If you like your audiobooks a bit gritty with plenty of humor and procedural cyberpunk action, you will find the latest audiobook in the Easytown series “House of the Rising Gun” can help fill that void. The series keeps getting better and better, and I can say that I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to each audiobook. The author is Brian Parker, who tells an engaging tale while keeping things overall light and fun. The audiobook’s narration was superbly performed by Daniel Penz. Mr. Penz is becoming one of my all-time favorite narrators and I can say that this team works well together. The story opens with the usual missing persons case for a PI and then pivots to focus on the extent some big pharmaceutical corporations will go to hook their customers for life. Yet, this this more than just about finding a missing person or making a new drug? Or is there something more nefarious when our main character begins to peal back the onion. If any of this sounds interesting, I can recommend you give the latest Easytown audiobook a listen as the story has depth and the author has done a good job creating this unique world.
It is always nice being dropped back into a somewhat familiar world, being this is the fourth in the series, consisting of multipurpose droids, cyber surveillance, and the latest in holographic assistances, Andy. Yet, even with all the technology and progression, there is still the same corrupt human nature requiring the help of a failed detective turned private eye to collect the clues and ultimately solve the mystery. This time, it is a very powerful pharmaceutical creating a new wonder drug that provides the consumer with whatever pleasures they desire. Yet, this corporation operates in plain sight even though law enforcement knows something fishy is going on under the covers. Knowing that the police will not be able to take down this company through traditional means, they reach out to their ex-coworker and friend to help give them a way of stopping it. No one would have expected that this drug company was so much more, and even something that could threaten the security of the nation.
I have come to enjoy the depth and complexity of the Easytown series of audiobooks and this one seems to take that to the next level. We can see our main character maturing over time, and I think that is also seen in the author’s writing. The characters feel solid, and their actions fit their personalities very well. The cyberpunk world Mr. Parker creates seems to mirror that of other worlds in this genre. It appears to be a bit grimy and gritty, while also quite advanced with technology. The author does a good job of blending the darker elements of the story with enough humor that it does not get too weighty.
About the audiobook narration, Mr. Penz does an exceptional job of voicing the many characters and their accents as he has with previous audiobooks in the series. I do not recall any issues with audio plugs or inconsistencies involving audio volume or character voicing. The reading pace is well maintained and for listeners that like to listen at a rate slightly faster, Mr. Penz voice permits that. As with any of his other narrations, Mr. Penz delivers consistently, even across the four audiobooks in this series. The narrator quickly assumes the character of Zack Forrest even some of his quirks, in a good way.
For parents and younger listeners, this audiobook is really geared toward a mature audience. The use of drugs (legal and illegal), prostitution and some rather graphic violence are contained in this story. I would only recommend this audiobook, and the entire series, to mature listeners.
In summary, I have never been disappointed after listening to any of the Easytown series. The writing has continued to grow, the narration is solid and professional, and the characters fit their environment. This tale goes a bit farther than the previous ones, but I did enjoy the ride. I can say that I am already awaiting the fifth audiobook in the series when it drops.
Quella Reviews 