The Bartender Always Dies Last

By: Gene Penny

Narrated by: Kirsten Leigh

Length: 3 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

Roger Westhoven is minutes from receiving a court verdict that will forever change his destiny. Roger's crime? He refuses to rejoin the outside world if it means living without the love of his life. His appeal for a public trial rejected, Roger is given one final opportunity to tell his side of the story. This is the quirky retelling of man who finds love, loses love, finds love again only to lose love once more...and the demon possessed cabinet that brought them all together.

©2012 Eugene Penny (P)2017 Eugene Penny

A fun romp through a series of cliches

Grade B horror fans rejoice. Welcome to a cast of stereotypes. College town, middle aged stoner losers, hot exchange student, hot bar tender, creepy old lady next door with her little dog, demon possessed book shelf, occult murders, small town cover up. With a serious great couple of twists that will leave you stunned. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Weird but okay story

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

I would, maybe. It was weird and different from most in a very mixed genre of mystery, romance, horror and I don't know what else.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Roger. Trying to figure out what his play is going to be with all this craziness going on around him.

What about Kirsten Leigh’s performance did you like?

She did a great job with all the different characters and voices. It was very weird to have a female read a story from the males point of view. Give it a try in the sample and see if its okay with you first but I would say after a while you get accustomed to it.

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

Not really.

Any additional comments?

This book was okay, from other reviews I guess I expected something more but overall it was just okay. The length is perfect if you're looking for something quick to pass the time with. It didn't engage me all the way throughout the story and the ending was not out of left field as I thought but more of a quick and easy way to tie up loose ends, well some of them at least. "I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom."

More fun than scary

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was my first book by Gene Penny, but it will probably not be my last! I experienced this book in Audiobook form narrated by Kirsten Leigh.

I will be honest and say up front that I was not sure if I would enjoy this story as it was described as horror. I decided to give it a try because it also was described as humor and it was short (148 pages or 3 hrs and 58 mins listening time). I decided that I would step out of my comfort bubble and give it a shot, and I was glad that I did.

The general plot of the book is about Roger - an aging stoner who lives in a college town with his stoner roommate. Roger and his Roommate take a bookshelf off the hands of a distressed neighbor who claims the bookshelf is possessed by a demon, who soon demands sacrifice. The rest of the story has a lot of the typical horror staples: College town, Coeds, hot girls, creepy neighbors, demons, mysterious murders that happen every seven years. You get the picture. Though once you get into the story it is hard to fit it into the single genre of horror. You have to throw in bits of supernatural, sci-fi, romance, mystery, and of course lots of comedy. If you are uncomfortable with bad language and crude humor this book may not be for you. I, however, love it.

Narration: At first I was thrown off a little bit by the fact that a female narrator was narrating a story told primarily from a male perspective, and his voice is roughly 40-50% of the narration. I was quickly relieved however as Kirsten Leigh did a fantastic job with all of the voices, the comedic delivery and even the tension and suspense. I would love to listen to another book narrated by her. Looking briefly through her works however it seems it is mostly romance which, again, is not my usual cup of tea.

* I was provided a copy of this book by the author, narrator or publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

A Strangely Enjoyable Short Story.

I enjoyed “The Bartender Always Dies Last.” It’s a strange story that gets you thinking in one direction then offers up a twist at the end that doesn’t fit within the story the author gives us. There is no foundation laid for it. With that being said, I still enjoyed the story and I think you will too.

Finally, this audio book was provided by the author at no cost in exchange for an honest review, courtesy of Audio Book Boom.

Not completely sure what that was, but I liked it!

It's a tad hard to pinpoint the genre of this book going into it. Horror? Mystery? Supernatural/Scifi? I'd say it's a little of all of the above, with some romance thrown in. Now don't groan just yet; the romance, while sort of the driving force behind this story, definitely isn't your typical mushy rom-com stuff that most folks I know shudder at. In fact, this story is more "Dude, where's my car?" meets hot chick in supernatural trouble.

For those who hate the sort of "dude, where's my car" type of thing, just grin and bear it. There's a few patches (especially early on) where it's poured on a little thick with corny jokes and potty humor, but it does add to the characters and it's worth enduring to experience the whole story.

Ah, the story. Right. So, basically, a guy falls in love with a bartender, but then discovers some crazy occult-like plot to kill off the town's bartender every 7 years or so. He, and his ragtag band of mary-jane-toking friends try to figure out how to stop this. Along the way though, the mystery unravels, turns sideways, re-spools itself and begins dishing out yarn instead of ribbon. What? Exactly. You'll just need to go along for the ride yourself. That said though, there were a few times the twists felt far too long-stretched for my liking, and my mind didn't immediately follow the characters to the next logical (to them, anyway) jump.

When I started listening, I was initially confused because the narrator was female, while the protagonist (and antagonists) was male. Once I got over that, I was perfectly fine with Kirsten's narration. The guy to gal speech time was split roughly 50/50, and she did a great job with both sexes. I expected it to be a bit distracting, but thankfully it wasn't. Kudos to her.

I did get this book from the author free of charge in exchange for my review. Nevertheless, my thoughts are my own and were in no way influenced by this fact.

Bob @ Platypire Reviews

*I received a copy of this audio book to be honestly reviewed*

WELL! That took a turn I didn't see coming! The story was interesting right from the start, with the characters being fun to read and being quite true to life. I really liked them! For some reason, I kept picturing one certain character as Eugene, from The Walking Dead tv show haha! I had certain other people in mind for most of the characters, actually. Their characteristics plus the narrator voice for each painted a very vivid picture in my head.

ANYWHO! Back to the story. It flowed very well, telling the tale of evil lurking about and just waiting, and it really kept me engaged the whole time. I was following along, wondering what was going to happen when BAM! Plot twist! I imagine the author sitting there, cackling, as he imagines our (the readers/listeners) faces when he pulls the rug out from under us. That doesn't happen to me often, so, EXCELLENT!

As for the narrator, I thought she did a brilliant job with this. She read very well and clearly, and had good voices for different characters, and I think she really helped bring this story to life.

I would suggest this for those who like fantasy and don't mind a bit of vulgar speech. Seriously though, it’s not that bad if you’re not sensitive to harsh language. And some sexy times. And some talking about things that lead to sexy times.

Overall, I have to give this one a full 5 Platypires!

A short but fun tale.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I enjoyed this story more than I thought I would. It took a bit to get started with the more exciting parts, but the story was engaging and I didn't see the plot twist coming. I will say, though, that having a women narrating a story, clearly written from a man's perspective, was odd at first, but once I got used to hearing a woman speak from a very male perspective, it stopped being noticeable to me. Kirsten Leigh did a great job.

Quick funny and twisty

Any additional comments?

Ha, that is what I said out loud all of the way through this book. The narrator was excellent and the fact that this is told from a male perspective didn't bother me at all. Quirky odd characters and twisting storyline kept me engaged to the very end. There are a few cute moments of romance, but very lightly. Overall this book is a funny good listen. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

well worth a credit

Gene Penny did an ok job with this book. I was a little confused at what type of book it was and also had a hard time getting past the first couple chapters. But once I did the book was great, enjoy the ride - it's totally worth it. There is some profanity in this book but it was funny and casual, especially if you don't mind the F bomb dropped casually as it is in real life a lot of the time. Overall the book is a little Twilight Zone but on a deeper level.
Kirsten Leigh did a fabulous job especially with the male voices, as there were almost as many male to female characters in this book.
So if you don't like bad language stay away from this book. If it doesn't matter then spend a credit and get this book

What a Trip!

So talk about a story that isn't what it seems to be! I don't want to spoil it for you, but if you like to read books about the poor slob who never gets the girl and then one day, by some miracle...he gets the girl...this book will warm your heart. And it'll do much more than that!

Tt will also freak you out, and in a pretty good way! Because just when you thought it was the feel-good, fun romantic comedy book that makes you snort-giggle your soda out your nose during your lunch break, weird stuff starts to happen, and it's it's just weird enough to make you say, "Wait, what?" and maybe hit the 30 second rewind button a few times in case you got a little distracted doing laundry or something.

This book is trippy, fun, cool, and a roller coaster ride that'll make the Twilight Zone look like Mayberry. If you were born after 1985, and you're not into vintage TV, then sorry, ask your parents what I mean.

Enjoy the ride - it's totally worth it. The profanity is funny and casual, especially if you don't mid the F word dropped casually as it is in real life a lot of the time. If that bugs you, then avoid this book. The narrator is a woman and is super amazing since she made me forget that she was a woman half the time she was speaking in the first person - as the hero who was a man. Just added to the trippiness of the overall book.

Highly recommended for something different and off the beaten path.

* I was provided a copy of this book by the author, narrator or publisher in exchange for an honest review. *