Memory Man by David Baldacci Narrator: Ron McLarty, Orlagh Cassidy
Series: Amos Decker #1
Published by Hachette Audio on April 21, 2015
Genres: Mystery
Length: 13 hours 17 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
Goodreads
This "impossible to put down" #1 New York Times bestseller introduces Amos Decker, a gifted police detective with a perfect memory who must solve a mystery he wishes he could forget: his family's murder (Washington Post).
Amos Decker's life changed forever--twice.
The first time was on the gridiron. A big, towering athlete, he was the only person from his hometown of Burlington ever to play in the NFL. But his career ended before it had a chance to begin. On his very first play, a violent helmet-to-helmet collision knocked him off the field forever, and left him with an improbable side effect--he can forget nothing.
The second time was at home nearly two decades later. Now a police detective, Decker returned from a stakeout one evening and entered a nightmare--his wife, young daughter, and brother-in-law had been murdered.
His family destroyed, their killer's identity as mysterious as the motive behind the crime, and unable to forget a single detail from that horrible night, Decker finds his world collapsing around him. He leaves the police force, loses his home, and winds up on the street, taking piecemeal jobs as a private investigator when he can.
But over a year later, a man turns himself in to the police and confesses to the murders. At the same time a horrific event nearly brings Burlington to its knees, and Decker is called back in to help with this investigation. Decker also seizes his chance to learn what really happened to his family that night. To uncover the stunning truth, he must use his remarkable gifts and confront the burdens that go along with them. He must endure the memories he would much rather forget. And he may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Memory Man will stay with you long after the turn of the final page.Unabridged, 1 audio sound file, 13 hours 15 minutes 09 seconds
My top thoughts:
This was a surprising read for me and not one I would have picked up on my own, I don’t think. It was a book club pick, but I didn’t start it until the day before book club. Well, guess what? I finished it in time for book club. It was that good!
Who I think would like it:
If you like quirky main characters, I think you’ll like Amos. He suffered a football injury that changed the way he sees the world and gave him a perfect memory… but also removed his “normal” people interaction skills. He reminded me a bit of a high-functioning autistic person in some ways.
This is, above all, a murder mystery. It’s not one that I feel like you could really solve without knowing everything that Amos knows, but as he reveals things he’s figured out you can make a guess at the next step — and you’ll be wrong at least half the time, but it’ll make sense. He just sees things in ways that the average person doesn’t.
This does hit some triggers – you’ve got child murder (you don’t see it happen, but you see the after), you’ve got rape (once again you don’t see it, but read about the after) and you’ve got some gender/sexuality questions. I felt like it was all handled well, though realistically (meaning you will see some insensitivity and it will piss you off as it should). But if those are major triggers for you, it may not be the book for you.
I’m actually disappointed that it’s a series – not because I don’t want to read more – but because it worked really well as a stand alone and I worry that it won’t hold up over several books. Oh and the fact that I now have another series to keep up with!
Narrator thoughts:
The narration on this was FANTASTIC. First off, the primary narrator was Ron McLarty, but for female voices Orlagh Cassidy chimed in and it was pretty great to get that genuine female voice. They also had sound effects that flowed seamlessly into the narration. I will definitely be listening as the series continues and recommend you do too!
Berls loved Memory Man! 5/5 Stars #audio #review Click To Tweet
Ha! Well that does say something about the book that you made it in time for book club. Amos sounds intriguing.
I read a different Baldacci series and I’m hooked. Jonetta turned me on to them. Excellent review!
Thanks Anne! He’s a new-to-me author, but I do think I’ll be reading plenty more of his books in the future.
Sounds like it deals with a lot of sensitive subjects and they sound like they were handled well and the mystery sounds really good! Great review!
Thanks Jenea! It really enjoyed it 🙂
One of my favorite series and I’m one book behind from being up to date. I love the audio version, too. Great review, Berls💜
Thanks Jonetta! Glad to know it holds up as a series. The book was so good as a standalone, it made me wonder if it really could hold up.
Sounds like a great start to a series! 😁
It is! And I’m excited to hear that the series seems to hold up!