Silence of the Calves

So refreshing to come across a solid mystery that is neither a cutesy cozy nor a gore-fest. This is very well-written, driven by characters that are fully fleshed-out and relatable. As always, Simon Vance is a class act and a pleasure to listen to. The central secret (no spoilers here) is one that has been used in mysteries before, but not always with this much finesse. One character has a tragic history that brought to mind Jody Foster's monologue in Silence of the Lambs. Animal lovers may want to skip one descriptive passage in particular as I did. Overall, a really good read.

73 people found this helpful

It gets better...

I worried in the beginning through some of the back and forth Police procedural parts that I may have made a mistake with this book, but I'm very glad I stayed with it.
It just gets better and better.

38 people found this helpful

Seemed Transparent -- Until the End

So, I didn't see THAT coming! This was a enjoyable story, even though it appeared that the "solution" to the crime had been exposed early on. Crazily, that wasn't the case at all. So that makes this one pretty good. The author allowed the story to go back and forth between the detective and "the other one," each telling their version of events. I liked that and both narrators were wonderful. The ending held a big surprise; and was a rare good one for me. If you like to be flummoxed, get this one!

“AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY”

6 people found this helpful

Nice plot, exceptional narration. Worth a listen.

I want to start this review with one of the very few negatives, because it's also a warning (NO SPOILERS): One of the final partz of the book was clearly made to be read. To avoid even the tiniest of spoilers, I'll only say you should read the last 10 chapters, for reasons that will become obvious during that segment.

The performance is incredible. Just amazing. Congratulations to the voice actors and their team. Absolutely nothing negatie about it. 5/5

The plot is also very good, although it requires just a bit too much suspension of disbelief. It's not an impossible story, but it's weird enough that a reader may doubt it. Also, there was a small part of the book, net the end of part 2, and during the start of part 3, that was very slightly boring. 4/5

Overall: Worth reading/listening to. But take my advice and read the last 10 chapters, for the sake of your experience. 4/5.

45 people found this helpful

OUTSTANDING ... *****

If you could sum up Duplicity in three words, what would they be?

Exciting, unpredictable, unforgettable

What other book might you compare Duplicity to and why?

Untouchable ... the Dragon Tatoo series ...Joe Nesbo ... masters of psycho dramas!

Which character – as performed by Simon Vance and Henrietta Meire – was your favorite?

They were perfect narrators ... I've enjoyed every performance I have had the pleasure of listening to!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was addicted to it! WOWzer!!!

Any additional comments?

Yes, Sibel Hodge is my new favorite author and am in the process of downloading all her books.

24 people found this helpful

Pulp meets TV movie in the best way possible

Everything about this wants to be a movie, including the turns and the by-the-numbers arc. I mean this in the most charming way. Despite familiar tropes, and even a self-aware moment where the detective laments becoming a cliché, I had to finish it, instead of leaving the last hour for my next shift. The performances were fantastic, breathing color into this modern dime store tale.

3 people found this helpful

Excellent thriller/mystery

Excellent thriller/mystey. With great narration, this story will keep you guessing to the very end. There were some twists and turns. So be prepared for the unexpected!

3 people found this helpful

My first real crime novel audiobook

I got this audio book as a Daily Deal because every so often I'll see a genre that I'm not very familiar with and think 'Maybe I'm the type of person who enjoys Mystery Crime novels?' So as a side note, this is not a genre I'm very familiar with.

For the most part I really enjoyed this novel. It had interesting circumstances that went into the crime committed and gave a really great look into the killer's thoughts and background. Henrietta Meire did a great job with voicing the main female character and I even found her part humorous at times. I will say for the most part this isn't really a 'mystery' crime since the reader knows from the beginning who is to blame (though I will say that there was a twist at the end that I was not at all expecting!). The fun is really more in the sleuthing and finding out how it was done from either the killer's perspective or from detective's work. Overall not a bad introduction into crime novels.

I will say that there are some graphic scenes towards the beginning showing cruelty towards animals as well as domestic and child abuse so if you're more sensitive to that material you may want to consider before you buy. Once you get past those scenes at the beginning though the book moves on to focus on the main crime and its circumstances.

2 people found this helpful

Totally disgusting. Animal abuse.

Dreadful. Opens with a scene of animal abuse, and it doesn't get any better. Not for animal lovers.

14 people found this helpful

Farfetched but fun

Yes, the plot was very contrived--but it was fast-paced, suspenseful and involving. Recommended for fans of this genre.

2 people found this helpful