War2d2

Silva is a master

Revisado: 11-29-24

I love these books so much. The narration by George Guidall is absolutely perfect. So good.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Decent noir with a unique premise

Revisado: 11-20-24

I liked that the author had some new ideas to bring to an established genre—the setting wasn’t something I’ve read before (and I’ve read a ton), so that really held my interest.

The characters are all archetypes: the grizzled investigator, his violent partner, the chief that gets in his way, and too many ingenues to list. If there’s a failing in the book it’s in the depiction of the characters and how they interact. The main character of Joe says “I don’t mind” or some variation of that about 50 times in response to other characters’ comments or directions, which gives the impression he’s just being carried along by the currents. But when the story calls for it, he’s suddenly a superhero-ninja. That stretched credulity.

The writing is in a good, solid, straightforward style. Not everyone can pull off the more ornate stuff like James Lee Burke does, and I’m glad Kestrel doesn’t try. I’ll probably read another of his books in the future, I enjoyed his writing.

Ballerini isn’t my favorite reader, but he’s solid. He gets a little too stage-y sometimes and leans into the pathos, but he’s got a good voice and is pleasant to listen to.

Over all I recommend this if you like detective noir and want to try a new author.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Uneven, not for everyone

Revisado: 08-27-24

I love Stephenson, but this is the weakest of his novels I’ve read. It still has the world-building and visuals he’s known for, but for the most part I struggled to identify with any of the characters, and at points the story meandered and he loses the plot.

From the perspective of it being an audiobook, the reader does a solid job, and the “bumpers” of music add to the experience. Unfortunately it’s a 20+ year-old recording, and the audio quality is roughly equivalent to AM radio. That didn’t bother me after a while, but it’s jarring if you’re used to modern high-fidelity recordings.

Over all I recommend it only to the Stephenson completist. He’s got better books out there.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Great atmosphere and detail, story gets a little formulaic at the end

Revisado: 04-01-24

Really well written, with enjoyable and endearing characters. I was really liking the mystery at the heart of the story, but was disappointed when I felt the ending came out of left field. Still worth a listen.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Saccharine, but likable

Revisado: 02-27-24

JK Simmons is a great reader, and I think that’s where most of the enjoyment comes from for me. It’s a very sweet story, too sweet for my tastes, but I could see someone’s aunt or grandma liking this quite a bit.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Starts slow, ends with a bang

Revisado: 02-19-24

I almost gave up on this multiple times in the first couple hours, but I’m glad I stuck with it. It gets far more interesting as it goes on. It’s helpful to know some of the history before starting it, and also to know a little bit about the engines they’re talking about, but it’s not necessary. You can gloss over the technical details and concentrate on the human interest angle.

Brick, as always, is an excellent reader, and I likely would have stopped the book early on if he weren’t the reader.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Great version

Revisado: 12-26-23

Tim Curry does a great job reading this. I listen to it every Christmas Eve while setting up the presents for the next day. Highly recommended.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

My first Poirot

Revisado: 12-22-23

I enjoyed this book as a first foray into Agatha Christie in dozens of years — I last read a Christie book sometime in the ‘80s when I was very young, and don’t remember much about it — but I can’t say I’ll be a devoted follower going forward. It was entertaining, but the old style of mystery where everyone is gathered together in the drawing room and the detective says “and the murderer is…” doesn’t appeal to me so much. If that’s your thing, you’ll undoubtably enjoy this, but my interests lay elsewhere.

The reader does a very solid job, and handles the several accents in the story reasonably well. He has a pleasant voice, and acts all the characters out well.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Enjoyable escapist entertainment

Revisado: 12-18-23

MacLean is an author from another age; you won’t find conflicted antiheroes or ambiguous endings. Just clearly defined heroes, with clearly defined motives, solving a mystery with a neatly defined ending. But just as watching an old episode of Columbo still has its pleasures, so does reading a book cut from the same cloth.

It’s helped quite a bit by the quality of narration—while he struggles with accents (his Texan needs work), his reading is clear and engaging, and his narrator’s voice is pleasant to hear.

Overall, this is a quality “dad book,” Great for listening to on a long drive, or while puttering in the garage.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Comfortable and enjoyable

Revisado: 12-05-23

I love the Longmire books, they’re like a cross between the Andy Griffith Show and Homicide: Life On The Streets. This one lets some of the supporting characters shine a little more, and has some really creative twists in the plot. Just a real enjoyable listen, with the typically spectacular narration provided by George Guidall. For my money he’s the best in the business.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña