Gunshy
Series: Redcastle Mysteries, Book 1
By: Louise Titchener / Narrated By: Mark Johannes
Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins
Pretty good; not sure if I’ll stick around for Book 2, but…
Gilded Age! Baltimore, Maryland! Post-Civil War Chaos and Bad Feelings!
-and- apparently?
A couple o’ gross historical errors… so there’s that…
Still, it took another reviewer pointing those out as I’m an ignoramus and only listen to History books like they’re going outta style… who am I to remember anything?!? And still again? I’m kinda wondering how much weight to give such errors as I’m busily trying to figure out whether I liked it or not.
Ex-sharpshooter for the Union Army, ex-Pinkerton detective, Oliver Redcastle just wants to make a new start; in days where all the Civil War meant was death and destruction; in days where all being a detective meant was killing made legal? Oliver’s bone-tired and ready to settle down into some respectable line of business. A fling with an actress who later died has left him with little Chloe, his Maybe Daughter. No matter what; she IS his daughter, and he wants to do right by her.
An unfortunate railroad accident might not be an accident, however, and Oliver is strong-armed into sleuthing one last case. He’s reeeally peeved about that. He’s further peeved by just how many individuals start falling from the woodwork, desperate to join him in his detective agency. This is my LAST case, he has to shout to more than one person. And so he is joined by Hannah, plus a young wannabe sleuth. Throw in a somewhat blind cousin who fought for the Confederate Army; add a brooding sculptor who thinks Hannah’s fine breasts are merely orbs of gross and fleshy fat; toss in little Chloe who is so NOT feeling Oliver to be her dad, and then sprinkle in a few different plots that twist and weave, and you’ve aaaalmost got a grand tale going.
Especially as author Louise Titchener runs them all together fairly well, and wraps things up without leaving any loose threads. What’s not to love? Okay, how about things wrapping up, throughOUT this story, way too neatly. Wham Bam Fisticuffs! and it looks like Oliver is about to be killed, like, at leeeast four times, and someone always comes to his rescue just in time! Spoiler Spoiler NOT Gonna Spoil It -but- just when all seems lost, an item that is oh so necessary just happens to be found. Even Chloe developed along predictable lines.
The most egregious error, however, is neither historical, nor is it in plot/character development. It IS that Titchener had a good thing going until she had Oliver in great gales of rage. What does he do when he feels betrayed? He crushes his lips, forces them on an unyielding Hannah. Uhm, could Titchener kinda sorta go back in there and change that paragraph or two?! She had a grand thing going with Oliver and Hannah NOT being romantically attracted to each other, and why’d she have to go and craft such lines with Oliver wondering: Why am I doing this? I’m not attracted to Hannah.
Just Boooo with men forcing themselves on women, however mildly, but especially framing it as a question of desire rather than dominance and subjugation. Boooo all around for that choice of writing. I know, I know, I shouldn’t get all peeved over one scene when things were shaping up rather decently, but I haaaated it; so there’s that.
Mark Johannes, who has hitherto been unknown to me, does a really good job. Generally in audiobooks where you find that the only reviews come from freebies in exchange for an honest review, you find authors unused to finding narrators, or who make poor choices, or underwhelming ones at any rate. But Johannes has really nice tones, handled the action, and Hannah comes from an acting background, so all the accents that she skipped through were enjoyable as well. He did well enough that p’raps Book 2 miiiiight be okay. Whatever, I did enjoy the narration.
Just a note to Titchener, and it’s sent far toooo late seeing as there are eight, count ‘em, EIGHT Redcastle Mysteries as of this writing in 2022: Lose the Man Being A Jerk thing, like, quick!
I dunno, I guess I shall HAVE to get to Book 2 to find out…!
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