Empty Rooms

The Krebbs and Robey Casefiles

By: Jeffrey J Mariotte

Narrated by: Tom Taverna

Richie Krebbs is an ex-cop, a walking encyclopedia of crime and criminals who chafes at bureaucracy. Frank Robey quit the FBI and joined the Detroit PD, obsessed with the case of a missing child and unwilling to leave the city before she was found. When Richie unearths a possible clue in one of Detroit’s many abandoned homes, it puts him on a collision course with Frank - and with depths of depravity that neither man could have imagined.

How do people who dwell in the darkest places - by profession or predilection - maintain their connection to the world of light and humanity? Richie and Frank will need every coping mechanism at their disposal to survive their descent into darkness and emerge unbroken on the other side.

With Empty Rooms, best-selling award-winning novelist Jeffrey J. Mariotte introduces crime savant Krebbs and obsessive comic book fan Robey, who will quickly join the ranks of the most beloved heroes of thriller literature.

"This is not a book for the timid or easily shocked...despite this, Empty Rooms remains a highly recommended read.” (Mystery Scene)

©2014 Jeffrey J. Mariotte (P)2018 WordFire Press LLC

Great pacing, chilling story.

(I received an Audible copy for an honest review.) Empty Rooms is about a rookie ex-cop and veteran detective who follow a new lead on a cold case that leads then down some dark roads. Richie and Frank has phenomenal chemistry, and the way their personalities feed off each other really helps drive the story along. With each clue that unravels, you root them on but also feel a little bit of dread about how it's going to affect their personal lives... and how they plan to come through when they get to the end of their pursuit.

The narrator provides a decent performance. I knocked off a star because they exaggerate a little heavy on some accents (notably “black” accents) in a way that feels too much like a caricature than a character. On the other hand, the narrator nails the tone in other parts. He does great with the leading chars. And the natural way the narrator did the serial killer's chapters was surprisingly chilling. The narrator is also pretty legible for those who like to speed up their books (I listened at 1.7).

Overall, the performance flowed well with Mariotte’s fantastic story pacing, and kept me so hooked that I almost missed by bus stop being I got really caught up in the pursuit of the killer. This book is a fantastic listen for true crime and thriller fans.