Not fantastic

The plot is a little far fetched. Writing is not outstanding. Not crazy about the narrator. His style is choppy and amateurish.

4 people found this helpful

The main character is completely unlikable, story

Like others have said, narration is awful. I could get past this but the story is just as bad. The main character is so unbelievable and just comes across as a character made for chubby, know-it-all men to identify with. Really, your belly is all muscle? mmmmmkay. While the main character is so brilliant and amazing at everything the rest of the characters in the book are complete idiots and the main character is always surprised when they portray the tiniest bit of common sense. A 15 year old girl's dialogue reads like a 10 year old's. An FBI agent is hot headed, stupid, and somehow misses the most obvious clues in a case she's been working for 5+ years when somehow the main character catches them after looking over the details for a couple hours. k. I'll be skipping the rest of the series.

3 people found this helpful

Could turn into a very good series...

I really like the author James Swain and I absolutely love his Billy Cunningham series. If you have never read/listened to anything by this author I would like to suggest starting with that series first. I think is a very good plot driven book. That being of an ex navy seal turned unlicensed PI and an FBI agent teaming up together to catch pedophiles and serial killers. The FBI agent is also a former victim who got away. I found this book (unlike his others) to be little bit predictable. It had some nice twists and a few red herrings to keep it interesting. If this were Swains first work I probably would have given it a five star review. However, based on the complexity of his previous books (especially SUPER CON) I am giving this a four star review. I think the protagonists in this book have tons of potential and I look forward to the next in the series being released in August 2019. If you have kindle unlimited this book is only $1.99 to purchase. Patrick Lawler does an excellent job narrating. If you found this review helpful please indicate so. Thank You.

12 people found this helpful

Another excellent series from James Swain!

THE KING TIDES, set in Ft. Lauderdale, is the first novel in the new Lancaster and Daniels detective series by James Swain. Jon Lancaster is an ex Navy SEAL and cop who does not look the part and is now a private investigator. Beth Daniels is an FBI agent who was on her way to being a physician until she was the victim of a kidnapping crime while in college; her kidnappers are now serial killers. Daniels takes very unusual and unlikely steps to catch her kidnappers and in doing exposes her 15 year old niece to many stalkers who are perverts. James Swain novels tend to be offbeat. His earlier private investigator novels include his Tony Valentine series and his Jack Carpenter series. My personal favorite is Swain's about con man Billy Cunningham; the series is light and fun, and at times silly. I like Swain's novels so much that I may tend to overrate them. He is a very clever author who is a expert at making the unlikely seem credible. I really enjoyed THE KING TIDES! Patrick Lawlor narration is excellent.

9 people found this helpful

Awful

Decided to try this because it was an Edgar nominee. The plot never hooked and the writing was filled with lame clichés. So lame!

1 person found this helpful

If you can get past the narration....

The narration is horrible -jerky, doesn’t flow like real conversation, sounds like someone just learning to read and call words with no foresight as to how to inflect voice or show expression at appropriate points. Ugh!! If you can get past that, which I forced myself to do, then the story is just okay, not good. I liked the main character and see potential for him with a different story line , but I was uncomfortable with the dark context of abuse of children. My fault for not reading reviews before listening. Overall, the only way I would ever listen to another story by this author is with another narrator and by checking reviews more thoroughly first.

1 person found this helpful

Wasn't sure I liked the narrator at first...

His voice soundec like a tough guy, but after a short while it was clear the voice suited the character perfectly. It didn't take long for me to wish this ex Seal, people savvy hero was a friend of mine.

1 person found this helpful

Novice Writing - Odd Voice Narration

Struggled to get through this book. A lot of, "He said. She said" writing and narration. story line was ridiculously drawn out and failed miserably at keeping the story relatable. The unnecessary chapters within this book substantiates that the writer must have had a book/story length clause in their contract. Just odd and poor quality all around.

1 person found this helpful

New crime series

A pot bellied former SEAL who’s now a PI with a perfect shot? I knew I was going to like this from the beginning, and now that it’s over, I’m glad there’s at least 2 more books. Great narration on the audio as well.

Good writing and performance

Unusually complex murder story (I couldn't guess the ending). The author never let me get lost and have to go back to find out where I lost track of the story. I listened to this book at night as I went to sleep for about 3 weeks. I will miss it. I didn't like the title, it might be symbolically clever but not inviting. I hope Daniels is recovering from her years -long ordeal and that she is happier now.