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salouaa_'s review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
rellimreads's review
3.0
This is my first experience with author Colleen Cross and narrator Petrea Burchard.
Katerina Carter is a down-on-her luck forensic accountant trying to find success with her own private investigation firm. It isn't going well and she's about to shut the doors. She's approached about a huge corporate theft and it's the opportunity to get her own finances back in the black.
The book starts slowly, bogged down quite a bit by a huge amount of exposition in long monologues used explain certain facts/history/procedures. While the facts about accounting, blood diamonds, and corporate stocks were interesting and necessary for the book, I wish this had been broken up a bit and perhaps been presented during more natural dialogue. At times it felt more like someone reading off large chunks of Wikipedia rather than a conversation.
About a third of the way through, the pacing picks up quite a bit and the mystery/thriller aspect is much more enjoyable. The biggest issue here is that Katerina does a lot of thoughtless, dangerous, and downright illegal acts that stretch believability.
That said, there's an interesting plot, intriguing characters, and a resolution that wasn't predictable. I'm looking forward to listening to the next book in the series, Game Theory.
I liked the narration by Petrea Burchard. She had a wide range of voices and accents. Unfortunately, the voices for Cindy and Susan weren't always consistent between chapters. It wouldn't keep me from listening to her in the future though.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from FreeAudiobookCodes.com and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Katerina Carter is a down-on-her luck forensic accountant trying to find success with her own private investigation firm. It isn't going well and she's about to shut the doors. She's approached about a huge corporate theft and it's the opportunity to get her own finances back in the black.
The book starts slowly, bogged down quite a bit by a huge amount of exposition in long monologues used explain certain facts/history/procedures. While the facts about accounting, blood diamonds, and corporate stocks were interesting and necessary for the book, I wish this had been broken up a bit and perhaps been presented during more natural dialogue. At times it felt more like someone reading off large chunks of Wikipedia rather than a conversation.
About a third of the way through, the pacing picks up quite a bit and the mystery/thriller aspect is much more enjoyable. The biggest issue here is that Katerina does a lot of thoughtless, dangerous, and downright illegal acts that stretch believability.
That said, there's an interesting plot, intriguing characters, and a resolution that wasn't predictable. I'm looking forward to listening to the next book in the series, Game Theory.
I liked the narration by Petrea Burchard. She had a wide range of voices and accents. Unfortunately, the voices for Cindy and Susan weren't always consistent between chapters. It wouldn't keep me from listening to her in the future though.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from FreeAudiobookCodes.com and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
nicksc's review
4.0
Who'd have thought a story that is mostly about the mining and economics of diamonds could be so thrilling. Yet Colleen Cross pulls it off. I knew a little about blood diamonds (mainly from watching a movie and researching afterwards) but not a great deal.
This book pulls together some quite extensive financial accounting details of the diamond trade, mob bosses, murder, kidnapping and makes a breathtaking chase against time. I was gripped by Katerina's investigation (even the numbers scenes where done with a nice pace) and twists and turns of the action. A very clever, interesting and well-written tale.
The audio was excellent, by Petrea Burchard, with great voices delineating characters, and keeping the pace of the story, it flowed in my ears, and listened to this in pretty much one sitting.
Overall a cracking first book, in a series, that I most certainly will carry on reading or listening to.
This book pulls together some quite extensive financial accounting details of the diamond trade, mob bosses, murder, kidnapping and makes a breathtaking chase against time. I was gripped by Katerina's investigation (even the numbers scenes where done with a nice pace) and twists and turns of the action. A very clever, interesting and well-written tale.
The audio was excellent, by Petrea Burchard, with great voices delineating characters, and keeping the pace of the story, it flowed in my ears, and listened to this in pretty much one sitting.
Overall a cracking first book, in a series, that I most certainly will carry on reading or listening to.
wolfshine's review
5.0
This audiobook had all the bada** elements of a great action movie. There were falsified diamonds, high speed chases, murders, kidnapping, and a ton of other adventures packed into this book.
Katerina is a fantastically strong character. When she first takes the case to study the possible fraud at Liberty, she doesn’t think her discovery will land her in such danger. However, once she learns the truth, she refuses to give up, going so far as to risk implicating herself and her Uncle Harry in the fraud just to keep the money out of the hands of the wrong people.
I absolutely adored her strength though I have to admit that a few parts of the book had me laughing. For example, when Katerina decided to steal one of the CEO’s trash and got into a scuffle with a raccoon, I was giggling furiously.
All in all, this is a fantastically sound thriller with lots going on and fantastic characters. I will definitely be continuing on in this series.
This book was given to me for free at my request, and I provided this voluntary review.
Katerina is a fantastically strong character. When she first takes the case to study the possible fraud at Liberty, she doesn’t think her discovery will land her in such danger. However, once she learns the truth, she refuses to give up, going so far as to risk implicating herself and her Uncle Harry in the fraud just to keep the money out of the hands of the wrong people.
I absolutely adored her strength though I have to admit that a few parts of the book had me laughing. For example, when Katerina decided to steal one of the CEO’s trash and got into a scuffle with a raccoon, I was giggling furiously.
All in all, this is a fantastically sound thriller with lots going on and fantastic characters. I will definitely be continuing on in this series.
This book was given to me for free at my request, and I provided this voluntary review.
dietibol's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
bookworm_brad's review against another edition
4.0
An enjoyable story though a little complicated and too much jargon about stock trading. The narrator read far too slowly for my liking and I had to speed up the playback to improve it.
Lots going on but Kat does take a lot of risks that are not very sensible.
Lots going on but Kat does take a lot of risks that are not very sensible.
friedatweehuysen's review against another edition
4.0
Crime thriller it is, definitely.
Katerina obviously likes to do things her way, even if they are the hard way. She's also very good at doing what she needs to to get it done.
Katerina obviously likes to do things her way, even if they are the hard way. She's also very good at doing what she needs to to get it done.
robinwalter's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I decided to be kind and give this book 3.5/5 since it was a debut. Another reviewer touched on my biggest gripe about the book, doing so more kindly than I, when they said "Kat does take a lot of risks that are not very sensible." In my opinion, describing the heroine's decision making as being "not very sensible" is akin to describing the Sun as "not very cold'
Thee book absolutely hangs on, is utterly dependent on, the "brilliant forensic accountant" making multiple decisions that the average brain-damaged rock would call stupid. Had the protagonist used two or more neurons at any one of multiple key points, the book would have been half as long.
I might give the author a second chance, to see if her protagonist's sentience switch remains in the 'on' position in the follow up book, but I am not sanguine.
Thee book absolutely hangs on, is utterly dependent on, the "brilliant forensic accountant" making multiple decisions that the average brain-damaged rock would call stupid. Had the protagonist used two or more neurons at any one of multiple key points, the book would have been half as long.
I might give the author a second chance, to see if her protagonist's sentience switch remains in the 'on' position in the follow up book, but I am not sanguine.
jejoha's review against another edition
2.0
It seemed like a good story in the beginning but got more and more unrealistic. I'm surprised at all the praise.