SOUTHPAW

Southpaw by JD Kirk
Book 2 in the Robert Hoon Thriller series
Narrated by Angus King
Genre: crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobook

About Southpaw:

Ex-Police Scotland detective, Bob Hoon, has made himself some powerful enemies.

Following his brutal search for the missing daughter of an old army colleague, Hoon is being hunted by the Loop, a secretive criminal cabal with members in very high places and a tendency to eliminate all those who stand against it.

Unfortunately for them, Hoon has never been one to back down from a fight, and he isn’t about to start now. Instead, he’s going to burn their whole damn organisation to the ground.

But first, he’s going to have to get inside.

He may be a foul-mouthed, hard-drinking psychopath with a death wish, but Bob Hoon is about to do something he hasn’t done in years.

He’s going undercover.

Source: Info in the "About Southpaw" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60155307-southpaw on 17/09/2023.

Buy Link(s):

 

Hoon

My Thoughts:

The author said that he envisions Bob Hoon as somebody like Graham McTavish. So Graham McTavish it is!

This is the first series that I've read of this author. Of course, by now, I know he also have other books, like the DCI Jack Logan thrillers, which is an even older series than this. I just hope that I didn't miss anything by reading the Bob Hoon thrillers first instead of reading the Jack Logan one instead.

This book has the same masterful story telling quality, beautiful world building, relateable characters, and wonderful story that the first book had. I am now a Bob Hoon die-hard fan!

I like the way Angus King gives Hoon a gravely voice! Kudos to the narration!

Quantitative Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 4
Ending = 5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4
Pace = (12 hrs and 31 mins listening time)
Plot = 4
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries

Books In The Robert Hoon Thriller Series:

 

Meet The Author

About JD Kirk:

JD Kirk is the pen name of multi-award-winning author, screenwriter, and writer of comics, Barry Hutchison.

JD Kirk lives in the Highlands of Scotland with his wife, two children, and a number of sturdy umbrellas. Despite writing from a young age, 'A Litter of Bones' is his first novel, and combines his love of the Highlands, crime thrillers, and cats.

jdkirk.com | twitter | facebook | instagram | amazon | goodreads

The Narrator

About Angus King:

#Actor #Audiobook narrator including Booker Prize Winner 2020 #Shuggiebain.

Angus King is a Scottish actor based in London & Glasgow. He trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and works regularly on television, Motion Capture and the West End and his voice can be heard in audiobooks, political campaigns, radio drama, corporate videos, computer games, ADR and much more.

angusking.net | twitter | linkedin | goodreads

FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook were bought with private funds.
No money received for this review.

A LONG TIME DEAD

A Long Time Dead by J M Dalgliesh
Book 1 in the Misty Isle series
Narrated by Angus King
Genre: crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobook

About A Long Time Dead:

You can’t stay dead forever…

A group of high school students gather on the Isle of Skye’s remote Coral Beach for a hedonistic night of partying to celebrate the passing of their final exams. The new millennium is on the horizon and the future beckons, promising new hope and a fresh wind of optimism. In the coming days, many will leave the island for work or to study on the mainland, whereas others will remain on Skye and forge a more traditional path much as their families have done for centuries before them.

That is… all but one…

D.I. Duncan McAdam is dispatched home to the Misty Isle. A body has been found buried in a remote location on the Waternish peninsula. Well preserved in the peat, Isla Matheson — missing for the better part of two decades — is revealed to a shocked island community. A teenage runaway is dead… and no one is talking…

Joining a small team of detectives, Duncan is tasked with revisiting those who knew Isla, those who cared for her… and those with the potential to kill her… In a remote community well used to settling scores among themselves, will they trust one of their own when he asks questions or will they persevere with the façade of ignorance

Source: Info in the "About A Long Time Dead" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199539205-a-long-time-dead on 20/02/2024.

Buy Link(s):

 

My Thoughts:

So, what exactly did Duncan do to get him into trouble to begin with?

It seems like J M Dalgliesh is popular so I thought I would try him out. Plus the fact that Angus King is narrating this book, it got bought.

I can't help hearing Berta Hoon in the stern woman at the hospital ward's nurses' station...

It took me a bit of time to read this book. So, it is not as fast-paced as I thought it would be despite the convenience of the audiobook format. However, I did like the plot.

I'm an old Angus King fan and I love the way he narrates!

Quantitative Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 4
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 4
Ending = 4.5
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 4
Pace = (11 hrs and 4 mins listening time)
Plot = 4.5
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries

Books In The Misty Isle Series:

 

Meet The Author

About J M Dalgliesh:

Jason Dalgliesh was born on the south coast of England and grew up in Hampshire, UK. He has worked in the power transmission industry, the retail sector, call centres and as a night-owl in a bakery. His greatest challenge of all is ongoing, as a stay at home parent.

He is presently writing the Dark Yorkshire crime-series, featuring DI Nathaniel Caslin.

The novels are set in Yorkshire, England. The medieval City of York is Caslin's home town and the plot lines take in some of the UK's most rugged and beautiful landscapes, from the windswept North Sea coastline and across the stunning North York Moors.

Penned in the style of the Crime Noir genre, Caslin is a deep character, as flawed as he is brilliant, battling his own demons as much as those he is pitted against. Readers who enjoy gritty, atmospheric thrillers will find the series a must read.

Having spent time abroad, Jason has lived and worked in various parts of England as well as the Scottish Highlands. He currently resides in the East Riding, with his wife and two young children.

jmdalgliesh.com | twitter (darkyorkshire) | twitter (jmdalgliesh) | facebook | instagram | linkedin | amazon | goodreads

The Narrator

About Angus King:

#Actor #Audiobook narrator including Booker Prize Winner 2020 #Shuggiebain.

Not to be confused with US Senator @Senangusking

angusking.net | twitter | linkedin | goodreads

FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook were bought with private funds.
No money received for this review.

A LITTER OF BONES

A Litter Of Bones by JD Kirk
Book 1 in the DCI Logan Crime Thrillers series
Narrated by Angus King
Genre: crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobook

About A Litter Of Bones:

A missing child. A tormented detective. A ticking clock.

Ten years ago, DCI Jack Logan stopped the serial child-killer dubbed 'Mister Whisper,' earning himself a commendation, a drinking problem, and a broken marriage in the process.

Now, he spends his days working in Glasgow's Major Investigations Team, and his nights reliving the horrors of what he saw.

And what he did.

When another child disappears a hundred miles north in the Highlands, Jack is sent to lead the investigation and bring the boy home. But as similarities between the two cases grow, could it be that Jack caught the wrong man all those years ago?

And, if so, is the real Mister Whisper about to claim his fourth victim?

Source: Info in the "About A Litter Of Bones" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44678633-a-litter-of-bones on 15/09/2023.

Buy Link(s):

 

Logan

My Thoughts:

I've read JD Kirk's Robert Hoon Thriller series first before I started reading this book. I understand that this series came first and that Hoon was the off-shoot story. However, I love Hoon so much that I wanted to read more of this author. I just hope that I haven't messed up royally by reading Hoon first before the DCI Logan series.

The main protagonist is DCI Logan and he is supposed to be the expert in the case having collared the original Mister Whisper. If it was Lt. Eve Dallas of the In Death series by JD Robb, then it would only be Dallas and Dallas alone who would know, catch and apprehend the perpetrator. Not the case here.

Logan might be the main protagonist, but catching the perpetrator is a team effort. I love the In Death series! But I like the "team effort" better!

I like the way Angus King pinched his nose to give Jinkies his character.

Quantitative Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 4.5
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = (7 hrs and 31 mins listening time)
Plot = 4.5
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries

Books In The DCI Logan Crime Thrillers Series:

 

Meet The Author

About JD Kirk:

JD Kirk is the pen name of multi-award-winning author, screenwriter, and writer of comics, Barry Hutchison.

JD Kirk lives in the Highlands of Scotland with his wife, two children, and a number of sturdy umbrellas. Despite writing from a young age, 'A Litter of Bones' is his first novel, and combines his love of the Highlands, crime thrillers, and cats.

jdkirk.com | twitter | facebook | instagram | amazon | goodreads

The Narrator

About Angus King:

#Actor #Audiobook narrator including Booker Prize Winner 2020 #Shuggiebain.

Not to be confused with US Senator @Senangusking

angusking.net | twitter | linkedin | goodreads

FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook were bought with private funds.
No money received for this review.