Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: Jon’s Crazy Head-Boppin’ Mystery
SERIES: Jon’s Mysteries #2
AUTHOR: AJ Sherwood
NARRATOR: Lloyd Thomas
PUBLISHER: Author’s Republic
LENGTH: 6 hours, 4 minutes
RELEASE DATE: September 1, 2020
BLURB:
I’m rather used to the crazy cases, because let’s face it, most cops can handle the run-of-the-mill with their eyes closed. I’m only called in when the situation is weird or they need to solve the case fast.
This case is a little of both.
Someone’s attacking women as they get off of work, hitting them in the back of the head. What started as a case of battery has steadily built up to homicide. With three murders, six victims, and no leads, the Clarksville PD are desperate to catch the assailant. But there’s no real leads for us to follow, either, and for once my eyes can’t really help.
A madman running around attacking women is bad enough, but the police are demanding answers we can’t give them, and they’re not taking no for an answer. It’s pushing us all past our limits, and frankly, I don’t know what’s going to break first: The case or Donovan’s patience.
REVIEW:
A few months ago I listened to the first book in this series and I fell head over heels for these characters and the world AJ Sherwood created and couldn’t wait to spend more time in it. I was soo happy when this book was released.
Again, the title of the book is quirky – and kind of fitting to Jon in a way, and it definitely fits the case. And while it is a new case I still urge you to start from book one to really get to know the world and characters to get to know them and their backstory, and some subtle – and not so subtle hints. Jon and Donovan have come far, and still have ways to go. They are a great match for each other, and while it at times can feel very one sided it’s clear that they both are what the other needs. Their relationship doesn’t get much page time in this book, it kind of took a backseat to the case. I feel the story as a whole wasn’t as strong as book one. Parts of it were resolved too quickly and easily and I wished they were more fleshed out. But you know what? I had a great time anyway!
So… elephant in the room…. This book has, due to tragic circumstances a different narrator from the first book. Lloyd Thomas is a new narrator for me and also to the field it seems. This is usually a bit of a gamble, and starting in the middle of a series will never be easy – especially considering the large shoes he had to fill. This gamble though, paid off – big time. You can’t tell he only has a few books in his repertoire. He narrates with a surety of someone well versed in the field and he hits so many of my high points; he differentiates between characters, has great pacing, adds that little extra with sound effects for phone calls, he also narrates with passion and really connects with the characters and makes the listeners connect with them as well.
The book is narrated from both Jon and Donovan’s POV and I really loved how Thomas did that. Most narrators narrate a book in their regular voice, only modifying it for dialogues to keep track of who says what. That’s not the case here. Everything told from Donovan’s POV is told in Donovan’s deeper voice, descriptions, monologues and what not. I find that I really enjoyed it. It’s something simple that so clearly shows us who the listener is following, connecting us to the characters and the story that much more. With this book Thomas clearly shows what he’s capable off and I can’t wait to listen to more of his productions in the future, because I hope there will be many more.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS: