Never Apologise, Never Explain cover art

Never Apologise, Never Explain

Inspector Carlyle, Novel 2

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Never Apologise, Never Explain

By: James Craig
Narrated by: Joe Jameson
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About this listen

Carlyle is attempting too much and achieving too little and he's upsetting all the wrong people - this time it could be terminal... Jake Haggar has been kidnapped by his father who is threatening to sell the boy to a paedophile ring. Carlyle is struggling to get him back. It's not his case but it is his problem - it was his fault Jake was taken in the first place. But Carlyle's own caseload includes the murder of Agatha Mills. Her husband, Henry, has been arrested for murder but his explanation is so outlandish that Carlyle wonders if it may just be true.

Agatha is the sister of William Pettigrew, a priest killed in Chile during the Fascist coup in 1973 and after 30 years of campaigning, Agatha was about to see his killer brought to justice. So a seemingly straightforward case of murder quickly escalates into a diplomatic incident that has Carlyle, once again, clashing with his bosses and their political masters...

James Craig worked previously as a journalist and TV producer. Born in Scotland, he has lived and worked in London for 30 years.

©2013 James Craig (P)2013 Audible Ltd Crime Fiction Mystery Crime Fiction Suspense Murder

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All stars
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Any additional comments?

I didn't particularly like the narration at first, but it got better the more I listened.

An easy listen

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What did you like best about Never Apologise, Never Explain? What did you like least?

still not sure

What could James Craig have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

not to jump about without finishing one storey

What didn’t you like about Joe Jameson’s performance?

I found it very hard to remember what storey the next jump belong to

Was Never Apologise, Never Explain worth the listening time?

I stuck to it to the end hoping what the real point was, it left me still wondering.

Any additional comments?

I was hoping for a gripping storey I was board part of the time, but most of the time confused.

confusing

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Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I don't regret spending a credit on this, but it's not the most thrilling story I have ever listened to.

Would you be willing to try another book from James Craig? Why or why not?

I believe I will listen to the rest of this series at some point, because I like the main character and that the stories are set in London. The plot is entertaining enough, but the pace is a bit slow at times.

What does Joe Jameson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

He adds his own touch to the characters, and I think he does a very good job.

A bit mediocre

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I bought this book as it was cheap and had four stars. £4.99 is a good deal compared to the £15-32 some publishers are demanding.

The main character is warm, human and amusing. If you are familiar with Central London then the locations will twig the memory and I found myself a little jealous of Carlyle's ambling about London bumping into and chatting with various characters.

However, the plot seems to open up and then just finish in the last chapter with very little involvement from Carlyle himself, apart perhaps from his idle chats in between meals. Without spoiling the plot directly (although can you review any media without discussing, to some degree, the content?) the denouement of the main villain seemed totally far fetched and inconsistent with the rest of his actions.

Another of the main characters also seemed to do a personality shift (based on the back story given) just to tie up another lose end.

So, I enjoyed the rambling about London and the amiable conversations, but no deeper meaning and the plot was a bit weak at the end. Only 3 stars from me.

Fun Characters - Disappointing Ending

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Would you try another book written by James Craig or narrated by Joe Jameson?

I might try another book by Craig but not from this series.

Was Never Apologise, Never Explain worth the listening time?

I didn't give up on this book but I felt like doing so a few times.

Any additional comments?

It is a mild type of comedy that didn't appeal to me. I got annoyed with the bumbling inspector rather than laughing at him. I didn't find him entirely credible and although the plot should have been engaging it wasn't.

Not for me

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James Craig gets me under the skin, I loved the intelligently written plot, but as with the first in the series Inspector Carlyle's deeply flawed character really brassed me off so much so I wanted to climb into IPod and kick him in the butt!
His character totally made me want to cringe and yes he is very realistic, but surely you would not be that incompetent? would you.?
and again a very unsatisfactory ending, I can forgive once but twice? this looks like a pattern, it's as if JC dangles a juicy succulent fruit at you all the way through the book and then whips it away at the end, leaving you both hungry and dissatisfied.. the ending just did not do it for me.
Still saying all of this I will still read Inspector Carlyle, hopefully he will develop a brain and some police instinct in the next book..as I do enjoy his very caustic wit and inner monologue observations, because what you are privy to on the inside is definitely not the same person on the outside..

AARRGGHH!

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I found this book a bit disappointing and particularly found some of the graphic descriptions of violence off putting. Perhaps it would be possible to include a description of this type of content (among other things) in the book's description in the same way as for TV programmes?

Not my kind of story

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I purchased this after reading several rave reviews. The lead detective was a likeable character but the plot was tedious and poorly resolved. Can I have my money back please!

Disappointing

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Struggled to the end but was none the wiser as to the purpose of the main character, why would anyone want to read about such a completely incompetent and ineffective detective? As one of the other reviewers mentioned the internal dialogue commentary was well written and witty and the narrator did a good job with the reading but the failures of Inspector Carlyle to even once protect someone he was meant to help and the disappointing ending was just too much. Certainly not an author for me.

Definitely getting a refund on this one

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