good story line spoilt by performance

the story rolls along but the narator keeps bring in manerisms that are quite anoying
like Mannnnnnn goingggggg.

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Nice surprise

I ,like a lot of other reviewers, love the Slough House books. So I thought I would try some of Mick Herron’s other books. I chose this one because it is set in Newcastle, my home town. I always try to read books in order but this one is actually the last in the Zoe Boehm series. I don’t think it will matter as it is almost stand alone although there are references to previous story lines .The writing is wonderful , very precise and concise but also evocative . He describes place and characters beautifully without mountains of description , which keeps the action moving . I really enjoyed this book the plot was good with a few twists, certainly kept you guessing . The narrator was good , her Geordie accent was a bit “Vera-esque” but if you don’t come from the area you would probably not notice.

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8 people found this helpful

Thoroughly enjoyable listen

A typical Mick Herron story. Convoluted, intricate and teasing to the end. One or two tests of credibility but these are easy to forgive in such a thoroughly enjoyable listen which is narrated immaculately by Julia Franklin

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5 people found this helpful

Herronesque!

A new word will surely be added to the dictionary as Mick Herron's books grow in popularity, as they surely will, when Apple TV release their Slow Horses dramatisation very shortly.
Smoke and Whispers follows a typically Herronesque plot line.
As usual, every page includes description, thoughts and dialogue which bring smiles to the reader's lips.
I particularly like the dialogue which is followed by "she would/should have said/didn't say".
Such a simple yet effective device which I've never seen used by anyone other than Herron.
And the only way to understand that sentence is to read the book - you will not regret it.
Julia Franklin does her usual exceptional job with a slight dent in perfection being some of her Geordie accents but then I AM a Geordie so probably far more critical than a non-Geordie!

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4 people found this helpful

Loved the Story, Loathed the Narration

I've romped through all of Herron's Slough House series, which is fantastic, and thought I'd try one of his earlier non-spy books to see what they were like. This was interesting, and twisty, perhaps a tad slow. It was ruined by the narration. Choppy, breathy, at times adenoidal, weird intonations and inflexions, not to mention a sad and terrible attempt at the Geordie accent. If you can't do it properly, don't bother trying. The narrator also made the women sound shrill and shrewish, which made them less than sympathetic. IF I were tempted by another of these I would save money and get the Kindle version. I couldn't listen to this person reading a book again.

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7 people found this helpful

Excellent

Another great Mick Herron fix. I am now addicted to his books. They are funny insightful clever and involving. Great edge of the seat rides. Julia and Sean bring their own approaches to narration and both are excellent. I was put off trying those narrated by Julia for some time as so many reviews stated she was not as good as Sean and I had also been very impressed by him. However, I very much enjoy the intonations and inferences brought by Julia. She is every bit as good, just different. As are the non Slough house books. I would recommend both the Oxford and Slough house series. I have not tried the other stand alones as yet. That is where I’m headed now!

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2 people found this helpful

Not Mick’s finest

I am a great fan and admirer of MH’s thrillers, the audio versions of which usually make a long car journey go in a flash but this was convoluted and stretched my patience to - and beyond - its limits. And there wasn’t even the dark humour that usually illuminates his books.

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4 people found this helpful

Not his best work

This feels like early Mick Herron, before he developed his writing skills to the level of the ‘Slow horses’ series. The story doesn’t flow well, the characters are hard to care about and the twist at the end didn’t work for me. The narrator struggled with some of the voices too.

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Terrible Narration

I tried listening to this book twice. Both times I had to give up as the narration was so distracting. It is read three words at a time, pausing continually and in a rather breathy style.

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1 person found this helpful

Disappointing

Like others I LOVED the Slough House books, this is terrible.. no plot, ridiculously drawn out, the relentless repetition, Nearly gave up so many times, but always try to see a book through so just sped it up. Really not worth the effort.

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