Muse

De: James Renner

Narrado por: Peter Berkrot

The author of The Man from Primrose Lane presents his latest suspense novel.

The enclosed was transcribed from 10 mini-cassette tapes that were recovered from the offices of Boston attorney William J. Latch following his disappearance on June 19, 2014. These tapes are part of the evidentiary record in the civil case of Latch V. Weymouth Life & Casualty. William J. Latch was declared dead by the State of Massachusetts in April 2015 after Magistrate Gavin FitzGerald reviewed these tapes, privately, in his chambers. Weymouth Life & Casualty was therein ordered to release Latch's survivor's benefits to his children. Latch's body has never been found. His client, Michael Hadley, also remains missing....

©2019 James Renner (P)2019 Tantor

Almost 4 Stars

James Renner is a great writer and an amazing storyteller; I guess my only issue (and what would've given it another star) is if there was more exposition.

"Muse" follows Michael Hadley's tape-recorded last will and testament. In the synopsis of this book, it says that these tapes were vital in the case of Latch V Weymouth Life & Casualty. It says why this was involved in the story, but I don't think it was necessary at all. The story is 99% about Hadley's last few years with a mysterious box/chest that is said to be the mysterious inspiration behind the works of Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. As Hadley is hired to ascertain this box, he soon learns that there is something strange and dangerous that is in his possession and will possibly be the death of him.

My biggest issue with this "book" or the transcription of ten cassette tapes is that it sounds nothing like it is something recorded from a verbal recorder. I think James Renner should've ditched this gimmick of the tape recordings and just written it like a normal book. The story is solid and very entertaining; the only thing he would've needed to fix would be the filler between places. Hadley literally jumps from place to place, which would make sense if it was cassettes, but that's the ONLY thing he uses in the recorded tape gimmick.

For my rating, I'm going to give the narration a B+, because there wasn't anything great about it, but it was perfectly fine. The book is going to get a B-, because I think that Renner needs to do one of two things: change it to where it's a regular book or use more devices to make the recording thing believable.