Narrated by Julia Whelan
I’ll confess. I enjoy Nora Robert’s romantic suspense novels immensely. No matter that they are somewhat predictable or that they often have interchangeable characters, they are a guaranteed good time. So when The Collector was released, I, of course, snapped it up. And while I didn’t enjoy it as much as the past few releases (The Witness), nor do I think it’s as good as some of her previous efforts (Honest Illusions, anyone?), I still had a rollicking good time listening to it.
Right up front, I will state that I find the point on which the entire plot pivots, the Rear Window-esque spying by our heroine Lila, distasteful. No matter what her reasoning, that’s just creepy. So in order for me to continue with the book and like the heroine, I just pretended it was accidental, and not completely purposeful, voyeurism.
Lila is a professional house-sitter and an author of a paranormal YA fiction series that is on the cusp of becoming a blockbuster. One of her favorite pastimes is using binoculars to spy on the neighbors. (There really is no nice way to put it.) One night this habit causes her to witness a murder. The police deem it a murder-suicide, but the brother of the accused murderer is insistent that his brother was incapable of such violence. Ash, the artist brother of the accused, seeks out Lila to get her first-hand account of what she witnessed. Together they embark on an investigation of their own to find the real story behind what Lila saw.
The suspense story is fun, with a fair number of twists and turns that keep it interesting. It also has a truly despicable villain and an evil hired killer to help the reader feel very satisfied when justice is finally served.
The romance is standard Nora. I find it entertaining, but I’ll admit it’s not very original. Personally, I think “original” can be overrated. I don’t want clichéd, but I read romance to get a romance, and happy ending, so if it’s handled in a believable fashion I’m generally satisfied. Lila is a little bland, but Ash is a great hero. And as a bonus, The Collector has a secondary relationship that adds a nice boost to the enjoyment factor.
Julia Whelan is top-notch as the narrator for The Collector. That isn’t surprising as Whelan is a dependable narrator with the skills to pull off the male and female voices and keep all the characters differentiated and recognizable. A suspense novel also requires a reader who understands the pacing and voice modulations needed to pull off the action scenes and build suspense and tension. Romance requires someone able to pull the listener into the love scenes instead of them feeling some level of disbelief or embarrassment. Julia Whelan does all this and more. I have zero complaints about her narration for this book.
So Nora Roberts does it again, and again, and again. May the queen of romantic suspense keep publishing books for many years to come. I, for one, will be snapping them up like the satisfying treat that they are.
Carrie
Narration: A
Book Content: B
Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in
Violence: Fighting/Escalated fighting
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
This was my first time listening to Julia Whelan and a Nora Roberts book. I’m now an immediate fan of Whelan’s and plan to listen to more NR books. Her writing style works well in this format. Thanks for capturing all I loved about the story and performance.