Christiana

GREAT performance, less than great story...

Revisado: 04-09-25

First, this audiobook makes one wonder why Hillary Huber decided to accept the narrator job. She's outstanding, and I will look for other works that she's done.
The story and writing, on the other hand, approach lousy. Okay, it gets there, all the way to lousy, I'll go on and say it. The chapter breaks (or better put, lack thereof) are a real mess. Some chapters are nearly two hours long, with many changes of scenes and themes along the way (where chapter breaks should have been)...

And, PLAUSIBILITY is a real problem with this story. The narrative almost comes off like something some kids at summer camp came up with while roasting marshmallows and weaving yarns around the campfire. Actions by police make no sense; Alberta would certainly have been arrested for tampering with evidence at one point in the story. But the cops didn't even mention it!

Then, perhaps the most annoying thing about The Black Angel is the reader/listener doesn't ever get a description of Alberta--the main character for cryin' out loud! Basically, one needs to just come up with a "gray woman" place holder, hoping at some point we can learn what Alberta looks like... hair color, hair length and style, eye color, how tall, etc., but no... it never comes. And the closest thing to her attire we get is the "arch of her shoe and silk clad ankle" at one point. We learn close to the end of the book that she was wearing a dress. All this action, in a dress! That's fine--I get that... but: What color was the dress? What was the basic design? She walked long distances and ran at times in what were apparently high heels, but no description (or complaint on the main character's part) is ever noted.

Woolrich does have some clever metaphors along the way, and some not so clever and outright forced ones. Just "decent" metaphors; nothing like Raymond Chandler's Marlowe, or Ross MacDonald's Lew Archer (the latter the prince of metaphor in my opinion)... but they're... at times worth a grin.

If you're annoyed by implausible and unlikely plots, you'll go nuts with this one. The only saving grace in my opinion is Hillary Huber's perfect production.

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Carla and Connie… FOREVER!

Revisado: 03-01-25 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Character development is off the charts awesome. The story has some serious curves you won’t see coming. And Paige Reisenfeld was absolutely perfect. A wonderful listen, I think you’ll agree.

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Lew Archer is an amazing character

Revisado: 01-06-25

Tom Parker is one of the best hard boiled narrators ever. He does this action filled novel more than justice.

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Even more deep and intense than the first book...

Revisado: 12-18-24 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Saviano has outdone herself. I truly loved book 1, and you'll need to begin with book 1 to get the right mindset for this sequel. The richness of the characters intensifies, with new ones coming on the scene, making this book even better than the first (and the first is absolutely riveting, to be sure). You won't regret buying this series. You'll come away feeling like you really *know* Dean and Vanna. :)

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A nice, long, thoroughly enjoyable listen!

Revisado: 12-09-24 El oyente recibió este título gratis

A lengthy but thoroughly enjoyable listen. Paige Reisenfeld and PJ Freebourn really nail this work perfectly. Dean and Vanna are the two main characters and both are well developed, completely credible, and extremely interesting.

Saviano's writing is detail oriented for sure, and for the reader that can enjoy the ride, and the scenery, is very much on point and appreciated. Conversely, for the reader who is like the child in the back seat of the car, kicking at the driver's seat yelling "Are we there yet are we there yet?" they'll no doubt whine, but... let 'em. :) I do love the details.

I'm looking forward to hearing Savior II now. :)

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A fast listen (comparitively) and wonderful!

Revisado: 12-09-24 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I love how Saviano put this one together. If you've not heard her Savoior novels, this book stands alone just fine, But the listener who has experienced Savior will really enjoy the ending of this novella. Revenge is again a main theme, and though short, this book does not disappoint!

Narration is spot-on, making this a very easy and enjoyable listen.

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Just a well written and performed novel.

Revisado: 11-23-24

An all-time favorite, I just finished listening. The ending is wonderful, definitely a high note. If you like Macdonald's Lew Archer novels, you'll love this one as much or even more.

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Hard-boiled delivery, well written!

Revisado: 09-29-24

First off, the narration from Mel Foster is excellent. He 100% takes a cue from Scott Brick (and were he to tell you different, you'd have to politely tell him you don't believe him). :) But that's a good thing.
Seriously, the book delivers like a Raymond Chandler Phillip Marlow novel narrated by Brick--and it's awesome.
The writing, too, is very Chandler-esque, which makes it wonderful to listen to.
The story (which is a true story) is gripping and just a lot of fun to follow. Five stars, all the way! :)

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Very well written, lots of laughs.

Revisado: 09-26-24

I really enjoyed listening to this book. The narrator is outstanding. The book is very well written. And I laughed quite a bit during the listen. I did leave four stars for the story because it never mentions how Alice had all this money to afford the things that she was doing without a job. It’s possible I missed that part, and if so, my apologies. But I do highly recommend this book.

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A great listen! Excellent story. :)

Revisado: 09-08-24

Excellent story, and a top tier narration team. Maybe a bit too explicit for my liking in places, but the story overcame that and I truly enjoyed the listen. You will too, I'm sure. :)

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