Audiobook Review: The Dinner

The Dinner 
Author: Herman Koch
Narrator: Clive Mantle
Translator: Sam Garrett
Length: 8 hours, 59 minutes
Publisher: AudioGo Ltd 
Release date: 2/12/13

Publisher's Summary:
 It's a summer's evening in Amsterdam, and two couples meet at a fashionable restaurant for dinner. Between mouthfuls of food and over the polite scrapings of cutlery, the conversation remains a gentle hum of polite discourse--the banality of work, the triviality of the holidays. But behind the empty words, terrible things need to be said, and with every forced smile and every new course, the knives are being sharpened. Each couple has a fifteen-year-old son. The two boys are united by their accountability for a single horrific act; an act that has triggered a police investigation and shattered the comfortable, insulated worlds of their families. As the dinner reaches its culinary climax, the conversation finally touches on their children. As civility and friendship disintegrate, each couple shows just how far they are prepared to go to protect those they love. Tautly written, incredibly gripping, and told by an unforgettable narrator, The Dinner promises to be the topic of countless dinner party debates. Skewering everything from parenting values to pretentious menus to political convictions, this novel reveals the dark side of genteel society and asks what each of us would do in the face of unimaginable tragedy.

My Thoughts:
This book was disturbing but gripping.  Time flew so fast I could hardly believe that it was nearly nine hours long.  I could not put it down and wished there was more when it ended.  The story is told through the eyes of Paul Lohman who seems at first to be an ordinary parent concerned about his son.   Paul's brother Serge, a well-known politician, has a son the same age and the boys have done something horrible.  The brothers and their wives get together for dinner in order to discuss and decide what to do about it. What should a parent do when their child has committed a crime? Cover it up? Turn them in? What will be the decision at the end of the dinner?  It would be awful as a parent to be faced with a decision like this.  I felt a little queasy hearing about the crime as Paul revealed it, bit by bit.  I saw the kids as monsters and at the same time sympathized with the parents.  My sympathy did not last until the surprise ending but my interest certainly did.  

I'm sure I would find the printed version of The Dinner a little tedious but Clive Mantle's performance made it come alive for me.  His expressive voice let me hear Paul's disdain for his brother, the disapproval of the pretentious restaurant chosen by his brother, and love for his wife and son.  This was my first experience hearing Clive Mantle perform.  I'm adding him to my list of favorite narrators.  

Review copy provided by AudioGo.

Audiobook Review: Little Elvises

Little Elvises 
Series: Junior Bender Mysteries book 2
Author: Timothy Hallinan
Narrator: Peter Berkrot 
Unabridged
Length: 10 hours
Published: 2013 by Blackstone Audio


 Publishers Summary:
Junior Bender is back to untangle one of the weirdest mysteries in Tinseltown.
LA burglar Junior Bender has, unfortunately, developed a reputation as a competent private investigator for crooks. The unfortunate part about this is that, regardless of whether he solves the crime or not, someone dangerous is going to be unhappy with him—either his suspect or his employer.
Now Junior is being bullied into proving aging music-industry mogul Vinnie DiGaudio is innocent of the murder of a nasty tabloid journalist he’d threatened to kill a couple times. It doesn’t help that the dead journalist’s widow is one pretty lady, and she’s trying to get Junior to mix business with pleasure. Just as the investigation is spiraling out of control, Junior’s hard-drinking landlady begs him to solve the disappearance of her daughter, who has gotten involved with a very questionable character. And, worst news of all, both Junior’s ex-wife and his thirteen-year-old daughter, Rina, seem to have new boyfriends. What a mess.

© 2012 by Timothy Hallinan

My Thoughts: 
 Mix together murders past and present, plot twists and surprises, intriguing chapter titles like  "stop lighting your hair on fire" and "no one likes to dance with a bear" and you have a mystery that will keep you interested and laughing. 

I agree with Junior Bender's landlady at the North Pole Motel, he is a mensch.  Even though he is in the middle of saving his own skin, he agrees to help her find her missing daughter.  He has to prove that Vinnie DiGaudio didn't kill the tabloid journalist or DiGaudio's nephew (who is a cop) will pin a robbery on him.  And on top of all that, Junior is falling for the dead journalist's widow, Ronnie.  The book is full of colorful characters like Louie the Lost who thinks the North Pole Motel is like "Christmas for suicides" and Marge, the hard-drinking chain-smoking lady who owns it.   But Ronnie is my favorite.  When Junior and Louie showed up to interview her, she had her long blond hair twisted in a "long golden rope and twisted on it top of her head and then stuck a fork through it, handle first."  When she finds out that Junior is a thief, she tells him that it doesn't make any difference.  "We're still going to get into trouble," she tells him.

I chose Little Elvises because I wanted to hear Peter Berkrot again.   His performance was flawless, the perfect voice for Junior Bender.  I thought he did a wonderful job with the women's voices too.  Berkrot has been on my list of favorite narrators since I heard him perform Death is a Lonely Business by Ray Bradbury.  
 
 Review copy provided by Blackstone Audio. 




 

Audiobook Review: The Black Stiletto

The Black Stiletto
Author: Raymond Benson
Narrators: Arielle DeLisle, 
Chris Patton, Michael Ray Davis 
Unabridged
Length 8 hours 24 minutes

Publisher's Summary

     Could Martin Talbot's elderly, Alzheimer-stricken mother, Judy, really have been the Black Stiletto? When Martin discovers several volumes of her diaries hidden by his mother, he is stunned beyond all imagination. His mother, the underground heroine of yesteryear? The famed, still unidentified woman who battled Communist spies, took on the Mafia, and preyed on common crooks? The woman who exacted punishment on evildoers without mercy?
     But it is all described, in great detail, in the diaries. What caused her to begin her quest for justice. Her decision to act outside the law. Her feats as the famed and feared vigilante. How her reputation exploded. In short, how it all played out.
     Could it be true? Talbot is filled with doubt and disbelief. But the reappearance of one of the Stiletto's old enemies with a thirst for merciless revenge makes the story more than real, and could imperil the life of not only the Stiletto, but her son and granddaughter as well. 

This is a Crossroad Press Production
©2011 Raymond Benson (P)2012 David N. Wilson

My Thoughts:
I must confess that I was never a fan of comic book super hero/heroines but I wish I had been a fan of the Black Stiletto.  It was such a treat to follow Judy Cooper as she became the Black Stiletto.  She is a strong, independent and likeable character.  I decided to listen to this story because I was intrigued by Martin Talbot's discovery of his mother's secret life.  It would be mind-blowing to find that your mother had a secret life to begin with, but to discover she was the Black Stiletto would have to be overwhelming.  His mother is in a nursing home, stricken with Alzheimer's and can shed no light on the details of the life she once lived.  But she has left her diary for her son to discover her secret identity. 

This story was truly enhanced by being narrated by three different readers.  I don't think my experience would have been so enjoyable on the printed page.  Arielle DeLisle gave Judy Cooper's voice energy and authenticity.  I would like to hear more of her and I'm looking to forward to the next in the series.  Chris Patton did a good job with the voice of Martin Talbot but for some reason his part wasn't edited as well as the rest.  There was a couple of instances of a repeated line - sort of like a stutter.  Michael Ray Davis was my favorite of all the voices.  His performance of Roberto Renelli, a gangster who has been in prison for over 50 years, was flawless and totally believable.  He truly sounded like a 72-year-old, broken down gangster.  I'm adding him to my list of favorite narrators.

This was a great listen and I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

Review copy provided by Crossroads Press.  

Audiobook Review: Snow White Must Die

Snow White Must Die
Author: Nele Neuhaus
Narrator: Robert Fass
Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 15 hours 47 minutes
Release Date: 1/15/13
Publisher AudioGo Ltd.

Plot Summary:
 Tobias Sartorious is released from prison after serving a ten-year sentence for the murder of two young girls whose bodies were never found.  The evidence against him was purely circumstantial.  Nadia, his best friend, corresponded with him the whole time he was in prison and she is there to pick him and give him a ride home.  No one else in town is glad that Tobias is now free except for his father.  Then things start to happen.  The skeleton of a young girl is found in empty jet fuel tank at a former military airfield.  Someone attempted to murder Tobias' mother by pushing her from a bridge.  Tobias is beaten up by masked men.  Amalie, a young girl who recently move to town, disappears and everyone suspects Tobias. 

My Thoughts:
I was hooked by the title right away and I was not disappointed.  It's a thrilling mystery with plenty of plot twists to keep you guessing.  I thought I knew who did it but I was wrong.  Then I thought it was someone else, wrong again.  It all comes together in a surprise ending with the investigative skill of two detectives, Pia Kirschoff and Oliver Von Bodenstein.  These two have their own side story.  Bodenstein is having marital problems and Kirschoff is having housing issues. By the end of the story their problems have been resolved as neatly as the whodunit.  I was a bit confused at first because sometimes the detectives are referred to by their first names and other times by their surname. This could have been to denote when they were working and when they were in a personal situation. 

The story is set in a small town in Germany but could have been anywhere.  Robert Fass was perfect for the narration.  I don't know any German but his pronunciation of the German names and places sounded authentic to me.

If you like a fast paced mystery as full of plot twists as a can of worms, you will love Snow White Must Die.

Review copy provided by AudioGo.

Audiobook Review: The Forgotten

The Forgotten by David Balacci

Narrated by Ron McLarty, Orlagh Cassidy

Series: John Puller: Book 2

Unabridged, Length 12 hours and 35 minutes

Release Date: 11-20-12

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Publishers Summary:

 In Paradise, nothing is what it seems....

Army Special Agent John Puller is the best there is. A combat veteran, Puller is the man the U.S. Army relies on to investigate the toughest crimes facing the nation. Now he has a new case - but this time, the crime is personal: His aunt has been found dead in Paradise, Florida.

A picture-perfect town on Florida's Gulf Coast, Paradise thrives on the wealthy tourists and retirees drawn to its gorgeous weather and beaches. The local police have ruled his aunt's death an unfortunate, tragic accident. But just before she died, she mailed a letter to Puller's father, telling him that beneath its beautiful veneer, Paradise is not all it seems to be.

What Puller finds convinces him that his aunt's death was no accident… and that the palm trees and sandy beaches of Paradise may hide a conspiracy so shocking that some will go to unthinkable lengths to make sure the truth is never revealed.

©2012 David Baldacci (P)2012 Hachette Audio

My Thoughts:

The Forgotten just as thrilling and satisfying as I expected it to be.  This is the second book in the John Puller series and just as good as the first, Zero Day.  If you haven’t read Zero Day, Puller’s referring to “what happened in West Virginia” will make you want to.  

A good book practically immobilizes me for the last half.  The Forgotten kept me sitting in my favorite chair getting absolutely nothing done.  It’s a great story with plenty of action and plot twists.  I really like Puller's interactions with his family, a brother in prison for treason and his senile father in a nursing home. 

 Ron McLarty’s voice is perfect for John Puller.  Actually his voice is just perfect for any story with a big, tough, capable hero.  I have heard many of his performances and never a mistake or mispronounced word.  Orlagh Cassidy is great with the female voices.

I do have one gripe about overall performance – the sound effects.  I didn’t mind the boat motor noise so much and didn’t jump too high when shots were fired but the tuneless music that is supposed to enhance the suspense just didn’t work.  It was so annoying I wanted to scream, “shut that awful music off!”

I give it A+ for story and narration but only a B for overall production. 

I enjoyed The Forgotten courtesy of my local library. 

Audiobook Review: Notorious Nineteen

Notorious Nineteen: A Stephanie Plum Novel  by Janet Evanovich

Narrator: Lorelei King

Series: Stephanie Plum, Book 19

Length: 6 hours and 7 minutes

Publisher: Random House Audio

Publisher's Summary

Number-one best-selling author Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels are: "irresistible" (Houston Chronicle), "stunning" (Booklist), "outrageous" (Publishers Weekly), "brilliantly evocative" (The Denver Post), and "making trouble and winning hearts" (USA Today).

New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is certain of three truths: People don't just vanish into thin air. Never anger old people. And don't do what Tiki tells you to do.

After a slow summer of chasing low-level skips for her cousin Vinnie's bail bonds agency, Stephanie Plum finally lands an assignment that could put her checkbook back in the black. Geoffrey Cubbin, facing trial for embezzling millions from Trenton's premier assisted-living facility, has mysteriously vanished from the hospital after an emergency appendectomy. Now it's on Stephanie to track down the con man. Unfortunately, Cubbin has disappeared without a trace, a witness, or his money-hungry wife. Rumors are stirring that he must have had help with the daring escape...or that maybe he never made it out of his room alive.

Since the hospital staff's lips seem to be tighter than the security, and it's hard for Stephanie to blend in to assisted living, Stephanie's Grandma Mazur goes in undercover. But when a second felon goes missing from the same hospital, Stephanie is forced into working side by side with Trenton's hottest cop, Joe Morelli, in order to crack the case.

The real problem is, no Cubbin also means no way to pay the rent. Desperate for money - or maybe just desperate - Stephanie accepts a secondary job guarding her secretive and mouthwatering mentor Ranger from a deadly Special Forces adversary. While Stephanie is notorious for finding trouble, she may have found a little more than she bargained for this time around. Then again - a little food poisoning, some threatening notes, and a bridesmaid's dress with an excess of taffeta never killed anyone.... Or did they? If Stephanie Plum wants to bring in a paycheck, she'll have to remember: No guts, no glory.

©2012 Janet Evanovich (P)2012 Random House Audio

My Thoughts:

I love Stephanie Plum and have listened to all the previous novels in the series but Notorious Nineteen was a disappointment.  I kept thinking, “Have I already heard this one?” and even searched my list of books read to see if I had. Nope, it was new to me.  I had it on hold at the library and recently downloaded it.  It had all my favorite characters and plenty of action but repeated so much of what happened in previous books in the series that it almost seemed as if  Evanovich had cut and pasted excerpts from previous works.  The formula is familiar, cars being blown up, evil/insane character trying to kill Stephanie, a quirky character she befriends, two sexy men to rescue her.  The romance seems to be heating up a little.  Morelli mentions the L word and Ranger seems to care more (or was that my imagination?) Stephanie, even though she also mentions the word "love" to Morelli, still fights an attraction to Ranger.  Personally, I'd like to see her end up with Ranger. 

Lorelei King’s performance was brilliant, as usual.  She is one of my favorite narrators and really made the book worth listening to.  I love the way she gives each character a personality.  She makes them come alive and keeps them consistent, book after book. 

If this had been my first Stephanie Plum novel, I’m sure I would have loved it.  As it was, there was just enough plot to keep me interested enough to finish it.    

                                    

Audiobook Review: Cloud Atlas

Audiobook Review: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Narrated by Scott Brick, Cassandra Campbell, Kim Mai Guest, Kirby Heyborne, John Lee, Richard Matthews

Length: 19 hours and 33 minutes

Publisher: Random House Audio

Publisher's Summary

From David Mitchell, the Booker Prize nominee, award-winning writer, and one of the featured authors in Granta's Best of Young British Novelists 2003 issue, comes his highly anticipated third novel, a work of mind-bending imagination and scope.

A reluctant voyager crossing the Pacific in 1850; a disinherited composer blagging a precarious livelihood in between-the-wars Belgium; a high-minded journalist in Governor Reagan's California; a vanity publisher fleeing his gangland creditors; a genetically modified "dinery server" on death-row; and Zachry, a young Pacific Islander witnessing the nightfall of science and civilization: the narrators of Cloud Atlas hear each other's echoes down the corridor of history, and their destinies are changed in ways great and small.

In his captivating third novel, shortlisted for the Booker Prize, David Mitchell erases the boundaries of language, genre, and time to offer a meditation on humanity's dangerous will to power, and where it may lead us. 

This audiobook is available exclusively as an audio download!

Note to customers: The complicated format of this novel makes it seem that the audio may be cutting off before the end of a story, accompanied by a change in narrator. However, this is the author's intention, so please continue to listen, and the stories will conclude themselves as intended.

My Thoughts:

When I got to the end of Cloud Atlas, my first thought was that I must hear this wonderful novel all over again immediately to make sure I hadn’t missed anything.  I may even buy the book to experience it in a format that will allow me to go back and forth easier than the audio format will allow. The reason I chose Cloud Atlas is because I saw the movie trailer and wanted to hear the book first.  I have yet to see the movie but I’m looking forward to it.  I’m eager to see how they had to change the story to make the movie.  It could not have been easy. 

From Wikipedia: “A sextet is a formation containing exactly six members. It is commonly associated with vocal or musical instrument groups, but can be applied to any situation where six similar or related objects are considered a single unit.” 

So the novel itself is a sextet. There are six stories told in different styles and layered so that they are nested, each being interrupted in the middle and continued in reverse order in the last half of the book with the exception of the post-apocalyptic story of Zachary.  His story is told without interruption and is the center of the book.  Adam Ewing’s story is told in the form of journal entries during and after his voyage across the Pacific. Robert Frobisher, a young composer who has been disinherited from his family’s fortune, tells his story through letters to a friend in 1931.  Luisa Rey’s story is in the style of a modern fiction thriller. ­Timothy Cavendish’s story is told through his memoirs.  He is an aging British publisher who finds himself imprisoned in a nursing home. Somni-451’s futuristic story is told in the form of an interrogation while she is in prison for rebelling against the powerful Corpocracy.  All of these people are connected in some way but each story could stand on its own.  

My favorite was the story of Robert Frobisher, the young musician who composed the Cloud Atlas Sextet, a piece for six instrumental voices.  The arrangement of his sextet mirrors the order of the stories in the novel. 

 I loved Frobisher's short-hand style of writing, his dry humor and his musical metaphors.  He’s a resourceful young gentleman with a propensity for getting into trouble.  After being disinherited by his wealthy family and kicked out of school, he finds a way to keep a roof over his head and learn from a master composer.  My favorite Frobisher quote: “Whoever opined, “Money can’t buy happiness,” obviously had too much of the stuff.”

The narrators chosen for Cloud Atlas are absolutely perfect. Hearing the different voices, styles and accents adds much pleasure to the experience. 

I purchased Cloud Atlas with my monthly Audible credit and gave it a 5 star rating.