A Cool Breeze on the Underground

By: Don Winslow

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

“One of America’s greatest storytellers.” (Stephen King)

Neal Carey is not your usual private eye. A graduate student at Columbia University, he grew up on the streets of New York, usually on the wrong side of the law. Then he met a PI who introduced him to the Bank, an exclusive institution with a sideline in keeping its wealthy clients happy and out of trouble. They pay Neal’s college tuition, and Neal gets an education that can’t be found in any textbook, from learning how to trail a suspect to mastering the proper way to search a room.

Now it’s payback time. The Bank wants Neal to put his skills to work in finding Allie Chase, the rebellious teenage daughter of a prominent senator. The problem is that she’s gone underground in the London punk scene. To get her back, Neal has to follow her into a violent netherworld where drugs run rampant and rage is the name of the game.

©1991 Don Winslow (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A fresh voice, immensely likeable....Winslow shows he's got what it takes to hook a reader....Where he goes next with Neal is anyone's guess, but it's bound to be a great ride." (Mystery Scene)
"A flair for language, quick wit, and detail complete a winning first novel." (Library Journal)
"Winslow keeps his plot moving quickly despite many twists and turns." (Pittsburgh Press)

Not what I expected

If you could sum up A Cool Breeze on the Underground in three words, what would they be?

Clever, captivating, unexpected

What about Joe Barrett’s performance did you like?

Barrett did a great job narrating. He gave all of the characters their own voice, and it was always clear who was talking and when. If a certain character was thinking something, it was in their unique voice. He made it very enjoyable, and the tones that he used to throughout the book made you really feel what was happening. A superb performance.

Any additional comments?

This book wasn't at all what I expected. I purchased it a long time ago and I've had it sitting in my library for ages and I finally decided to listen to it. The dialog and plot is realistic, nothing seems too hard to believe, and it makes it even more appealing to listen to. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to listening to more Neal Carey mysteries

Fresh Mystery

If you could sum up A Cool Breeze on the Underground in three words, what would they be?

different mystery solver

Have you listened to any of Joe Barrett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not sure, but his voice works well for this book. He reads each character slightly differently and does the full range of UK accents well enough. His timing is good - doesn't rush the book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme reaction

Any additional comments?

The point I'd like to make about this book is that Neal Carey is not a detective, not police, not a criminal, not a sleuth in the usual sense. He is an interesting character which makes this book a fresh take on the crime novel or mystery.

I am anxious to read the next book to see if some "ends" that were left loose get tied up.

Good

It was good; interesting enough to keep you listening, but not edge of your seat suspense.

Very Entertaining Book

This was my book today. It was easy to stay involved, it kept a good pace throughout the book. Narration was good, he told the story with great inflections, dialects and humor. This book had interjections of humor that made me laugh out loud. My husband thinks I'm laughing at his jokes!
I bought this book as a daily special and thank you Audible, I would never have chosen it otherwise.

Awesome!

Thoroughly enjoyed it. Nice ride. Narrator was very good with ability to change accents without sounding phony.

Fun read

This was a good fun read. Had me laughing quite s bit. Read it and enjoy it!
T t t

Enjoyable book, but the British accents ...

This was a really enjoyable book, but the British accents were awful... and the vernacular was often mikes off.. but it was fun and at times very compelling.

Best read this spring

Funny, great characters and exciting in a way that other thrillers are missing these days! More importantly it's the first of a series and you will definitely want more of Neal and Gram!

Very interesting twists.........pay attention!

I enjoyed this book very much. So, looking forward to other novels from this author and narrator.

SurprisinglyGood!

I guess it was because of the lack of ratings, even though most were favorable, why I wasn’t expecting much. It was an enjoyable story.

Narrator’s performance was excellent; characters were well developed; plot flowed; and the inserts of Neil’s and a couple of other characters’ history and background were presented without dragging out or straying too far from main plot. This background made for colorful characters.
The story started off fast and was non-stop until the end.

Most of all, I enjoyed the humor that was enveloped into pockets of the story, especially 3/4 of the way through story, when the characters became familiar. Their personalities and actions made me laugh out loud several times and smile quite often.