Jason

Good til the last drop.

Reviewed: 05-18-25

Well written and performed. I guessed who the “liar” was almost as soon as the character was introduced but I wasn’t 100% sure until the end.

Worth a credit.

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Ledger returns

Reviewed: 03-31-25

Enjoyed the book more than the last few. Joe had become a a jerk over time. He was morphing into a bully; I suppose the killer was in control and overpowering the cop and the modern man more and more but he had morphed into “bad cop” too often. I was pretty much done with the series but decided to give this one a shot.
This book had him returning to the old Joe.
Another plus for this one? Maberry skipped the over the top Joe/Junie sex scenes. Honestly, after the loooooonnnng one a book or two ago, I was hoping he’d kill her off. Minimal Junie here. It’s a good thing.
One negative. Not enough Top and Bunny repartee. Only a minimal number of “Farm Boys” and “Old Man’s.” Few things are better than those two harassing each other knowing full well each would die for the other.

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I’d give this one a 6 Star rating if I could.

Reviewed: 11-08-24

This book starts out slow and, I must admit, a little dull. I almost stopped listening… but I kept going.

Once it started, it really got going. I can’t recall a book with so many surprises. Every time I thought I had it figured out or that nothing else could happen, there was a “say what” moment or an “didn’t see that coming.”
If you find the beginning a bit dry…. Keep listening. You won’t be sorry.
Narrator was also good, no complaints, but the story itself was great!

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Had it all figured out early…. Except.

Reviewed: 10-29-24

I knew who the “real” killer was… wait… nope. Ok, it had to really be ….. oops.
The real killer threw me.
The only thing I got right was that the very last surprise didn’t surprise me one bit. I got that one right.
Well played McFadden, well played.

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Weird… even by Scalzi standards.

Reviewed: 10-08-24

Not a bad listen but just know that it’s aliens and alien bugs and a chicken scam artist.

Not sure it’s worth a credit but if you see it on Deal of the Day…. Why not.

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Very good.

Reviewed: 10-03-24

Interesting book, in that the characters weren’t all good or all bad people but had both good and bad in them. Some were, of course, just evil but others had viewpoints based on what they’d learned and what they’d experienced.
Even the “good” characters were flawed.
Reflected real life where a lot of racists didn’t even realize they were racist.

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Best of the series.

Reviewed: 05-30-24

I’ve enjoyed the series but this was my favorite. Throughout the book I had several ideas out whodunnit but I was wrong.
The Tonidandels had a bigger role and their characters were fleshed out a bit more. A few characters from the previous books had bit parts or just mentions but it didn’t detract from the story.
If you liked the previous books you’ll like this one.

Only slightly related, I think Bocephus Aurelius Haynes is possibly the best character name ever. 😂

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Dark.

Reviewed: 05-07-24

These guys were Stephen King before Stephen King was Stephen King. Dark compared to the Disney/Modern versions I learned as a kid.

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1 person found this helpful

The most human X

Reviewed: 04-04-24

This might be my favorite X book. Joey, Evan and Tommy all are at their most vulnerable and human.
While there have been funny moments in most of the books this marks the first time that the main characters really are forced to interact with and try to understand and fit in the world outside of “mission parameters” and the Commandments.

Well done… plus an unexpected twist at the end that was “sort of expected.

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Not his best but not bad.

Reviewed: 03-24-24

Good: a few interesting characters
Bad: they died early
Good: good story if you can suspend disbelief
Bad: you’ll have to suspend a lot of disbelief
Good: It’s was pretty evident who would survive
Bad: Made sense for that character to survive but didn’t really care… character was boring.
To be fair, I expected Orphan X and it wasn’t that. This more sci-fi than thriller.

Overall, I’m giving it 4 stars. Worth a credit but not in my top 50.

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