Where does Come to Dust rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
The narration was really good, but the story left a little bit to be desired. I don’t regret listening though.
Would you be willing to try another book from J. S. Cook? Why or why not?
Yes. Even though I felt confused by some of the book, I did enjoy it. They have written more mysteries and I want to see how they are.
Have you listened to any of Joel Leslie’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
So many accents and variations in tone. It’s hard to believe that one person created them all. A few accents were very strong though, and I almost couldn’t understand the words. Still I thought it was a great performance.
Any additional comments?
Full review from Rainbow Gold Reviews. (A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.)

Narration: I’ve listened to many books narrated by Joel Leslie. He always does a fantastic job creating a multitude of accents and variations in tone to give a unique voice to every character in the book. Sometimes it is hard to believe all the voices come from one person. His narration was a bright spot of this listening experience.

Story: This review is a little hard for me to write. I enjoyed the book and thought it had some really interesting ideas. However, there was so much going on in this book, maybe a little too much. I was left feeling confused and also wanting more. Many of the ideas I would have liked to learn more about. According to Goodreads, this book is listed as book 3, but I don’t see the previous books for sale anywhere. Perhaps those might have cleared up some of my confusion.

We start in 1891 when being gay could be considered a crime. Inspector Philemon Raft is assigned to solve the case of a missing girl. Raft is an interesting character. He seems to see ghosts. I would have liked to have seen his ability be used in solving crimes, but it seems like it is just a facet of the character that doesn’t really go anywhere. He still seems to have excellent powers of deduction and is a respected detective. His lover and sidekick, Constable Freddie Crook, is out of the country battling a laudanum addiction. It is obvious that Raft had great feelings for the man. During moments of the book, Raft would hear or see Freddie. I was left trying to figure out whether he was dead or if it was just daydreams and memories. It played havoc on Raft and on me, too.

With Freddie gone, Raft is assigned a new partner, Prentiss Chalmondley. (I think that is how it is spelled, since I listened to the audio without having the book in front of me.) Prentiss is an interesting character. He talks in a cockney slang that causes others to think he’s not particularly bright, but they’re dead wrong. His intelligence and investigative skills are clearly being misused in his usual position of minding the prisoners in their cells. Prentiss is also a very likable guy. His crush on Raft is returned a bit, but Raft is longing for Freddie.

The mystery itself was interesting. A boat load of twists and turns await, including an intersex character. While the kidnapping case was solved, in a matter of speaking, it’s not without casualties. Several lives are lost, and Raft finds himself maybe-temporarily blinded. I wish I could find out what happens in the future for him. Gallant is a side character who I would have liked to learn more about as well. He and Raft have a past, but I feel like there could have been a whole other story involving that past, because even Raft seems unclear as to what happened. Overall, it is a book I would recommend. It was a good mystery but I wish I didn’t have so many questions left hanging when it ended. My hope is that the previous two books are being republished or there will be a follow up.

7.5/10 Pots of Gold