H. Harmon

A terrifying and yet very moving story

Revisado: 07-17-24

I’ve enjoyed every book by Belinda Bauer, including Blacklands, and am eagerly awaiting new arrivals.

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A very realistic depiction of the Great Depression

Revisado: 04-15-22

This is really a fine portrayal of the period my parents struggled through. And yes, communists led many of the great labor and human rights movements of the time. The viciousness of the capitalists in trying to crush these organizing efforts is not exaggerated in this story. Unfortunately, most people do not understand the social history of the US, but have been the inculcated with propaganda for generations. Sadly, the 2 biggest examples of the overthrow of capitalism, the Soviet Union and China, both reverted back to capitalism, and compete with the US for world domination. There is no actual communist or even socialist system in the world today. For best analysis of the reasoning and aims of communism, read The Communist Manifesto, by the guy who started it- Karl Marx.

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Very boring and convoluted

Revisado: 01-31-22

I usually enjoy John Connolly’s books, but this was a real exception. There were so many characters that I felt I would have to sit and diagram them to keep track, which defeats the purpose of an audiobook. A convoluted plot with excessive details, that went everywhere, and made me zone out a lot. Too bad, because I was looking forward to an adventure starring Louis and Angel, my 2 faves in the series.

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Had promise, but in the end, fell way short

Revisado: 01-25-21

The plot, an attempt to go up against slumlord developers, by rallying the community, was a good idea. However, by the end, I was thoroughly disgusted by the Asian stereotypes, including the slurs of “chink” and “slant eyes” by the “hero” Vietnam vet who helps to defeat the “Chinese thugs.” Yacht

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Deeply moving story, Masterful writing

Revisado: 07-11-18

Belinda Bauer has recently become my favorite mystery. crime writer. I was hooked from the start on this story, and finished it with little interruption until the end. Suspense, pathos, humor, it's all here. Without spoilers, The twist involving Jack's father was so brilliant, so unexpected, and so downright heartrending, that I had to stop listening and stare into space for a minute marveling at it's emotional force. Narration is perfect. Snap, Rubbernecker and The Shut Eye are my favorites by Ms Bauer. I would love to see well-done movies of all three.

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esto le resultó útil a 12 personas

Awful!!

Revisado: 06-11-18

I loved the first book in the series, but literally suffered through most of Killman Creek, and then had to decide that finding out the ending was not worth listening to the completely unsympathetic characters. The kids were awful and they made much of the book sound like a really badly written YA novel. Also, too much detailing of the thoughts of the characters, which were very repetitive and often full of sappy sentimentality. Really unfortunate, as the plot had a lot of potential.

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Mixed review

Revisado: 04-19-18

A great mystery/drama concept but marred by long passages of overdone and saccharine-sweet sentimentality.

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Audible Format Not Optimal For This Book

Revisado: 06-19-17

Is there anything you would change about this book?

There was too much detail- especially for an audiobook. Too many digressions from the main case, technical details, agencies, and people. I found myself getting lost and unable to focus on the narrative.

What other book might you compare The Cyanide Canary to and why?

I just listened to "The Devil in the Grove", a book about racial injustice in Florida in the 1940's. The main case was about 4 young Black men accused of raping a white woman, and how they were viciously framed and abused. Although this type of phenomenon was common, the author was able to both detail the historical context and characters' without constantly abandoning the main gut wrenching story. The Cyanide canary did not succeed in this way.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Tom Perkins?

No problem with narrator.

Could you see The Cyanide Canary being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

It's a worthwhile story, but would need major editing.

Any additional comments?

A very important social justice story. Maybe better in book form.

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The Decker character is great but...

Revisado: 05-03-17

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series because of the interesting characters and human interest plots. I intensely dislike cold war copycat espionage stories, as they read like jingoistic propaganda and perpetuate simplistic notions and stereotypes about international conflict. The Fix is that type of book. Formulaic and boring. Hope to read more Decker books like the first two.

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Very inappropriate narrator voice

Revisado: 09-25-16

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

This was actually a pretty good story. What made it difficult for me was the narrator's voice. She sounds too young to impart the required gravity to the subject matter (murder, prostitution, drug addiction, to name a few examples) or to distinguish nuances such as irony. it really did sound like a 15 year old reading a bedtime story to an 8 year old. All of the women characters in the novel either were older by age or by trials and tribulations, but they all sounded like innocent young girls of the present era. Trying to do male characters with that voice is ridiculous. I really would like to explore the other books in this series, but if the narrator is the same, I won't bother.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The narrator's voice prevented identification with any of the characters.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Leigh Ryan?

Natalie Ross, Lisa Coleman is excellent- if she can do a Bostonian 19th century accent. I'm sure there are many female narrators with more mature voices and better skills.

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