Samyann's Blog, page 4

Voyagers Series by Ben Bova

Voyagers by Ben Bova
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If you’re looking for a story of space, aliens, space travel, this is not your series. The review addresses Voyagers, Voyagers II, III, and The Return.

Plot. A spacecraft is approaching earth — no response to earth signals. A mission from earth determines that the craft is a sarcophagus – the sole passenger is a dead alien. A ship message tells us to study the alien and his ship and send him on his way to other worlds. A USA astronaut decides to stay on the alien ship, goes into stasis for 18 years, and returns to earth. He has changed – and so has the earth.

Liked: Stuck with it, well, because it IS a Bova series. Narration and production are fine. No sex, no objectionable language, clean reads.

Not so hot: This is NOT a typical SciFi, rather a platform for the author to voice concerns regarding world politics, religious zealots, climate change, nuclear war…the earth will perish if humans do not change. There have been other books and movies with the same basic theme – The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Abyss, more. So, it’s been done before – and better, IMO.

Forgotten In Death (In Death #53)

Forgotten In Death by J.D. Robb
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Forgotten in Death is book #53 of the In-Death series by J.D.Robb (Nora Roberts). Narrated by Susan Ericksen, about 14 hours of listening.

This tale is about two murders – one recent (a homeless woman’s body in a dumpster) and one decades old (bones found during demolition), both in the same vicinity of Roarke properties. All of your favorite characters appear, Peabody, Mira, McNabb, Nadine, etc. Susan Ericksen’s portrayal of each character is stellar, as usual.

Typical In Death story – lots of mystery and sleuthing. If you enjoy the In Death series, it’s a comfortable old shoe!

Peril by Bob Woodward

Peril by Bob Woodward
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

IMO, America needs to understand “why it happened” – and “Peril” isn’t going to tell you – only that “peril continues”. Guess the “why” is still speculation and fodder for future books.

Much of “Peril” is a rehash of other books, like “I Alone Can Fix It” by Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker – although there is one startling new detail: Trump attorney John Eastman’s 6-step, unlawful, process for Pence to overturn the 2020 election. Trump pushed, insulted, screamed, and pushed again at Pence to “stop the steal”, up to and including January 6th. Not news if you have been following American politics and the failed coup.

Woodward’s daily interviews pretty much tell you all of what is in this book.

Neal Corey Mysteries

A Cool Breeze on the Underground by Don Winslow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Neal Carey Mysteries consist of four novels, plus one novella, totaling approximately 40 hours of listening in unabridged audiobook format. All narrated by Joe Barrett, released from 2008 – 2011 by Blackstone Audio, Inc. This review addresses the entire series. Sequence: 1-A Cool Breeze on the Underground, 2-The Trail to Buddha’s Mirror, 3-Way Down on the High Lonely, 4-A Long Walk Up the Water Slide, and 5-While Drowning in the Desert.

Plot. Neal Carey, a hardened street kid, pick-pockets a wallet from a guy who takes Neal under his wing and teaches him how to become an expert in the art. The mentor is a problem-fixer for a bank with wealthy clients, staying under the radar. Through the series, Neal retrieves the wayward, drug-addicted teenage daughter of a politician running for president, finds a missing scientist with a valuable formula, finds a missing child kidnapped in a custody battle … more. The missions are never simple, and each story has a beginning-middle-end. No cliffhangers.

Liked. The action mixes moments of terror and hilarity that will make you worry for a successful mission as you laugh aloud. The narrator’s timing and overall voicing are terrific.

Not so hot. The narration is a bit slow, so pumped the Audible app up to 1.4 – not really criticism. Not great literature, not intended to be – just good stories.

Recommend!

Billy Summers

Billy Summers by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First, most important. This is not the usual King novel. No clowns, no scare jumps, nothing in the creepy-crawly typical horror genre of this author. It’s a psychological thriller about an assassin. But … a fundamentally good guy who only targets bad guys. He will take a contract on another murderer, a rapist or child molester, etc., but sticks to his own high moral standards.

Plot. Billy Summers is a crack shot – and, not specifically choosing it as a profession, finds himself a murderer-for-hire. He feels no guilt, takes on very few jobs. But, when he does, he gets the job done. Billy spends months preparing for a job, gets it done, and while in hiding, waiting to disappear, rescues a girl. They soon bond – and the two partner, reluctance on his part. Through the tale, Billy is writing his life story, and we follow along through his childhood to, and intermingled with, current day.

Liked. The story. Flashbacks to Faluja, war, nightmares, The writer’s mind – IMO, we’re getting a peek at the mind of King as an author. Fascinating insight. Character development of the girl – excellent.

Not so hot. The book is very long and typical of King, verbose. Personally, this isn’t a negative for me, like ‘m long…but many don’t. Just an FYI.

Billy Summers is written by Stephen King, narrated by Paul Sparks, 17 hours of listening, release in August 2021 by Simon & Schuster Audio.

Recommended!

Montana Sky

Montana Sky by Nora Roberts
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A wealthy Montana rancher leaves his entire estate to three daughters to be divided equally – a codicil of the will is that the three women live on and work the ranch together for one year. Two of the women knew he was their father but never met him. One was raised by a ranch housekeeper, knew and loved her father – sort of – you’ll learn early on that he wasn’t a very nice person. The ranch is worth millions, so we have cowboys and cowgirls, and as pages turn, love ensues, the women become close, and murder and mayhem threaten all.

Liked—the story premise. Nora Roberts is an excellent weaver of plot and character development.

Not so hot. Everything else. 1) Montana is not the south – southern accents? 2) Animal abuse and butchery – like beheading a cat, slitting the throats of ranch animals, human scalp souvenirs. Grizzly stuff. 3) Explicit sex scenes abound – saccharine, gratuitous, and ridiculously clichè. 4) Me-Tarzan-you-Jane. kill me now; everybody is drop-dead gorgeous. If you’re a MeToo person, skip it.

Adults only book—lots of sex, lots of animal abuse, lots of offensive language. Great mystery.

Montana Sky is written by Nora Roberts, narrated by Erika Leigh, about 17 hours long in unabridged audiobook format, and released in June 2008 by Brilliance Audio.

Mitch Rapp

Total Power by Vince Flynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

*Start rant* Vince Flynn has been dead for over eight years. Hey, Kyle? Stop using Flynn’s name to sell your books. *End rant*

Lethal Agent and Total Power, Book 18 and 19 respectively by Kyle Mills, narrated by George Guidall, 20 hours of listening, released in September 2020 by Simon & Schuster Audio. Lethal Agent is a worldwide pathogen threat. Total Power is the apocalyptic collapse of America’s power grid.

Liked. Typical Mitch Rapp stories. Bad guys appear through the stratosphere of American politics to the sands of the middle east – throw in some beautiful rural areas of America. Fans of the series will enjoy familiar characters, i.e., Irene Kennedy and Mitch Rapp’s cohorts.

Not so hot. Mitch is a lone wolf. The live-in-with-a-child love interest adds nothing to his character. Add to the absurdity is her being his go-to contact/handler – really? You gotta be kidding.

Charles Jenkins Series

The Eighth Sister by Robert Dugoni
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Plot. The Charles Jenkins series is a collection of CIA thrillers with a modern-day take on the never-ending cold war with Russia. Good guys, bad guys, thrills, chills, Russian resisters, Russian police and agents – bad agents in our own CIA – all traverse the pages of this well-written espionage series.

Edoardo Ballerini’s narration is perfect, as usual. Lots of twists, surprises. No sex, no explicit language, nothing gratuitous. Jenkins is black. The novelty of a black CIA agent trying to hide – including being a six-foot-tall woman wearing a burka – a bit of a stretch, but hey – it’s fiction! Some near-miss and harrowing escapes you’ll enjoy.

This review addresses the first two novels in the series, more to come. The Eight Sister and The Last Agent were released in 2019 and 2020 respectively. Written by Robert Dugoni, narrated by Edoardo Ballerini, unabridged audiobooks – Brilliance Audio.

Recommended.

In Her Tracks

In Her Tracks by Robert Dugoni
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In Her Tracks is Book 8 in the Tracy Crosswhite series of police procedurals. Although this is a series, you can jump in anywhere and enjoy a complete story with limited references to prior works you won’t understand.

Plot. In this episode, Tracy, a Seattle detective, is working on the cold case of a former cop’s missing little girl and a case involving an abducted female jogger.

Liked. No sex, no objectionable language – clean reads. No issues with production or narration.

Not so hot. Well, lots of twists and a few I found to be a bit gratuitous. But, a worthy read nonetheless.

Written by Robert Dugoni, narrated by Emily Sutton-Smith (Emily has read all of the Tracy Crosswhite books), just over 10 hours of listening in unabridged audiobook format, released in April 2021 by Brilliance Audio.

Recommended!

Never Far Away

Never Far Away by Michael Koryta
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Plot. A happily married mother of two inadvertently contributes to the death of a family, an indirect witness to a murder. Her testimony results in the suicide åof the guilty party. His family/father is bent on the revenge of killing her. She fakes her own death, abandoning her husband and kids to protect them. Ten years pass – and her husband dies accidentally. Much more would be spoilers.

Liked. A worthy read. No sex, nor explicit language – nothing offensive, some violence. Likely haven’t seen the last of Dax Blackwell – he reminds me of Dexter (Google the TV show) – a particularly bizarre character. Page turner.

Not so hot. Well, the overall plot. One would think that she would have figured a way to exact justice much sooner. Just me.

Never Far Away is written by Michael Koryta, narrated by Robert Petkoff, just under 12 hours of listening in unabridged audiobook format, and released in February 2021 by Little, Brown & Company.

Recommended.