Desolation Row

By: Kay Kendall

Narrated by: Tatiana Gomberg

It's 1968. The Cold War is hot, the Vietnam War is raging, and the women's movement is beating a far-distant drum. When Austin Starr's husband decides to protest the war by emigrating from Texas to Canada, she goes along, with the biblical dictate of "whither-thou-goest I will go," ringing in her ears.

No activist herself, Austin is homesick, drowning in culture shock, and now, her husband has been accused of murdering a fellow draft resister, the black-sheep son of a U.S. Senator. Alone and ill-equipped to negotiate in a foreign country, she is befriended by Larissa Klimenko, the daughter of Austin's Russian history professor.

The Mounties aren't supposed to harass draft-age boys but the truth is very different, especially when political pressure is applied by both the victim's father and the Canadian prime minister's office. They may have a reputation for always getting their man, but Austin is convinced this time they have the wrong one.

Once courted by the CIA, and a lover of mystery and espionage novels, Austin launches her own investigation into the murder. When ominous letters warning her to stop her sleuthing turn into death threats, Austin must find the real killer or risk losing everything. Her love - and her life - are on the line.

©2013 Kay Kendall (P)2013 Kay Kendall

chick fic

Wish there was a "chick fic" heading on some of the books I've bought. I knew I was in trouble in the first chapter. The heroine inched along a wall in the dark, hunting for a light switch, and fell over a body - as in actually falling and landing on the bloody body. How can you fall so heavily when you're inching along? Writing was mediocre, plot was unbelievable, the heroine clueless. Don't remember the narrator, so she must not have been bad. Actually, after two weeks, I barely remember the book at all.

Lots of Tension

If you could sum up Desolation Row in three words, what would they be?

Conflict-Filled Mystery

What did you like best about this story?

Austin Starr is an endearing character who finds herself in plenty of danger as she searches for evidence to clear her husband of murder charges.

What about Tatiana Gomberg’s performance did you like?

I couldn't imagine anyone doing a better job than Tatiana Gomberg did in performing this story.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Moving to Canada with her draft-dodging husband is the biggest event in Austin Starr's life - until her husband lands in jail, accused of murder.

Awful

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

No one. Took forever to develop the characters. Grew tired of trying and gave up listening so can't really rate the entire story. Even if the story was gripping, I would not be able to tolerate the narrator.

What could Kay Kendall have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Nothing

What didn’t you like about Tatiana Gomberg’s performance?

Shrill voice. None of her characterizations sounded like real people. Volume varied from loud and shrill to barely understandable.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

No

Any additional comments?

Should have listened to an excerpt.

Awesome narrator boosts great story from the 60s!

Would you consider the audio edition of Desolation Row to be better than the print version?

I read the book and now I've heard this audio version. They are perfect together. The final 3-4 chapters are breathtaking.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Austin Starr and her husband are in a bad spot and then it gets worse. You pull from them to get out of the jam they are in. They are so young! Early 20s.

What does Tatiana Gomberg bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Tatiana Gomberg does accents like the pro she is, a member of Actors' Equity. She does Scots, US southern, Russian...and a CIA operative from New Jersey! Enjoy.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I took three whacks at it due to my personal time constraints.

Any additional comments?

Atmospheric and dead on about 1968 in Toronto. DESOLATION ROW is a gripping mystery-- took me back to a really tense time when I witnessed so many Americans flooding up to Canada. Many of us in Canadian universities were riled up over the war--and sex, drugs and rock and roll--even in usually sedate Manitoba. If you want to know how it was all like if you weren't alive back then as I was, then listen to this!...kind of like my reading a WWII book to see what it was like for my parents. Highly recommended.

Fluffy story read by a 21st century valley girl

This story is predictable and light, with a good dose of Canada bashing. Mostly, I cringed every time I had the earbuds in. Thanks to the bubbly reading, young women are all light-headed dingbats and foreign accents are indigestible.
I'm surprised at the high marks this book and narrator have received. I can only say this: make sure you listen to the sample reading before you buy.

Captures the feel of the Sixties!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. I read somewhere that Ms. Kendall wanted to do for the Sixties what Alan Furst did for the European theater in those dicey years during Hitler's rise to power and rule - write atmospheric mystery/thrillers that captured the spirit of the age. Well, she's done that for the Sixties. The Sixties was a period of hope and new ideas, a heady mix of boldness and naiveté, and Ms. Kendall has captured that spirit.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The blend of "Sixties innocence threatened" had me wanting to hear more. An idealistic American couple heads north to avoid the draft. From across the border, they keep up their anti-war activities, then the very corruption they are fighting south of the border finds them in the north. Cleverly posed suspense.

What does Tatiana Gomberg bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Ms. Gomberg's reading has a light lilting note of Sixties innocence I thought very appropriate. She faltered on occasion, so I took off a star, but I slowly came around to the idea that that occasional vulnerability fit nicely into the overall mood and themes of the author.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Hmmm. I don't listen to any book in one sitting. Can't sit still THAT long. But I went back to this audio recording every chance I got!

Any additional comments?

I'm looking forward to Ms. Kendall's next Sixties-themed mystery.