Calvin’s Head

By: David Swatling

Narrated by: Caleb Dickinson

Life in Amsterdam isn’t all windmills and tulips when you’re homeless. Jason Dekker lives in a jeep with his dog, Calvin, on the outskirts of the city. A thesis on Van Gogh brought him to the Netherlands, and the love of Dutch artist Willy Hart convinced him to stay. But Willy is gone, and Dekker is on the brink of a total meltdown.

On a summer morning in the park, Calvin sniffs out the victim of a grisly murder. Dekker sees the opportunity for a risky strategy that might solve their problems. Unfortunately it puts them directly in the sights of the calculating stone-cold killer, Gadget. Their paths are destined to collide, but nothing goes according to plan when they end up together in an attic sex dungeon. Identities shift, and events careen out of control, much to the bewilderment of one ever-watchful canine. Oscar Wilde wrote that each man kills the thing he loves. He didn’t mean it literally. Or did he?

©2014 David Swatling (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Unique writing. Inspired narration.

I know this narrator by another name and never dreamed he had this kind of range. Really excellent performance of a unique and captivating story. I highly recommend this audiobook.

Slightly odd but captured my attention

I had very little expectations starting to read this, but mostly thanks to the excellent narration and the silly yet heroic dog, I kept listening through my doubts, and was pleasantly surprised. There was some level of like listening to a fever dream but overall interesting story. I might have preferred this as an illustrated book rather than audiobook, just so I could have watched the paintings mentioned.

A bit random but a fun experience over all

The narration from the dog’s perspective is very annoying at first but you get used to it. What I like about the story is that it unfolds in an unexpected way. You have no idea what the hell is going to happen next.

Better than I thought it would be.

The first few chapters were a bit confusing and hard to get into. I actually stopped listening to it, “not my cup of tea” but went back to it a few days later while I was driving. Turns out to be a decent story. I love Calvin’s voice! Glad I listened after all!

Dark Thriller with a Claustrophobic Feel

David Swatling's novel—especially as an audiobook—has this progressive feel of claustrophobia to it that really adds to the creepiness factor. Beginning with such a fantastic start (seriously, the dog finds a body, the murderer finds the dog and his owner, and... sparks fly).

It's the psychology of this thriller that really got under my skin. The reader is well aware of the potential for disaster at almost every turn, and while we dance in the psyche of a pretty broken man, his dog, and a murderer, there's a seduction at play as well that left me twitching and seriously worried for all involved.

Swatling doesn't pull punches, doesn't deliver simple characters, and above all that, has written a thoroughly unique dark thriller here. It's good. It's engrossing. It's disturbing.

The performer at first felt a bit over-the-top, but once I got into the groove of listening to his voice, it worked in compliment with the tone of the book.

Good book overall

The book in the beginning was very confusing, I almost stopped because it was getting mixed up with who was who. The mild to end was excellent. I would recommend the book

Weird little book

This was a very weird premise for a book. The protagonist was incredibly stupid, but was oddly gripping to find out what would happen next

Twiddle Dum, Twiddle Doom, and a Dog Called Calvin

This novel seemed like the in-vitro surrogate child of "Stranger by the Lake", Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles, and the film " Overboard". I initially was very dubious of the plot. I thought that Dekker's decisions and subsequent cat and mouse games with Gadget stretched beyond the reasonable suspension of disbelief that you afford a work of fiction. Then I began to see it as the actions of a desperately lonely, spiritually broken, and psychologically damaged man who had essentially given up on life. Circumstances beyond his control and cruelty lead to him being homeless but his grief fueled his instability and it crippled him until he barely had enough motivation just to wake up everyday. This, I understood, unfortunately. His personal anguish and isolation contributed to him trying to construct a fantasy domestic tableau to replace what he lost. As a psychological thriller, I can follow the path laid out. The reader becomes an unwitting audience to a man trying to charm a cobra armed only with instructions he partially skimmed from a YouTube tutorial. You have a pretty good idea that no good can come from this and how this is going to end but you do not want to take your eyes off the action. It had a solid ending.

Other issues: The Valentine/Valentino story within a story was not needed, it interrupted the pace of the story and introduced yet another unneeded POV. The tension in the sex scenes could have been further developed or just implied, if you're not going to fully commit to the graphic description.

Awesome

Great book, kept my attention all the way to the end, amazing audio delivery, loved it. Will be reading again, every chapter was received amazingly do recommend you give it a read.

Entertaining

Interesting perspectives. Solid story. I enjoyed it. Nice description of scenery, art works and food. Romantic