Tag: Audiobooks Page 7 of 24

The point of these quick takes posts is to catch up on my “To Write About” stack—emphasizing pithiness, not thoroughness. Except for the two books that I want to do full posts on, this wraps up August. I’m in danger of catching up. (insert the obligatory “Narrator: He will not” joke here)

The Alchemist and an Amaretto

by Annette Marie, Cris Dukehart (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: The Guild Codex: Spellbound Series, #5
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Publication Date: January 27, 2020
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length:  6 hrs., 55 min.
Read Date: August 24-25, 2022

(the official blurb)
This series is the trunk that the others branch out from, it’s the anchor for the whole thing—and I’m just about at an end with it. It feels like Marie’s discovered a template and is just following it.

That said…I’m not leaving this because I want to see how the others unfold, I really like Tori, I want to see how things turn out with her brother, and the books are entertaining enough, while still being exasperating (to illustrate, Cobra Kai Season 5 is just on the other side of that line). But man…I’m tired of the non-romance romantic story and I’m fed up with the Ezra storyline (that I think is what the whole series is going to be ultimately about, so I’d better get used to it).

Putting my gripes aside—the alchemy stuff here is great, and I really liked the way all of it developed. This approach to werewolves is great and I’d really like to see more (but am pretty sure we won’t because of the whole template thing…but maybe in the Warped series?)

Also, I’m really hoping that at one point the protagonists from these series will figure out they should be allies and friends for one final, climactic battle before living a life of relative peace and routine.
3 Stars

Her Last Breath

by Linda Castillo, Kathleen McInerney (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: Kate Burkholder, #5
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication Date: June 17, 2013
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 9 hr., 46 min.
Read Date: August 25-26, 2022

(the official blurb)
I truly had a hard time with this one because so much of the book is about this police chief that we’re supposed to be rooting for going around and manipulating a case, lying to other law enforcement officers, and pressuring her siblings into lying to cover up what will be a clear case of self-defense so that she can keep her job.

The other storyline about the hit and run that turns out to be vehicular homicide? That was pretty good—a touch predictable, sure. But only because Castillo did everything but name the killer McMurderer, because this one needed to be about Kate figuring it out and the reader seeing what that put her through.

If we can put the self-defense cover-up story behind us now, I can keep going. Otherwise, this series becomes Dexter with a really low body count, and I’m just not going with that.

3 Stars

The Heron

by Don Winslow, Ed Harris (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Publisher: Audible OriginalsT
Publication Date: July 28, 2022
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 1 hr., 6 min.
Read Date: August 12, 2022

(the official blurb)
This is only an hour long, so it’s really difficult to talk about. But that’s a shame because I want to go paragraph by paragraph and talk about it—a live-blog running commentary seems to be the best way to talk about it, but who has the time for that?

I’m going to start with Ed Harris rocking this one—the dude is perfect and I want nothing else out of life than a new Winslow story every month or so read by Harris. That’s hyperbole to make a point, but it feels like one of the most honest sentences I’ve uttered recently.

This is short fiction at its best—a great premise, some good twists, a great conclusion, and a perfect ending. It just made me happy. I was about to say that there’s a great villain, but I’m not sure which character I’d attribute that to. There are a good number of great criminal characters running around committing crimes against each other—it’s just a matter of who comes out on top and how they do so. Grab some popcorn and enjoy.

Also, as I look back at what I noted when I listened—only 4 stars? I remember it better than that. Maybe it was the length? I’m going to trust my initial reaction, but as I write this, 4 seems like I’m underselling it.
4 Stars

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase from any of them, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

Blood Sugar (Audiobook) by Sascha Rothchild, Allyson Ryan: She Didn’t Kill Her Husband, But…

By HCNewton

On September 9, 2022

In Audiobook, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Blood Sugar

by Sascha Rothchild, Allyson Ryan (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Publication Date: April 18, 2022
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 8 hrs., 38 min.
Read Date: August 31-September 1, 2022

This is one of those books that grabbed my interest and then I immediately forgot about it for months. Thankfully, the library system here had it in their audiobook catalog where I stumbled on it. Knowing what I know about it now, I’m pretty annoyed that I took this long to get to it.

The Hook

The book opens with the protagonist/narrator in a police interrogation room. Ruby Simon is being questioned about her husband’s death. She’s innocent–100% guiltless–it’s clear from the get-go, that she did not murder her husband.

But…there are three other people that Ruby has killed over the last couple of decades. She’s never even been looked at as a suspect in these deaths–they’d previously been judged to be accidental, in fact.

But after death #4, it’s hard to believe that with all this smoke, there might not be a fire.

What Comes After the Hook

The first part of the book focuses on the events in the interrogation room–the detective presses for details on these four deaths, and as Ruby dances around her answers, we get to see her life story in flashbacks. Her childhood (punctuated by a murder), her party days as a teen (punctuated by a murder), her college years and training as a psychologist (punctuated by a murder), and then her falling in love with her husband and beginning their life together (punctuated by his death by natural causes).

The rest of the book focuses on the legal battle that ensues–the investigation that follows, her eventual arrest, the decimation of her career and reputation that results, and the eventual resolution of it all.

Conflicting Impulses

Ruby is a completely horrible person, she’s a murderer–and in two of the three cases, it’s entirely unjustified. The motives behind those two are so…pointless is the best I can come up with. The third murder probably wasn’t necessary, Ruby could’ve found a non-lethal solution to the situation–but you can understand and appreciate why she did it. She deserves to be behind bars (at least), she needs to be tried, convicted, and punished. It’s the right thing.

And yet she’s innocent here. She loved her husband, would never have killed him, and shouldn’t be dragged through the mud over this. The reader/listener constantly finds themselves rooting for this character that in normal circumstances you want to be pursued by a dogged investigator.

It’s similar to Dexter or Hannibal–with them, we embrace their homicidal acts and desires while rooting for them. There’s part of you that wants Dexter to get away with it so he can take down another serial killer. A similar part of you wants Hannibal to slip away from custody because he’s disturbingly charming. But it’s different in Blood Sugar–we have an actual injustice, and we instinctually recoil from that and want her exonerated.

But…you can’t get away from the injustice of her getting away with the other murders.

At the same time, you resent Detective Jackson for doing his job. He’s absolutely wrong about Jason’s death and shouldn’t be in Ruby’s life. But in any other book/series, we’d be rooting for him. He might as well be Harry Bosch or a similar character–he’s got all these pieces before him and is assembling a case that’s 75% correct. He’s doing everything right, and has an actual killer in his sights–and you want him to fail. Not only that, you probably are angry with him and have some active distaste for him.

But if this book was told from his perspective? You’d love him and admire his ingenuity and intuitive leaps.

For a long-time reader of detective fiction, this is a great twist on the conventions.

Ruby’s Antagonist

Someone has to be behind all her problems right? Det. Jackson isn’t going to look into Jason’s death without someone or something prompting him. Once you figure that out–which will probably happen before the actual reveal–it’s delicious. This might be my favorite thing that Rothchild does in this book.

For a book that’s full of confusing impulses for the reader, it’s nice to have an adverse reaction to someone that’s straightforward and uncomplicated.

A Brief Thought about the Narration

Ryan did a great job of this–she made Ruby Simon a human being. Her portrayal helps you identify and embrace Ruby as the innocent–with a shady past. You want to believe her when she says that she’s not a sociopath.

There were a couple of scenes (with one of Ruby’s patients in particular, and some involving Ruby’s dog) where I was moved because of the narration. I don’t know if they’d have been as effective (or affective) if I’d read the book, but with Ryan’s work, I was absolutely gripped.

So, what did I think about Blood Sugar?

I thought this was a great listen–a great experience.

I relished this approach to the story and characters, and the way you were forced time and time again to re-evaluate the characters, their actions, and your reactions to them.

Do I want a steady diet of this? No. Do I hope that a future Rothchild novel is either more conventional–or tweaks conventions in a different way? Absolutely. I can see Rothchild being a Lisa Lutz-type of writer. With stand-alones where you never know what you’re going to get–other than some wry humor, deep characters, and an approach to Crime Fiction that you hadn’t considered before.

I strongly recommend you pick this up in audio or print.

4 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

Travel by Bullet (Audiobook) by John Scalzi, Zachary Quinto: The Dispatcher is Back Again

By HCNewton

On September 8, 2022

In John Scalzi, Urban Fantasy

(and clearly, I can’t think of anything to put in the headline)

Travel by Bullet

John Scalzi, Zachary Quinto (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: The Dispatcher, #3
Publisher: Audible
Publication Date: September 1, 2022
Format: Audible Original
Length: 3 hrs., 44 min.
Read Date: September 2, 2022

What’s Travel by Bullet About?

A recent pandemic* has resulted in all Dispatchers being strongarmed into working long and hard shifts in hospitals. Their work isn’t that effective in light of the disease, but that doesn’t change the requirement. In the middle of a shift, Tony Valdez is called to the ER.

* It was never named, but you’re probably not wrong to assume it’s one you recognize.

A friend (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) and colleague, who spends a lot more time on the morally ambiguous side of the vocation, is in the ER after throwing himself out of a moving vehicle and getting hit by a car. Clearly, things aren’t going well for him. He looks to Tony for help, and well…things go bad from there.

The duo finds themselves mixed up with a handful of the city’s richest and most powerful, who are busy trying to get the best of each other while staying off the radars of both the Chicago Police and the FBI.

As much as Tony might try to fool the reader/the police/himself, he’s no stranger to the morally ambiguous—sure, he tries not to stray as far as his friend does, but still. Making this book, like the others in the series, another bit of Urban Fantasy Noir.

The Urban Fantasy-ness

I’ve always thought there was a vaguely SF feel to this series like it’s set a couple of decades in the future or something. In retrospect, I don’t know why. It was just an impression I picked up. This one struck me as incredibly contemporary and made me feel pretty silly for thinking that about the others.

When I wasn’t kicking myself for getting the chronology wrong, I spent a little time admiring the simplicity of Scalzi’s approach to Urban Fantasy and how it makes The Dispatcher stories really stand out. In most UF, you get something like magic, or a lycanthrope, or a vampire—and then before you know it, you’ve got all of those. But here, this world is just one tweak away from our world—no wizards, no Fae, no were-anythings—just that murder almost always doesn’t work (see earlier posts about this series for details if you want them, I don’t want to reinvent the wheel here).

The number of changes that this one butterfly wing flap makes in this world—health care, law enforcement, and crime (and who knows what else…)—is pretty monumental. You don’t need the Fae or a Council of Mages or anything to radically reshape the world. Yet it still is very recognizably our world.

Zachary Quinto

Quinto really needs to do more audiobook narration—I’m not sure how he got attached to this series, but it’s such a good thing that he did. He’s really able to embody Valdez and bring the stories to life. I really enjoyed this performance, and look forward to more.

So, what did I think about Travel by Bullet?

This was a blast—this world has always felt realized, but I felt more “at home” in it this time than I remember. I enjoyed this ride more than I remember enjoying the last one (not that I had any real problems with it). I don’t know if those two sentences are all that related, and if so, which came first—I also don’t think it matters.

This is a tight thriller—no wasted moments, but nothing’s rushed, either. Just settle in and enjoy the ride.

I feel like I should have more to say, but I don’t. All I can think to add at this point is that I want more of these, and hope that Audible and Scalzi provide them. Providing more soon would be a great bonus.

Out of Spite, Out of Mind (Audiobook) by Scott Meyer, Luke Daniels: An Assortment of Britts

By HCNewton

On September 2, 2022

In Audiobook, Fiction, Science Fiction

Out of Spite, Out of Mind

by Scott Meyer, Luke Daniels (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: Magic 2.0, #5
Publisher:  Audible Studios on Brilliance
Publication Date: March 11, 2019
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 7 hrs., 34 min.
Read Date: August 17-18, 2022

First Things First

I can’t talk about this one without spoiling the end of Fight and Flight. This entire book is built on the foundation of that last chapter. Read at your own risk.

What’s Out of Spite, Out of Mind About?

Let’s get the subplots out of the way (at least one of which is going to turn out to be important for the next book, and one will be important for this one). Gary hires a local peasant—and then several others—in a misguided, but surprisingly good-hearted, attempt to help them out. This is almost entirely a comic storyline, and I love that Meyer takes the time to do things like this.

Martin and Gwen are fighting (which happens a lot, sure)—because they both want to get married, but not right now, and things are awkward because Martin raised the subject. If that seems odd to you, imagine how poor Martin feels. It feels very sitcom-y—if the sitcom is in a later season and is trying to come up with some low-stakes conflict because the writers can’t figure out how to keep happy couples interesting. I rolled my eyes at this stuff a lot—but found it a little amusing. Where this storyline resolved, however, might end up being the most grounded, mature, and admirable thing in this series.*

* Wow, I’m supposed to keep my evaluative-powder dry in this section. Whoops. Feel free to call our Customer Service line for a full refund.

The third subplot also involves Martin (he’s our point-of-entry character for this series, so it makes sense that he gets 2 storylines)—he’s convinced that Phillip is being stalked by some sort of masked figure who keeps launching stealth-attacks at him. None of the attacks are particularly successful—especially once Martin susses them out and works to prevent them. But they’re also not at all lethal, at best they’d be impediments to his activities, irritations, distractions—ridiculously elaborate pranks, really. Phillip thinks that Martin is seeing things. Gary, Gwen, and the rest of the gang aren’t really convinced either. It’s Martin vs. the Masked Meddler.

But the main thing is this—in the last book, we learn that Britt the Elder has different memories of the events of Fight and Flight than Britt the Younger does. And we’re not talking about how two people who were at the same event recall details differently—we’re talking about different outcomes here. As Britt the Elder is—ask anyone who isn’t Phillip—the older version of the Younger, who co-exists with her younger-self in a way that only works in silly time travel stories, that should not be.

Britt spends some time pondering this and trying to get to the bottom of it and ultimately determines there’s a problem in the Code, and she’s going to need help figuring all this out. While she’s doing this pondering, she starts to develop some physical glitches as well. She’s really going to need help. Sadly, the only person she can really rely on here is Phillip—who’s dating her younger-self and really can’t spend time with the Elder without getting the Younger upset. Things get stranger and worse from here.

How was the Narration?

This is about an audiobook, so I need to say something about the work Luke Daniels put in. But…but…it’s Luke Daniels. I’ve run out of things to say about how great a narrator Luke Daniels is. I literally have no idea what to say here.

This is the best I can do—my first exposure to this series was the eBooks, and I read the initial trilogy that way, Only coming to the audiobooks as a way to review the trilogy before getting to the second trilogy. I don’t change formats for a series—if I listen to a series, I listen to a series. If I read a series, I only listen to re-read (and then not exclusively). After listening to Daniels narrate the first three, I’m not going back to the print version. I switched to audio-only for the remainder of the series (however long that is).

So, what did I think about Out of Spite, Out of Mind?

So all my complaints and concerns and whatever from the last book are gone. This might be the best book in the series since the first. Meyer and the characters brushed up against exploring the whole philosophical underpinning of the series premise—but don’t get bogged down in it. And they fully embrace—and exploit—the silliness of time-travel conceits.

Earlier in the week, I talked about Chu’s fantastic fight scenes in his new book—there’s a fight scene at the end of this book that is almost their equal in execution and description—but far surpasses them in hilarity. The only way I can think of to describe this adequately is to say: “imagine a fight scene starring Lucille Ball, magic, and medieval weapons—with a soundtrack of ‘Yakety Sax’ (but not really, because the book specifies a different soundtrack).”

We get a dangling plot point resolved (and, boy howdy, do I wish we hadn’t), we get some great comic stories, some strong emotional moments, and a good set-up for the next book (it’s not as tantalizing as the set-up for this was, but it does make the next book sound pretty appealing).

If you’re on the fence about this series after the first trilogy—get back to it. If you haven’t read the series at all (how did you make it this far in this post?)—change that, but go to the beginning or it won’t make any sense. These books are a great hybrid—Meyer got his comedy chocolate in his SF peanut butter and wrapped it in a candy-coating of Fantasy—and this is one of the more enjoyable installments in the series.

3.5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

Breaking Point (Audiobook) by C.J. Box, David Chandler: Joe Finds Himself Between Some Rocks and a Hot Place

By HCNewton

On August 4, 2022

In Audiobook, C. J. Box, Fiction, Joe Pickett, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Breaking Point

by C. J. Box, David Chandler (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: Joe Pickett, #13
Publisher: Recorded Books
Publication Date: August 17, 2015
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 10 hrs., 37 min.
Read Date: July 13-15, 2022

What’s Breaking Point About?

Acquaintance and father of one of Lucy’s best friends, Butch Roberson, is in trouble—he’s been being harassed by some EPA agents and they’ve turned up dead. Joe was the last person to see him before he became a prime suspect in their murder and a subject of a manhunt. Which, in the perverse way that only bureaucrats can think, gets him in hot water.

Joe’s now tasked with helping some contractors track Butch through the wilderness—he really doesn’t want to do it, and almost quits over it. But the way these guys are acting, Joe figures that he’s the only one who can ensure that Butch is brought in alive and with a shot at a fair trial (especially if he can get him into local custody).

Joe’s been in hazardous wilderness conditions before—regularly, from the reader’s point of view—but I think it’s safe to say that these are the most dangerous he’s been in. And the humans (officially and unofficially) hunting for Butch are just making things worse.

Meanwhile, Marybeth is doing a little investigative work on the side for Joe while helping Butch’s wife and daughter through this time. She even sends up a flare hoping to get some help from Nate Romanowski.

There’s a whole lot of moving pieces in this novel, and hopefully, the Picketts and Robersons come out of things alive.

Federal Agencies

Outside of some FBI Agents (maybe only one), people who work for the Federal Government don’t come across well in these books. And Breaking Point is no exception

I don’t know—and really don’t care—how much of Box’s own politics are reflected in these books, but he does a great job of portraying the attitudes of people in Wyoming and Idaho (not that he does a lot of Idaho work, but there’s some). Federal Agents are inherently suspect and will wield their power to damage the way of life of citizens. Sure, there are exceptions, but on the whole, you can’t trust them to do the right thing.

It’s never comfortable reading these depictions of the Federal Government, but if nothing else, it’s good to be reminded of/exposed to the way hunters/ranchers/etc.out here think of them—and why they do.

The Sub-plots

The new head of Game and Fish, Lisa Greene-Dempsey (LGD) is a more interesting foil for Joe than the previous officious penny-pinchers. She’s trying to reshape the Agency in a way that Joe’s not comfortable with, and she’s clearly playing politics with him/his job. But the way she’s going about it—with good intentions, I think—makes her a better character and gives us more interesting reactions from Joe. It’s always better to have competing good intentions than having one side just out to hurt the other/improve themself alone. The whole arc there is one of the best Joe vs. The System stories Box has given us.

I don’t get the Marybeth story, it fizzled on all fronts for me. If it’s to underline the financial hardships the family has gone through, he’s done it more effectively before. If it’s laying the groundwork for something else, on the other hand, great—but I want to see it soon. Generally, Marybeth’s stories are a highlight of these novels but this one fell flat for me.

While Sheridan had a pivotal part to play here, it sort of seems to me that Box doesn’t know what to do with her anymore (ditto for her sisters, but Sheridan’s always shown the brightest among them, so it seems worse). I really hope he does something interesting with her soon, I’m not sure how long I’d have stuck with the series if not for her early on, and I don’t want to not enjoy her in the future.

That Death…

There’s a significant character death that shocked me—both in the manner, the function in the story, and the fact that it happened at all. Box treated the whole thing perfectly.

I’m not going to get into details, but it was a smart, gutsy move.

How’s the Narration?

Chandler has the characterizations down pat—every time he says something as McLanahan (and how great is it to see how things went for him between Force of Nature and this book?) I want to punch the guy in his nose. Which is more violent than I typically get, but that voice is perfectly grating—a wonderful match for McLanahan’s personality.

He’s great even when he doesn’t irritate me—Chandler has brought this series to life, and continues that work here. Really don’t have much else to say.

So, what did I think about Breaking Point?

There’s a great call-back to Savage Run, reminding the reader just how far Joe’s come, and some of the things he’s pulled off in his career.

Box delivers a great thriller here, as we’re used to—with some important character work for Joe—including a move that’ll change his professional life forever.

It’s the thirteenth book in a series, and it’s really difficult to come up with something to say. The storytelling isn’t getting stale, the characters are developing nicely, the premise of the novel rings true, and Box executes it well. It’s an incredibly consistent series, really—not getting much better (nor does it need to), it’s definitely not getting worse.

There’s not much more to say—if you’ve liked most of the previous twelve novels (like I have), you’ll like this one. If you’re intrigued by the idea of a Game Warden getting involved in criminal investigations while dealing with wilderness adventures, you’ll likely enjoy this one, even without the backstory.

Box knows what he’s doing at this point, and even with my quibbles, I figure he’s going to do something in the future to remove them. Give this one a try.

4 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

Quick Take Catch-Ups: Some July 2022 Audiobooks

By HCNewton

On July 29, 2022

In (Auto)Biography, Audiobook, Don Winslow, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Non-Fiction

Some quick thoughts on some audiobooks from July—and one I forgot to write about in June. The point of these quick takes posts is to catch up on my “To Write About” stack—emphasizing pithiness, not thoroughness.

Deep Hole

by Don Winslow, Ed Harris (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Publisher: Audible Originals
Publication Date: May 26, 2022
Format: Audible Original
Length: 1 hr., 4 min.
Read Date: June 9, 2022

(the official blurb)
I don’t know about this. I mean, it’s a short story, so I shouldn’t expect much from this. And it’s a decent story, but…eh. It left me wanting more on just about every front.

But it wasn’t a bad story—which makes sense, Winslow can’t write a bad story—and Harris sells it.
3 Stars

Long Lost

by Linda Castillo, Kathleen McInerney (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: Kate Burkholder, #4.5
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication Date: September 5, 2016
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 1 hr., 25 min.
Read Date: July 7, 2022

(the official blurb)
I wasn’t paying attention when I saw that this was the next entry for this series and checked it out of the library and was more than a little surprised when this wrapped up as quickly as it did. I was relieved, though, I didn’t think I could handle an entire novel where the setup was Kate and Tomasetti on a romantic weekend where they got distracted by a cold case.

As a short story, the concept and execution are just what you want. A nice way to tide the reader over between novels. I liked the resolution, too—sure, I saw it coming a few miles away, but Castillo ended it well.
3 Stars

My Mess Is a Bit of a Life:
Adventures in Anxiety

by Georgia Pritchett, Katherine Parkinson (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date: September 5, 2016
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 4 hrs., 15 min.
Read Date: June 28, 2021

(the official blurb)

This is a very amusingly told memoir, and you can see how Pritchett succeeded in comedy writing for TV. At the same time, that’s where it gets tripped up—the memories told are very brief, and almost always seem to be leading to a punchline (not necessarily a funny punchline, but a punchline). The result isn’t so much a memoir as loosely-associated scenes. There is a narrative throughout, but it’s subtle—the effect is like reading a sudden fiction collection that happens to be made up of true stories.

There are some really funny bits, some touching bits, and some good emotional moments. But…ugh. It’s like having a skeleton laid out on a table (I’m thinking of a shot from Bones or CSI: Wherever)—and I’d prefer to see some connective tissue between the bones—and maybe some organs and flesh to cover them, so that it’s an actual memoir, not the rough draft of one.
2 Stars

How the Penguins Saved Veronica

by Hazel Prior, read by Helen Lloyd, Andrew Fallaize, Mandy Williams

DETAILS:
Series: Veronica McCreedy, #X
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Publication Date: June 16, 2020
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 10 hrs., 44 min.
Read Date: July 7-13, 2022

(the official blurb)
A sweet, almost-paint-by-numbers story of an elderly curmudgeon finding hope, kindness, and family thanks to time spent on a penguin research base in Antarctica.

There’s one scene at the end that serves to answer the reader’s questions that would be better left unanswered. We’d have been better served if we’d been left with ambiguity. Still, for a bittersweet and unnecessary scene, it was effective.

I’m not sure three narrators were necessary—I think any one of the three could’ve handled the whole thing judging by what I heard, but it wasn’t overly-distracting as multiple-narrator audiobooks can be.

I enjoyed the book, it was a perfectly charming and entertaining novel, as negative as I sound to myself—and am glad I finally indulged my curiosity about the book. But…meh. I’ve seen this story before and done better.
3 Stars

The Diary of a Bookseller

by Shaun Bythell, Robin Laing (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: The Diary of a Bookseller, #1
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Publication Date: September 4, 2018
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 9 hrs., 42 min.
Read Date: July 15-19, 2022

(the official blurb)
I guess this would be the cure to any dreams/hopes/aspirations the reader might have to opening/buying a bookstore of their own. And the author certainly makes it clear that no one should do what he does—but it’s not like the book ends with him selling/closing down, in fact, he’s working to keep his store going.

The overall effect was like a James Herriott book—but with used books and readers in place of animals and their owners. Some pretty repetitive stories, just different enough to distinguish them—generally mildly amusing and engaging.

I had fun with it—would’ve enjoyed it a bit more if it were 20% shorter, I think. I do see that this is the beginning of a series. I’ll likely get the next installment, too. But I’m not rushing to do so.
3 Stars

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On Eden Street (Audiobook) by Peter Grainger, Gildart Jackson: Grainger is at the Top of His Game for this one

By HCNewton

On July 28, 2022

In Audiobook, DC Smith & Kings Lake, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

On Eden Street

by Peter Grainger, Gildart Jackson (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: A Kings Lake Investigation, #2
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Publication Date: April 28, 2020
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length:10 hrs., 5 min.
Read Date: July 25-27, 2022

What’s On Eden Street About?

Sure, in Songbird we got a glimmer of what to expect from DCI Cara Freeman’s Murder Squad, but this book opens on the first day with the entire team in their office. They expect to get to know each other, spend some time chatting, hear something from Freeman and their new DI about how things are going to go for them—but that doesn’t happen. Before they can much further than hearing everyone’s name, they’re called to investigate a murder. A homeless man’s body has been discovered blocking the entrance to a restaurant downtown.

Instead of through awkward conversations, this squad gets to know each other by seeing them at work—canvassing for witnesses, looking for security cameras, dealing with the officers on-scene, and so on.

They will eventually uncover a connection to a previous case the King’s Lake Central detectives worked on—and encounter a witness that DS Chris Waters encountered in yet another case.

But mostly what they’ll learn is that nothing in this case—nothing—is what it seems. From a blind woman having to “rescue” the detectives from a dog guarding the body, to the identity of the victim, to how easily things can go astray when a helpful and efficient office worker does their job just a little too well…this new squad is going to get off to a very bumpy start.

The Murder Squad

Oh…I really like this new group. There are a bunch of new characters brought in here and we don’t get to spend enough time with them. But I appreciated what time we got with them—I think going forward this is going to be a group of characters I really enjoy—more than the King’s Lake detective squad and the petty rivalries (although those rivalries aren’t gone as is clear in the beginning of this book).

We get to know DCI Cara Freeman better as we spend more time with her—and as Chris gets to work with/evaluate her more. I’m seriously enjoying her.

There’s one new character (name withheld to prevent spoilers/lack thereof) in particular that we get less of than the rest. I think it was purposeful, and I can’t wait to see why that character is on board and what Grainger is going to eventually do with her. I trust that all will be revealed, and I’m super curious.

But the best new addition is the new Detective Inspector. Over the last handful of years, I’ve met a lot of fictional DIs, and I don’t think I’ve met one like DI Green. We don’t get to know him incredibly well or anything, we don’t know what makes him tick yet. But the ticking is a lot of fun to watch.

This is primarily Chris Waters’ series now, however, and we spend the most time with him—and I couldn’t be happier with that. It’s great to watch him develop as a detective and as a person. It’s similar to the evolution of Eve Ronin—this isn’t about the investigations of a seasoned pro, it’s about watching a promising young detective fulfill that promise.

Shadow of D.C.

I’m not sure at this stage of the series who’s having a harder time letting go of DC Smith—the detectives of King’s Lake, the readers, or Grainger.

I liked the way that DC himself appeared in this novel—it felt very natural. And, of course, Chris is going to think about his mentor a lot, as are old colleagues. But it just felt like we got too much about him overall. Too many callbacks, references to other cases, etc. But if you ran down a list of each reference/appearance of Smith in this book, and asked if they should be cut individually, I’d say no to each one—they fit, helped moved things along, served the character and moment…but the cumulative weight of them was too much.

Does that make sense? Any Grainger fans out there have some input for me?

Gildart Jackson’s Work

I don’t have anything new to say about Jackson at this point. I thoroughly enjoy his work, I can’t imagine listening to one of this series with anyone else, nor do I think I’d enjoy reading one on my own half as much.

So, what did I think about On Eden Street?

Grainger had a healthy agenda going into this: introduce and begin to establish several new characters, help the existing characters settle into new roles, help us get a better handle on Freeman (who is both new and established at this point), touch base with DC, start a new personal arc for Chris, and, in between all that, tell a good story about a murder investigation. And he succeeds so well on all fronts.

Long-time readers/listeners of this series are used to the way that Grainger will give a resolution/solution to the investigation that will fly against expectations—both of the detectives at the beginning of the book and most of what Police Procedural fans expect to see. It’s largely a given for this series. But to start with a dead homeless veteran as this opens and to end where we do? Nope. No way did anyone see >98% of this coming.

But by the time the book closes, there is simply no other way for things to have gone. Grainger’s at the top of his game here, and it’s to be celebrated. My friends and/or readers—please take my advice and start reading these books, you don’t know what you’re missing.

4 1/2 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Songbird (Audiobook) by Peter Grainger, Gildart Jackson: Passing the Baton

By HCNewton

On July 14, 2022

In DC Smith & Kings Lake, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Songbird

by Peter Grainger, Gildart Jackson (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: A Kings Lake Investigation, #1
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Publication Date: September 18, 2019
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 15 hrs., 6 min.
Read Date: June 27-July 1, 2022

DCI Reeve was in the room now, accompanied inevitably by Detective Chief Superintended Allen. Another promotion, how was that possible—what did he actually do all day but get in the way of more junior officers trying to solve crimes and bring about convictions. Waters stopped that train of thought. Over time, we all become our fathers and mothers, that’s a sort of natural process. But surely we don’t all become our first Detective Sergeant as well.

What’s Songbird About?

It’s the first murder that’s fallen under the jurisdiction of King’s Lake since Chris Waters was promoted to Detective Sergeant, and it’s time for him to step up.

There’s been a killing at a caravan site that’s well-known to Waters, and he knows the manager. This will both work for and against him, but early on it gives him some confidence—he knows this area and doesn’t have to learn anything about his surroundings. He needs all the confidence he can get.

DI Terek and DCI Reeve take the lead on this investigation (Reeve’s much more hands-on than her predecessor, and things are better for it). Some very convincing evidence leads them to focus on a suspect early, and they go about building their case.

For reasons he can explain, and some that remain ineffable, Chris Waters doesn’t believe in their suspect’s guilt and Waters follows his mentor’s example and sniffs around a little himself. He doesn’t have the relationship with his superiors that DC Smith did, though, so he has to be careful about it. Thankfully, Serena Butler (when she’s not giving him grief over his promotion), agrees with him and the two are able to come up with some compelling reasons to look elsewhere for the guilty man.

Passing the Baton

It’s a tricky thing that Grainger tries here—the series protagonist is gone, and yet it continues. It reminded me of when Kyra Sedgwick’s Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson left The Closer and the show became Major Crimes, and the team was then led by Mary McDonnell’s Capt. Sharon Raydor. The tone shifted, the characters got to grow and develop in different ways, the team functioned differently, and the approach they took to closing cases changed, too. But the show still worked.

Grainger’s always kept a broad view of the characters while focusing on DC Smith in the past—now we spend a little more time with everyone, but the focus is on Chris. That alone will change how things go—Chris has less experience to draw upon, he’s not quite as jaded (but he’s getting there), and generally sees things differently. The introduction of Cara Freeman and her methods to the mix also changes things (sure, she’s been around for a while, but we really see her at work here).

So the series continues, it just looks and feels a little different. But the core of the storytelling seems like it’s going to persevere.

Gildart Jackson’s Narration

It’s a subtle thing, but I thought I picked up a little change in the narration—it’s got less of “DC’s voice” but it’s still distinct from other books that Jackson’s narrated. Maybe it’s all in my head, but I think I can tell the difference in his approach to the books. It doesn’t matter, Jackson’s voice and characterizations bring me to King’s Lake Central they bring the world to life. Another great job by Jackson.

So, what did I think about Songbird?

Okay, the initial suspect was clearly innocent—and it took far, far too long for someone to figure out where the evidence that implicated him came from—it was maddening yelling at my phone, waiting for them to get there. But it was satisfying very satisfying when they finally put two and two together.

And for readers of procedurals, the guilty party was pretty clear all along—but getting to the motive and then working the case so that they had evidence to arrest, that was great. Watching Waters and the rest carry on Smith’s mission was exactly what a fan wants—and the new DCI in charge of the Murder Squad, Cara Freeman has her own style and pace that makes for a pleasant new dynamic.

The plot part of this novel wasn’t Grainger at his best, but it was close enough (so close). But the heart of this book was on the transitions—the team moving on from DC, the further establishment of the Murder Squad, Waters transitioning to DS (and people getting used to that), DC transitioning to his new life—plus some personal stuff that I don’t want to spoil. And Grainger absolutely nailed it.

As this is a transition point—it’s a great time to jump in. Yeah, there’s a lot of backstory, but none of it is necessary to get 98% of this book.

This had to be a tricky needle to thread for the series (singular or plural, take your pick), and Songbird pulled it off. I’m not at all surprised to see it, but I’m very pleased.

4 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

The Law (Audiobook) by Jim Butcher: Harry Gets Back to His Roots in this Novella

By HCNewton

On July 6, 2022

In Audiobook, Harry Dresden, Jim Butcher, Urban Fantasy

The Law

by Jim Butcher

DETAILS:
Series: The Dresden Files
Publisher: Podium Audio
Publication Date: July 5, 2022
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length:  3 hrs., 22 min.
Read Date: July 5, 2022

What’s The Law About?

Harry is still recovering from the events of Battle Ground, as is the city of Chicago. This is going to be a theme for a while, It seems (and should be). But he’s doing better than he was in “Little Things” (from Heroic Hearts. I’m not sure that I am, but that’s something for me to take up with my therapist.

He and Billy are tending to some administrative duties when they’re interrupted by someone looking for help. “Everyone knows” that if you need help, there are groups you can seek out, but if you need a miracle…Harry Dresden is who you look for.

Her problem isn’t supernatural in origin—it’s dealing with a vicious landlord who is on the verge of destroying a tutoring service that she and several others have built up over the last few years, serving underprivileged kids and barely scraping by. Something about her problem strikes at something in Harry—this isn’t the kind of problem he’s dealt with in a long time (but it brings the reader back to the time before his office building burned down, probably earlier, too). He figures the landlord is a bully and he can go out-bully him and help the tutor out.

Of course, it’s not that easy.

And sure, I said something earlier about it not being a problem of supernatural origin. But maybe it’s supernatural-adjacent, and everyone’s favorite wizard gets to do his thing.

Battle of the Bean Aftermath

We don’t spend much time with characters inside Harry’s immediate circle, and everyone (or so close to everyone that it doesn’t matter) that he comes across outside that circle responds in some way to what he calls the Battle of the Bean—although they may not understand what actually happened there (officials have done a really good job with a cover story, better than anything Tommy Lee Jones’s Agent kay ever gave). But more people have at least a general awareness of what happened there than I think Harry realized.

I can’t dive too deeply into this without spoiling, so I’m just going to offer two thoughts:
bullet I loved seeing Harry’s reactions to these responses.
bullet This, more than anything that happened to any character(s) in Battle Ground makes that whole thing more real to me. It gives it all a different weight than many of the events in the books—it didn’t happen in Chichen Itza or some other place that will make it out-of-sight-out-of-mind; it’s not something that was limited to the signatories of the Accords (or their like), or something that had limited impact on us muggles. This was a major event and the ripples from it are going to change everything.

How was Butcher as a Narrator?

He was…fine? Yeah, he’s clearly not James Marsters (who will, Butcher assures listeners be returning for the next novel), and doesn’t try to be.

Still, listening to the author bringing his own words to life—hitting things the way he absolutely intended, rather than someone’s best guess—is always fun. While Dresden is generally narrated by a better performer, I’d gladly listen to more Dresden audio narrated by Butcher (and would only complain a little).

His characterization of Bob was, shall we say, interesting. If I hadn’t heard 16 novels by Marsters, I might have appreciated it more. While I didn’t dislike Butcher’s Bob, it wasn’t what we’ve grown used to.

Oh, be sure to stick around at the end for some outtakes. They’re amusing and something that others should add to their audiobooks.

So, what did I think about The Law?

This was a great way to bridge the gap between Battle Ground and the next novel (we might get more bridges, too….who knows?). Harry, his allies and friends, and the city are recovering. Things are shifting around and the new status is becoming more quo. That kind of thing wouldn’t work in a full novel, we need something more, but it’s great in a novella (he says knowing that Butcher could easily prove him wrong). Now we’re ready for the next Big (or fairly-Big) Thing in Harry’s life.

My favorite part of this novella is that Harry can’t blast his way to a solution to this case. He can’t yell “Forzare!” or “Fuego!” and make everything okay (except for cleaning up the debris left behind). He has to think about it. He has to work the system—multiple systems, actually. He has to find a new ally to help him through one of them, too. We all know Harry is capable of this, but too often lately (especially post-Winter mantle) his solution is to punch at something, punch some more, and then, if there’s no other recourse, to think about the problem. This was a nice return to Harry having to think.

This is not one of the best entries in this series—long or short form—but it’s a really good one. I love spending time in this world and with these characters, so I’ll gladly embrace any excuse to do so. Even if you’re only a casual Dresden fan (I assume those exist?), you’ll have a good time with this one.

4 Stars

Catch-Up Quick Takes: A Few May/June Books

By HCNewton

On July 1, 2022

In Audiobook, Comics, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Non-Fiction, Urban Fantasy

The point of these quick takes posts is to catch up on my “To Write About” stack—emphasizing pithiness, not thoroughness. This time, I’m covering a few books from the end of May and June that I just don’t have that much to say about.

A Line to Kill

by Anthony Horowitz, Rory Kinnear (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: A Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery, #3
Publisher: HarperAudio
Publication Date: October 18, 2021
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 8 hr., 50 min.
Read Date: May 26-31, 2022

(the official blurb)
If you were to ask me: “HC, what do you think of the Hawthorne and Horowitz series?” I’d tell you that I love the concept, I think Hawthorne is an intriguing character and that I really enjoy Horowitz’s fictionalized version of himself. And that’s true in theory.

I’m just not so sure about the practice. I had a hard time finishing this, and more than once thought about quitting. I’m glad I didn’t–the solution was pretty clever and the resolution was satisfying.

Hawthorne regularly annoyed me–and I found his antics held no charm for me. It’s a good read, but I can see my time with this series coming to an end soon (I can also see being won over soon, too).

(none of this is a reflection on Rory Kinnear, who did his typically good reading).
3 Stars

Hellbound Guilds & Other Misdirections

by Annette Marie, Rob Jacobson, Iggy Toma (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: Guild Codex: Warped, #2
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Publication Date: September 13, 2021
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 8 hr., 12 min.
Read Date: June 6-7, 2022

(the official blurb)
This does a great job of interweaving the events (and characters) of Demon Magic and a Martini and Taming Demons for Beginners into the events of this adventure–I love seeing the way Marie is creating a multi-faceted world here.

This time out, our petty criminal turned aspiring MagiPol Agent tries to help out his friend, Agent Shen, who had got him out of that life of crime. She needs a big win to stay in her current assignment and not be transferred to the last office on Earth she wants. Their snooping gets them on the trail of some of the shady demon contracts the aforementioned books were about and then we’re off to the races.

There’s some really good character development for Kit Morris here–especially when it comes to learning how to use his magic. This is a common tie between these series–all three protagonists are on a similar path. Given the varied amount of knowledge they all had going into it (totally unaware; not-that-experienced-but-fairly-aware; or a lot of academic knowledge, but little practical) keeps the series distinct, yet similar–which I really appreciate.

I do prefer the other magical threats these series covered before they all focused on demons. But I’m still enjoying the ride (rides?), so I’ll stick with these a little longer.
3 Stars

How to Take Over the World:
Practical Schemes and Scientific
Solutions for the Aspiring Supervillain

by Ryan North

DETAILS:
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Publication Date: March 14, 2022
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 10 hr., 3 min.
Read Date: June 7-9, 2022

(the official blurb)
I’m clearly a sucker for popular-level science books with a humorous presentation (which means I really need to give Mary Roach another try, I know). In this one, North focuses on the kinds of cutting-edge science that a comic book/James Bond supervillain would use to take over the world, destroy large parts of it, accumulate power to themselves, etc.

He covers such things as cloning a dinosaur (sorry, Jurassic Park, it’s just not possible…), creating a new island to use as a secret base, becoming immortal, pulling off the perfect heist, and more. The punchline to the book is essentially that a supervillain is going to have to work hard to out-do what humans are doing already when it comes to destroying the planet.

Depressing conclusion aside–this was a fun book, and exposed me to a lot of things I never would have considered before. I’m not sure I retained as much as I would have liked to–but that’s on me, not North (who, by the way, was a perfect narrator for the material). It also means that I’ve got a good reason to listen to it again or to pick up the hard copy to refer back to. Recommended.
3 Stars

Batman: Their Dark Designs

by James Tynion IV with too many artists to list for this kind of post

DETAILS:
Publisher: DC Comics
Publication Date: November 8, 2021
Format: Trade Paperback
Length: 264 pgs.
Read Date: June 18-25, 2022

(the official blurb)
I don’t read a lot of graphic novels/collections of individual comics lately, and don’t know what might appeal to me. I basically read whatever Lashaan Balasingam mentions that seems interesting. He recently posted about the last volume in this series and it got me curious.

This was a lot of fun–check out the blurb for details. I really enjoyed Tynion’s take on these characters (including the new ones)–if this is how he always writes the Dark Knight, I could be satisfied reading him for years. Most of the art was dynamite (a couple of the pencilers left a little to be desired). Simply put, this is exactly what I want in a comic series.

My major mistake is that I didn’t see that my library doesn’t have the 4 volumes that tell the rest of this story. I don’t want to spend the money on these, but not knowing how the story is going to resolve is a little maddening.
3 Stars

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase from any of them, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.