M. MCCASKEY

Excellent.Mystery and Police Procedural

Revisado: 02-24-18

The plot is well constructed and it held my interest throughout. The main detective and his associates are well delineated, each with his or her distinct outlook and interests.
The author has a very nice bittersweet and ironic humor, but there are some really moving scenes. The women characters in particular are very sympathetic and appealing.
I found the narrator very good. She is also the translator. She speaks like a Scandinavian born and educated in the US. It is a plus that she preserves the flavor of the original, and you can be sure that she pronounces the names of Swedish people and places correctly. She is also a good voice actress.
So far only the first three mysteries in this series are available in English. I hope people are translating more, since the series is addictive, and I’ve listened to all three, and would like more.

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Maybe More Teen-Age Romantic Angst Than Mystery

Revisado: 11-21-17

Thin plot line. Focused on ill-fated teen-age romance of the ultra-rich, Repetitive and grows ever more tiresome. Anti-novel.

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Travel Through The Cosmopolitan 1930s

Revisado: 06-13-17

What made the experience of listening to Ship of Fools the most enjoyable?

The narrator wonderfully reproduces the speech of 1930s Europeans of many nationalities speaking English.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ship of Fools?

There are many narratives in other books of people, refugees iin the 1930s, who managed to get out of Germany and ended up in Mexico, like the novelist Anna Seghers, trying to rebuild their lives in a rough and ready new place. Here, the characters are mostly unwitting travelers, leaving Mexico to go to Germany in the 1930s, headed toward the coming human hurricane, instead of away from the impending chaotic storm.

Which character – as performed by Grace Conlin – was your favorite?

All the German characters. Porter caught their speech, their accented English and syntax, just right, and Conlin does a great job of voicing for each of Porter’s characters.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Descriptions of people inside their various cabins, often cramped, brought back old shipboard travel memories. One reader review found many of the characters/passengers disagreeable, but that made it seem more interesting and true to life for me.

Any additional comments?

Like “Casablanca,” afloat, but very much more sophisticated, detailed and complex. Literary art plus entertainment.

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Too Much Namedropping

Revisado: 05-30-17

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Though he is definitely an expert, it seems as if the author is writing out his notes without a lot of synthesis. Lots and lots of separate facts strung together. Better as a reference book, maybe. Better to pick out a smaller number of key characters and tell us enough to get to know them, rather than having an army of names with a few sentences about each. A good book to play over many times while doing chores or routine tasks, in hopes of picking out and retaining bits of interesting info here and there along the way. No danger of missing anything big or exciting while distracted.

What was most disappointing about Hugh Thomas’s story?

There are so many names of minor notables, like in society columns, all given in full and complex forms, with the well-meaning narrator having problems pronouncing so many of them. Someone editorial who knew the proper pronunciations should have gone over the material with him in advance.

How could the performance have been better?

Should have selected a narrator who knew Castilian or Latin American Spanish fairly well, since there are so very many Spanish names to pronounce, or someone should have coached him in advance. Don’t blame the piano player, he did the best he could on his own..

What character would you cut from World Without End?

Just focus on a limited number of key charcters and tell us more about each of them, in a more interesting way.

Any additional comments?

Mostly I don’t like abridged books, but this one might be better in an abridged edition.

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Could Be Better

Revisado: 05-15-17

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Should have been more carefully edited and then rewritten.

Would you recommend A Criminal Defense to your friends? Why or why not?

Not really. Unsympathetic characters and simplistic and unrealistic plot.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Peter Berkrot?

Don’t think any other narrator could make it much better.

Do you think A Criminal Defense needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Early on, it seemed as if the main character might be good in a sequel. But the main character got less and less appealing.

Any additional comments?

Give the writer and narrator time to improve, in a different and better second book.

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Interesting And Distinctive Second Series Volume

Revisado: 04-20-17

Would you consider the audio edition of Deadly Crimes to be better than the print version?

Yes. The narrator made the printed story come alive,

What other book might you compare Deadly Crimes to and why?

This was a combination mystery and justified family revenge story. Like Rebekka Martinsson’s role in Asa Larsson’s Sun Storm (the first series volume, which is on Audible as well).

What does Cat Gould bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She is very good as a voice actress/actor. A member of both SAG and AFTRA.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Taking sisterhood and rough justice a step beyond what you might expect, to create a unique ending.

Any additional comments?

Looking forward to volume three, to see what new surprises await.

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Well Done And Well Worth Listening To

Revisado: 04-19-17

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Would recommend - well written and spoken. Gateway to a good series.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes! Really scary sociopath villain - hard to track down - who will be the next victim?

Have you listened to any of Cat Gould’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the first for me - very good performer and narrator. Good British-style narration. I know one New Z friend who sounds American, and another with a strong Down Under accent. This one sounds like well enunciated British English, and is a good voice actress.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Socio-psycho on the phone to the police.

Any additional comments?

Quite attention-holding.

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Very good, well-educated reader/narrator.

Revisado: 01-19-16

What did you love best about To Hell and Back?

Lots of information, intelligent narration. All books by Kershaw I've read so far are well-researched and highly informative. I have heard Kershaw lecture in both English and German. He is a great historian, and could have been a great narrator as well, had he chosen to narrate in this case.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Not applicable in a book with so many historical personages.

Which character – as performed by John Curless – was your favorite?

Not applicable to a large-scale factual historical study, I think.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Learned more about how high-placed Europeans did self-destructive things, then as now.

Any additional comments?

Looking forward to the next volume.

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