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  • The Bluegrass Conspiracy

  • An Inside Story of Power, Greed, Drugs, and Murder
  • Written by: Sally Denton
  • Narrated by: Kate Mulligan
  • Length: 14 hrs and 1 min
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (8 ratings)

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The Bluegrass Conspiracy

Written by: Sally Denton
Narrated by: Kate Mulligan
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Publisher's Summary

When Kentucky blueblood Drew Thornton parachuted to his death in September 1985 - carrying thousands in cash and 150 pounds of cocaine - the gruesome end of his startling life blew open a scandal that reached to the most secret circles of the US government. The story of Thornton and “The Company” he served, and the lone heroic fight of State Policeman Ralph Ross against an international web of corruption, is one of the most portentous tales of the 20th century.

©1990 Sally Denton (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

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Oddly Disorganized

It's a shame that this book is so hard to follow. The crimes discussed - including dirty cops, high-stakes drug smuggling, extortion rings, and a number of sensational/covered up murders - are legitimately captivating. Reporter/Author Sally Denton exhaustively documents jawdropping offenses, investigations, trials, and political scandals centred around a criminal consortium known as "The Company", centered in Kentucky. The book tries to stick to a largely chronological narrative, but jumps around and introduces a mindboggling number of new allegations throughout the chronicle.
'The Bluegrass Conspiracy' is well-written but overwhelming. My eyes actually lost focus at times.

As to the narration: Kate Mulligan is professional but unspectacular. She reads with commendable timbre, cadence, and tone.. but has fairly weak Southern accents, overenunciates somewhat, and reads at a plodding pace (I found setting playback speed at 1.15X yielded the optimal results).

To be fair, there are an unbelievable variety of players, crimes, and interactions in this story..
Denton's efforts at organizing this incredibly complex series of crimes are thus appreciated.. but she falls short (too many "Oh, by the way" moments). Coupled with ho-hum production standards, I rate the audiobook 5 stars out of 10: Fair at best. It was offered as part of the 'Plus' initiative with my Audible subscription.. and that's appropriate. Spending a Credit on this somewhat confusing True Crime exposé would be hard to justify. If you can likewise get it for free, however, it's not a crazy way to spend a couple of snowy afternoons.

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