Friday, June 11, 2010

Book Review: Don't Look Twice by Andrew Gross


Don't Look Twice by Andrew Gross
Publisher: HarperAudio
Publish Date: March 1, 2009
Audio CD, 8 discs, 384 pages


My Review:
First since this was an audiobook, let me review that part, and next I will get to the actual book content.  Don't Look Twice was read by Christian Hoff, who I don't believe I have listened to before.  Christian Hoff is a good reader, he used enough different voices/accents so that I could tell the people apart without much thought.  The production is well-done and this audiobook does one thing that I just recently realized is very important to me.  They use music at the beginning and end of each disc, so when it gets to the end, I know to switch to the next disc.  This may sound very simple and obvious when the end of the disc gets there, but I am listening with two children in the van who often are fighting and I may miss that the disc has ended and my cd player goes back to the beginning, so I may go as long as 5 minutes until I realize I have heard what I am listening to before.  Therefore some sort of signal that it's the end of the disc is great for me.

For the actual book - I love Andrew Gross books.  I loved when he was co-writing with James Patterson and made sure I read his first solo effort and then his second shortly after they came out.  Last year his third book and second in the Ty Hauck series came out but it was right after I started my blog so I missed it.  So when Reckless came out this year, I knew I had to read Don't Look Twice first so I requested it from the library.  I'm glad I did.  Though I did get lost a few times, but I think that is more from listening in fits and spurts and with the kids sometimes yelling in the background.  I thoroughly enjoyed the story, thought it was well-paced and enjoyed seeing more of Ty in this book.

I also enjoyed learning about Warren, Ty's brother.  He added a lot to the book at times and was a great contrast to Ty.  The story moved quickly, was a little predictable at times, but that really didn't take away from it at all.  It was a great thrill ride and has me anxious for the latest installment, Reckless to see what happens between Ty and his new love interest and also what will happen next in his life.

As a word of warning - the language is a little rough at times in this book.  That may or may  not matter to you, but if you are listening to the book in your car with kids around, just be warned.  I wish I had known :)  However it was a good teaching experience because if my 5-year-old heard - he would say "Mommy, that man said a bad word".

Overall a very enjoyable book.

My Rating:  4.0/5.0
About the Book:
In this dramatic new novel following the bestselling The Dark Tide, a drive-by shooting rocks the posh suburb of Greenwich, Connecticut, and an innocent bystander is left dead.

Detective Ty Hauck plunges into what seems like a vicious case of retribution and follows the trail to a sinister gambling scheme at an upstate casino. Until Annie Fletcher, a young restaurateur in the midst of rebuilding her life, witnesses something she shouldn't have—and immediately runs to him with what she knows. Suddenly, Hauck is pulled into a rising storm far greater than it first appeared—a storm wide enough to encompass corruption inside Greenwich's circle of wealthy and powerful citizens. And punishing enough to consume Hauck's own family, and tear brothers apart forever . . . if it doesn't kill them first.

Don't Look Twice is a gripping story of profiteering on an international scale and an emotionally resonant domestic thriller from one of the hottest new talents in suspense fiction.

About the Author:
Andrew Gross is the author of New York Times and international bestsellers The Blue Zone, Don't Look Twice, and The Dark Tide, which was nominated for the Best Thriller of the Year award by the International Thriller Writers. He is also coauthor of five number one bestsellers with James Patterson, including Judge & Jury and Lifeguard. He lives in Westchester County, New York, with his wife, Lynn.


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FTC Information: I checked out this audiobook from my wonderful local library to read for fun.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.