A Great Read

I have to say, I was expecting more mystery when I decided to get this but even though the detective story isn't really that much about detection, I loved it. Great plot with interesting characters, exciting action, some real touching moments, some very funny one liners. I bought this because it was on sale but I will definitely be using my Audible credits on the next books in the series. I'm hooked on the characters and the idea and can't wait to read more.

36 people found this helpful

A Very Pleasant Surprise

If you could sum up A Cool Breeze on the Underground in three words, what would they be?

Entertaining, surprising, and engaging

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Cool Breeze on the Underground?

What was most memorable and what I liked best about this story was original and non-traditional lead character in this book. I had never heard of Don Winslow but saw this book a couple of weeks ago listed as a "daily special." The summary description sounded intriguing enough for me to invest $3.95. It sounded like a detective story with a couple of potentially interesting twists, and indeed it was-----but so much more. The author does a nice job of beginning the story and then periodically relating the background on the main character in a very fluid manner so that the reader does not become confused or bored. Before I was half way through, I was so intrigued by the lead character that I found myself hoping that this was, or soon would be, a series. After finishing the book, I checked into other works by this author and found that, to my delight, this was the case. I am now reading the second in the series and it appears to be of at least the same high quality.

Which scene was your favorite?

Hard to say without giving away key parts of the story.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Thanks to Audible for featuring this book as a "daily special," without which I probably would not have become familiar with this author. Also, the performance (reader) was outstanding. I had never listened to any books read by Joe Barrett, but he was perfectly matched for this particular story and for the characters therein. Also, much to my immense relief and satisfaction, there were no egregious mispronunciations----an attribute that is unfortunately all too rare.

22 people found this helpful

Terrific!

Great blend of suspense, humor, and endearing characters. Lots of surprises throughout. The reader struck a perfect balance.

14 people found this helpful

This thing's fun!

Don Winslow's a talented craftsman. The story's about a backward Pygmalion. This time the waif's a male,but the Professor's every bit the taskmaster. It's a caper tale that kept me happy from the start on. Of course Joe Barrett's a vocal master. I cannot imagine how he manages to age his characters as the plot develops. Yep, A Cool Breeze blew 15 stars out of my hard-to-please wallet.

25 people found this helpful

Funny, suspenseful, good characters

I was introduced to Don Winslow by reading "The Power of the Dog" which is a tour de force in a genre I would call reality fiction. That book was obviously well researched and I learned a lot about the history, and hypocrisy of the "war on drugs.” "A Cool Breeze on the Underground" is the first in a series that I found hugely enjoyable although not as hard hitting as "The Power of the Dog" or even Winslow's more recent fiction that is set in southern California.
Hard hitting or not, I recommend "A Cool Breeze on the Underground" and for that matter, I recommend all of Don Winslow's fiction.I wish he was still writing the Neal Carey series in addition to his other excellent fiction. The story grabs your attention and keeps it to the end and along the way you will find humor as well as some thought provoking subject matter.
Joe Barrett does an excellent job portraying the somewhat quirky characters.

24 people found this helpful

Joe Barrett reading Don Winslow = joy squared

Mr. Winslow creates such interesting characters and lets them speak in that snarky, witty prose that makes me wish I could meet them in person. Well, some of them. Some of them are scary creeps. Definitely worth listening to.

30 people found this helpful

Not what I expected

If you could sum up A Cool Breeze on the Underground in three words, what would they be?

Clever, captivating, unexpected

What about Joe Barrett’s performance did you like?

Barrett did a great job narrating. He gave all of the characters their own voice, and it was always clear who was talking and when. If a certain character was thinking something, it was in their unique voice. He made it very enjoyable, and the tones that he used to throughout the book made you really feel what was happening. A superb performance.

Any additional comments?

This book wasn't at all what I expected. I purchased it a long time ago and I've had it sitting in my library for ages and I finally decided to listen to it. The dialog and plot is realistic, nothing seems too hard to believe, and it makes it even more appealing to listen to. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to listening to more Neal Carey mysteries

5 people found this helpful

Much better than that dog book.

Where does A Cool Breeze on the Underground rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top third. Not to be boastful, but my library contains about 1000 audiobooks, so it is hard for me to make judgments like this. It's hard for me to even think of all the audiobooks I've listened to.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Neal, the protagonist, is clearly the man whom Mr. Winslow wants you to root for. And you do. He takes on the global mess that is Ally and her twisted family, complete with her heroin addiction, as just a teenager, and her scuzzy lifestyle (read: prostitution) and her scuzzier friends. Colin, the bad guy, is a truly nauseating bad guy. You just want him to get his comeuppance, as they used to say, and you are glad when he does, although this requires a couple of plot tricks that strain credulity a bit.

What does Joe Barrett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I love Joe Barrett. It is far beyond just his gravelly voice, which is always pleasing. All the British accents he does! He separates the Cockney from the House of Lords and everything in between. I've never been a Brit-o-phile. Winslow's description of the heat in the "tube" makes you claustrophobic, just antsy to get out of there.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I can't do that. I am happy to let a long book take some time. This one in particular has an unusual surprise: I liked the second half much more than the first half, which is not usually the case. I believe that this is because of the extremely sweet love scenes that take place during Ally's rugged rehab. Unrequited, which makes it all the more tender, and such a contrast to the disgusting, gory pile of violence that is that dog book. If it were just that one, I would never read another book by Winslow. Now, I definitely will give it another go, old chap. With a brandy snifter in my leather chair in my cozy wood-lined personal library, with my trusty corn cob pipe at hand.

Any additional comments?

No. This was a pleasure. Thanks. I hope all your readers who might be skeptical of Mr. Winslow will give this one a shot (so to speak).

29 people found this helpful

Excellent listen

Would you listen to A Cool Breeze on the Underground again? Why?

Yes, would listen and read the book also

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, trying to figure out how Neal is going to make his next move.

Have you listened to any of Joe Barrett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Enjoyed all of his performances

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but unfortunatly it was not so

Any additional comments?

Going through fiction titles and picked and picked Don Winslow by accident. How have I not
listened to him or read his books.

15 people found this helpful

Tobias Smollett Noir

"He was lonely, but he was used to that. He had his books to read."
- Don Winslow, A Cool Breeze on the Underground.

Don't worry, I only give away the endings. Sometimes I wished I read authors in order. I'm only hitting Don Winslow's 1st novel late in my Don Winslow game. I think I might have 2 more fiction books of his and one more nonfiction before I'm a Don Winslow completist. But this one is one of my favorites. It is your typical detective fiction if you thread you typical detective fiction with characters that seem to fall out of a Dickens novel and are studied up on Smollett novels and Peeble's A Short History of Scotland.

It isn't a perfect novel, but for readers of classic 18th and 19th Century English fiction and American detective novels, it doesn't get more perfect than this one.

4 people found this helpful