Norma Miles

"A crazy nightmare"

Revisado: 09-14-23

A totally absorbing tale of the lives of a group.of youngsters with little else going for them, drawn together in close friendship through a club, the Bicycle Gang. Their story is told by one of the member, Dennis Wilson, known as Sticks, who joined the gang aged 12, married and became a father at 16, divorced at 17, returning to his hometown and his friends after being drafted. Moving between the present and an ongoing murder investigation of one of the gang's most loved members, and the past life stories of each of the 'family' of members, the whole sad story feels both real and inevitable. These characters became real people generating genuine emotional responses in this reader.

Only one irritation with this audio - why, when the story is told by an insider, Sticks, as both boy then man about a group comprising, with one exception, of youths is the book's narrator female? Seems silly to me. Cassandra Arnold did a reasonable job of reading but it jarred each time she referred to herself as Sticks. Perhaps it is because she narrated the earlier book in this series, the Faye-Lynn Johnson Mysteries, Johnson being a detective who also appears in this book.

My thanks to the rights holders of The Bicycle Gang, who, at my request, freely gifted me with a complimentary copy.
This is a riveting stand alone read and recommended.

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Your body is not a temple it's an amusement ride.

Revisado: 12-29-22

Or "The invasion of Normandy every day of the week."
I first heard of author, Anthony Bourdain, in a review discussion of his exposé of behind the scenes restaurant life on BBC Radio Four over twenty years ago. Two days later I bought and read Kitchen Confidential, and was totally blown away. I bought copies for family members, bored anyone who'd listen with excerpts and advice from the book, then started on a succession of other cook's tales, but none was as funny, scary, evocative as that by Bourdain. He remained an hero throughout the years to come. His recent, sad departure from this world prompted me to read the book again but this time literally in his own voice as he is also the narrator. And if I thought it breathtaking before, well, he really has to be heard to be believed.

His full bodied, pleasant voice, warmed like honey, wry amusement always present, reads quickly almost not bothering to take a breath. Long streams of invective, description, drugs, people flash past, creating a visual animated queue.
He has advice to give - don't eat the fish dishes on Monday, and if the lavatories are dirty the kitchen will be worse - and tips to easily make restaurant style food at home - if you are unsure which will cave in first, your pan or the head of the person you are hitting, throw away the pan. He advocates the use of shallots and garlic, but never that put through the 'abomination' of a garlic press, and he doesn't have much fondness for vegetarians, other than the large charge he can make, if they insist in eating in his restaurant, from a couple of artistically placed vegetables. He has so many funny anecdotes about others in his trade, and his own rather checkered biography in the food world from the adventurous kid who'd eat the freshly caught raw oysters, to his running the kitchens at the Supper Club, placing meat orders each day of $10,000. But for me, the best section of it all is following a day of service in the kitchen, frantic action just as frantically recounted. At the end of the chapter, just listening, I was exhausted!
Bourdain was a man so full of life, of fun, determination and of experiencing all he could, and, boy. does this book reflect it. Great in print, even better as an Audio, this is a must read for anyone interested in cooking, in food, in restaurants, in different lives, in sex and drugs and rock 'n roll, in comedic anecdotes and in living life to its fullest every minute. Bourdain might be gone but still lives large on every page of this amazing book.

Having just listened to Marco Pierre White's autobiography, I decided again to return to Bourdain's tales of life as a Chef, my fourth reading now, and still as good as first time around. It was so wonderful to hear his brilliant narration, too, a voice to remember. A voice filled with his love of life, his life and all it's imperfections, the people he'd worked with, be they good, bad or quirky. So full of humour and the enjoyment of discovery. How different from the coldness and self obsession of White.

If there is anyone who still has not read his book, get it now and enjoy. A great read in print but oh so much better in audio

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"Rest in piss,"

Revisado: 12-15-22

Earlier this year, I read and very much enjoyed Anthony Bourdain's Bone in the throat, his first novel. This, the second, is also a madcap ride of slaughter and profanity set in small luxury Caribbean holiday resort where a crime boss, willing to give evidence against former colleagues, is being held in protective custody. And someone wants him dead. Not as much fun as the first book but, for fans of Anthony Bourdain, definitely worth a read.
Naration is well performed, with multiple character voices, by Chris Patton.

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"Sorry for your loss."

Revisado: 08-04-22

Balance of Power is the sixth in an English police procedural series and, given that this was the first one that I have read, I could have been disadvantaged by not knowing anything that had gone before. But this was certainly not the case with any background information necessary faultless slotted into the storyline. It was an easy read, clearly written and simple to follow but with a power which had This reader gripped from the opening pages. It felt real, plausible, and each character was well developed.
Further enhancing the book's enjoyment, was the excellent narration by Duncan Galloway whose pleasant English accented voice suited the text perfectly. He read with understanding, with no drifting glitches, good pace and timing, well modulated as his voicing of the several protagonists was appropriate and individual. A very fine performance.

I very much enjoyed this book. Even the location - mostly the county of Surrey - added to the pleasure as it was here that I grew up over sixty years ago so had a tiny which of nostalgia. My thanks to the rights holder of Balance of Power who, at my request, freely gifted me with a complimentary copy. This is a book I can definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys a well written police procedural peopled with realistic people. I am adding author A.L.Fraine's Pilgrim series to my list of future want to reads

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"Looks like we've found our screamer."

Revisado: 08-04-22

Detective Adila Cooper has been a cop for 21 years and is reluctant to have the rooky partnered with her. She wasn't popular with her colleagues since ratting out her partner . A girl is brought in, bruised and battered, probably raped: she'd been on the missing list for several days. Too many homicides in Baltimore. Like all of James Hunt's stories, the reader is thrown straight into this one, grabbing, then holding, attention, action packed and intriguing.
The narration by Mikela Drew is well modulated, her performance infusing a sense of desperation to the text, heightening the reading experience. However, this story is incomplete. More an ongoing serial than a series of novellas. There is no satisfactory ending to this otherwise riveting read.
I downloaded my complimentary copy of Death Notes from Free Audiobook Codes without obligation: my thanks to the rights holder

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"The evolution of evil."

Revisado: 08-04-22

Death Notes, Obituary, is the third and final part of the Detective Adila Cooper serial. A Baltimore cop for over 20 years, she has been looking for a killer who gets his victims to leave messages written in red crayon. And she'll risk everything to stop him - both because of her belief in the sanctity of the law and because he had taken her sister. Fast paced, ongoing action throughout with a well modulated narration by Mikela Drew whose performance infuses a sense of desperation to the text, heightening the reading experience. The conclusion is dramatic.

However, please note that this book is really the final part of a single novel and would have been better presented as such rather than as three serialised novellas,
I downloaded my complimentary copy of Death Notes from Free Audiobook Codes without obligation. My thanks to the rights holder for this.

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"The weakness of men."

Revisado: 07-18-22

Firstly, the narration: three people are listed here, reading the chapters appropriate to their character as the point of view switches between Henry, nicely performed by Dominic Thorburn, Libby and Lucy read by Tamaryn Payne and Bea Holland. Unfortunately, the credits do not say who read which part. Not that it matters as both were good, clear and maintained an interest and were so similar in sound that I didn't realise that there was more than one female narrator. There were a couple of pronunciations but little of consequence and the male/ female voice variation helped provide a textural interest.

The actual story was, however, disappointing. It started well with the mystery of three dead, one woman and two men, found on the kitchen floor of a house in Cheney Walk, a very select and expensive street by the Thames in London. Two of the bodies were identified as husband and wife, the owners, but the third victim was unknown. It was an apparent suicide pact. But there was also the complication of a live baby on the floor above, well fed and cared for, secure in a cot. Although believed to be the dead couple's child, who had cared for her in the time between the deaths and the discovery of the bodies? Twenty four years later, that same baby who had been given for adoption, was surprised when she inherited the house and set out to find out more about her birth parents. This story, which moves back and forth in time and between protagonists, reveals all. Not so much a who-dun-it? mystery but a who are you?

Interesting enough to carry this reader to the end, just, by virtue of the good narration, but it dragged especially towards the end and despite the final resolutions, did not have the anticipated feel good factor but instead just rather shabby sad and unlikely.
So five stars for the readers and, being generous, three for the convoluted tale itself.

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"We all need a pop song from time to time."

Revisado: 07-17-22

The Covid plague is sweeping the Earth. Life is pretty grim for many people. But a world away
Godzilla monsters, giant parasites, tree crabs, biting flies and nuclear explosions are just some of the joys awaiting Jamie Gray when he signs on with the Kaiju Preservation Society.
This is such a fun book, an antidote to the grim realities of the past two years and was written with just that intention. Some in-references to Japanese comics, past science fiction films and so on, but not enough to leave the uninformed reader feeling foolish. The characterisation is basic but easily sufficient to support the banter between the quirky academics making them seem real and (mostly) empathetic as they both squabble and work together through increasingly problematic situations.

Will Weaton's performed equally quirky and a sheer delight as he throws himself fully into the reading both in conversational varied voice but also displaying emotions suited to the excitement of the happenings in the story. He doesn't hold back, surrounding the reader with sound just as the author paints his visual pictures. A great pairing of book and narrator.

Feeling a bit down but still enjoy dinosaur type science fiction? With (almost) witty conversations (without the previously much commented upon 'he said', 'she said' Scalzi repetition), strange encounters, exciting action and a great feeling of comeradery, and most of all, lots of laughs? Then this is the book for you.
Get, read, enjoy.

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"Don't thank me till you know what you've got."

Revisado: 07-13-22

Reginald Bill's Dalziel and Pascoe detective series is always a pleasure: each different in style from the one before but always peopled with magnificent characters outside as well as inside the police force. This time, Dalziel seems to be acting rather strangely, even for him, remaining almost remote from his colleagues and seemingly preceding the company of the more wealthy members of the community. And there is the uncomfortable suggestion that his just might have been the driver of the car which killed an elderly man despite protestations to the contrary. He had been very drunk.

With each chapter introduced by a 'famous last words' quotation, the plot revolves around the deaths of three elderly men and the police enquires more focused on Pascoe and Wieldy, with the sometime assistance of Constable Hector. Good story, excellent protagonists and we'll performed by actor Colin Buchanan, the Pascoe of the TV series, who not only reads with interest and good inflection but also give individual voicing to all of the numerous characters.

As always, sheer delight and definitely recommended

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Compassion ...was strictly circumscribed.

Revisado: 07-08-22

Almost a great start to a new series. A previously successful prosecution attorney in Charleston had loster everything when his wife died in an accident and his only son, Noah, was left seriously injured with enormous medical bills. Leland moved back to his home town, nearly penniless, and was struggling to build a new business, when a friend of Noah's is accused of the murder of his father and the boy's mother begs Leland to take on the case.
Narration of this book by JJ Hosenfeld was good, his first person recounting felt authentic, protagonists were given individual voices and the whole was well paced, calm and definitely added to the enjoyment of the story even to helping with the development of the characters. The book moves at a steady pace, the who-dun-it? aspect intriguing at first, but the ending was disappointing and felt rushed, out of place. It made the entire novel feel less than believable as a result: a pity because although bizarre, until the final chapters it had felt plausible.The

I enjoy courtroom dramas and this was enjoyable despite previous reservations noted above, and the small actual court room time in the book. Recommended for anyone else who finds pleasure in this genre and I look forward to book two

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