great story!

I really enjoyed the book, the last 4 hours I could not put it away. The narrator has very sharp "S"es but you get used to it after a while.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Great book

So glad I found a new author ( for me !)great read such a wonderful twists and turns . Worth reading in order, as you really get an affinity with the characters.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

narration was dreadful

I have wanted to read a Chris Brookmyre for a while and bought this when it was on offer.
The narration was terrible - the narrator sounded like she was half asleep and her voice made it sound like there were far too many words to listen to.
Didn't finish it - didn't even get close

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

Good twists and turns.

Not sure if I'll recommend the depicting of Jasmine as a slightly wavering and simpering wee lassie. I always hear her in my head as a more confident if very self aware young woman.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Solid follow-up to Where the Bodies are Buried

Chris Brookmyre does a nice job of following up on Where the Bodies are Buried, giving enough of a reminder for listeners (like me) who can't recall all of the details without retreading too much ground. Overall the plot of When the Devil Drives was a little convoluted in comparison to Where the Buried. While neither book was exactly harsh realism, this feels a little more Agatha Christie and a bit less Ian Rankin. Personally, I rather enjoyed that aspect of it though.

Jasmine Sharp and Glen Fallon continue to make for entertaining company and while the conclusion was in some respects predictable, it nevertheless felt well-crafted.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

Gripping tale

Enjoyed listening to this story after reading it a few years ago. The narrator is very good and I like the way she read the story.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Anither brookmyre classic

Loved this! Great narration, great story! Characters are 3d and believable. Pacing was fast but not rushed

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

shame about narrator

Another twist & turn story. brilliant! .narrators voice is irritating though. jasmine's voice is delivered in monotone seeming as if she's on the verge of breakdown throughout.she sounds pathetic really. accents are very poor. BUT apart gym narrator it's great!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

Very enjoyable overall, though flawed in places

I was painting while I listened to this and my husband periodically walked into the room - and when he did there was a always a long rigmarole of a car chases involving a silver Passat. The details that Brookmyre puts into these is just tedious.It's one of his 'rant' sequence: certain things set him off on details that is excessive about something very secondary to the plot. The same things happened with details of Scottish arts funding decisions relating to one character. In a novel, you need to be attune to what will later become relevant, but identifying this in a Brookmyre book can be trying.

Yet I recommend him to people and tell them to see past this to an original plot and a gripping story line - and that's exactly what this book was. I love the Jasmine Sharp characterisation: he's effectively caught that self-doubt that can run through women like lettering on a stick of rock.I looked forward to her dark guardian appearing and he didn't disappoint. The plot line was engaging: another review complained about there being too many characters, and indeed this was confusing for an audiobook, where, unlike a paper version, you can't easily go back and refresh your understanding of the characters.

I really liked the narration: some other reviewers didn't, finding her dour but I loved it: her dark, honeyed tones were beautiful, she caught the male characters believably and she was pure educated Glasgow, nuanced and colourful despite the low-pitched overall tone.

I didn't think the threads of the two investigations came together. We had two different detectives sharing a hunt for a solution but they didn't overlap or interplay at all, which was a shame. Each perspective and backstory was interesting, but dialogue between the two was absent.

An enjoyable journey overall, with moments of excellent storytelling.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Brookmyre at his best

Where does When the Devil Drives rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best that I've listened to

What did you like best about this story?

Characters and plot just right. Plausible.

What about Sarah Barron’s performance did you like?

Narrated at correct pace, accent just right and superb diction.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!