Impulse by Debra Webb

Narrated by Carol Schneider

Debra Webb is an author who is fairly new to me. In late November, I read Obsession, first in the Faces of Evil series, and was hooked. I was disappointed to see that Impulse was not immediately available from Audible, but I was patient, and it appeared.

Impulse picks up exactly where Obsession left off. Special Agent Jess Harris and police chief Dan Burnette are working hard to figure out who is responsible for the kidnapping of one of the Birmingham PD’s best detectives. Jess is convinced the kidnapper is a man known as “The Player”. He and Jess have crossed swords before. In fact, The Player is responsible for the recent blow Jess’s career has taken, and he seems willing to stop at nothing to gain her attention once again.

The reader sees things from several points of view. Jess and Dan are the main characters, but we do get to see inside the mind of a psychopath and his victims. Personally, I like when authors allow us to see what motivates the antagonist to behave the way he or she is behaving. It adds a certain flavor to the book. It’s not something I can easily put into words. Perhaps it comes down to something I said when I reviewed Obsession. I’m fascinated by evil, and Debra Webb does a great job of showing it to me.

If I could give an award for most improved narrator, it would go, without a doubt, to Carol Schneider. I was underwhelmed by her narration of Obsession, but was so drawn in by the story that I decided to listen to Impulse, even though she would once again be narrating. I’m so glad I took the chance.

Sometimes, a narrator needs to grow into the characters she’s reading. It feels like Schneider did just that. Each character was distinctly voiced. Those who were intended to speak with an accent did so, and the accents were incredibly well done. Each sounded authentic. None were forced.

I was very impressed with the consistency of Schneider’s narration. When I listened to Obsession, I found myself confused by the changes she made to the way characters spoke. This time, I had no such difficulty. It really feels like Schneider has found her way into the minds of Webb’s characters, and it was a treat to hear her do it.

Schneider’s voice is low for a woman. This helps her deliver some stellar male voices. Sometimes though, she develops a bit of a rasp. The first few times I heard it, I found it distracting, but, overall, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story. Some of the younger, female characters sounded a bit shrill. I could have done with a little less of that. Even so, I found the narration much more enjoyable than I expected.

Jess and Dan are fighting their attraction to each other. At times, the back-and-forth nature of their romantic interactions was a little wearing. I wanted one of them to make up their mind and stick with whatever decision was made. True, both have compelling reasons for their behavior, but the constant changes were hard for me to deal with. It’s obvious they still care for each other. The question is, when will they realize it?

Webb writes wonderful suspense. I was hooked from the very beginning of the book, and I can’t wait to see where she’ll take Jess, Dan, and the rest of the Birmingham PD. I finished this book just over a week ago, and I’m already hungry for more.

Shannon

Narration:  A-

Book Content:  B+

Steam Factor:  Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence:  Graphic

Genre:  Romantic Suspense

Publisher:  Tantor Audio

Impulse was provided to AudioGals for review by Tantor Audio.