Hermit's Peak

By: Michael McGarrity

Narrated by: J. Ed Araiza

When an old family friend leaves Kevin Kerney 6400 acres of high country land outside Las Vegas, New Mexico, the last thing Kerney wants to think about is police work, taking a rare weekend off from his job as deputy chief of the New Mexico State Police, Kerney sets out to explore the land, a rugged mesa in the shadow of Hermit's Peak.

Before Kenny can get very far, he comes upon an ailing stray dog with a woman's running shoe in his mouth. The dog leads him to the butchered bones of a murder victim, and Kerney finds he's inherited a homicide along with the ranch. Determined not to see his weekend ruined, Kerney turns the investigation over to the state police district office and continues his survey of his windfall inheritance, only to find that the timber thieves have clear-cut a great swath of woodland in a remote canyon.

Unsure of whether he can pay the inheritance taxes, hold on to his land, and realize his dream to ranch again, Kerney returns to Santa Fe. There, he finds that Sara Brannon - a woman he cares deeply about - has arrived to visit him. As Kerney and Sara begin trying to sort out a relationship that means more to both of them than either is willing to admit, Kerney is called back to Hermit's Peak. Another murder victim has been found at a remote cabin next to Kerney's property, and he is soon engaged in a race against time to solve two murders and avert another.

©1999 Michael McGarrity (P)1999 Simon & Schuster Inc., AUDIOWORKS Is an Imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Prefer George Reading!

The story was good.....too bad it hadn't been read by George Guidall....this reader left nothing to the imagination....may be good at other readings??????
Had a lot of dead air space and not a fan of the music.
Overall enjoyed the story.

Good story

If you could sum up Hermit's Peak in three words, what would they be?

I enjoyed the story.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed the development of the storyline between Kearney and Sara as well as the continued story of Kearney acquiring the property from his mother's old college friend.

Which scene was your favorite?

How the emotions were shown in the storyline regarding Gabe's loss of his son.

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

Yes.

Any additional comments?

I will continue to follow the Kevin Kearney story line.

Love Kevin Kerney

I'm loving the series. I wish George Guidall had narrated Hermit's Peak. His voice is who I hear as Kevin.

J. Ed Araisa's voice is a little too breathy.

Wheres George Guidall when you need him?

Why did audible make the George guidall reading unavailable? This guy was alright, but a bit monotone. The story also seemed shorter than the others.

Hermits Peak

very good storyline. was not drawn out just to make the book longer. that was appreciated. Nothing in it was unbelievable. need another book about lieutenant

Not one I’d buy again

Save the time and money and skip this one. Narrator was mediocre, guitar chords between chapters was annoying, plot and subplots were eh.
The book moved the series along, but it’s really nothing you won’t pick up if you skip this one for the next in the series.
Disappointed in the production overall. If you like plain vanilla, this might be for you.

Lose the music

I found the twangy western instruments music between chapters annoying and intrusive. Otherwise not a bad read. Narration was moderately good but suffered in comparison to George Guidall

Excellent book, dismal narrator

Being born and raised in this part of New Mexico, I know every place the author describes and Michael does a superb job in his research and writing! The book is actually much better than this audio version, and I have no idea why this audio book is so condensed and not narrated by George Guidall???
The story is superb!
The narrator leaves much to be desired.
The stupid guitar twanging between chapters is horrific, as are the long silent pauses.
I sincerely hope Mr. McGarrity will some day have this book redone by George Guidall!

Narrator is awful!

What happened to the narrator of the first three books? This guy is awful. No difference between characters and completely flat. If this is the narrator going forward this is my last purchase of this series.

Not a diamond, however..........

Because of all the negative reviews, I have hesitated at purchasing this audio book. I’m glad I went ahead and added it to my library. Though it’s true this is an abridged version of the book I don’t think it detracts from the story of Kevin Kerney. This production was recorded back before audiobooks became more popular. In fact I’ve seen it for sale as cassettes. Many times “books on tape” were abridged. Maybe sometime in the future the recording can be redone unabridged.
I do not think the narrator was as bad as reviewers have said. He did a good job with the accents and voices for different characters. I liked that his females didn’t sound like drag queens. Nothing against drag queens so don’t read anything negatively about that comment. I just think some narrators try too hard with female voices.
The chapter transitions didn’t bother me and were more a responsibility of the director and editor. Not the narrator.
If I had read the original book before I listened to this recording I might have a differing opinion about the abridgment. However........... I think it stood on its own and should not be passed by because production techniques have changed since the time it was first recorded.
The recording has some key elements to the Kerney story that should not be missed. So to keep its continuity I say get this recording. And read the book after.