This story kicks off with a good start and then comes at you from all directions. Fuller mixes an intense corporate conglomerate front-story with a whirlwind of interesting backstories; complicated relationships; murder; and interconnected motives— all done with a steady tempo sans weight or “drag.” The narrative maintains momentum without skimming over too many of necessary details: A nice balance that’s nicely done.
Alex, the main character, is a reporter following a career-changing story— and a woman. He is almost too perfect. Even when Fuller throws in a flaw, he counters it with something that elevates Alex right back into the flawless zone: “He was talented, he knew, and he appreciated this fact. But he also knew he’d been born on third base. He felt uncomfortable when people treated him as if he’d hit a triple.” (Humility making up for privilege is not a bad thing, but neither is a flawed character.) He is a bit of a womanizer (but he feels so guilty about it) so maybe that’s enough of a foible for some. My other tiny gripe is there may be a few too many mentions of how good the guy looks. I usually get it the idea after the first mention, and I can take two or three reminders. Anything more drives my focus away from the story, which in this case is a story worth paying attention to because it is pretty good.
Narrator Jeff Hays’s performance is impressive. His impersonation of female characters is exceptional. A few times, I replayed segments because I was sure a female actress was actually voicing a character. Is it technology or talent or both? Either way, I am astonished at Hays’s ability to project authenticity in this way. There is just one small notation of criticism: Aside from the main character, who was raised the Pacific Northwest (born in New York), Hays’s accent effects were a little shaky. Despite his apparent effort, to my New York ears (and in my humble opinion) there were no genuine New York/East Coast, Brazilian, or Venezuelan dialects (the story takes place in New York and some major role players are from South America). Also, Hays effected southern inflections for all black characters, who are presumably native or long term New Yorkers. If these characters had been southern, the impersonations would have been perfect. Here it was just distracting. Overall though, super job.
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks AudioBlast.