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Unabridged Digital Audiobook
Runtime: 10 hours, 36 minutes
Read by Fred Berman
The challenging give-and-takes relationship between cops and reporters is often featured on TV crime dramas and true crime documentaries. But the audio edition of Half Dead by Brandon Graham gives the relationship a new, familial twist—and puts the cop and the detective in the middle of a deadly investigation with a troubled man.
The story searches for a killer in Chicago with rookie detective Whistler Diaz and his journalist cousin, Moe. When Diaz is assigned to his first murder investigation, Moe points out that the strangling of a young woman who was out for a morning jog might not be an isolated incident—that it could be just the latest in a series of similar murders. Diaz catches a break when the killer’s next move is interrupted—but as he waits for the latest victim to wake from her coma, he ends up working with Calvert Green, a former professor who’s suffering from a rare condition that makes him believe he’s dead.
All three main characters here are starting a new stage in life: Diaz as a detective, Moe as a newly-promoted staff writer for her social justice publication, and Calvert as a dead man in the living world. As each one tries to find his or her way, they find their new lives intersecting.
With help from Moe and his new partner—and to the great frustration of his boss—Diaz digs through old cases and starts making connections that seem to point to a serial killer. Though the clues seem to point him to one suspect, though, Moe is convinced that there’s something strange about Calvert—and she’s determined to uncover his secrets.
Moe’s investigation does shed a little more light Calvert’s story—and the memories gradually return to him, too. But something about the story feels a lot like Calvert himself: not fully alive. None of these characters are especially interesting, none of their stories especially shocking. Diaz seems like a hard-working, incorruptible young detective who’s dedicated to uncovering the answers and keeping the streets safe. Moe is outspoken and determined to make a difference in the city—but her obsession with Calvert and her attempts to make him look less than heroic seem anything but fair. Really, Calvert is the most distinctive character here—but even his story isn’t explored in enough depth to make it truly fascinating.
Though the author often points out the characters’ racial, cultural, and psychological differences, they simply don’t feel developed enough to make them truly interesting. So while Half Dead offers an intriguing setup, it isn’t the tense thriller that readers might be expecting.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
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