connelly. The entire story requires such an incredible leap of faith and logic that you will find yourself shaking your head throughout the novel.

McCaleb makes such a wild deduction based on minimal obscure and circumstantial evidence that it defies reason. In the span of a day or two his far-fetched theory manages to not only convince the lead investigator who had approached him but also the FBI enough that they assign two agents to the case. McCaleb's theories drive most of the action for the first 3/4 of the book and it is completely unreasonable to watch everyone's interactions and responses being driven by a half baked theory with no actual research or investigation done prior to dedicating all resources and efforts on this one theory. Actions are taken full bore with no evidence or reasoning beyond mentions of old storylines from previous novels...all things which would actually be investigated by talking to those involved instead of simply relying on water cooler gossip and rumors to convince themselves of a person's guilt. Bosch, a supporting character in this tale, doesn't seem to act as the previously known Bosch would and he certainly seems to take most things sitting down. Bosch seems content to let others resolve most everything under the pretense that his focus is on an ongoing trial but it really seems that Bosch himself recognizes how absurd everything is and he's just too tired to even bother.

My advice, find a plot summary somewhere and read that instead of investing in this book. It really leaves a bad taste in my mouth for the Bosch series.

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Great Reading of Classic True Crime

Revisado: 08-07-18

Helter Skelter has been released for many years at this point, so I was a little hesitant to pick up an audiobook version. Scott Brick does an excellent job breathing life into the work. It doesn't get much better in the true crime realm than this book and, when paired with such excellent narration, you'd be hard pressed to find a better audiobook in this genre. Top shelf.

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