Cheesy

This book seems to be only a rearrangement of some core concepts found in his other books with simple modifications. While the concept is very intriguing, the dialog is simple and the plot twists can be seen miles away. The ending is especially ridiculous, complete with warriors sacrificing their lives, good guys double-crossing and turning out to be evil, bad guys getting their comeuppance, and the heroine saving the day and all turning out wonderfully for her. More cheese than a pound of Velveeta.

11 people found this helpful

accents, oh dear

the narrator ruined it for me. Unfortunately, the story calls for a wide variety of foreign accents, all of which are affected by the narrator as a sort of transylvanian vampire/swedish chef.

10 people found this helpful

one wild ride! Hang onto your seats!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

great narrator, thriller plot

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Fifth Vial?

Natalie's lifesaving receipt of a healthy lung at story's end

Have you listened to any of J. Charles’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no I haven't but I will definitely do so now!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

when Natalie almost lost her niece in the fire

Any additional comments?

if you're looking for a story which has many twists and turns, and lots of surprises, get The Fifth Vial! It took me awhile to like the private detective in the book; he didn't seem too inteligent! But by the time the story ended, he had my respect. J Charles was a new narrator to me, and I wasn't sure how he sounded. But, he was great! Get The Fifth Vial by Michael Palmer, you will not be sorry!

2 people found this helpful

An enigmatic, believable novel.

This book has held my attention and has kept me on the edge of my seat. Magnificent writing, plot, narration!

1 person found this helpful

I realy wanted to like this book...

In general, I love medical mystery / dramas but this one just didn't do it for me. First, it was poorly written; the author frequently would repeat words and phrases - like, "She ___ to anyone and anything," and the word "conflagration" which I can only assume the author came across in the thesaurus and fell in love with, hence the repetition. Unnecessary words are added too, which I think the author added to give it a more "medical" feel, but just had me shaking me head and chuckling sadly, like "She felt for a pulse in her carotid artery." Couldn't he have just said, "She felt for a pulse"? Second, he throws in completely un-related scenes, many of which had me thinking they had something to do with the story, so I slogged through them - only to find out that they were, in fact, pointless. What a waste of time!

Lastly, the narrator sounds like he's suffering a terrible head cold. I kept wanting to yell at him "just clear your throat already!!" And as if all that wasn't so bad, the voices the narrator uses to distinguish one character from another are just terrible. The accents he puts on are poorly done and the woman-voices he affects are laughable.

Terrible experience, all around. Like my review title says - I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't.

1 person found this helpful

Reader ruinous

The story was interesting...as far as I got. This is the worst reader ever. I do not understand how an author or Audible publishes audiobooks with such terrible readers when there is so much talent out there. Do not waste your credits. Go to the library and read this one.

1 person found this helpful

Good listen

A little predicable in parts but overall an enjoyable listen

7 people found this helpful

Narrator RUINS the story

DON’T WASTE YOUR CREDIT OR TIME!!!!! I rarely write reviews. I rarely have such terrible feelings about a book to complain. I’ve already listened for about an hour and there is no way I can possibly continue. The narrator has a great speaking voice when he is not doing some horrific accent. The problem is the story is mostly dialogue and it is painful to listen to. I think the story could have an interesting plot but I will not finish it because the narrator is absolutely TERRIBLE!

I really enjoyed this audio book

Although the reviews were not so great, I was not a bit disappointed. Palmer is one of my favorite authors.

What an action pack book

This does have a surprise ending. Lot’s of twists & turns. I guess that is why I love his books so much he reveals how money can become so powerful a motivator in the medical field.