I love reading books, but when you’re on the move it’s a bit difficult to manage. But fear not, there’s always the audiobook to listen to. Gone are the days when we were served up monotonous ramblings, now we are presented with high quality productions and perfomances by some brilliant actors.
As usual, my choice of medium is Audible as I get such a huge variety of books (and I have a yearly subscription). So without further ado, July’s listens feature books from C.L. Taylor, LJ Ross and Michael Connelly.
Strangers is a great novel by C.L. Taylor centred around three individuals living in Bristol whose lives dramatically intersect. Alice is a manager in a local clothes shop, she’s a single mother who has been receiving strange texts. Ursula is a courier who has recently been evicted by her housemates after being caught stealing items from them. Gareth supervises the security at the local shopping mall, he lives with his mother who has dementia and has been receiving postcards from her dead husband.
The story is told from each individual’s point of view, with chapters dedicated to each of the characters. It’s a clever technique as we are taken through three individual stories which occasionally cross, but only come together right at the end. As such, the pace is quite slow to begin with as we get to know each of the characters, but builds up momentum quickly, ending with a thrilling climax.
There's a lot more also going on in the background, including talk of a serial killer leaving bodies by the docks
The story was read excellently by Clare Corbett, the book lasting for 9hrs and 30mins.
Seven Bridges is the eighth book in the DCI Ryan series by LJ Ross, and it’s another cracker! In this novel, someone calling themselves The Alchemist has threatened to take down seven of the bridges crossing the River Tyne. In an opening gambit, an explosion rings around the Tyne bridge at midnight, causing little damage, but the threat is real. While Ryan and his team concentrate on finding the bomber, a murder takes place much closer to home which rocks everyone.
As with all the DCI Ryan novels, a lot is going on and there are several intertwining stories. This includes delving into Ryan’s history with the recently appointed Superintendent Lucas (first seen in Dark Skies) while at the Met.
The usual brilliant characters are in this story including Frank Phillips, Denise MacKenzie and his soulmate Anna. As ever, the action and suspense remain throughout the novel and we are kept in the dark expertly until the final reveal.
The story was again read brilliantly by Jonathan Keeble lasting 7hrs and 39mins.
The Crossing is the eighteenth in the Harry Bosch series, and it's another that intersects the Harry Bosch world with that of Mickey Haller. In this story, Bosch has retired from the LAPD and has been asked by his half-brother Mickey Haller to help with a case
Haller’s client has been accused of the brutal rape and murder of Lexy Parks, a city manager in charge of public safety and consumer protection. Haller though is not convinced of his client’s guilt and asks Bosch to work the investigation for him. Bosch is reluctant to help the defence as he doesn’t want to be seen as jumping sides. But Haller convinces him to take a look.
Bosch soon begins digging into the evidence submitted by the prosecution and starts to see holes appear in the police investigation. He even manages to enlist his old partner Lucy Soto to help him out. All is not straightforward however as Haller is being trailed by some undercover police, and Bosch is now in their sights. Soon, one murder becomes four as the investigation gathers pace.
Will Bosch be able to help save Mickey’s client or is the evidence too overwhelming?
Titus Welliver has done a cracking job reading another Harry Bosch story. This one lasting 9hrs and 24mins.
