Dead Center

Rookie Club Series, Book 1

By: Danielle Girard

Narrated by: Rachel Dulude

Fifteen years ago, the Rookie Club began as a tight-knit band of female cops struggling for respect. Jamie Vail was one of them. So was Natasha Devlin, the woman Jamie caught in bed with her husband.

When Natasha Devlin turns up dead, Jamie can't bring herself to care. She's got enough on her plate, hunting a sexual predator who preys on female officers. He leaves them alive, but brutalized. But when the MO of the Devlin murder matches the MO of the perp in Jamie's case, she's brought in on the homicide investigation and back into the Rookie Club she has been avoiding since her husband's affair.

As more cops become victims, Jamie must confront her past and solve the murder of her ex-husband's lover before she becomes the killer's ultimate prize.

©2016 Danielle Girard (P)2018 Tantor

Robotic narrator

The story was fine, albeit a little far fetched at times. I still enjoyed it. The reader was a little weird. She did well for a bit, then sounded robotic at times.

Robotic Reading great story

The story was absolutely excellent, however, the reading of it was at times robotic and in fact at the very beginning I had to check the name again to see if it was a person reading it or some kind of AI program.

great book, AWFUL reading

This is, by far, the WORST reading of a book I've ever experienced! Rachel Dulude should never be allowed to read books allowed EVER!
The story was completely ruined!
Finally set this book aside to read when I had my hands free to actually READ it myself.
I don't normally comment on audible books. But I purchase one every 2-3 days. This one I just HAD to warn people away from. If you are unable to read Danielle Girard's book for yourself, I suggest you don't. Rachel Dulude's reading of it is AWFUL! You cannot even follow the plot! Reading along with the narration makes me want to pull out my own hair!
For a quick example of how painfully contradictory the unraveling events are to the reading, just listen to the narration of the last couple pages of chapter 20.

Great read!

Danielle writes a wonderful book! It is a mixture of mystery,adventure and she through sin a hint of the softer side of cops! For me the murderer was a mystery to the end! I can’t wait to listen to the next book in the series! Rachel Dulude is on of the best storytellers I have listened to! She doesn’t sound like just a reader. She puts her heart into the storyline. Thank you

Harsh

Needs a warning for triggers. I really wanted to like this series just too much violence.

Good listen if you expect mature themes/language

Obviously, this isn't a young adult book, so expect mature themes and language and you won't feel shocked when it comes. This series swears more than the previous I thought, but I loved the characters so much I was able to ignore it. I love the perspectives of multiple characters being jumped between, I love that the listeners hears more than one side of the different intertwined crimes and personal lives of the inspectors. I am eager to read the next in the series. If you like other Girard books, you'll like this one.

Good story yet poor narration

Rachel Dulude’s reading of Dead Center lacked appropriate emotion. Suspenseful attack scenes (there were many) were read with a deadpan tone. Avid Audible listeners know how essential the narrator is. I search for new listens by narrator now. A good story can be ruined by a poor narrator. I enjoy Danielle Girard books but will avoid Rachel Dulude in the future.

Mysterious, Police Procedures and Heartwarming

Mysterious, Police Procedures, suspenseful, heartwarming and with a little romance all rolled into this wonderfully written and narratored book. Well worth sharing and I look forward to finding more from this author and narrator.

If you are an Eve Dallas fan.

You will love this book. Women detectives that kick butt in a more modern setting. Looking forward to book two in the series.

Well written and narrated detective mystery!

The Rookie Club series is very similar in concept to James Patterson's Women's Murder Club series in that female detectives are banding together for the benefit of the group's members. I listened to Book 2 in the series before Dead Center and found I liked One Clean Shot more. I'm a fan of the novels of Danielle Girard and I recommend this and her other detective novels.