Reviews by Vivienne

How can I describe this without giving anything away? Superbly written and brilliantly narrated. The main characters by turn are hateful and deserving sympathy. I sincerely wish that I could read this again without knowing the outcome. You will not be sorry to get this in your library.

I am sorry to say that I thought this story was awful. I didn't think that the narrator was able to cope with the different ages, sexes and languages. The story staggered on and on with such an obvious conclusion. Within 5 minutes of listening I considered "returning" it but soldiered on as I don't like to give up. I wish I had! Some Italian words were thrown in with an "Italian" accent to try and spice it up but even this was spoilt with an explanation of the word. Sorry Mr Goddard!

This has to be my book of the last 5 years. The narrator, Bill Wallis, was exceptional. The story of a hardworking Thames boatman being transported to Australia; eventually to become a landowner never became mawkishly sentimental. Every sentence seemed to contain a gem. The facts were laid out for the reader to decide on the rights and wrongs of theft, survival, penal colonies and racial prejudice. I have read many books about the early settlers and their integration into the harsh Australian climate but nothing has involved me or made me question my beliefs of fellow man in the way this book has. I sincerely wish that I could read this again for the first time. Fortunately I will be able to reread it many times.

Mr Archer is definitely a storyteller! This is a wonderful, but refined revenge tale. The courtroom sessions were not boring in the least as it was interesting to understand the machinations of the legal system. I was sorry it finished and could have listened for hours more.

I must first say that Jim Broadbent probably made this book so enjoyable. He read with a simplicity that was perfect for the story. It was an unlikely choice for me but I was so glad to have heard it. I had no idea what to expect but there was humour, poignancy, devastating sadness and sharp observation of the human character. As is often the case it is difficult to review without revealing the end. I did feel that towards the close of the book there was something missing. Maybe I, personally, wanted a different ending. However, this is an unusual and touching tale.

This is a thriller trying to be a romance trying to be a dog training manual. I won't sum up the story as Audible is better at that than me. Luckily I have a badly behaved dog so found the dog behavioural parts quite interesting and therefore kept listening. The main female character was a gutsy, feisty, beautiful and probably had red hair (actually I think it was red/gold). The future hunk was a gutsy, feisty, handsome and - well - I am sure you get the picture. I have read Nora Roberts' books before and had enjoyed them. I have given three stars because it was well constructed and I didn't stop reading. It is my fault I don't like cheesy romances.

This felt pedantic, ponderous and a bit patronising. I have absolutely loved the other 5 books so was rather disappointed. It followed on with the main characters although I felt there were some jumps in the story, especially the relationship between the step-mother and Serrailler. As usual it discussed current issues i.e. voluntary euthanasia, Parkinsons, policing of today etc. but it lacked the emotional punch I look forward to. I will not give up though and am looking forward to Number 7.

What a shame! I really loved the sardonic tone of the narrator. The tale dripped with irony using fantastic turns of phrase. The narrator, Sean Barrett, was exceptional as usual. Sadly though, the actual tale seemed to just miss the mark. I do not know whether this is because it seemed to be a follow on but stand-alone book and I may have missed intricate clues earlier on or whether it was not a strong enough story. I will definitely try Keith McCarthy again because I so enjoyed his sarcasm!

I was compelled to read this having so much enjoyed "Shatter" by the same author and was happy to hear the same narrator too. The mind games of some of the characters were fascinating - the empathy evoked by the mental and physical frailty of the victims was jolting. I almost missed the last call on a flight because of this cliffhanger! I do hope there will be another follow-up. I dare you to read this!

A tense thriller set around Bath and Bristol. I know these areas well and this made the story even more chilling. I felt so involved that I was trying to give the psychologist more clues - which were always wrong. All the characters were well depicted and "human". The author wrote with such detail but without one word being extraneous and the narration was superb; I am sure this added to my enjoyment. I highly recommend this.