Barrington Street Blues: A Collins-Burke Mystery, Book 3

By: Anne Emery

Narrated by: Christian Rummel

A rich man and a poor man are found dead of gunshot wounds outside a seedy bar on Barrington Street. The police declare it a murder-suicide, but bluesman/lawyer Monty Collins suspects it's a double murder. Helped by his friend, Father Brennan Burke, and hindered by his femme fatale law partner, Felicia Morgan, Monty explores the dark side of Halifax society: hookers, drug addicts, boozers, gamblers and people desperate to cover up a series of parties that got way out of hand. A threat of blackmail, and turmoil with his estranged wife Maura, have Monty singing the blues, lashing out at his closest friends, and spending far too much time in the bars of Halifax.

©2008 Anne Emery (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Love this series

The characters are well developed and complex. You feel you know these characters and understand what makes then tick. I am never right when I read these books there is always a bit of a twist I don't see coming. Very enjoyable reading. On to the next book in the series

Terrific series, great story

Where does Barrington Street Blues: A Collins-Burke Mystery, Book 3 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I'd say it ranks above average, considering this is the third in this series for me in a short time span.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed the setting and the fact that the characters were human with both good traits and flaws too--even Father Burke.

What does Christian Rummel bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is a wonderful narrator which definitely adds dimention.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did get wrapped up in the story.

Any additional comments?

I'd definitely recommend this series by Anne Emery and suggest beginning with "Sign of the Cross" first.

Great Series - Good Book - Serious Flaw

Another strong entry into the Collins-Burke series. Like the earlier entries, if you are looking for fast paced police procedural mysteries, this isn't it. Instead you tend to wander through the mystery at a leisurely pace and along the way, meet some very interesting characters. The Halifax location also adds to the experience for me and Emery always takes us on a tour. This entry does have one bombshell in it that throws another monkey wrench into Monty Collins quest to reunite with his estranged wife.

The serious flaw? Emery has managed to create the world's most annoying child character in any book I've ever read. Collins daughter Normie sounds about 2 years old speaking in whiney baby-talk most of the time. She is supposed to be 8 or 9 and very bright, but she sounds like a caricature, not a real child. Emery's other characters sound real to me. Part of the problem lies with Normie's voice as read by Christian Rummel, the otherwise excellent narrator on this series. But the fault lays largely with the author. I cannot figure out why she felt the need to make the world's most annoying child a fairly major character in this series. She doesn't add to the plot. Normie needs to fade to the background quickly. I don't think she does fade though and that could keep me from reading future books in the series.

Cradle Catholic Fun Romp!

Sweet relief from today’s cultural and political insanity. The voice talent is great and pace is perfect. As I listen I’m wishing for more interaction between Collins and his wife.

Such a disappointment

I read the first in this series and loved it. Loved the characters...could not wait to follow them further. Second book was kind of a let down (attributed it to the subject matter and it getting in the way). Then I downloaded 'Barrington Street Blues,' the third one in the series...and I could not even finish it!!!

The "great characters" that showed up in the first novel do not change...at all! I remember saying in my review of that first novel that I could not wait to see how the characters evolved. Well, they don't. Their petty fights and doubts and conversations (which were endearing in that first novel) get ANNOYING. You find yourself saying: "SERIOUSLY? You are thinking that AGAIN?!!!" or "You are making that mistake in your relationship AGAIN?" or "We are having THAT conversation AGAIN?"

The flaw in character development COULD be overlooked IF the mystery was better...but it's not (granted, I did not finish this book -- maybe the conclusion is brilliant). The clues and leads seem to "drop" into our "A-Team Investigators" (a philandering priest and an attorney who's been making the same exact mistakes in his attempts to reconcile his differences with his ex-wife for three books now) as if by magic....And if you thought the parenthesis in that last sentence got in the way of the "sentence"....well, that's a preview of what happens in this novel (the personality "dramas -- and they ARE dramas -- become an annoying distraction)...I will certainly NOT download another Burke & what's-his-name mystery again. I wish them well.