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onetruekim 's review for:

The Examiner by Janice Hallett
5.0
mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

A lot of authors have jumped on to the "mixed media," bandwagon but Janice Hallett was my first introduction and the best at it IMO.

I listened to the audiobook in one long drive (bumped up to  1.10 speed.) 

Hallett gets five stars for sheer audacity in putting this book out there!  I suggest prospective readers skip any synopsis or summaries and just jump on for the  ride. After a ho-hum first third, puzzles emerge at every turn, the least of which is the murder teased on the book's cover. 

 The audiobook cast is outstanding and carried me right along -- in part because I was hoping someone would toss the Gem character out the window, where all credulity has gone before it's all over. Yeah, Gem is annoying as all get-out but Hallet clearly intends her to be. 

 When all is said and done the story is kinda WTF but that's why it's so much fun getting there.

I am not sure I'd have stuck with this had I been reading it in print - I definitely would have enjoyed it less that way. 

Libby Nashville