narrator ruined it for me

I am listening to Harry Bosch in order and the first 5 were narrated by one of the best-Dick Hill. Peter Giles maybe a good narrator, I have never read anything narrated by him previously but he has these voices all wrong. harry sounds like he needs a throat lozenge and Edgar, really-really!!! Makes him sound like a 25 year old white surfer. I am still listening because I like the story line and I feel its important to read series in order. I was sad to scroll through the rest of the Bosch series and see Dick Hill doesn't read another one.

88 people found this helpful

Suffers from poor narration

So distracting is this narrator that it interferes with the enjoyment of the story. The narrator makes every sentence hyper-dramatic, and has the annoying habit of putting emphasis on the wrong words, and pauses that actually change the meaning of the written word. He also ends too many sentences almost like a question--raised tone. Harry is in a personal and professional quandary, and it is a tight plot. Because of the sheer circumstances of the plot, it isn't necessary to overly dramatize the characterizations. Also, this is another narrator that makes Harry unbearably gravelly-voiced.

When I could unscramble the ambiguous meanings of sentences with inappropriate pauses and inflections, the story was one of the more challenging for Harry, and creates a lot of background about how th LAPD had to evolve post Rodney King, the effects on the police and politics of the department.

I eventually enjoyed the book, in spite of the narration, but it did make me long for monotonous narration--which I ordinarily don't like.

68 people found this helpful

One of best stories so far, average narrator

I started this series at the beginning, got sucked in, and I'm going the distance, knowing the road will be, as in most long series, uneven. Overall, they are well-written, with fairly intricate plot lines, good, not great, editing, and decent development of major characters. Lots of detailed but interesting police procedural; though I don't know how accurate it is, it sounds pretty believable to me.

I think this was one of the better tales from Connelly so far, but no thanks to the narrator. It would have been a really solid 4 stars with Hill. I've heard Peter Giles before when I read the Mickey Haller books, and likely some others. I don't like the Haller series as well--some of that may be due to the narrator. Giles 'reads' the books, Hill 'performs' them. Giles makes little distinction between characters, but mostly, it's that I don't like the voices he gives to either Bosch or Haller...they are kind of flat and monotonous and for some reason he seems to think they need to be breathy/raspy. (Other characters are not).


But. To be fair, while mediocre (not terrible by any means), Giles didn't keep me from enjoying this particular story; it was that interesting. I notice the next book is yet a different narrator; I'm keeping my fingers crossed, as I have become quite attached to Hieronymous Bosch and his story by now.

41 people found this helpful

Worst Performance I have ever Listened to

How did the narrator detract from the book?

All of the Bosch books I have read so far are very good, but the narrarator makes this one not worth listening to. Listening to the voice of the narrarator is chore, and very dissapointing. This recording should be replaced, there is no doubt about it.

38 people found this helpful

Another Good Connelly!

The narrator of this book, Giles, was good but Hill is a much better performer...The plot of this novel is a good one with the usual murders but also with child porno included. It also has the usual twists and turns Bosch's novels are known for. Enjoyable. I would recommend.

25 people found this helpful

Narrator should do Saturday morning hero cartoons!

The story is okay, but the narrator is not a good fit. I listened to the whole thing, but never got used to his take on the characters.

22 people found this helpful

Much improved

Would you listen to Angels Flight again? Why?

I have all the Connelly books that Audible has made available and have listened to them all several times. The Bosch character has developed over the years through the series in a very intriguing manner.

What did you like best about this story?

This book, as most of the books in the series, shows Harry as a well-developed character: an intelligent but deeply flawed man; dedicated to his job. He solves most of his cases, but makes mistakes along the way.

I like that Bosch is not presented as a Superman. He gets the job done through hard work and attention to detail. He is intelligent, but not omniscient.

What aspect of Peter Giles’s performance would you have changed?

Mr Giles did a nice job with the narration. I had previously tried to listen to this book with the Burt Reynolds recording but could not get through even one chapter. I prefer Dick Hill's rendition of Bosch's partner Edgar, but the narration was mostly good.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The scene in which Bosch discovered the body of his friend and former partner, Frankie, on his balcony was moving. You could feel Harry's grief and sense of responsibility and loss.

Any additional comments?

I thoroughly enjoyed the Bosch series and, to a lesser extent, the Haller series by Mr Connelly.

22 people found this helpful

Love the Harry Bosch Novels

Would you consider the audio edition of Angels Flight to be better than the print version?

Yes because there is nothing like an audio book for cross country car trips. Also, I work from home so I have a book playing while I work and the time just flies by.

How could the performance have been better?

Not crazy about this narrator. Really miss these books being narrated by Dick Hill who did a outstanding job. Peter Giles sounds like the character Napoleon Dynamite reading this book.

17 people found this helpful

Bosch is back

I thought this was the best story of the series so far. Peter Giles does a good job of narrating, but prefer Dick Hill's "voices" on the earlier books.

16 people found this helpful

Reeeely Good Bosch

Harry's self inflicting wounds again, driven by his pesky sense of ethics.Connelly is such a competent technician that once more the plot is complex yet accessible. The characters while each drawn with limited brushstrokes, are competently formed to create tension, feed momentum, and buckle me in right to the darkly satisfying ending among the burning streets of Las Angeles.

I took a rest from Harry for some months, but Angels Flight's made me wonder why. Regardless, Connelly spent time on this tale, it shows. He's a pro and fortunate to have Peter Giles interpret his ensemble so effectively. Thing is though, I'd recommend not stating the Harry Bosch novels with this one. Nope, go on back to the beginning so you'll enjoy the tales that have led up to Angels Flight. But if you must start here, well this story can stand alone pretty effectively.

12 people found this helpful