Potboiler

By: Jesse Kellerman

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne

Arthur Pfefferkorn is a has-been, or perhaps a never-was: a middle-aged college professor with long-dead literary aspirations. When his oldest friend, bestselling thriller writer William de Vallèe, is lost at sea, Pfefferkorn is torn between envy and grief, for de Vallèe not only outshone Pfefferkorn professionally, but married the woman Pfefferkorn loved.

Pfefferkorn’s decision to reconnect with de Vallèe’s widow sets in motion a surreal chain of events, plunging him into a shadowy realm of double crosses and intrigue, a world where no one can be trusted--and nothing can be taken seriously.

©2012 Jesse Kellerman (P)2012 Penguin

Linguistic Mastery

What an enjoyable read! The writing was masterful. This book was playful, intelligent, surreal, and smooth.

A Real Disappointment

What would have made Potboiler better?

The story started off strong and had my interest, but then took a turn into the absurd. It's not often that I can't find some redeeming quality in a story line, something that can hold my interest until the end. Not so with this story. I couldn't make it through to the end. It spiraled into the ridiculous.

Has Potboiler turned you off from other books in this genre?

Not necessarily to this genre but certainly to this author.

Have you listened to any of Kirby Heyborne’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not sure that I had heard other Heyborne narrations. I thought he did a fine job, in fact, his performance kept me listening long past the story itself deserved.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Potboiler?

I would have cut the last half of the entire story.

Any additional comments?

Really bad.