The Case of the Claw

SCPD, Book 1

By: Keith R.A. DeCandido

Narrated by: Tee Morris

The great metropolis of Super City is the home of dozens of costumed heroes: Spectacular Man, the Terrific Trio, the Bruiser, the Superior Six, and more.

This isn't their story...

When the heroes are done punching out the villains, it's left to the stalwart men and women of the Super City Police Department to restrain them, arrest them, and hope that this time there's enough evidence to actually convict them.

SUPER CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT

THE CASE OF THE CLAW

The mutated spree killer known as the Claw has returned, leaving bloody victims all over Super City. While Homicide detectives try to find out who the Claw really is, uniformed officers must deal with the Bolt's escape from the drunk tank, and the bumblings of aspiring hero Knight Dude. Meanwhile, the Superior Six claim they'll cooperate with the police and stop the Claw - but they are busy fighting the Brute Squad and stonewalling the cops. The SCPD must find out the Claw's deadly secret, before he claims another victim!

©2011 Keith R. A. DeCandido (P)2013 David Wilson

What would it be like to be a cop in a city overrun with superheroes and villains?

That is the question this story answers. And it does so extremely well. It gets you right into the thick of it with characters that are realistic and characters that are stereotypical of heroes and villains and wannabes. As this is the first book in the series I can't wait to hear more about the stupid 6, terrible 3 and the tech knight amongst others. Promises To be a series that delivers. Beware of dimension X!!!! I received this audiobook from the author narrator or publisher for free via audiobookboom in exchange for an unbiased review.

An interesting beginning

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

This is Book 1 of a series that has great potential. The characters were rounded out pretty well, although I did have a hard time following the abundance of characters until they started to mingle. Not all the good guys are good and not all the bad guys are bad. If you enjoy a noir detective stories mixed with sci-fi, this should be right up your alley.

Any additional comments?

“This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.”

Good listen!

How do police keep a city safe while supervillains and superheroes sometimes help? Keith R. A. DeCandido explores this question from the view of murder detectives trying to catch the Claw during his numerous serial killings. Political pressure ramps up with each murder, which sometimes reach 4-5 a night, night after night. The characters are believable, with their personal quirks and lifes included. Tee Morris reads the story well, making the book and listen a good experience. I recommend this audiobook for listeners. That said, I was provided this audiobook for free in exchange for an unbiased review.

Police working to do their job around superheroes

Would you listen to The Case of the Claw again? Why?

Yes, Laughed all the way thru the book

Who was your favorite character and why?

Liked all of the characters

Which character – as performed by Tee Morris – was your favorite?

Tee Morris did a great job on all the characters

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

Can't wait for the next book

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher

Police working to do their job around heroes.

Would you be willing to try another book from Keith R.A. DeCandido? Why or why not?

I'd be curious to try more books by Keith. He has a way of bringing all the characters to life as they are all different. He also makes a point in his stories that things are not all good or bad, there is a balance to the system, you just have to find it. Superheroes are good, yet there is something about the way they do things that can be not as helpful as people think.

Any additional comments?

*I requested a copy of this book from the narrator, author, or publisher for my enjoyment and an honest review.

Tee Morris voices the characters in this book. When I saw that, I had to have it. Along with it being a superhero story with detectives. Yes! :D

Tee Morris lives up to what I looked forward to. He does different accents for the characters to fit their feel in words. Even for the female characters he does different tones and softness to his voice to differentiate the large cast of characters found in this world. Tee has a bold voice that is clear in speaking, making every word easy to understand. The editing sounded seamless as I went through the story with a clean background.

We dive in driving through town with two police on duty, learning that superheroes speeding around town and a quick intro as to what color each one wears. This sets the stage of who is present in the town. Then, Bruiser stops the cops, wanting them to see what he found. A dead mangled body with a post-it note on his forehead. The Claw is back.

We see the case through the detectives eyes as they find the victims and the details of the cases. They struggle to solve the case, but the superheroes that pledged to help, don't seem to be doing that. This murderer needs to be found before he strikes again and they do what they can to get answers. We also see through a journalist and a few other powerful positions in the city that's involved with the case or the superheroes present in the city.

We live through the police lives as they live with the 'costumes' who are 'helping' with dangers and bad guys in the Super City. The pairs are partnered up great to compliment or spark the characters thoughts and personalities. It's a rough way to make a living here in Super City though, the powerful 'costumes' makes it seem the police don't do anything, but the do. As much as the superpowers help, they also hurt. They bring in perps that have to be released back on the streets without the proper witness or information. Also, they don't share information about searching for The Claw, or the want-a-be's get in the way, causing the guilty to get away. The superpowers seem to be outside the law in their way of handling things, or so they think. There are times that this is not a good thing, and we see it.

I've found this story is one about the people we see. There is more about them and other cases the police are on rather than The Claw. Though, with the information that's held from the police by the superpowers, I can see why. I was expecting a bit more about the mystery to find The Claw than what I got in the beginning. In the end, we got the case and the information the detectives needed.

A character driven story with lives at stake.