Michael Raleigh

The version I listened to was from "Books In Motion" read by Ron Verella. He did a good job. The quality started out poorly, but then got better. Not sure what was up with that whether it was damage to the file or not. I suspect it was just poor quality on their part since at least 3 times there were misreads & then repeats. They obviously should have been edited out, but weren't. I also tried another audio book by this producer just before this & turned it off quickly due to the quality. I may give it another chance to see if it gets better, although that reader wasn't very good.

This was a pretty good murder mystery, reminding me of Block's writing in the understated tone. Our hero was fairly tough, but not a great fighter & fairly stupid in the art of self defense. That last hurt the novel in a couple of situations as it undercut the motivations. Raleigh did paint a good picture of skid row in Chicago, not that I've ever been there, but it felt real.

The characters were full blown, a little too much so in some cases. One gets a couple of drinks in him & then does an info dump. Interesting, but not really in character. Still, it was an interesting look into him & he was a more fun than the hero in some ways.

One surprising aspect was the dated feel to this novel. It was first published in 1990 & I would have guessed 5 or more years earlier. That's still only 20 or 30 years ago, but it felt dated due to the lack of cell phones & the smoking. People smoked in so many public places & a phone answering service played a fairly part. Amazing how times have changed.

I have one more of these from the library. I think I'll listen to it soon.… (meer)

After several heavy books in a row, I was looking for something lighter. As with many lighter books these days, this one devotes most of the first half of the book to introducing readers to one quirky character after another. But in the last half, the story turns more serious & builds momentum, as the main character, a circus master, battles his PAST as an orphan & failed circus master, while taking responsibility for an 11-year-old orphan anxious about his FUTURE. Their struggles over the past & future meld as they live a life that celebrates (& fears) the unpredictability of life in a traveling circus & as both find security in the family made up of the circus people who surround them with love & affection.… (meer)