B- Detective Fiction

If you have not read Connelly, Verdon, etc., then go read them and come back when you have nothing to download and want a mystery on your drive to NY. I was glad I discovered David Levien BUT the story does not live up to your expectations at the beginning of the book. Quite frankly, it is way too easy for this P.I. to come across clues -- or even to figure out where to look. ("Mhm, let me find the bike that has been lost for a year and a half and that the police never thought to look for"...and a page later, his intuition pays off.) That said, I have downloaded the second novel in the series...I do have to drive back to Boston. (Scott Brick, who tends to annoy me as a reader, is actually quite good in this.)

11 people found this helpful

Easily 5 stars

Mr. Levien has written a winner here. This is a fast paced, intelligent story of a boy who was abducted and a private investigator who tries to find him.
The action is reminiscent of Michael Connelly and the character development reminds me of Capote's 'In Cold Blood'.
The story starts off fast immediately and never backs off. I hate to use the cliche 'page turner', but that is exactly what it is. I could not turn off my iPod and listened well into the night. I didnt get much sleep and was tired the next day at work. But I just HAD to finish the audiobook... there was simply no good place to stop, it was THAT good.
Scott Brick does his usual brilliant job of narration. As someone else once said, "He could make a phone book sound interesting".
I don't often write reviews, and when I do write a review it's usually critical. But I had to share my enjoyment of this one. I listen to thrillers, spy novels, police procedurals, true crime, and even horror novels... this is the best book I've listened to in several months.

21 people found this helpful

Formula Based So So Fun

The book was very formula based and so where the characters without much imagination or depth. Writng was also pretty basic and predictable.

Scott Bricks talents were a bit wasted here but he did make the book at least mildly entertaining.

4 people found this helpful

Almost Great

With inferior material, Scott Brick's highly dramatic narration can become a distraction; with really good material, he can make the story soar. The latter is the case here. Levien's story is a good one and the plot development, the writing and the characters are superb thriller material.
Three quarters of the way through I thought this was a five star book. Once the story turned to Mexico and the denouement, it went a bit flat. It often happens in the thriller genre that endings get a bit too fantastic or otherwise lose their center.
It would have been quite an achievement for Levien to satisfy the set-up here, especially with the emotionally explosive material, the kidnapping of a 12 year old by some bad people. Still a good tale and riveting listen, but the story is clicking on all cylinders while in Indianapolis, and veers off track once it moves south.
The PI Frank Behr is a superb character; I hope he returns.

3 people found this helpful

Workmanlike thriller. Scott Brick is annoying.

David Levien has written a thriller with an interesting plot, interesting characters, a good sense of acceleration, etc. However, Scott Brick is so annoying that he almost ruins the book. I don't understand his popularity. He only has one gear, and that is 100 mph. It is odd that he has narrated one of my all-time favorite audiobooks: The Ice Limit. His sense of pace fit that great book in a way that made his one-dimensional approach work.. However, for the 450 other books he has narrated, his limits are clear. Compared to Edoardo Balerini, for instance, he is outclassed in so many ways that Balerini should have narrated 450 books, not the other way around. In this book a 12-year-old boy is kidnapped by some sleazeballs, and he disappears for fourteen months before his grief-stricken parents give up on the police and hire a private investigator, the one-named Baer. In the classic form of the rogue ex-cop who could not fit in politically (this plot is becoming too common in thrillers these days) Baer can do things that the actual cops cannot. I won't spoil the denouement (Fancy French word, huh? It means the end and resolution of questions) for you, but rest assured it takes Levien a long time to get there, and by that time I got so annoyed by Mr. Brick that it was hard for me to continue. The parents of the kidnapped boy are appropriately grief-stricken and their marriage has gone stone cold. They just want to know what happened to their boy. In an interesting twist, Baer breaks his own rules and lets the father, Paul, help him work on the case. We get a good look at the unhealthy life of a strip club, but this is nothing new. I can't really recommend this book, as there are so many others in the genre that are better. Almost all forty of the Robert B. Parker Spenser series are better than this book, and each of them is only about five hours long. Elmore Leonard could write circles around Mr. Levien. Go for the Big Boys. Why spend your time with amateurs?

26 people found this helpful

What Happened to Jamie?.....4 STARS~

PLOT: a missing paper boy has the parents bring in private eye Frank Behr.

Paul and Carol Gabriel have never given up hope their "missing" son Jamie would be found. As their marriage totters on the brink Paul brings in private detective /ex cop Frank Behr. Behr has tragedy of his own including a failed marriage and son that was accidentally killed. Behr searches clues and reports that are several years old.The trail leads to a south of the border child trafficking ring. This is a very good story. The details about the low life scum who deal in this trade are part of what makes you stay glued to the over all story. Frank Behr has a personal life down in the toilet most of the time and so his personal demons often surface as his own choices. The middle of the story drags a bit but the end is well worth the "keep going" to see how it is resolved. I give it 4 STARS over all and 5 STARS for Scott Brick who gives life to Frank Behr.

1 person found this helpful

Enter Frank Behr

Excellent story... Scott Brick is terrific! Only knock is the ending was rushed... Want to know more!

1 person found this helpful

Could not put down!

Where does City of the Sun rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book was very entertaining. The characters were great and kept me riveted the whole time.

What did you like best about this story?

I like Frank, he is an unlikely hero. The unrelenting love of a parent and willingness to do anything to find out what has happened to his son.

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

Scott Brick is one of my favorite narrators of all time.

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

Some of the descriptions of the agony and pain Carol an Paul experience during their wait to find out the whereabouts of Jamie. They turn on each other and then ultimately turn back to each other. That's the happy ending.

1 person found this helpful

Too dramatic

I used to really like Scott Brick but he over dramatizes everything. There isn't any build up to exciting parts. Someone cooking eggs is as dramatic as a gun fight. Otherwise, it's a great book. I think it will be a great series.

1 person found this helpful

Great story, engaging characters- I love Frank!

If you could sum up City of the Sun in three words, what would they be?

Addicting
Real
engagaing

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

oh yes sireee!

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

Scott Brick becomes the story. HE doesn;'t just tell it, he SELLS it! He is one of my favorite narrators

Any additional comments?

I knew how it would end and I didnt care! Paul and Frank made a great team. Frank's personal life tragedy is compelling and heart wrenching. I highly recommend this book.

1 person found this helpful