Best thriller for ages

Where does Broken Harbour rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Probably the best mystery/thriller I have listened to.

What did you like best about this story?

The narrator was excellent - his characterisation impeccable. It was easy to believe you were listening to an extensive cast.

Which character – as performed by Hugh Lee – was your favorite?

DI Kennedy - Scorcher.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A modern Irish tragedy.

4 people found this helpful

A masterful reading

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Darned gripping yarn that gets the cognitive skills chugging. Romantic Ireland might be dead and gone but it leaves in its wake a great whodunit.

What did you like best about this story?

Hugh Lee's performance.

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

No idea who Hugh Lee is but this guy is an absolutely terrific reader. He's a one-man cast of regional, social, and gender accents. I wish I could read out loud like this.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Sly story in crafty times.

Any additional comments?

Get Hugh Lee to do more readings.

3 people found this helpful

Gripping story and amazing performance

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I already have! This series in general is notable for the amazing character studies, and Lee's reading truly makes it come to life.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The narrator. Lee truly brought out all his humanity.

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

I haven't, but I have already started looking at other pieces he's done.

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

It terrified me, it captivated me, it saddened me deeply-- all in the best possible way.

2 people found this helpful

I really liked this book!

What did you love best about Broken Harbour?

The story was most unusual and I could really picture the suburban environment and characters as the narrator was very consistent with his voices and characterisations.
I like all the loose ends to be tied up in a book, and in this case there were a few left 'hanging' however that has given me food for thought...so not such a bad thing.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Richie Curran - empathy empathy empathy...read it and find out why!

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

His Irish accents were really spot on...I particularly liked the voice of the nosey neighbour.

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

Yes

Any additional comments?

Really enjoyable all round.

2 people found this helpful

A mixture of realistic and unrealistic

As much as I like the flowery descriptions, sometimes they really slow down the story and turn the very realistic characters into a mockery of themselves. I kept thinking: WHO TALKS LIKE THAT? Whenever a character described what happened. I did like this story. It was the best of the four novels I had read. The others didn’t have much story going on. This did feel like a haunted house novel in a way. It was entertaining, butt I am not sure if the author’s work is entirely my cup of tea.

Over 20 hours - perfect for the pandemic!

This is an excellent book, I wouldn’t give it anything less than five stars, but if you’re looking for a book to fall asleep too, this might not be the perfect fit. The voice work is excellent, just a little too invigorating to ensure a solid night of sleep. I ended up looking at the ceiling many nights, waking up to stressed out voices...combined with Tana French’s moody scenes, this book guaranteed sleepy morning.

Not her best..

Overall this book could have been great. Except it’s at least 4 hours too long!
The self-pitying ramblings would have been fine but the same things are said/thought over and over and over till you almost know them by heart. And really, NOT putting your really sick sister in a hospital just because you feel bad is just cruel!

Deeply satisfying in every way

I can scarcely believe that I put this aside after a few minutes of the narrators voice. I went back and gave it a second try as I love Tana French, and as I became immersed in the story, I came to love the narrator and the story he told, right to the last minute.

Superb story, beautifully written, perfectly read

I love Tana French's Dublin Squad series. This story shows a different view of murder detective "Scorcher" Kennedy and delves into his past. I really appreciate the way French shows characters, like Kennedy, as bit players in other books -- Kennedy's generally shown to be a flashy jerk -- but fleshes them out in their own story elsewhere. This was an absolutely gripping read, and Hugh Lee was the ideal choice to portray male and female characters with all sorts of accents and backgrounds. Highly recommended.

Brilliant imagery as usual.

Tana French is a master wordsmith. Her prose is lilting and conjures up viscerally felt associations that are often in direct contrast to a bleak story line and her realistically fallible characters.