The Cutting Room

C.J. Townsend Thriller, Book 3

By: Jilliane Hoffman

Narrated by: Angela Dawe

Detective Manny Alvarez knows the body of a murdered Florida student is only the beginning - his investigation soon reveals a terrifying trend in nightclub abductions.

Hotshot Assistant State Attorney Daria DeBianchi works the case, too, hoping it will be the one that makes her career. It will - but for all the wrong reasons.

Their only lead, notorious serial killer William Bantling, claims they are looking for more than one murderer. However, in exchange for the truth, he wants off death row.

C. J. Townsend, the prosecutor who put Bantling behind bars, lives under a false identity and struggles to forget the horrors of her past. However, her new life - along with everyone else’s - is about to be shattered.…

©2013 Jilliane Hoffman (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

great suspense. You won't be able to put it down.

Full of twists and suspense. best I've read in a long time. couldn't put down

Awesome Story

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

I love this author! I started reading from her very first book & she has only gotten better! Just give her a try - but do start with book 1 which is Retribution. The story line twists & turns. Its just awesome!

What did you like best about this story?

I love how the charteres in the books just feel like people! You really get attached to them. You see their points of views & love them for that, but you can see their flaws & still love them.

How could the performance have been better?

It would have been better is anyone else read this. The narrator’s poor inflection timing & sentence structuring with the inflections was very distracting from the actual story line. At times I found myself just wanting to stop listening all together, but the story itself was just so good. Once I finished listening, I started listening to another new read & OMG it was so nice to hear a book being read by someone who had clearly done it before. Performing an art so hopefully it will get better for that reader.

Did not like narrator

write the story but I did not like the narrator's voice it was irritated the story ended with a set up for the next book

Not the Ending I Assumed

The storyline is complicated and interesting, but the two things I loved the most were the characters Hoffman created and the sharp dialogue. Not all authors can write incisive, intelligent conversations. Hoffman can.

Irritating Reader-Gruesome Story

It's rare that I don't mind if one of the main characters if offed, but I just couldn't put up with Daria, the DA prosecutor. Also, the author was often lazy, resorting to cliches. Lots of redundant descriptions. Though I'm not a lawyer, the courtroom interactions and procedures were far from believable, and the behavior of the judge was reprehensible. The reader was the absolute worst aspect off the book. Her sing-song narration was hard to get past and I almost returned the book because of it.
Based on the storyline of the other audible book by this author, she seems to be stuck on young female ADAs who use a case to advance their careers. At least it's not the same reader.

narrator sucks

Story is ok, but narration is so bad I can't finish it. With a different narrator maybe...

A little disappointed

I felt the book left unfinished a sequel would have been great. I'd like to know how she handled the others Hint. Right the rest of the story.

Love the "Bear"

If you could sum up The Cutting Room in three words, what would they be?
Intense, Focused, and Funny. This is an intense thriller story, and you can miss the wonderful humorous lines if you are doing to many things while listening. "the Bear" has them, so listen for it.

Who was your favorite character and why?
Manny, the Bear. " He was big, burley, hairy and bald" with such a great sense of humor. Tough to be a detective and still have one! Our heroine is as spunky as they get and reader really brings her spunk to life.

Have you listened to any of Angela Dawe’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I only purchased this story as I LOVE Angela's male reading voice. Yes, you have to get use to her cadence, but she brings to life any male character in a book. I love her in the Tiffany Snow series, Kade the bad boy is just as yummy as they get, and Angela really brings him to sexy life! A much lighter romance mystery than this author.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Oh yes, well ok every waking hour. Riveting and so fast paced. I listened to Plea of Insanity as that is read by my most fave reader Karen White. Again, her male voice is the best. If you like humor, check out Julie James series romance mysteries with Karen reading them.

Any additional comments?
The next book has comments i.e.: like Karin Slaughter, You must be hard core thriller fan, which I am not so this author may not be for me. Hence the Romance Mystery notes I have.
I do use the new 1.25x speed to match the authors intentions.
Were my comments helpful?

Excellent Story! Horrible Narration

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

Yes, but it would be the kindle version. The story is incredibly interesting. The narration is so bad I would never tell anyone to purchase it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

None of the characters are really developed well enough for me to relate to them except maybe CJ, so I would go with her.

Would you be willing to try another one of Angela Dawe’s performances?

No Way! She reads in a voice that sounds a great deal like a bad Humphrey Boggart impression. Her sentences almost always throw the emphasis on the last word making the book read like riding a horse with a choppy gait.

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

Yes. But I never can. I always have to go to bed before it is finished.

Any additional comments?

Despite the horrible narration I couldn't turn the story off. It draws you in early and keeps you there.

Couldn't stand to listen - awful narrator

Would you try another book from Jilliane Hoffman and/or Angela Dawe?

I have always loved Jilliane Hoffman's books. It may be once I buy the paper book I will think the story is better but I had trouble paying attention because of how much I dislike the narration. I tried this one three times and finally made it past the first few minutes but I couldn't enjoy it because of the narrator. I gave up because the narrator's voice was so grating that I couldn't concentrate. I am going to have to buy the book again, this time in paper, because I am never listening to this narrator again, even though I bought this book, and I will check more carefully before I buy another book. I strongly recommend that you use the "sample" feature before buying this book so that you do not, as I did, waste your money on a book you end up being unable to finish. I have read other books where I didn't love the narration, sometimes because a beloved narrator from prior books by the same author was replaced by someone whose voice I had trouble associating with a character, because the narration was boring or otherwise not pleasing, but I have never stopped reading a book before for this reason and I have been listening to audio books for 30 years.

How could the performance have been better?

Different reader

Any additional comments?

I wasted my money because the narration was so awful that I couldn't even get half way through it. Don't waste yours.