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Far from the Treeby Rob Parker, Warren Brown (Narrator) Unabridged Audiobook, 8 hrs., 53 min. Read: August 11-13, 2020 |
What’s Far from the Tree About?
I’ve tried several times to try to come up with a summary, and I just can’t without ruining something. So, let’s just appropriate the Publisher’s Summary, shall we?
Brendan Foley has worked to balance the responsibilities of a demanding job and a troublesome family. He’s managed to keep these two worlds separate, until the discovery of a mass grave sends them into a headlong collision. When one of the dead turns out to be a familiar face, he’s taken off the case.
Iona Madison keeps everything under control. She works hard as a detective sergeant and trains harder as a boxer. But when her superior, DI Foley, is removed from the case, her certainties are tested like never before.
With stories of the Warrington 27 plastered over the news, they set out to solve the crime before anyone else. The local constabulary is small and under-funded – Brendan knows they can’t crack this case alone, and he’s not letting a rival force take over. Not with the secrets he fears are lurking. Their investigations lead them into the murky underworlds of Manchester and Liverpool, where one more murder means little to drug-dealing gangs, desperate to control their power bases.
But as Madison steps into the ring for the fight of her life, the criminals come to them. It’s no coincidence that the corpses have been buried in Foley’s hometown. The question is, why? Foley might not like the answer….
Is There Anything I can Add to That?
Foley’s family is messed up, and he doesn’t do a lot to improve things (actually for most of this book he seems to be making it worse—while trying to help, I should add in his defense). Typically, the families of fictional police are either near-picture perfect or are pretty dysfunctional. Parker starts off making you think it’ll be the former, and then he changes course and leaves dysfunctional in the dust. Still, Foley comes across as the kind of cop you want to read about, the kind that you like to think you can find in police forces all over the world—sure, he needs some marriage counseling and needs to do some serious work when it comes to his kids. But who doesn’t have problems?
Madison’s boxing (and what drives her to it) is a great touch. It’s such a different character choice, and it really works. It gives her the right mix of self-destructive impulses, aggression, and self-discipline. On-duty, Madison’s just as interesting—seeing her torn between loyalty to Foley, devotion to duty, and wanting to solve the crime. She’s a great character, and I really hope that she plays a large role in the next two books.
What About the Narration?
This was an Audible Original, so the Audiobook experience is a big part of it. Brown was a great choice of narrator—he’s the perfect voice for this material. He captured and shaped the tone as he needed to, and gave the right performances for each character.
I can’t help feeling like I need to say more, but I just don’t know what else to say. If I had problems with the performance, I’d probably be able to go on longer, but when a narrator gets it right, like Brown does here, what else is there to say?
So, what did I think about Far from the Tree?
This was just brutal—and I mean that in the best possible way, because I can’t imagine that Parker and Brown were going for anything else. Every time—and I don’t think I’m exaggerating here—that I thought I knew where the story was going, what Parker was trying to do with one of the characters (except maybe Madison), what surprises he had up his sleeve, I was just minutes away from being proven wrong.
It was shocking—repeatedly—it was the textbook definition of gripping, unrelentingly so. Get your hands and ears on this one.
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