Devil’s Rock

Engrossing

This is a new author for me. I noted she has created a story of strong female characters. Andrea Sullivan once was a Los Angeles police officer. She moved to Sedona, Arizona and went to work as a deputy sheriff. Then serial murders of college students occur. The FBI send in Agent Cameron Ross to lead the investigation.

The book is well written and fast paced. I picked up the book to read because the story was taking place in Sedona. I am very tired of serial killers and wish authors would give the topic a rest for a while. The plot twists and turns and the characters are interesting. The descriptions of scenic Sedona are great. I was disappointed that the two lead women had a lot of personal baggage, but that did not interfere with their excellent job performance. I wish an author would write about a hero who is emotionally healthy, brilliant and superb at their jobs. The book provides a good “who done it” story; but most likely I will not bother to read this author again.

The book is about 8 hours long. Abby Craden does a good job narrating the book. She is a new narrator for me. Craden is an actor, voice over artist and award winning audiobook narrator.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

I Was Totally Into It

I didn't really care that much for 'Angel Fire' so I was a little leery about this one. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that I liked this work by the author much more than I did my introduction to these characters. To me Angel Fire came across as contrived but this selection had a story that seemed to flow naturally. I also liked the relationship between Andi and the sheriff; the author referred to this as a father/ daughter relationship and it 'read' that way. The who in the 'whodunit' is revealed fairly early in the narrative so there is no tension in that regard. The biggest flaw in this story; and it probably seems like a minor point to most people is the manner in which Andi reacted to Cameron's injuries after her flying leap off the cliff. Cameron had injured her ankle and Andi, an ex-LA officer and detective can't cease asking her if her ankle is okay, if she can walk on it; as if there's another option. The two of them are miles off any trail, without any other means of transportation there is nothing else to do but walk. This was after Cameron had shown her the numerous scars criss-crossing her torso, then she's worried about that a Special Ops warrior can be brought down by a sprained ankle. Cameron's ripping off her shirt to display those scars was far too melodramatic, but these are minor points I loved the book.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Love this story

Would you consider the audio edition of Devil’s Rock to be better than the print version?

Yes & no. I love to read myself but due to my disability I have to listen to audiobooks sometimes. I personally prefer to read a book and use my imagination. However I really did love this book in audio. In fact it is one of my new favourites. So I can't really say if it's better or not as i will both read the book and listen to it again & again.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The first time I read it, yes. However because I have read it more than once I knew what was going to happen. I believe if you haven't heard the story before then yes it will intrigue you.

Have you listened to any of Abby Craden’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. I have quite a few books read by Abby Crayden and I LOVE her voice. This has to be one of my favourite books that she has performed. She really brought this story to life and I love the voices she gave the two main characters. All the secondary characters had their own voices too so you knew who was speaking. I could probably listen to her read the dictionary and be happy, although I am glad that she has much better options.

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

Yes, the bit where Cameron was really emotional and was telling Andi about her family. And the bit where Andi found out that Cameron had read files about her past.

Any additional comments?

I love this story and am a big fan of Gerri Hills work. I have read all her books and I hope that the rest will be released on audible in the near future. Gerri Hill is a talented writer and this is one of my favourite romance/intrigue stories by her. While I prefer plain romances normally I do enjoy Gerri's intrigue books. Hunters Way will be released soon and that is a must read/listen.
Abby Crayden does an amazing job with this book and really brings the characters to life.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Love it from Beginning to end

I have come to the realization that I love all of her books! They keep you on the edge of your seat with the story from beginning to end. The way she builds the relationship between the characters is fantastic.

Not my favorite

I usually love Gerri Hill novels, but this story felt really rushed. I wanted to care about the characters, but their dialog seemed unrealistic and their back stories shallow. Even the action and love scenes bordered on boring and predictable. Abby Craden's narration was wonderful, however. She's my favorite narrator of Hill novels.
I suppose this happens sometimes when an author's works set the bar high. They can't all be winners, but I will continue to be a fan of Hill and look forward to reading more of her work. If this is your first read from her, and you thought it was lackluster, just know that she has plenty of other gems.

Loved it!

Restarted it as soon as it ended.

I loved this love story! Yes, it’s a bit formulaic with the tough-as-nails butch and the more sensitive femme, but the characters are well developed and the crime story is very interesting. Cameron is sensitive in her own way. I liked her character very much. The Cameron/Andrea couple displays a different dynamic than Tori Hunter/Sam Kennedy. I’m looking forward to reading more stories about these law enforcement couples. Abby Craden did a great job with the narration.

Crime and romance

Well done! And most suitable for readers/listeners who enjoy sappy and sexy romance while on the trail to catch the bad guys. The on-the-job flirting isn't very PC, but, relax, it's fiction, folks.

Yes!!!!!

Trust me, you want to read this! Abby Craden's voice to a superb story is heavenly.

Cliche, predictable, but not unenjoyable

2.5 stars - the performance is by Abby Craden is great and makes up for the lack luster writing and story. Devil's Rock is a by-the-numbers if not sub-par detective story complete with a hardened LA detective with a tortured past, a hardened FBI agent with a tortured past, an all too understanding captain/ father figure, an all too understanding lieutenant/ father figure, and an undeveloped one dimensional evil murderer who just kills for some reason that's never explored. The actual murder mystery seems to be an after thought, with the majority of the book focused on the emotional issues of the leads - who predictably need only each other to figure them out. If you are looking for a unrealistic, problematic (see the first kiss scene where butch FBI agent repeatedly ignores the explicit nos from femme detective) lesbian romance, this will do the trick. The sex scenes are great, if you can space out for the remainder of the book which is pretty lackluster. That said, some of the writing was so bad it was good (utterly cliche lines like "she didn't mean to fall in love, she had a job to do") it became unintentionally comical. Overall, the book was enjoyable enough, though perhaps not as intended.

What’s next

Didn’t want the story to end. I kept wondering how the main characters knew each other were gay having just met moments ago. Glad they cut to the chase.