REVIEW TOUR: 20/20 by Carl Goodman

20/20 by Carl Goodman

Narrated by: Louise Brealey

Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins

The first in an intelligent, multi-layered crime series featuring DI Eva Harris.   

A vicious killer on the loose, a traitor on the team - and a past that’s catching up with her.

Can DI Harris see the truth before it’s too late?  

An expert killer who takes his victims’ eyes - can DI Harris see clearly enough to uncover the truth?  

On the first day of her new job, Harris is called to the scene of a brutal murder at the heart of Surrey society. A shocking crime, with a meticulous killer: the victim’s eyes have been removed and the body drained of blood, with no forensic evidence left at the scene.   

Her boss insists it must be the return of a killer who escaped justice several years ago, leaving a trail of bloody ritualistic killings. Harris isn’t so sure: both sets of victims have had their eyes removed, but other details are significantly different.   

But Harris’s desperate desire to uncover the truth is complicated by her secret mission to find corruption at the heart of the police. Who can she trust in her own team? Harris is also hiding a secret past of her own - can she find the killer and learn who to depend on, before her dark history catches up with her?

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Audible US | Audible UK

So 20/20 started out really strong. The main character DI Eva Harris is likable and easy to follow. I liked her a lot and how even though she wasn’t in the role she wanted, she made the best out of it. She developed a quick and seemingly honest relationship with the other policemen\women in the department. DI Harris was my favorite part of this entire audiobook. I also feel as if the development of the story was good and for the most part, it held my attention, for the most part again.

Now, for the “bad” or what I didn’t enjoy while listening to 20/20. I felt like there were way too many characters for an audiobook. I had a hard time keeping track who was who in this story and I regularly listen to audiobooks. I liked some of the development and enjoyed the subplot but I started to get slightly confused on what went with what plot and who went with what plot. It was just a lot. Added to that, I feel like if we removed 3-4 hours of this audiobook it could have been perfect! The story was really there and it had possibilities but it was too much all around.

However, the narration was pleasant and I enjoyed listening to the narrator, Louise Brealey. I do have a thing for a UK narrator’s accent though. I felt like Brealey was able to share exactly what I’d imagine a copper in the UK sounding like… I’m sure I sound rather naive but there was something formative and serious that struck a chord with me. It made her enjoyable when it’s close to what I was expecting. I’d definitely, and happily, listen to this narrator again.

So my final wrap up thoughts, the narration was right on par with what I expected. However, the story itself was lacking and if I only had the story to go on, well, it would have just been mediocre at best, which is a bummer because it had the possibilities of a great story but it missed the mark.

Thank you Midas PR for sending me an early audiobook. I was not required to leave a positive or negative review.  My opinions are just that... my opinions.

About the Narrator

Louise Brealey is an English stage and screen actress and writer. She is best known for playing Molly Hooper in the BBC's Sherlock. Her other television work includes Clique (BBC/Amazon), A Discovery of Witches (SKY), David Mitchell and Robert Webb’s sitcom Back (Big Talk/Channel Four) and Gomorrah (SKY Atlantic).

Behind the scenes

Louise Brealey on recording 20/20 during lockdown

About the Author

Carl Goodman is a designer and media consultant who has worked with everything from hot-metal type to computer animation and virtual reality. His interactive projects have twice won BAFTA awards. He has worked with companies and universities across Europe and the US on government-funded R&D programmes, and with major international brands on new product development, but he absolutely draws the line at commuting. He loves writing, both crime and science fiction, and enjoys stories that have both a technological edge and a dark, visceral theme. He enjoys research, although sometimes the material he unearths worries the living daylights out of him. Carl lives in Surrey with his wife and has an adult son.