Facetime

By: Michael McKinley

Narrated by: Eric Pollins

Crime novelist Nattie Broward’s dream of riches becomes a nightmare when he stumbles onto a human skull in the middle of the ruined golf course he wants to remake into pricy condos. If this is Indian burial ground, Nattie’s plans are as dead as the skull’s owner. Nattie needs help in finding out who the skull’s owner really is and knows who to ask: Alex McFarlane, a Brooklyn sculptor, who once helped Nattie with a crime novel. Alex, a forensic artist, also puts faces on the faceless - and nameless - dead. And he’s a guy who will keep a big secret in exchange for a big chunk of cash. That is, until the face starts speaking to Alex and his partner Maeve, an investigative journalist, in a way they cannot ignore. One that demands fatal revenge that could be the death of them both. Spanning two decades and two continents, from Oxford University to New York City to London, Facetime is a crime thriller about art and the art of killing, one that asks “what would you do if you came face to face with a deadly secret about your own past that only you could make right?”

©2014 Michael McKinley (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Audio is as good as print copy

Would you listen to Facetime again? Why?

I actually read this in print before so listening to it for the first time is sort of like reading it twice so yeah I did do it twice.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The finance "villain." he was sort of a buffoon, but a really believable buffoon so he hit pretty hard.

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

He makes you stop and think longer about the important story points instead of just enjoying the language/diction so much.

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

No, I wanted to save it for a few commutes.

Any additional comments?

Very solid overall. Would have liked it to be a wee bit longer or to drift into stories about the character's pasts.

SMART, SEXY MYSTERY MAKES SUPERB LISTENING!

What made the experience of listening to Facetime the most enjoyable?

FACETIME was a thrill to read as a Kindle Single -- the mystery was thrilling and the witty style of McKinley's prose was a devout joy -- so I was keen to hear it on Audible. And this transition is perfection, as gorgeous as I hoped and even more spirited, sly and sexy!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Several favorites here because the entire cast is packed with originals, who are rich and complex and very human. Absolutely adored Alex McFarlane, a Brooklyn sculptor from Scotland whose star is finally on the rise again. Alex is a gripping lead because he is not at all the hardboiled type you see all over this kind of genre, but a lover and artist. And so he's not the one at all equipped to solve this wrenching murder mystery. And yet, since Alex sees life in terms of art, and to him justice is a thing of beauty, thus justice must be done and he is the one to do it. Also, I loved crime novelist Nattie Broward, a Southern charmer whose appetites for all things -- and people -- rich and sweet, far exceeds his income, and so he's not above crawling into shady deals and getting others to do the same..

Which character – as performed by Eric Pollins – was your favorite?

Eric Pollins, a talented character actor and a smart one, too, gives us an amazing Alex McFarlane, making him a touch of the young Sean Connery, but steeped in wit, and so old enough to know better than to get mixed up in murder, but still young enough to get into a mess of trouble. Pollins' Nattie Broward and indeed all the other characters are excellent.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Author Michael McKinlrey's work FACETIME, brought to listening life by the talented Eric Pollins is amazing, top to bottom. And yet there are a few choice thrilling moments that really stand out, such as when Alex realizes whose murder he's dealing with, which is at once chilling and also heartbreaking.