Easy Street

The JJ Porter Suspense Thriller Series, Book 1

By: S.J. Varengo, Craig A. Hart

Narrated by: Stephanie Németh-Parker

Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Jennifer June "JJ" Porter learned a great deal about killing at a very young age.

Now she’s trying to keep people alive.

The daughter of Cleanup Crew assassin Nicole Porter, JJ has moved her base of operations to Los Angeles, where she waits desperately for a real case. One comes from a trucker who is worried about a high school girl, and sends her to Bakersfield.

And although JJ works away from LA, she ends up much closer to Hollywood than she ever expected.

Meet a young private investigator, a twisted postal worker, two British brothers, and the teenage runaway who brings them all together.

©2022 S.J. Varengo (P)2022 Craig A. Hart

Great series start

I enjoyed Varengo & Hart’s storytelling that combined thoughtful character building, mystery, suspense, and a little bit of humor.

The killer is introduced in chapter one and his perspective is threaded throughout the book in a way that made me feel like I got to know him. Instead of ruining the mystery it heightened the suspense and humanized his, still deplorable, actions.

JJ Porter is a really unique Private Investigator – coming from a spycraft background but reeling from personal losses, she was a great mix of competent but still somewhat flawed. I don’t like my protagonists too perfect and she was balanced well here.

Her first real gig as a P.I. brings a questionable client and the elusive task of finding a newly 18yo runaway. As the story unfolds, it’s apparent that Tasha is in the sights of a serial killer hunting sex workers and JJ is rushing to catch up before it’s too late. JJ is joined by an unlikely sidekick, a dashing British movie star. Their banter brings some levity as well as more information about her background.

As with any thriller, I don’t want to give too much away in the review. I liked the pacing, world building, and suspense. I finished it in two days (and it only took that long because I started it too late the night before). There’s definitely a complete story here. However, there’s a tease to book 2 and it’s also obvious there’s much more to learn about JJ. I’m looking forward to more.

Note: There’s an afterward where Varengo details a bit about the history of sex work showing that while there may have been some irreverence in the fictional novel – it shows the authors understand and respect the nuances of the subject.

Narration:
Stephanie Nemeth-Parker was a great choice for the book. She skillfully becomes JJ in all her nuances while simultaneously representing an entire cast of characters. Accents, personalities, emotional scenes are performed seamlessly. Combined with the superb writing this was an outstanding listen.

While I purchased the ebook, I received a copy of the audiobook from the narrator and am leaving an honest review.

very good

Loved it !! this story. the narrator is so fantastic it's like your really there!! After listening to this story,. I totally enjoyed reading this book. It’s well written and the characters were uniquely fantastic. I would suggest this book to my friends that like this sort of genera. this was a good book. The narration was great.

East Street

Excellent book and narrator! Enjoyed it very much! Loved JJ and look forward to the next in the series!

great story and narration - highly recommend

The story kept me wanting more. The narrator was fantastic. Her characters were believable and her British male was sexy. She kept the story moving and held my attention throughout.

Interesting characters

Easy Street, a little bit of wickedness, takes place in Southern California, beginning in Los Angeles and migrating smoothly to Bakersfield. This tale of sorrows begins with an explicit back story of the first two characters introduced. Tasha, or known by her street credentials as Tish Love, is an eighteen-year-old girl, raised in prostitution by her mother. The next is a detailed insight into the life of a serial killer, Walter, with horrific mommy issues and multiple notches to his credit. The raw stressors that produced this villain could likely be a cookie-cutter pattern for almost anyone subjected to the same childhood circumstances. It is up to Private Eye, J. J. Porter who is a rich Daddy’s girl turned investigator and a bit wet behind the ears, trying to save the day.

The authors, S.J. Varengo and Craig H. Hart weave a detailed story but because of the story matter, it was a bit difficult to bond with the characters. The plot was fast-paced, very linear, and easy to follow. The characters were well-developed.

Stephanie Nemeth-Parker, the narrator gave an exceptional performance by bringing the story and characters to life. Her well-done accents and inflections helped make this novel interesting.

Overall, this was an interesting book but one will have triggers for some. There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook.