Excellent choice of narrator in terms of Dutch.

I'm Scottish but have a Dutch father, and grew up speaking Dutch. Unfortunately there are few people that seem to be able to get even close to the Dutch pronunciations (in the version of 'the 1000 autumns of Jacob de Zoet' I listened to for example, the narrator didn't even do a quick Google check for the pronunciation of his main character's name!). Usually their attempts leave me bleeding from the ears.

So I was a little apprehensive about this book, but luckily, it all turned out ok. The narrator had a distinct South African accent, so I'm guessing he's either from there or has spent a lot of time there, and Afrikaans and Dutch are close cousins. I do understand that Dutch folk who speak English without a Dutch accent are somewhat hard to come by, so using a south African was a very acceptable compromise.

The story itself was a decent enough crime thriller. nothing Earth shattering, but perfectly readable. I'll continue the series as long as they keep the same narrator!

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Good but disjointed and hard to follow

I struggled with this one. On balance I enjoyed it and the storyline was very good but I kept having to go back and try and piece together what was happening. Maybe better read than listened to and perhaps the Dutch names were more difficult to ascribe to characters, making it harder to relate to. I wouldn’t put anyone off but you need to concentrate!

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1 person found this helpful

Brilliant

Really enjoyed this - similar to the killing but thankfully not as long! I quickly got into the characters and cared about them and was listening avidly till the end and still kept guessing!

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Excellent narration....

....and a good story. Seems like the start of a series and worth it I would say.

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fabulous

amazing storytelling with great twists. Fully rounded characters and the narration is superb. I haven't enjoyed it book so much for a long while.

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A cracking good read

Two fabulous new characters three if you include Sam which I do! I thought Mr Hewson would find it impossible to improve upon his previous hero's I was wrong and I am delighted to be so. I have already put the next in the series on my wish list but it will be saved until I have time to savour it properly because if it is as good as this it will be impossible to put down. the Narrator has utterly NAILED it is they day.

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Very enjoyable Detective thriller

I enjoyed the story and the setting and all the characters. The narration was great and it would be a good holiday read.

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Really liked it

It took me a while to get used to the names and different voices, but that's just me. The story is good, I liked the characters and the reader was good too

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Enjoyable, good narration

The narrator was very good... his accents seemed believable and were not so strong as to spoil enjoyment or make listening difficult. Each character was distinct.

I have read several other books by David Hewson, at least 15 years ago. This one was less gory than some others, and probably all the better for that. The story was very easy to get into and it carried me along with it. I listened to it continually. I’ll read (listen to) another one before long I am sure.

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You just don't want to stop listening.

Where does The House of Dolls rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is by far the best book I've listened to. It was a bit hard to get into at first but once you do you don't want to stop listening. So many twists to the story it will keep you guessing.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The House of Dolls?

The most memorable moment was when he found out his daughter was alive

Which character – as performed by Saul Reichlin – was your favourite?

Pieter Vos was my favorite character

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes, I laughed in parts - the beer labels :-) . I didn't cry but I was shocked in parts and constantly interested to find out the next twist and turn.

Any additional comments?

Give the book a chance. You'll love the narrator and how he brings the story to you. Fantastic value for money!!

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