Criminal / Karin Slaughter

“…Narrator Kathleen Early must transition clearly between the earlier police investigation and the present. Early’s composed delivery sets in stark relief the horrors inflicted upon the 1975 victims…Early’s best performance is her vocal time travel from the youthful, determined Amanda to the gruff GBI agent she becomes, a narrating feat that also applies to her circle of stalwart sisters. Tension is fine tuned, and characters are subtly shaded in, with Southern accents surprisingly sparse.” ~AudioFile (D.P.D.)

“…Kathleen Early's feminine sound is well-suited to two young women just learning how to grow thicker skin, play hard ball with the old boys' network…Set in Georgia, the narrator is also tasked with the distinctive dialect, which seemed natural for Early. There is nothing more cringe-worthy than a forced Southern dialect; however, Early's narration is smooth and soothing, despite the sometimes gruesome nature of the content…Slaughter has a wicked sense of humor. Readers can be guaranteed at least several laugh out loud moments. Early does a fine job emphasizing them as well.” ~Jen’s Book Thoughts (Jen Forbus)

“…Early handles the book’s numerous plot twists and shifts in time, pacing, and point of view with aplomb, delivering a compelling and enjoyable listening experience. Confronted with a large cast of characters, Early manages to give each character a distinct voice without falling into caricature or cliché. She is especially effective in her reading of sections of the book set in the 1970s in which Amanda and her partner fight the prejudice of their peers in order to be taken seriously as detectives.” ~Publishers Weekly