A Dark and Lonely Place Audiobook

" Riveting read. She combines a story of Miami in the early 1900's and parallels that with a story from 2011. The main characters are John Ashley and Laura: in both stories. The John Ashley from early 1900's was a real person and the story depth is fascinating and tragic. "

" I actually didn't finish this book. While I enjoy Buchanan's storytelling abilities, I didn't really connect with the characters. When a mother tells her lover that if it's a choice between being with him or being with her two kids, she chooses him, I lost interest. Like other Buchanan books, though, the setting was one of the best characters. "

" I love, love, love, Edna Buchanan's writing. I drink up her Britt Montero stories. But this book, not so much. I still liked it and found her research and story telling compelling. I am intrigued with her weaving two story lines with characters from the past and again in the present and liked seeing the character interactions. But, I found the transitions between the two time frames unevenly done, such that I found myself losing interest in the 'present time frame' story line. Still, a good book to read. "

" I would say this is more an "almost 3" -- there were 2 distinct stories in this novel and sometimes they didn't connect together very well. Main story, which the author says has been her research interest for many years,is based on the life of outlaw John Ashley, a bootlegger who was drawn into bank robberies and murder to keep the bootlegging operation going. A very colorful character sympathetically described by Buchanan, he lives by the old "Cracker code" of honor. One forgets what a frontier south Florida was in the early 1900s, when Miami was still a small town, and the railroads and draining of the Everglades were just starting. Laura Upthegrove left her husband and children to become his lover & partner in crime, the "Queen of the Glades". The second story is set in modern Miami, with their descendants as a police officer wrongly accused of murder and the beautiful witness he is protecting. This is the weaker story, making up about a third of the book, and I read ahead to finish the story of John and Laura before coming back to the modern in the moment Miami. Buchanan, a longtime police reporter, describes modern Miami very well, even managing humor in dark scenes and I may try some of her other novels. "

" The two separate stories were both interesting, but she tried to make them too similar. It was still a very enjoyable book. "

" I haven't yet finished this book but I can definitely say it's a great story. If you like Bonnie and Clyde, then you'll love John and Laura. It's a moving historical fiction with a present day twist. Edna Buchanan writes writes with an effortless grace that makes this book as entertaining as it is easy to read! "

" Well, I finished it. Kept asking myself if the time line was correct. Of course, it did not say the current action took place this year. It was okay, not spectacular. "

" Very disappointing from an author I have always enjoyed in past "

" I enjoyed this book, I liked the true history story and I learned some interesting things about Miami. "

" Melodramatic and predicitable. A waste of time. I'm running out of decent audio books to borrow from the library. "

" Parallel stories of two lovers in Florida, early 1900's & present day outlaw/cop. Liked the location and time period. "

" This book was a mixture of historical fact and fiction..the factual part was riveting...the fiction left me hot and cold! Ending was definately a letdown! "

" Two books in one - historical fiction married with a parallel modern day storyline. Well executed, lots of action and adventure. A departure from Edna Buchanan's usual cast of characters, and billed as the story she always wanted to write, based loosely on real events. "

" I just finished Edna's latest "A Dark and Lonely Place"; a wonderful contemporary crime thriller with an historical fiction twist. I gave it 5 stars! "

" The Florida history stuff and the descriptions of contemporary Miami were pretty interesting. The whole star crossed lovers thing was - well, not. Snore. "

" Mixed bag. Liked the early story, did not like it reproduced almost exactly nearly 100 years later. "

" An unusual work in that it had two story lines running simultaneously with characters and situations totally similar. It was a fun read even though I was a bit disappointed with the ending. It just didn't seem all that plausible! "

" Very different than most books I like in that there was a lot of history(fictional but history) but I just couldn't put it down and when I did I kept thinking about it. In my opinion that makes for a 5 star book. "