Samyann's Blog, page 23

The Shut Eye by Belinda Bauer – Audio

The Shut Eye is written by Belinda Bauer, narrated by Andrew Wincott, and nine hours of listening in the unabridged audiobook format. Released in January 2016 by Dreamscape Media.

You’ll learn early in the story that a ‘shut eye’ is synonomous with a psychic –  the type that can speak to the dead or, like one of the characters in The Shut Eye, provide services to the police department to find a missing person.  The story takes place in England, the narrator’s accent British. A young woman is devastated to the point of insanity due to the disappearance of her little boy, blaming her husband for leaving the front door open. All that remains of the child are footsteps made in wet cement that the poor woman polishes and protects. Enter a bigoted, burned out cop looking for another missing child but tasked with finding a lost dog. Yeah, you read that right: looking for a lost dog rather than a lost child. The fact that the lost dog belonged to his boss doesn’t matter – the premise is ridiculous. Thus is the thrust.

Received as an Audible Daily Deal – didn’t cost much, which is a good thing in that I didn’t care for the book. Considerable rewinding in an attempt to understand. The story is ethereal, deep, and I gave up trying to understand and just moved forward. Some of the story is credible and believable, most had me staring into space muttering ‘What the…?’. Part paranormal, part police procedural, which in itself is a great premise for a book. But The Shut Eye misses the boat in my opinion. Environmental visuals are off, no character is likable, the plot is convoluted and difficult to follow, there is no closure in a completely bizarre ending that makes absolutely no sense.

Narration by Andrew Wincott is passable, production is okay. Honestly, I cannot effuse much in that I didn’t like the book itself … sorry Andrew.

I know – I know, The Shut Eye has a slew of good reviews. Beats me as to why. I very rarely pan a book. But, count me among those too stupid to find much merit in The Shut Eye.

Echo Park by Michael Connelly – Audiobook

Author Michael Connelly, narrator Len Cariou, the unabridged audiobook version of Echo Park is eleven hours of listening. 2006 publication by Hachete Audio. Book 12 in the Harry Bosch Series.

A district attorney, deep into an election season, calls on Harry Bosch to validate the confessions of a serial killer. One of the killings has haunted Harry for thirteen years, a case he never solved. Harry will finally be able to tell the parents he has found their daughter’s body. Slam-dunk, right?

Not so fast. Suspects galore, good cops, bad cops, thrills and chills!

What I liked? The who-done-it isn’t the slam-dunk it should be – we’re deep into a cold case mystery, always a fun read. Harry’s acerbic, deep-thinker wit, his type A loner persona, his soft spot for the victims and their families. Connelly has created a wonderful character that has been fodder for many of his books, a movie, and most recently a television series.

What I didn’t like – can’t think of anything. This is a typical police procedural, very listenable, good plot and characters.

Len Cariou is the voice of Harry Bosch, does a terrific job. I’ve got hundreds of audiobooks and I can’t imagine anyone else reading the Harry Bosch Series. He’s just great. If you’re a fan of Blue Bloods, you know who he is – the family patriarch who at the end of most episodes is proffering his wisdom at the head of the family dinner table.

If you’re familiar with Harry Bosch, a fan of Michael Connelly, you’ll enjoy. Echo Park fits into the series well.

The Closers by Michael Connelly – Audio

Narrated by Len Cariou, Michael Connelly’s The Closers is Book 11 of the Harry Bosch Series of detective novels. The audiobook is just over twelve hours of listening.

There are thousands of reviews, so I can’t add much. You’ll have no trouble finding a slew of opinions. The title, The Closers, references the nature of Harry Bosch’s current position with the Los Angeles Police Department – he is working cold case files. Bosch returns to the department after a few years of hiatus and the unsolved murder of a teenaged girl is his first case. Suspects galore, including bad cops and old boyfriend, traverse the pages. Purchased this file way back in 2005 and this is my second listen. Should give you an idea of the absorbing character and exploits of Harry Bosch. There is even a TV series devoted to the character – but, hey – ‘the books are better’.

Len Cariou is a great narrator and has read many Michael Connelly books, the ‘voice’ of Harry Bosch. If you’re a TV fan, his most recent role is on Blood Bloods as the family patriarch – but, his most important achievement is a Tony Award for his lead role in Sweeney Todd.

The Harry Bosch Series is terrific – you don’t need to read in sequence. If you enjoy police procedural, jump in anywhere and you’ll enjoy.

Son by Jack Olsen – Audio

Written by Jack Olsen, a long audiobook at close to twenty-three hours of listening, and narrated by Kevin Pierce. Son, originally published in 1983, is an accounting of a serial rapist in Spokane, WA in the late 1970s, early 1980s.

An update to the true crime of this story, information not included in the book. The saga of Fred Coe continued for a few years after the release of the book with appeals, convictions overturned, etc., but fortunately, enough stuck to this predator to keep him locked up. Fred Coe is behind bars as of this writing. Coe has consistently, to this day, been adamant in professing innocence. However, forensic tools now available, such as DNA testing, have confirmed his guilt. A 2011 plea for release was denied.

Silly to enjoy grizzly fiction and get queasy when confronted with the real thing, but there it is. True crime is a genre I’ve avoided – it is so disturbing. Easy to follow, Son is a well written reveal of Fred Coe’s psychopathic mind, in addition to the enabling sickness of his mother, Ruth Coe. The book is about rape, the effect of rape on victims, the victims’ families. It is also the dissection and analysis of a psychopath – not just a rapist. Each chapter is preceded by a quotation from a noted physician/psychologist with sage words of understanding or comprehension or explanation.

Narration by Kevin Pierce is excellent. No attempts to sway opinion, by narrator or author. The facts are presented in a listenable manner.

I can’t say I enjoyed this book, but I’m very glad I listened. Not for everyone, but a highly recommended true crime book.

The Faithful by S. M. Freedman – Audiobook

A SciFi story written by S. M. Freedman, narrated by Tanya Eby, length close to 13 hours in the unabridged audiobook format. This version was released in November 2015 by Brilliance Audio.

The main protagonist, Josh Metcalfe, is a rookie cop investigating the disappearance of a little girl. Fast forward twenty years and the case is still unsolved. Now Senior FBI agent Josh Metcalfe is obsessed with the fact that young children have been disappearing for decades, without a trace. Each child is gifted with some form of paranormal ability, be it telekinesis, mind reading, precognition, etc. No bodies have ever been found at the scenes of disappearance … however, they do find lamb’s blood. Thus is the basic foundation.

Why I liked. The mystery, of course. It’s easy to empathize with the lead character. He’s a ‘good-guy’ and it’s easy to root for him to succeed.  Even though The Faithful is on the twisted side – you need a strong stomach to absorb the abuse of children – the plot and storyline makes a compelling tale. Not earth shattering, but a good listen.

Not so hot. Tanya Eby’s voice is a bad choice considering the content of this story. Couldn’t help thinking of Lily Tomlin’s Edith Ann sitting in her big rocking chair sticking out her tongue. Not taking anything away from Tanya’s ability – she’s got excellent diction, sweet, lovely, and well suited to young adult or romance. I kept waiting for her to tell me about a bunny or a baby chick. This story is dark SciFi about the abduction and abuse of children that just doesn’t work with a juvenile voice.

Consider the content, read a sample, or listen to an audio sample before you make the investment. A good story that is not for everyone.

Kingdom Come by Jane Jensen – Audiobook

Written by Jane Jensen, the unabridged audiobook is 7.5 hours of listening and narrated by Rachel Fulginiti. This version released in early 2016 by Blackstone Audio.

The story begins when a former NYPD detective, the beautiful Elizabeth Harris, investigates a murder scene in the barn of an Amish farm. A dead girl is provocatively posed, legs splayed, head bashed in – not Amish. No spoilers, but Elizabeth has a gut feeling that the doer is a member of the Amish community. She’s open to the hypocritical. Her boss, given his understanding of the local culture, disagrees. Thus is the thrust of Kingdom Come.

Why I liked. Kingdom Come is a good mystery and a look into Amish life. Lancaster County, PA is the setting and although Elizabeth spent many years in New York, this area is her childhood roots. She brings big city homicide experience to a rural world of fruit stands, horse and buggy, and the elders of the Amish. An interesting premise. The author portrays the Amish as I have seen them: mysterious, polite, quiet. There is a realism to the portrayal that lies at the heart of the discontent in the Amish world, in my opinion. Amish women are extraordinarily subservient to Amish men  – be it elders, husbands, even male siblings. Women exist to serve and protect their men and make Amish babies. This inequity is a big part of the story.

I learned a bit reading Kingdom Come – like the population density of Amish in the area – 50,000. The Amish are truly in their own world, no birth certificates nor social security cards. Interesting detail and well researched.

Not so hot. Kingdom Come is not a romance, it’s a terrific crime thriller/murder mystery. However, sex sells, and the author found it necessary for the main protagonist to have the hots for an Amish farmer, gorgeous of course. The characters are put through the requisite “romance” of wet-panties-weak-knee-ogling nonsense that adds nothing to the story. *Sigh – fast forward*

It is possible to write crime novels without mawkish sex scenes, but that’s just me – you may think it’s peachy.

Given the main protagonist is a female, Rachel Fulginiti’s interpretation is fine – comes across well. Male and female voices are good. A little slow for my taste, bumped it up to 1.25. That and fast-forwarding through the eye-rolling parts had me finish in a day.

Worth the read.

Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben – Audiobook

Written by Harlan Coben, narrated by Jonathan Marosz, the unabridged audiobook is near nine hours of listening. This version released in 2006, but the original hardback goes back to 1995.

Deal Breaker introduces professional sports agent Myron Bolitar and this is book one in a lengthy series…eight novels as of this writing. Myron is in his early thirties and lives in the basement of his parents house. Sounds like a bit of a wimpy momma’s boy, right? Not so much. Myron is a former basketball player and Harlan Coben leaves physical description to the observations of other characters and your imagination. Mine has him tall, of course, dark and handsome. He’s a self deprecating and tough character who can drop a guy twice his size with a quick thrust of a fist or knee or elbow or …. you know what I mean.

The story begins with the anonymous delivery of a porno magazine. One recipient is a client of Myron – an upcoming star football quarterback. The magazine contains a nudie photograph of the quarterback’s dead girlfriend and the story presents you with a plethora of possibilities. Is she still alive? Where? If not, who sent the magazines and why? There is a myriad of suspects, i.e., the professional football team owner, the quarterback himself or other players, her former teachers, family, old high school or college friends. Lot to ponder. The story moves through the plot quickly.

Who that loves to read doesn’t like a good who-done-it? I’m there! This is a great, page turning murder mystery. The story also introduces a terrific character, Myron Bolitar. Not sure if Harlan Coben isn’t living vicariously through his character, but the wry sense of humor is awesome and quote-worthy. There are some terrific one-liners throughout the story and Myron’s personality shines. Caustic, witty, funny as hell, and morally upstanding type A macho-dude. I loved him!

Narration by Jonathan Marosz is wonderful. His interpretation of the main protagonist is just great.

A worthy investment. Enjoy!

The Rumor by Elin Hilderbrand

Released by Hachette Audio in mid-2015, The Rumor is written by Elin Hilderbrand, narrated by Kathleen Mcinnerney, and the unabridged audiobook is just about eleven hours of listening.

Rumors of affairs, most of which are true, and annoying female gossip traverse the pages – which, I guess, was the point. This is definitely a young adult book, as most of the characters are teenagers. The rest are stay-at-home moms with nothing to do other than tend gardens, worry about their teenagers, have juvenile conversation with each other, and gossip.

If you’ve any level of intelligence beyond say … oh … 10th grade, take a pass at high speed. If you’re a teenager, especially the air-head type, go for it. A beach read you’ll probably leave at the beach. Based on the silly content of this book, I actually laughed out loud when a character suggested some sophisticated book titles to a teenager. Given all that is The Rumor, that’s hilarious – but, the book isn’t a comedy – it’s a Peyton Place or soap opera.

The narrators did okay – but annoyingly valley-girly. If you’re considering The Rumor, do yourself a favor and listen to the sample.

The fact that this book has so many good reviews is baffling. For me, The Rumor was a waste of time – glad I’m not the only reader who had a similar take. Not recommended.

The Short Drop by FitzSimmons

Written by Matthew Fitzsimmons, narrated by James Patrick Cronin, an unabridged Audiobook twelve hours in length. This version was released by Brilliance Audio in December of 2015 and has many five star ratings and excellent reviews. The audiobook was offered in an Audible Daily Deal, so I jumped.

A United States senator’s fourteen year old daughter runs away. Ten years pass. The senator is now a leading candidate for the presidency and a photograph of his daughter’s Hello Kitty backpack appears in a mysterious email. The ball starts rolling to find out what happened to her, where she is, why she ran away, or who took her. Thus is the thrust of The Short Drop.

Why I liked this story. There are many possible suspects, several potential evil doers to consider. Her on-line boyfriend, parents, her father’s support staff, relatives. The story includes an interesting sub-plot involving the suicide of the father of the main protagonist, a childhood friend determined to uncover the mystery. I enjoy a well written suspense novel, and The Short Drop qualifies as a terrific who-done-it. It’s also fun to become engrossed in a ‘page turner’.

Not so hot. It took quite a while to get into the rhythm of the narrator. Although the pace is good and Cronin has unique voices for some of the characters, there was just something … off. Breathy? Over-emoting? But, over time this seemed to level out, or I just stopped cringing because I became so enthralled with the story. You’ll have no trouble discerning who-says-what-to-who.

At this writing, there is only one Matthew FitzSimmons audiobook available, however it appears this is book one in a series and book two is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle. I look forward to the audiobook sequel. An excellent mystery by a new author, well worth your investment.

Enjoy!

The Alienist by Caleb Carr – Audiobook

Written by Caleb Carr, an unabridged audiobook version narrated by George Guidall and just over twenty hours of listening. Audible released this version in 2012, but the original first edition hardback goes back to 1994. So, this book has been around a while.

Early in this story, you’ll learn exactly what an alienist is: Mental deficiencies like a psychosis, or any psychologic problem, was defined by physicians of the 1890s to be alien thought. Not in the modern day context of little-grey-men-at-your-bedside, but a more literal definition of “foreign” or “unknown”. A synonym for alienist today would be psychologist or psychiatrist. You will find quite a bit of phsyco-babble on this issue in The Alienist.

This is an 1890s murder investigation in New York city. Theodore Roosevelt is the police commissioner at the time, which is true. The main protagonist, John Moore, is a journalist recruited by Roosevelt to assist with the investigation and put a stop to the mayhem.

The setting is urban New York – women wore bustles, carried reticules and muffs, men dressed in white-tie and tails to go to an opera. Travel was by horse drawn hansom cab, streetlamps were gas, side-streets and rivers were a convenient sewage dump. This is the Gilded Age of urban poverty to the extreme for many, wealth beyond measure for a few. An underworld of entertainment for men of all stations is prostitution, including of little boys. Young male prostitutes, children, are being slaughtered in a particularly grizzly manner. Thus is the murder mystery of The Alienist.

Why I liked The Alienist. Historical novels that weave real people into the tale are always fun and Roosevelt’s persona is nicely conveyed by Carr. Furthermore, I’m a sucker for a gripping murder mystery, always on the hunt for a good who-done-it. The Alienist is also terrific historical fiction, a wonderful look at 1890s New York and the social mindset of the time. The Alienist is a true insight into the grunt work of police investigation, even in the 1890s. Hours and hours of guess work and analysis, pounding the pavement, dead ends, and maddening frustration are interspersed with brief moments of triumph or discovery. Add modern day tools such as computers, cell phones, DNA, and basic human tenacity is still a fundamental requirement for any success.

What I didn’t like. The writing, although enjoyable, is verbose, in my opinion – but, you may find it just right. Although nothing is repetitive, there are overly lengthy explanations of the obvious, at times.

Narration by Guidall is superb, as one should expect. Did a search for Guidall readings and this story popped up. Can’t say enough about George Guidall; if you haven’t listened to his narration, do yourself a favor and give him a go.

Enjoy!