Crime Wave

By: Adam Carpenter

Narrated by: Joel Leslie

Jimmy McSwain returns to help his sister's boyfriend fight a murder charge - and finds he may just have a lead on a cold case. Hell's Kitchen private investigator Jimmy McSwain returns in a twisting tale of past sins and present-day vengeance.

Jimmy McSwain isn't thrilled about taking a case for free - but when his sister fears her boyfriend, Rocky, is cheating on her, he has no choice. But the case takes a deadly turn when Rocky is standing over the body of a man he was just seen kissing, and he's holding the gun. He begs Jimmy to prove his innocence. Meanwhile, as a sweltering heat wave claims New York City, a gunman with a thirst for blood is targeting Manhattan deli owners and has already claimed two victims. Jimmy knows a thing or two about those - 14 years ago his father was killed outside a deli, and it's possible today's killer could be linked to that unsolved murder, one that continues to haunt Jimmy.

Enlisting the aid of sexy NYPD Captain Francis X. Frisano, Jimmy finds himself torn between the two cases, as well as the heat simmering between himself and the hot cop. Suddenly a quiet summer has erupted into a full blown crime wave.

©2015 Joseph Pittman (P)2016 Joseph Pittman

Joel outstanding as always

This book is very well written and Joel's narration just adds more to the story. i loved Jimmy's mothers voice. I wish we were able to piece why Jimmy's dad was shot but now will never know. i feel sorry for him and the family can't wait to hear what goes on with the family and hope Jimmy finds true love.

Thrilling gay mystery

Excellent second book in the Jimmy McSwain Files series. As there are continuing subplots and character and relationship developments you should definitely read the first book before this one. The mystery is intriguing with surprising twists, there are sexy moments than build on the relationship, and the characters are delightfully free of stereotypical tropes. The characters are more like real people with quirks and unique personalities than cookie cutter characters we get all too often. Joel Leslie, one of my favorite narrators, brings the story to life, bringing a nearly full cast feel to the performance. Highly recommended!

Terrific murder mystery with a side of romance!

4.5 stars! Why aren't more people reading this series??

It's very well written, the characters are likeable, the mystery is intriguing, and the narration (if you go the audiobook route) is fantastic.

Crime Wave finds our favorite PI, Jimmy McSwain, tailing his sister Meaghan's boyfriend because she thinks he's cheating on her. What Jimmy uncovers turns out to be a whole lot more complicated than a cheating boyfriend.

I really enjoyed this one. We get to know Jimmy's family better and we get to see more of NYPD Captain Francis X. Frisano. I'll be curious to see where that relationship goes in book #3 since it sounds like Jimmy's ex will be back in town soon.

My only complaint is that Stage Fright isn't already available in audiobook. You can bet I'll be watching for it on Audible!

WoW!

I went into this story cold. I had no expectations and was blown away with the characters and the story. Two crimes interwoven intro overlapping happenings. The story was easy to get lost in. I highly recommend this tale for an unexpected adventure.

Entertaining Mystery/Wonderful Narration

Any additional comments?

I’m not going to lie, while this is an entertaining story, with a solid mystery and likable main character, it’s absolutely Joel Leslie’s narration that made this a winner for me.

I liked the mystery element, there was even a little romance (though it’s not a focus of the story but it’s integrated well), and Jimmy and his family were a delight.

I just simply loved Leslie’s narration.

My only complaint with the story itself is that it tends to be filled with a little too much purple prose at times, but Leslie absolutely makes it work.

So I feel like this is one of those times where the story was absolutely elevated by the narration. Which, for me, just proves that the right voice talent can make or break your audiobook.

Note: I haven’t read the first story, but I had zero issue or problem following along – so no problems handling this as a standalone.

If you’re looking for an entertaining mystery with wonderful narration I’d absolutely steer you towards Crime Wave.

Good story. Great narration.

I enjoyed this book even more than the first one. Plenty of twists and turns in the cases Jimmy is working. His love life seems equally twisty. I enjoyed getting to know Jimmy's family and the rest of the cast of characters. Even the villains are interesting.

The pacing of the story and the crime noir feel are a good reason to listen to this book. Joel Leslie's narration is nicely performed, and I have already started on the next book.

A Good Experience

A good story and a good narrator makes for a wonderful listening experience. Joel Leslie does a wonderful job with bringing the words of Adam Carpenter to life.

A Nice-paced, Well-crafted Mystery

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely - A fine follow-up to the first novel in the series; Hidden Identity.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Crime Wave?

The scenes between Jimmy and Captain Frisano.

What about Joel Leslie’s performance did you like?

Joel Leslie is incredible performing this awesome novel; his spot-on voice inflections helped to make the characters come alive with the descriptions, action and words written by Carpenter.

Any additional comments?

Looking forward to reading the next in the series. For audio book lovers, Joel Leslie is incredible performing this awesome novel; his spot-on voice inflections helped to make the characters come alive with the descriptions, action and words written by Carpenter.

4.5 stars!!!!

If you could sum up Crime Wave in three words, what would they be?

u-maz-ing. :)

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

Yes!!!

Any additional comments?

I was provided a complimentary copy of the audio in exchange for an honest review.

I am becoming obsessed with this series! I was extremely fortunate to be provided a complimentary audio copy of Book 1 Hidden Identity, and it was really, really good! Book 1 wasn't a romance; it focused on the mystery aspect but there was romance (sex) in it. Crime Wave, which is book 2, hints that Jimmy McSwain and "sexy NYPD Captain Francis X. Frisano" have a romance. They certainly have a spark of something. But Jimmy has sworn to never fall for a cop, and Frank can't be a publically out gay man and still fulfill his cop career dreams.

I have to say that Joel Leslie's narration was PERFECT!! He is able to give the characters their own voice [I will admit that some of the characters sounded alike but that was ok (hide spoiler)] and I knew when it was Jimmy speaking, when it was Frank speaking, or when it was "Terry Cloth" speaking. ;) I particularly thought Joel's ability to express the characters emotions - be those anger, fear or lust - was simply amazing. I am still new to the audio world and I've not come across any other narrators who put so much emotion into the written word.

I felt these characters come alive, and when Jimmy becomes involved in yet another murder, I was rooting for him to solve it and to also find love.

Crime Wave is very different from Hidden Identity. I will admit that I had figured out who the killer was, but I had the motive and everything else related to the murder case completely wrong. I was surprised, which is always cool in a mystery. This one has a twist I really didn't see coming.

Jimmy is begged by his sister to spy on her boyfriend, Rocky, because she thinks he's cheating on her. He is, Jimmy finds this out, but it's not with a woman; he's with a man - and is in fact in love with this other man. But as Jimmy is working his case, Rocky's lover is killed and Rocky arrested for it. Jimmy knows Rocky didn't kill his lover and is determined to prove it. However, it's not just this case that Jimmy wants to solve. There have been a string of deli robberies/murders that have hit the city, and Jimmy is believes that the person responsible is VERY likely to be the same person who killed his father 15 years ago.

With the help of Captain Francis X. Frisano, Jimmy is able to investigate both cases. There is the added complication of Jimmy and Frank sleeping together. They were totally HOT together!!!! ;) But it's super complicated because Frank is a police captain and wants to be commissioner some day. Well, that won't happen if he's an out gay man, so Frank tells Jimmy the blunt truth. It's not like Jimmy is surprised; he knew this 100% already. And it's not as if Jimmy wants to date a cop, either. Nope, he's sworn he would never date a cop, and certainly never fall in love with one. But their attraction to one another is too much for them to resist and they find themselves coming together. [They do not end up together through circumstances of the investigation, no matter how much Jimmy was ready to back off his sworn promise of not dating a cop. So don't read this expecting hearts and flowers at the end. Jimmy's love life isn't over though - an old beau has returned. ;) (hide spoiler)]

I highly recommend this series and can't wait for the rest of the series to be on audio. I am really becoming addicted to this new method of "reading." :-D I love Jimmy's family and can't wait to see what comes up next!!! 4.5 stars (because Jimmy's heart of kind of broken).

I'm falling hard

We are back in New York catching up with Jimmy McSwain. This time things are more personal, on many levels. We get to know more about Jimmy, about his family and the people around him. Just like with the first book I love how it’s all gradual, the getting to know all the players takes time and effort, and at the end there are still many more layers to uncover.

There are more romantic undertones to this book compared to the first one, there is a love interest for one, and some tentative steps are taking towards something. I wouldn’t go as far as call it a romance, but it’s there and there are prospects for something more. I would say this book is mostly about family. Getting to know Jimmy’s, past and present. And it’s for his family, his sister, that he gets involved with this latest case – trying to prove the innocence of his sister’s ex-boyfriend.

I’m falling hard for Jimmy. His tough as nails and vulnerable at the same time. He’s also stubborn as a mule and will do anything and everything to solve his dad’s case, not matter what obstacles he has to overcome. He has the same give for his family, there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for them. His fierceness and determination is moving.

Joel Leslie once again brought it all to the table. He brought the characters and the story to life. I don’t know, but he has this innate feel of the character and place and he portrays it to the listener and transports the listener to New York walking alongside Jimmy.

A copy of this book was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review for Love Bytes.