Helpful Score: 2
A few of these authors I have read before (Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child) but nearly all of them were new to me. This was a great way to check out such a selection of today's brilliant mystery writers. Of course, I gravitated towards the Pendergast story as I have read a few in this series. I did find Slappy the Dummy rather disturbing, as I found the story on the whole. âRhymes with Prey' was my second favorite, featuring the paraplegic investigator and his clipped phrases and abrupt, sometimes rude, attitude. âThe Laughing Buddha' was an unexpected story. The character Malachai Samuels is a kind of past life psychic, helping people realize who they once were and what their hang ups are from past lives. At first I wasn't sure I would enjoy it, but now I want to check out both M. J. Rose and Lisa Gardner. I aso want to seek out works by Heather Graham after listening to âInfernal Night'. Just a touch of the supernatural gave this mystery an extra facet. Plus that whole mausoleum scene was excellent. Khoury & Barclay kept me on the edge of my seat with âPit Stop'. It was fast paced and intense!
Those were the stories that stood out for me. Many of the rest were interesting. However, âSurfing the Panther' didn't shine for me. I felt like too much was being crammed into a short story and I never really connected to the main characters. I was looking forward to the Reacher versus Heller story as my man is a fan of Lee Child's work. I was intrigued and then it was over. Yep, just like that. It went by too quickly.
Other than those two stories, the anthology was a hit. I now have several more authors on my To-Be-Read list (or some would call it a small mountain range). I was kept entertained for most of the 10+ hours of listening time.
Narration: The narration was very good. With 11 stories, it was great that the publisher went the extra mile and utilized so many narrators. One of the reasons I usually steer clear of audio anthologies is that it is the same reader for the entire book, all the short stories. This makes it difficult for me to keep the individual stories individual. So thank you, S&S, for going the distance and using so many narrators for this book. It really made it stand out as an anthology.
Those were the stories that stood out for me. Many of the rest were interesting. However, âSurfing the Panther' didn't shine for me. I felt like too much was being crammed into a short story and I never really connected to the main characters. I was looking forward to the Reacher versus Heller story as my man is a fan of Lee Child's work. I was intrigued and then it was over. Yep, just like that. It went by too quickly.
Other than those two stories, the anthology was a hit. I now have several more authors on my To-Be-Read list (or some would call it a small mountain range). I was kept entertained for most of the 10+ hours of listening time.
Narration: The narration was very good. With 11 stories, it was great that the publisher went the extra mile and utilized so many narrators. One of the reasons I usually steer clear of audio anthologies is that it is the same reader for the entire book, all the short stories. This makes it difficult for me to keep the individual stories individual. So thank you, S&S, for going the distance and using so many narrators for this book. It really made it stand out as an anthology.
