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Downtown Audiobook
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(3.01) - 244 listener ratings
Publisher Description
Downtown is the wickedly funny story of a Sarasota orange grower who stops for a drink on his way to the airport and suddenly finds himself mixed up with dubious women, small-time actors, drug dealers and killers as the major suspect in a grisly New York City murder.
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"This one is pretty decent, but there are a ton of better Ed McBain books out there. I absolutely love the scenes that take place in the jazz hole, very cool. "
— Tony (4 out of 5 stars)
Downtown Listener Reviews
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" Early McBain doing a fair imitation of Mickey Spillane. "
— Craig, 12/2/2010 -
" I had never read McBain. This was so much better than I had anticipated. Crackling good dialog. "
— Corey, 11/4/2010 -
" "She poured three inches of straight bourbon over the ice in her glass. 'Here's to murderers,' she said, 'the goddam world is full of them.'" <br/> <br/>Brief, entertaining noir from 1958. I guessed whodunnit, but that's OK. "
— Kirsti, 7/14/2010 -
" This was a pretty lame hard boiled crime novel. I had the mystery figured out with more than half the book left to go. There just wasn't enough misdirection to fool me. "
— Greg, 1/12/2010 -
" Typical early McBain, taut and terse. A drunk private eye saves the day and solves the crime. Originally published as I'm Cannon - For Hire under the psuedonym Curt Cannon. This is the second Hard Case Crime books I've read and they both were great fun. <br/> "
— Frank, 9/22/2009 -
" Definitely 3 stars. I might have given it higher marks if I didn't have it all figured out so early. It was just a little to simple & obvious. Well done, though. Likable characters, believable motives & setting. Very well setup & played out. "
— Jim, 8/7/2009 -
" Interesting to read an old-style detective yarn. "
— Chris, 7/26/2009 -
" A little racy, nothing amazing, but lots of fun. Pretty much exactly what you'd expect from the cover. Really short, good for a plane ride. "
— Alison, 5/21/2009 -
" starts off as a hardboil'd crime novel, quickly reveals it self a slightly better than average novel of plot twists. once the chandler formula of 'females as antagonist' becomes clear, the plot twists just become a bit annoying. an easy sunday read though. not bad, all considered. "
— James, 5/18/2009 -
" Great, straightforward midcentury detective story by genius McBain. Great example of the genre, fast-moving and readable. "
— Thomas, 4/17/2009 -
" Fun pulp book. I am a HUGE fan of the Hard Case Crime series! "
— Brian, 5/2/2008
About Ed McBain
Ed McBain is the most well known pseudonym of Evan Hunter (1926–2005), the author of over eighty novels and several famous screenplays. He is a recipient of the Mystery Writers of America’s Grand Master Award and the Diamond Dagger Award from the British Crime Writers Association. His books have sold more than one hundred million copies, ranging from the more than fifty titles in the 87th Precinct series to the bestselling novels written under his own name. McBain also wrote the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.
About Richard Ferrone
Richard Ferrone recorded over 150 audiobooks including thrillers, romances, science fiction, and inspirational novels. He won the prestigious Audie Award and was a finalist for four Audie Awards, including for Best Solo Male Narrator. He was named an AudioFile "Voice of the Last Century" and a "Rising and Shining Star." He earned many AudioFile Earphones Awards, including being named the 2011 Best Voice in Mystery and Suspense as well as the 2009 Best Voice in Science Fiction and Fantasy. A science fiction fan, he narrated Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars trilogy. He also narrated works by James Patterson, Walter Mosley, John Sandford, Eric Van Lustbader, and Stuart Woods.