Sorry, but a struggle to get thru...

Please understand, I do not think I could do any better, but this series was pretty bad.

In every story there was:

A lie that laid between them and could ruin their relationship

A woman who wanted the main character and his overly done and awkward defenses

Amazing coincidences that lead to the same general conclusions every time

Very awkward "romantic moments"

Same tired explanations and an over usage of adverbs and adjectives everywhere!

If the same explanations were eliminated, the stories would be about 30 or 40 pages long.

All three stories were like copies of the others and there was no originality after the first one. Throughout the journey, it was painfully easy to see where the author was going with the reveals.

27 people found this helpful

Good story

Really entertaining story . Good bargain getting three books in one , & that's what made my decision to buy it, even though
I cringed when i saw "Read by the author " - That's never a good idea and I do not know why some authors think they are good enough to narrate / they are writers-not voice actors .
This author wasn't awful at it - but he wasn't good either .

21 people found this helpful

Mediocre

I had high hopes from the synopsis, but I was very disappointed. I even came close to not listening to the 2nd and 3rd books. I won't be buying anymore books from this author.

6 people found this helpful

Horrible read

Struggled to get to chapter 20! After 19 chapters of a whole lot of ideas and no real story, I finally gave up. I don't typically quit a book or series once I begin, but this author was still trying to decide what he was actually writing his book about at chapter 19. I feel I listened to a really long brainstorming process with very few good ideas. the monotone voice of the author didn't help keep me listening.

10 people found this helpful

Self-published author and it shows

I picked this up because the stories had some decent reviews on Amazon, and it's a box set, so....

I can't say I'm deeply disappointed because my expectations weren't high. But I've read better self-published authors--and it's evident why this is a self-published author.

There are some good things: the basic concept, the main characters.

The author falls down in two major ways that makes this series feel like a good idea executed by your average 12 year old.

First, the relationship between husband and wife. It's a description of what every child thinks marriage is like. Sure, they have little snits, but they still love each other. Then throw in a dash of sex talk, because every teenage boy knows that all men think about is getting laid and all women really want it even if they pretend they don't.

Second, the plot lines. If the author needs a certain fact or a certain reaction in the story, he doesn't mind twisting it into a pretzel of nonsense and hammering it into place.

My reaction on finishing the audio? Wow, that could've been a really good series. If only the author (1) didn't flinch away from what a real human relationship feels like and (2) took some major writing classes (or at least studied the way a good author writes).

16 people found this helpful

Bored

Not much to say...someone may like this series but just didn't appeal to me. I couldn't connect with the characters. Sorry, was hoping for more

3 people found this helpful

suspenseful with a lot of twists and turns

Would you consider the audio edition of The Max Porter Box Set, Volume 1 to be better than the print version?

I have not read the printed version yet, as I have just discovered the series

Who was your favorite character and why?

That's a tough one as they are all good in their roles, but my favorite character is Drummond.

What does Stuart Jaffe bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Stuart brings a lot of character to the characters. He makes it more interesting

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Max porter ghost detective

Any additional comments?

Book one. Max a down on his luck reasercher and his wife move to Salem where Max found a job, that his wife applied for for him. The story has a lot of twists and turns that will keep you glued to the story. The villains are true to their nature, ruthless. Together Max and his wife Sandra join the ranks of detective with Drummond. With Max as the reasercher, Sandra's skills at seeing ghosts and Drummond a PI they make a very good team. Mr Madesto working for the Hall family, very attuned to the supernatural. Dr Conner a witch bad to the core makes the story interesting.

Book two. With their clientele picking up slightly but still Very low they continue to solve mysteries. Looking into a missing painting that has a lot of people interested in it. The real painting "under the painting of the lady" of Blackbeard is the center of the story. painted with a magic paintbrush making it desird by a lot of people. The cursed 200 year old mr Corckhill as well as Dr Conner and Madesto trying to find it for the Hall family.

Book three. Max is called to investigate for mr Lead to investigate the witch ghosts after him. Max and his team is also called apon to find a bell for the Hall family, needed to resurrect Tucker Hall. The witch covenant adds a lot of suspense. Really like the plot. A must read series

3 people found this helpful

Not quite up to Dresden

Any additional comments?

I was pumped to think these books might be as good as the Butcher's Dresden series. They are severely lacking in that area. Not too bad a listen, author did a good job with narration, but there was a pizazz missing - more on the lackluster side in content and after the first book, I went onto the second ONLY because I bought them as a set. I read another book between the 2nd and 3rd hoping it was just my mood, but it wasn't. I am from the area that the book covers so know all the places named and the depiction is pretty accurate.

2 people found this helpful

Awesome!

So, if "A Series of Unfortunate Events" met and fell in love with the "Dresden Files" and had a baby, Max Porter would be his name. This series is entertaining, nail-biting, swear-worthy, and well-done. The narration was great, even though I'm not big on author-narrated stories (I have maybe 4 exceptions, so far). Jaffe managed to do a remarkable job, and I would listen to his narration even on others' works. I love paranormal detective stories, and this trips every one of my happy buttons. I love it, and recommend this series to anyone who would care to read or listen.

1 person found this helpful

Enjoyable read.

Delightful read. Engaging characters. A bit like a film nior. I imagened everything in black and white.