FABULOUS debut! Sold to TV Already.

What made the experience of listening to East of Innocence the most enjoyable?

This is a dark and gritty crime novel and it pulls no punches.....so be prepared!I just loved the main character, Daniel Connell who was once a big city lawyer but has now fallen from 'grace'. He is just over-loaded with bitterness and downright rage BUT under the surface he's quite a guy!He is phased by absolutely nothing and no-one and you'll find yourself fearing for his survival almost at every turning.I think the quality of the writing is nothing short of superb and I found that I simply couldn't stop listening to the compelling and credible way in which he tells the story.

What did you like best about this story?

I love the flawed character of the main protagonist who can be witty, engaging, intelligent and brutal too! This book will also have you guessing til the very end and it is never predictable.It's packed full of colourful characters but the bad guy is a total horror of a human being! Everything you want from a good baddie!There are some gruesome and chilling moments but also some very touching ones too. All of it written with sheer quality!

Have you listened to any of Rupert Degas’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No but I am so impressed by him and so glad that a narrator of quality was given the job because this is such a superbly written book. I think that Rupert Degas's performance is well up there with the best of them.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Need a lawyer-send for Frankie's Boy!

Any additional comments?

I'm not at all surprised to read that the rights for this (as a series I believe) have already been sold to TV. This hopefully means more novels from this excellent author and more of Daniel Connell. I am just SO pleased that I found this audio-book and a big thank you to those reviewers who recommended it.

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2 people found this helpful

East of innocence-great book would have got 4stars

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes but warn they about a certain swear word (& I don't mean the F word) which I thought was unnecessary to the book & would have got 4 stars but didn't because of it

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The whole story was interesting, least interest was 4letter swear word

What about Rupert Degas’s performance did you like?

Love the narration

Could you see East of Innocence being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

Yes could be a series, not sure who would play lead part

Any additional comments?

SWEAR word

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2 people found this helpful

Rupert and David: a match made in heaven

I bought this book purely on the basis that it is read by the incomparable Rupert Degas. I swear that man could read a shopping list and I'd be hooked. However, putting Rupert and his many voices to one side, this is a really good, grip you by the collar and drag you along, crime thriller. The main protagonist is a damaged character (aren't we all one way or another?), but this time he's not a maverick cop! Yippee for that! It's well written and has some tense, eebie jeebie moments and also, unusually, some extremely poignant scenes.
I believe this is book one of a series. For me, time will pass too slowly until the next is written and released.

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Not a literary masterpiece but a first rate listen

Have you listened to any of Rupert Degas’s other performances? How does this one compare?

A versatile reader on top form here

Any additional comments?

This is the story of a lawyer caught up with various criminals and lowlifes in his hometown near Romford. I read it as comprising three layers. One layer is a regular thriller in which the bad guys make the Krays seem like saints while the good guys suffer from self-doubt, depression and emotional trauma. Another is the hero's reflections on himself and those around him. The third layer is a little portrait of the stratum of society occupied by the Essex underworld. It is this last that I found most impressive. The dialogue captures their manner to perfection (with perfectly placed f words in nearly every sentence).

Taking into account a couple of unconvincing plot moments, this is a 4 star book made into a 5 star listen by the outstanding reading. His dialogue is every bit as good as Michael Caine or Normal Stanley Fletcher. Rupert Degas deserves a medal for services to audio fiction.

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5 people found this helpful