Deadeye

The Mutant Files, Book 1

By: William C. Dietz

Narrated by: Christina Delaine

The national best-selling author of the Legion of the Damned novels, "a must-read for any fan of Mil Fic," (Archaeologist's Guide to the Galaxy) begins a brand new science fiction police procedural series...In the year 2038, an act of bioengineered terrorism decimated humanity. Those who survived were either completely unaffected or developed horrible mutations. Across the globe, nations are now divided between areas populated by "norms" and lands run by "mutants" - Detective Cassandra Lee of Los Angeles's Special Investigative Section has built a fierce reputation taking down some of the city's most notorious criminals. But the serial cop killer known as Bonebreaker - who murdered Lee’s father - is still at large. Officially, she’s too personally involved to work on the Bonebreaker case.

Unofficially, she's going to hunt him to the ends of the earth. In the meantime, duty calls when the daughter of Bishop Screed, head of the Church of Human Purity, is kidnapped by mutants and taken into the red zone to be used for breeding. Assigned to rescue her, Lee must trust her new partner - mutant lawman Deputy Ras Omo - to guide her not only through the unfamiliar territory but through the prejudicial divisions between mutants and norms....

©2015 William C. Dietz (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Enjoyable Action Story

I've read a number of Dietz stories and enjoyed all. Most have been military action so Deadeye is a departure from that and well done.
The characters are fun but Lee is almost a superhero who make some poor decisions.

This is my first experience with Delaine and at first I felt she was a little over the top with the Lee character but either she settled in or I became accoustom to her. By chapter 3 I really started enjoying her reading!

It's a fun listen or read. Enjoy!

Great series - Mutant Files

RED ZONE-DEAD EYE & GRAVE YARD were great. Mutant file was incredible. Christina Delaine has my vote for best narrator. She was able to move between characters all the while giving the impression that there were other people narrating with her. It was great. Keep it up Bill/Christina.

Excellent new Series

I highly recommend this book as the start of a new series.
It is both well written and directed, the storyline is fast paced and, if not completely original, it's a new take on an idea that's been around before. (Mutated and non- mutated humans sharing a world.)
I really like Cassandra, a truly strong female character who doesn't act like a man or like a good little girl but is a fully functioning female Police Officer in this world. I'm looking forward to seeing her again soon!!
Note I almost Never give 5 stars.

Ready for the next book in the series!

If you like Jack Reacher and SciFi, this is the next read/listen for you. I loved the characters.

Good overall story

Enjoyed the story. Some of the science and forensics listed seem questionable. Plays with the reader / listeners emotions. Good performance.

very enjoyable

a lot of twists in this book. Lee is a very strong character who is deeply troubled but that just makes her all the more likable due to her attitude. easy to get into fast.

Looking forward for the next mutant files book!

Unfortunately the next book In this series is not here yet! Cannot wait for it to arrive.

This new world post bioengineering terrorism is very interesting and has a lot of potential. But the plague doesn't make sense, it is a little bit over the top, I am not sure the author is interested in the 'science' part.

The character development of detective Cassandra Lee ( very much acting as a Lone Wolf " need to be polish. Nothing make her attractive or lovable.

The bone breaker character is an interesting.

This audiobook is for a light listening time and quick consumption.

Well, she ain’t no Snake Pliskin

A tough as nails MC is sent into no man’s land to rescue a prominent guy’s daughter.
Only instead of Snake Pliskin with a poison pill ticking down to death, Cassandra Lee is risking mutation from an airborne disease. And, instead of pulpy action and clever dialogue, it’s an ordinary police procedural in a sadly cliche dystopian world.

The standard tropes:
The cop lingo, crusty police chief, and MC with an angsty backstory (cop dad murdered).
The lady cop who’s a knockout and ends up in love with her partner.
The “bad element” isolated as less than human, ala Doomsday or Escape From New York.

The twists are nonsensical. For instance, it’s an airborne disease without a cure, and the infected have been herded into Red Zones, and yet people cross the borders all the time with nothing but masks?
Then there’s the series arc about a serial cop-killer called the Bonebreaker who taunts Lee, follows her into the Red Zone, has Lee in his clutches … and lets her go because … it’s not time?

The most aggravating, and unfortunate, aspect of the story is women constantly in peril of sexual assault. Every tough guy, bad guy, or minor henchman leers at, propositions, or threatens/commits sexual assault. How do we know that X bad guy is really bad? Why, because he threatened to screw the guy’s wife and then let all his men screw his wife. I get that the main plot was trying to save the trafficked girl,
but there’s no excuse for the number of assault stories.

The abuse of women thing lightens in the next two books, but so does everything else.
The dystopian world building is barely sketched. The character personalities are flat.
The police procedurals get even more cliche.
I only slogged thru because I bought the series all at once- and because the narrator is fantastic.