…and it turned out to be even better than I was expecting!
I WAS expecting the $ex [any reader of this review who does NOT like that should NOT read/listen to this book. You were warned in the title and synopsis, so you should take the cue and read “Little House on the Prairie”]
I WAS NOT expecting the humor and chuckled at the following:
….She rubs her hand down until it’s rubbing my hardness in my black jeans. “I promise to make it worth your while, big fella.”
“It is kinda big, isn’t it,” I whisper.
“I’ll say,” she says, her voice deep, sultry. “I don’t know if I’d be able to fit it all in my mouth.”
That does it. I push out my chair and stand, pick up my gun, slap a full magazine into the grip then shove it into my shoulder holster….
Following are the stories and their corresponding chapter titles:
1_Moonlight Gets Served (ch 1-7)
2_Dressed to Kill (ch 7-21)
3_Full Moonlight (ch 21-32)
4_Bingo Night (ch 32)
5_Moonlight Breaks Bad (ch 33-58)
6_Pathological (ch 58-64)
7_Dog Day Moonlight (ch 64-78)
Before I go on, let me say that I requested (and was given) a copy of this audiobook. My review of it is voluntary—not at all based upon how I came to receive it. In other words, there was no quid-pro-quo.
OVERALL — 5 stars
I am giving this category five stars because – although I tend to be more of a stickler than most people are – the current total of all reviews for PATHOLOGICAL is far lower than this book merits and it seems to me that to rate it lower than it deserves would be… well… criminal. This is NOT an average book and, for its category, it is better than “average” (or even “great”) and deserves consideration for any award given within its genre.
PERFORMANCE — 4½ stars
(I listened at normal speed, although with most audiobooks I have to increase the speed, probably because the narrators read slower than they otherwise would so as to avoid making a reading mistake and no mistakes are allowed on audiobook recordings)
The performance here is very well done and Andrew B. Wehrlen’s tone is pleasant to listen to. He accomplished the ultimate goal every narrator should have: to get the reader into the story/stories. Although readers might expect a more noir-sounding narrator, I’m glad the book didn’t go with a stereotype in this regard. The reason I’m not giving five stars is because I’m a stickler about giving out a perfect rating, which to me should be for award-winning performances. Nevertheless, his consistent nuance throughout did tempt me to give a full-fledged 5.
STORY — 5 stars
If there is a competition for books/stories in this category, the book PATHOLOGICAL should – at the very least – be nominated.
It is rare to find an anthology where every story is a winner. This is the rare exception. I heartily recommend this book to everyone who likes great storytelling that is spiced with a little humor.
Such as the following:
….Roland Hills (AKA Fat Elvis Presley) believes he’s the return of the King himself. Or, in his words, “I’m proof Elvis never left the building – much less the good earth – in the first place.” Between his big gut, his skinny arms and legs, he kinda resembles an overgrown cocktail olive with four toothpicks stuck inside it….
What more can I can say. Just get this book. You won’t be disappointed.
Plain and simple, this is storytelling at its finest!
Prior to my reading of PATHOLOGICAL I had been unfamiliar with the author Vincent Zandri, but he is a now on my short list of great authors and I can certainly understand why he has received all the accolades he has.
In conclusion, please – if my review here has been helpful to you – click “Helpful” below. It will help me to become known through my reviews, which I try my best to make helpful to potential readers. I’m trying hard to become a Top Reviewer on Audible so I can get more complimentary audiobooks (although, as I wrote earlier, my reviews are not mandatory to getting such copies). Upon submission, this review becomes the property of Audible.com
It was my pleasure reviewing this book and I thank you so much for reading my review of it!
My rating scale:
1 = Junk! (dumpster worthy) // 2 = Poor // 3 = Good (average) // 4 = Great // 5 = Excellent! (award worthy)