Serial Killers True Crime Anthology 2014

Annual Anthology (Volume 1)

By: RJ Parker, Peter Vronsky, Michael Newton, Dane Ladwig, Sylvia Perrini, R. J. Parker Publishing

Narrated by: Don Kline

Serial killers: They cross the bounds of evil. They murder at random without logic or reason other than the one twisting in their sick and evil minds. They are diabolical, vile creatures devoid of morality or pity. You will meet a chosen few of them in this audiobook. We will see that serial killers are roaming among us all, from small towns to big cities. They are not limited to a particular place, gene pool, culture, social class, or religion. They are not restricted to any particular demographic or political propensity and they can be of any gender.

Some of the serial killers chosen for this first annual Serial Killers True Crime Anthology you might have heard of and we present their tales in new ways. Others have not graced every newspaper, tabloid, or television screen and represent tales of true-crime horror told in detail for the first time in these pages.

Five of true crime's most prolific authors have come together in this audiobook to present their most compelling cases of serial homicide, famous and not so famous.

©2014 RJ Parker Publishing (P)2014 RJ Parker Publishing

The Most Horrible Narration Ever

What made the experience of listening to Serial Killers True Crime Anthology 2014 the most enjoyable?

I cannot answer this question accurately because I could not finish listening. See my comments below on Don Kline's performance.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I believe the information in the book was interesting, and would have more of an impact if the narration was better.

What didn’t you like about Don Kline’s performance?

Don Kline consistently made basic mistakes in grammar/pronunciation, restarted sentences mid read, stutter/stopped while reading which made the experience unbearable.

Don Kline clearly does not understand proper sentence structure, which makes listening nearly impossible. Don completely and repeatedly missed where the emphasis of a sentence lies, did not read punctuation properly (e.g. the comma), and could not move from one sentence to the next.

Honestly...reading should be the top most skill when interviewing someone to narrate a book. Audible staff should have previewed this book and then rejected its submission for such poor quality in narration.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

I am unable to answer this question honestly due to not being able to finish.

Any additional comments?

Never let Don Kline narrate again...I simply will not buy another book with him listed at narrator.

Poor narration

The content of this book had potential to be interesting, however had many dry sections. The narration was not smooth and included things such as hyperlinks and a lot of awkward pauses and choppy speech. There were also several instances of audio that sounded like it should have been edited out. For example, the narrator would stutter then say "start over", then start reading again.

I had to find out for myself...

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The narration and editing of this book were as described by other reviewers of this book.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The "start over" sequences when the narrator set out to begin again and the editing left the cut in the actual audio book.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator's lack of accurate pronunciation was both a detractor and entertaining due to the absurdity of some of the attempts.

Any additional comments?

The overall book as stated by other reviewers is doubtless worth the read. I for one would like to give the narrator a second chance at an accurate reading. The reader has a good voice, and I believe he was let down by his editing.

Disappointed

The material was great, however; the poor editing and worse oration made me regret purchase.

horrible narrator

The narrator is distressingly terrible and takes away from the story. Edit notes were left in. I had to bump up the speed to 1.25 to make the Shatner-like reading bearable.

Different written voices of one engrossing topic

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Anyone interested in True Crime and the inner workings of a Serial Killer this book is packed with plenty variety and engrossing studies of what makes a Serial Killer

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

His ability to read some of the names without a flaw, my only complaint but didn't really take away from my enjoyment was the two spots where narration editing was not removed where he would say start over and repeat the sentence.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Don Kline?

Yes as long as the subject was of interest to me.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

Many facts from the different authors and their own special interest in the subject of a Serial Killer.

Any additional comments?

I read plenty of True Crime and found this book very entertaining and informative. I'm a fan of the authors of this book and have collected other works from them.

This book is a collection of new cases I have not seen in other book forms.

There seems to be different forms of True Crime some is wrote like a mystery movie such as a Ann Rule book, and some take a police point of view that is very entertaining. The collection in this book is another form of Just The Facts that take away all the fluff and just entices you into a study of a criminal mind.

Narration very poor

The stories were interesting. However, the narrator was almost impossible to listen to. I finally increased the speed to 1.25 and was able to finish listening.
In addition to his slow and halting narration the repetition from missed edits was very distracting. Maybe the editor had as much trouble listening to the narration as I did. So many obvious repeated reading after what should have been edited out.

Interesting, but poorly narrated

Not even sure we got the full text as the forth chapter was just a repeat of the first. Several times the narrator would fumble through, say "start over" and indeed repeat the whole sentence. He also does not seem to understand the concept of reading a complete sentence. It sounds like he pauses at the end of a line rather than in relation to the sentence structure or context. He even mispronounces words. Very disappointing.

Oh...... My...... Gosh. He reads.... Like this

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

The actual written book might be great. I can't tell, because the reader halts in mid sentence, often multiple times. You can't follow the story because his CONSTANT pausing makes it impossible. This is not a case of a few stumbles. I'm very tolerant of different readers and have never, in my 10 years with audible, and at least 1000 books, come across anything like this.

What did you like best about this story?

I have always been fascinated by this subject. Not because I think there is anything good about it, but more wondering why and how a person could do these things. And having 4 teens, I want to know all the danger signs and situations to avoid.

Would you be willing to try another one of Don Kline’s performances?

No way. And I've never said this before about any reader.

What character would you cut from Serial Killers True Crime Anthology 2014?

N/A

Any additional comments?

Did the people producing this story LISTEN to any of this? It's like a teen reading out loud for the class for the first time, the whole time. Example: "As forensic psychiatrist........ James Money......more recently explains..... the limbic region of the brain is responsible...... for predation and attack and defense.... of both the self and the species." And some sentences are worse. The more complicated the wording, the more pauses. Sometimes after only a word or two. This makes it impossible to follow where a sentence begins and ends. You can't just relax and get into the story.

My Goodness - Narration Blip

Would you ever listen to anything by the authors again?

Yes.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Don Kline?

Kevin Pierce

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

The story would have probably been better if the narration were better. Don Kline spoke way to quickly, did not enunciate and did not edit errors.