My Writings. My Thoughts.
Pursuit Of Honor
// November 14th, 2009 // No Comments » // Reviews
Written by Vince Flynn
Read by George Guidall
This is my second Vince Flynn book…and I must say, I think I liked it even better than the first. It’s possible that part of that is because its a sequel to my previous listen and now I know some of the characters better. But somehow this one was much easier to follow allow in my imagination, and I found it really hard to turn it off for any extended period of time.
Mitch Rapp is a hard-bitten CIA operative. He tortures and kills people and breaks things. Think…a more articulate, more thoughtful version of Jack Bauer. There was an attack on Washington in the previous book that killed a couple hundred people, including some highly-visible politicians. And attitudes are now shifting in Washington about whether or not “the dirty work” of counterterrorism should be tolerated, or even endorse. Nothing like a battle hitting close to home to change the debate.
This story follows the pursuit of the three surviving members of the terrorist cell that pulled off the attack. It ranges halfway across the country, and involves a lot of espionage, international intrigue…even traitorous American citizens. Definitely one I didn’t want to put down.
Yes, my favorite audio book reader (George Guidall) read it. He’s the best I’ve ever heard…and one of the most experienced…I saw recently that he’s done 850 audio books now…and I’ve discovered that there are others like me who buy audio books just because Guidall is the narrator. I know there are plenty of others that are good. But from his straight read to his character voices…he’s the guy I’d rather have read me a story than anyone else I’ve heard to-date. If you’ve never heard him, you might want to invest a few bucks and try him out…or at least visit Audible.com and listen to some samples of books he’s read!
Innocence
// November 9th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Reviews
written by David Hosp
read by George Guidall
Never heard of Hosp before, but bought the book because I just can’t get enough of George Guidall’s narration. The book turns out to be a pleasant surprise.
Scott Finn is a Boston lawyer who left his big law-firm job a couple years ago and has hung out his own shingle…dealing with some of the seamier aspects of lawyering. One day, he’s approached by someone associated with his old firm. They need someone to take on an awkward pro bono case, and they think Finn is the man. Oh…and the reason he should be interested? There potentially a multi-million dollar payoff if the case is won.
He’s initially reluctant, and is, in fact, ready to back out of the case completely when the fellow who came to meet him is brutally murdered…leading Finn to believe that there’s significant merit to the case after all. But as is the case with stories of this kind…there are passages, leading to other passages, leading to other passages. Pretty soon, he’s facing down a gang who does their dirty work with machetes…and things aren’t looking so good for his side.
I found myself fully engaged in the story…and while I found the final plot twist to have been telegraphed earlier in the book, there were so many other things to keep up with as it unfolded that I really didn’t mind. It ended up being quite the satisfying read.
And, what more can I say about George Guidall? I think it’s getting pretty bad when I am shopping primarily for books that he reads. He’s THAT good. Great characterization…and simply the perfect voice for a storytelling narrative. George is the man!
I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up another David Hosp book in the future…especially if George Guidall was the narrator!
Green
// October 27th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Reviews
by Ted Dekker
read by Tim Gregory
If you’ve been reading this blog for long, you know how much I appreciate Ted Dekker’s writing. My daughter told me last week that Part 4 of his Trilogy (huh?) had been released a few weeks back. I didn’t read the press about it beforehand, so they’re probably calling it a prequel to the Trilogy, or whatever. Bottom line: It’s another long novel (15 hrs, I think) in the same worlds covered in Black, Red and White (the Trilogy). It’s the story of Thomas Hunter and his trips between two worlds, a superflu infection, technology, relationships, God, a devil-type character called Tileh and a bunch of other people and creatures.
It’s a huge, sprawling story of adventure, endurance, love, war, a search for meaning, racism, conquest and obedience. In other words, it has a lot in common with LIFE.
Dekker spins this wonderful yarn with amazing clarity of focus. Of course, there is a bit of repetition, as with all fiction…but the body-fat count on his writing is amazingly low. This guy writes faster than I can read!! I would definitely recommend these books to anyone who enjoys a thriller, a bit of a sci-fi edge (though not too much), and who is open to interesting ideas regarding spiritual matters. After all, what are spiritual beings but those who are traveling in some dimension parallel to our own…with different capabilities and boundaries than those we experience here? Dekker has a lot of these kinds of situations in his books. He comes from a Christian perspective, but hardly reminds the reader of the kind of hyper-legalistic spiritual instruction that’s typified the church in the past.
Tim Gregory does a fine job narrating the book. I had been a bit disappointed in his effort on a previous Dekker tome, but didn’t hear any of the same issues this time with mispronunciations, and I felt his voice characterizations for the very wide range of characters were quite strong. So he gets an A grade from me this time. Quite well done!
Two big thumbs up on just about anything Ted Dekker writes. I suppose he isn’t going to be everyone’s cup o’ tea…but I certainly give him (and this book, and the other parts of the series) my highest recommendation!
