The Cold Room Left Me Cold

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I can't decide if it was the story line or the reader that put me off of this audiobook. The story line threw too much right off at you. The reader's voice was annoying. I didn't finish the book.

Has The Cold Room turned you off from other books in this genre?

NO

What didn’t you like about Joyce Bean’s performance?

Tone of voice not appropriate for this story. Sounds sexist, but a man would have served this story better.

6 people found this helpful

The Cold Room

Looking at the cover of the book I though that it was going to be a good story. I was very disappointed.It lacks the intensity, the mystery and the suspense to keep the listeners on the edge.

6 people found this helpful

Chilling Spellbinder

What a wild ride this story took me on - I couldn't stop listening and spent many days hurrying through my work so I could resume listening. Loved this book and the narration!

6 people found this helpful

Unusual mystery

This is a bit of mystery, but the type where the listener/reader knows more than the detectives, including the name of the killer—though not necessarily who he is. But the listener/reader doesn't know everything. So the reveals occur in a different way, and the listener/reader gets the perspective of the killer and the detectives concurrently. The murders are not gruesome in the typical bloody way but more eerie and psychologically frightening. Necrophilia plays a part, which I'm adding just as a warning, not to spoil anything. It could be problematic for some listeners/readers. I liked that some of the info was educative too.
The writer does an adequate job in eliciting a bit of pity, and possibly, sympathy for the murderer along with requisite negative feelings and thoughts. There's an interesting racial component to the story which the author handles well, primarily; improvements could be made. But I have read/listened to much worse. And, unfortunately, people of greater cultural understanding and sensibility are too rare to expect in commonplace fiction.
As the book nears its culmination it moves overseas, and we get a sense of Italy, it's language, the sights, smells and tastes. The narrator handles it well, and it adds another layer to the story, albeit, an unnecessary layer.
There's a bit of an established romance between Baldwin, a male FBI agent, and Taylor, a female detective. But there's no explicitness sexually, and the relationship was less than half the focus of the story. As the book is closing, manufactured conflict in the romance comes to a head. So it becomes a bit more of the focus, unnecessarily. The author seemed to be trying to make the book something it wasn't or couldn't be. Here the story was at its worst. Still, Baldwin and Taylor are likeable characters. Taylor was described as 5'9 or 6' and has a scar while also considered stunning. So she wasn't entirely the "typical" beauty and heroine in EVERY way.
The book held my attention until one of the final reveals in the last 2+ hrs.; it was just so cliché. Also, I think the story could've been wrapped up a little sooner. And I was turned off by the compliment to a woman regarding her emotional strength when she was told that she was stronger than 10 men. So even emotional strength is based on a man too?
There's a small thread in the story that references an unrelated case, and that case is dangled as bate to continue with Taylor's story. I'm not interested.

2 people found this helpful

Had it's Creepy Moments...

Would you listen to The Cold Room again? Why?

Probably if I had absolutely nothing new to listen to!

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

The author captured the unusual crime really well and therefore I enjoyed the thrill of the chase.

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

Yes, as she does make the lead character of Taylor her own.

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

No but it was intriguing in parts.

2 people found this helpful

Ok

Will try the next one but the whole pretender thing — it’s stale. Usually I give this author 5 stars. But I’m bored with the same under world villain.

1 person found this helpful

Could have been so much better

The premise and killer had so much potential to be really interesting and suspenseful but fell absolutely flat and non-gripping. The main characters were not interesting either and the romantic story line/banter was just dumb. Really disappointed that the author did not do more with a concept that was full of possibilities. May try one more in this series but it better be good or I will re-listen to the Prey series or Bosch and enjoy the level of story and interest I am looking for.

1 person found this helpful

Overall pretty good

Good story, in line with the rest of the series. My only complaint is the narrator's Italian accents sound more like Transylvanian joke voices.

1 person found this helpful

Ok Crime Novel...but needs more suspense

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

Yes. Interesting premise

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Flesh out the killer's side of the story. Lots of opportunity for suspense and confrontation, but there was little. .

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

No.

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

No.

1 person found this helpful

Why can't I find a Baldwin?

This is the second book. I've listened to 2 books by this author and I plan on reading/listening to more. The story doesn't end when the book is done the next book will continue to let us happens with Taylor and the evil person who determined to kill her.
I like the narrator! Good books can be ruined when the narrator is bad! The plots and characters are interesting. On to next book so I can finally find out who is persecuting Taylor.