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WaterPea

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Overall decline from previous books & narrators still bad

Overall
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
2 out of 5 stars
Story
2 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-24-25

I have listened to every DD Black book available on Audible up to this one, in order. I've consistently said the same things: his storylines are good, his writing gets lazy and becomes rife with obvious mistakes, and the narration suffers from a multitude of mispronunciations. Book after book, those same things were consistently true. I can only presume that he and/or his publishers are paying for low end editing, both of writing and of narration.
But I have continued to listen, because the storylines have captured my attention, as have the characters. Unfortunately, in this book the quality of both of those declined, while narration remained very faulty. The depth of the storyline was only somewhat better than that of a cranked out romance novel. And I could cite dozens of examples of mispronounced words.
If I had not gotten the next book in the series for free, I would not be listening to any more of this author's work. And that's a shame, because he really does have good story ideas and interesting characters. But it seems that the reason he is able to crank out so many books so quickly may be that corners are being cut, both in the writing process and in all aspects of the editing processes.

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Good story & characters; bad editing

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
2 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-22-25

This is one of author's best, IMO. Story line & characters solid. Better & more intelligent than the Thomas Austin series. Unfortunately author's books still suffer from poor editing (wrong word usages), and particularly from poor audio editing. So many mispronounced words. It's really getting old.

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Written/audio editing lacking; story good

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-21-25

Started this as follow-on to author's Thomas Austin series. This is a more intelligent story, but in truth the author's storylines are always his best strength. The characters in this book are interesting, & I hope he continues with their development in the next ones. But again, HIRE DECENT EDITORS, please!
As in previous books, many lapses into uncorrected lazy writing, and obviously unchecked narration. Many mispronunciations.

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Engaging storyline, good main characters.

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-18-25

Storyline line has some amateurish flaws, but it's engaging. I like the repeating characters in the series. Some of the story-specific characters are a little ridiculous. In listening to the series, I continue to be frustrated by narrator. Excellent voice, inflections, etc. But SO MANY words continue to be mispronounced. Don't they have an audio editor??!!!!!

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Series improving again; with some issues

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-17-25

I'm reading series in order. This is a step back in right direction - an actual mystery (compared to previous one). Interesting main story line again. A couple of secondary story lines; one is wearing thin. Introduction of a new major character - my jury was still out on her till very end, but she's ok.
VERY Annoying issue: Narrator's voice is good, BUT I'm getting frustrated with lack of audio editing. It's getting worse.
Some examples:
1. Spokane is pronounced Spo-CAN, not Spo-CANE. Narrator should know that.
2. "Nurse" misread as "muse".
3. "Palpable" misread as "palatable".
4. Guy gets in car and reads using "overheated light". (It's overhead light).
5. Wenatchee mispronounced as "Winatachee".

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Not my favorite

Overall
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
2 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-16-25

This would have made an ok action movie (although it's a lot like many others). But it's not really a mystery story in keeping with the series. It was disappointing - kind of boring. And some parts of it are utterly ridiculous. Narrator's voice is good, but he continues to mispronounce words he should not.

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Fewer stars compared to prior books in series

Overall
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
2 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-16-25

I continue to enjoy this series, but this was my least favorite so far. Many important repeating characters introduced have little or no part in this book - and they are missed. Additionally, story line feels pretty contrived. Also there are too many glitches in this one. Examples: 1. A main character is blind, but is able to do some things not possible for a blind person. 2. People with life threatening injuries are taken to urgent care, not emergency rooms. 3. Many mispronounced words - needed better audio-editing. I will continue with series, though.

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Series remains solid - this is #3

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-15-25

Very likable characters. Development of relationships continues well. Interesting premise. Story does not drag. Very good narrator. BTW you can listen out of order. Stories stand alone. But there are references in each book to the story lines in previous ones. Heading on to the 4th!

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Like an Agatha Christie!

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-14-25

Second in series, and while not quite as good or intense as the first one, it was still enjoyable. I'll definitely continue with the series. The aspect of this book I liked best was how much it reminded me of an Agatha Christie book in terms of story line. Characters are likable and realistic. Very good narrator.

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Great find!

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-13-25

I am so happy to have found this series! This is the first book, and I already really like the author's handling of characters, setting, and plot development. This story, while intriguing, did get a little bit far fetched, but I still enjoyed it, and was satisfied with the ending. Narrator is very good. Looking forward to listening to all the rest of the books in the series!

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