The Barnes & Noble Review
T. Jefferson Parker's crime fiction thriller revolves around a cop with a rare neurological condition called synesthesia -- where senses become transposed (emotions are perceived as colors, smells invoke sounds, etc.). Years after being chucked out of a sixth-floor hotel window -- and barely surviving -- San Diego homicide detective Robbie Brownlaw is faced with a murder case that will not only uncover widespread corruption among the city's political elite but also force him to utilize a medical condition that up until this point has been perceived as an affliction.
At first the case of Garrett Asplundh, a former police officer in Internal Affairs who was found dead in his car near San Diego's Cabrillo Bridge, is thought to be a suicide; but Brownlaw quickly rules that out and begins digging into the man's sad and secretive past. Struggling to cope with the tragic death of his three-year-old daughter and the subsequent disintegration of his marriage, Asplundh also had to deal with the hundreds of enemies he made while working for Internal Affairs. But the closer Brownlaw and his partner, McKenzie Cortez, come to unmasking the killer, the closer they come to their own untimely deaths…
Aside from the intriguing narrative element of synesthesia -- famous synesthetes include Vladimir Nabokov, Nikola Tesla, Eddie Van Halen, and Jimi Hendrix -- Parker's brilliantly realistic and sympathetic portrayal of Brownlaw as well as his subtle use of metaphor throughout make this a fascinating, fast-paced read that is virtually impossible to put down. Paul Goat Allen
The Fallen
Narrated by David Colacci
T. Jefferson ParkerUnabridged — 10 hours, 59 minutes
The Fallen
Narrated by David Colacci
T. Jefferson ParkerUnabridged — 10 hours, 59 minutes
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Overview
My life was ordinary until three years ago when I was thrown out of a downtown hotel window. My name is Robbie Brownlaw, and I am a homicide detective for the city of San Diego. I am twenty-nine years old.
I now have synesthesia, a neurological condition where your senses get mixed up. Sometimes when people talk to me, I see their voices as colored shapes provoked by the emotions of the speakers, not by the words themselves. I have what amounts to a primitive lie detector. After three years, I don't pay a whole lot of attention to the colors and shapes of other people's feelings, unless they don't match up with their words.
When Garrett Asplundh's body is found under a San Diego bridge, Robbie Brownlaw and his partner, McKenzie Cortez, are called on to the case. After the tragic death of his child and the dissolution of his marriage, Garrett-regarded as an honest, straight-arrow officer-left the SDPD to become an ethics investigator, looking into the activities of his former colleagues. At first his death, which takes place on the eve of a reconciliation with his ex, looks like suicide, but the clues Brownlaw and Cortez find just don't add up. With pressure mounting from the police and the city's politicians, Brownlaw fights to find the truth, all the while trying to hold on to his own crumbling marriage. Was Garrett's death an “execution” or a crime of passion, a personal vendetta or the final step in an elaborate cover-up?
Editorial Reviews
At the dramatic start of Parker's excellent 13th novel (after 2004's California Girl), San Diego homicide detective Robbie Brownlaw suffers a head trauma that causes his senses to get mixed up. The sounds of conversations, for example, are accompanied by colored shapes that reflect the speakers' emotions. But the confusion turns into an asset, as it helps Brownlaw recognize when suspects and witnesses are lying to him-and he encounters lots of falsehoods when he begins investigating the case of Garrett Asplundh, shot dead while waiting for a meeting with his estranged wife. As an investigator for the San Diego Ethics Authority Enforcement Unit, Asplundh had uncovered a widespread corruption scandal-and unleashed plenty of enemies, including city officials, a financier and a purveyor of high-priced call girls. The suspense is palpable as Brownlaw and his partner, McKenzie Cortez, work to identify Asplundh's killer, but the novel probes deeper mysteries, such as the victim's tragic life and Brownlaw's disintegrating marriage. With his trademark psychological acuity and empathy, Parker creates a world of fully realized characters coping with obsession and loss. The winner of two Edgars for best novel, Parker could well earn a third with this compelling effort. 6-city author tour. (Mar.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Robbie Brownlaw was an ordinary member of the San Diego Police Department until he was tossed out a sixth-floor window at the Las Palmas Hotel. His survival, and the minor celebrity status that followed, helped propel him through a series of promotions to become the youngest homicide detective on the SDPD. Garrett Asplundh was also a member of the SDPD, rising to the rank of investigator for the city's Ethics Authority Enforcement Unit. Personal tragedies haunted Asplundh and led to his apparent suicide at the same landmark bridge where he had proposed to his now-estranged wife. Brownlaw is assigned to investigate Asplundh's death and discovers that the ethics investigator had stumbled upon dirty secrets about some of the city's highest-ranking civic leaders-secrets that may have led to his murder. Parker's (Laguna Heat) 13th novel provides a nice blend of hard-boiled police procedures and an intimate look at the lives of the men and women behind the badges, although keeping up with the large cast of characters can be challenging. Recommended for most fiction collections.-Ken Bolton, Cornell Univ. Lib., Ithaca, NY Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Absorbing suspense novel about a young homicide cop to whom everyone speaks in colors. Robbie Brownlaw is a synesthete. When people talk to him, he sees their voices as colored shapes: blue ovals for sincerity, yellow rhomboids for love, red squares for deception. He wasn't always this way; it happened after he was shoved out of a hotel window, falling six floors but somehow not to his death. Now he has an unerring, built-in lie detector, though it prompts a certain uneasiness that's led him to keep his gift a secret. When the dead body of high-profile cop Garrett Asplundh is discovered, however, Robbie knows he can use all the special help available. Asplundh was lead investigator for the San Diego Ethics Authority Enforcement Unit, which means it was his job to keep a watchful eye over city leadership-which means, of course, that he had ample opportunity to worry the daylights out of powerful people who, when questioned by Robbie, unleash barrages of tell-tale red squares. Then there's Stella, Asplundh's beautiful, much-adored widow, whose "black and shiny eyes" could-and did-make men behave unethically. This kind of complex, difficult case would ordinarily elicit from Robbie the single-minded attention that's made him the fast-tracker he is. At present, however, he's distracted by trouble at home. He loves his wife as much as Asplundh did Stella, but these days when he's listening to her and, more to the point, watching her as she speaks, he does not see yellow rhomboids. Deftly plotted, gracefully written and, as usual with this savvy veteran (California Girl, 2004, etc.), it's the lead character you pay your money for. Robbie is another in Parker's growing gallery of wonderfullysympathetic heroes.
Lively well-paced writing.…A cut above the average mystery fare.” — Pittsburgh Tribune
“(Parker) writes with intelligence, style and sensitivity, and he belongs…in the first rank of American crime novelists.” — Washington Post
“T. Jefferson Parker could well be the best crime writer working out of Southern California.” — Chicago Tribune
“Parker’s best to date.…Very highly recommended.” — Bookreporter.com
“An entirely engrossing and unforgettable tale.” — Rocky Mountain News
“A wonderful story with compassionate characters, plenty of action, thoughtful deduction and a shocking rationale for murder.” — Sunday Denver Post
“Delivers on all levels, as a mystery and a study of the depths of cruelty to which people can sink.” — Orlando Sentinel
“A good story well told by a gifted writer at the top of his game.” — San Diego Union-Tribune
“Smart and thrilling...Parker has imagination to burn...Crisp and elegant sentences keep the pages turning.” — Toronto Star
“Deftly plotted, gracefully written .” — Kirkus Reviews
Lively well-paced writing.…A cut above the average mystery fare.
Smart and thrilling...Parker has imagination to burn...Crisp and elegant sentences keep the pages turning.
A wonderful story with compassionate characters, plenty of action, thoughtful deduction and a shocking rationale for murder.
An entirely engrossing and unforgettable tale.
Parker’s best to date.…Very highly recommended.
Delivers on all levels, as a mystery and a study of the depths of cruelty to which people can sink.
(Parker) writes with intelligence, style and sensitivity, and he belongs…in the first rank of American crime novelists.
T. Jefferson Parker could well be the best crime writer working out of Southern California.
A good story well told by a gifted writer at the top of his game.
T. Jefferson Parker could well be the best crime writer working out of Southern California.
(Parker) writes with intelligence, style and sensitivity, and he belongs…in the first rank of American crime novelists.
Delivers on all levels, as a mystery and a study of the depths of cruelty to which people can sink.
Murder mystery meets sci-fi in this story about a cop affected after a fall by "post-traumatic swelling" of the brain. The injury leaves Homicide Detective Robbie Brownlaw able to judge people by seeing colors they emanate while speaking (red for lying, etc.). David Colacci's tenor voice doesn't have the range needed to successfully portray Brownlaw's female partner, McKenzie Cortez. And Colacci grates on the listener by starting nearly every sentence LOUD, then trailing off. . . LOUD, then trailing off. . . LOUD, then trailing off. . . . There's a great line in the story that describes the performance itself. It won't make your heart pound "like a dryer full of sneakers." D.J.M. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940169759457 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Brilliance Audio |
| Publication date: | 02/21/2006 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
Read an Excerpt
The Fallen
A NovelBy T. Parker
HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
Copyright ©2006 T. ParkerAll right reserved.
ISBN: 0060562382
Chapter One
My name is Robbie Brownlaw, and I am a Homicide detective for the city of San Diego. I am twenty-nine years old. My life was ordinary until three years ago when I was thrown out of a downtown hotel window.
No one knows it except my wife, but I now have synesthesia, a neurological condition where your senses get mixed up. Sometimes when people talk to me, I see their voices as colored shapes. It happens when they get emotional. The shapes are approximately two by two inches and there are usually between four and eight of them, sometimes more. They linger in the air midway between the speaker and me, about head high. They fade quickly. I can move them with my finger or a pen if I want.
Shortly after my fall I used graph paper and colored markers to make a chart of which words and word combinations triggered which colored shapes. This was time-consuming and not always pleasant, due to some very painful headaches. I also observed that blue triangles generally came from a happy speaker. Red squares came from a deceptive one. Green trapezoids usually came from someone who was envious -- green really is the color of envy, just like we were always told.
But as the weeks went by, I noticed that identical words and sentences couldsometimes trigger very different shapes and colors. I was afraid that I had posttraumatic swelling in my brain and worried that my synesthesia would worsen to the point where I'd spend the rest of my life drooling at invisible shapes while people tried to talk to me.
I spoke my fears to Gina one night and noticed that when she told me I "shouldn't worry about it," her words came to me as the black triangles of dread. I looked them up on my chart just to make sure. It was then that I began to understand that the colorful shapes are provoked by the emotions of the speaker, not by the words themselves.
So I have what amounts to a primitive lie detector, though I'm not certain how reliable it is. I think a remorseless psychopath could fool me, or even an accomplished liar. Who knows what colors and shapes they might cause? In my line of work, people will lie to you about the smallest and most trivial things.
Synesthesia is considered a gift by synesthetes -- the people who have it -- but I'm not convinced that it is. There's a San Diego Synesthesia Society, and for over a year now I've been thinking about going to a meeting. I browse their Web site and note the date and time of the next meeting, but I've never attended one. I'm curious, but a little afraid of what I might discover. The condition is hard for me to talk about, even with Gina. Although she's tolerant and wonderfully opinionless about how others view the world, it annoys her that even her white lies announce themselves to me as bright red squares. It would annoy me, too.
When I was thrown out of the window I hit hard. You have no idea how hard cement really is until you land on it from six stories up, even if your fall is largely broken by a canvas awning. During the fall I came to believe in God. It is true what they say about your life flashing past when you believe that you are about to die, but it is not your entire life. Obviously. I should have died, but only a few bones broke, and I'm in perfect shape again, other than the large scar on the back of my head, now hidden by hair, and the synesthesia.
One benefit I got from that fall was two very quick promotions. As soon as I proved I was in great health and could do the job, doors opened right up. From Fraud to Sex Crimes to Homicide just like that. Everyone expected me to die from the fall. All of the media coverage made the department want to reward its unlikely hero. The reporters nicknamed me "the Falling Detective." And my superiors sincerely felt that I deserved a little something extra for all I'd been through. Anyway, I'm the youngest detective in Homicide, but nobody seems to resent me for it. I'm part of Team Four. Our case-cancellation rate last year, 2004, was eighty-eight percent, which is considered excellent.
I got the call from our lieutenant at four that morning. An anonymous caller had tipped us to a body in a car near Balboa Park. Patrol had confirmed a black Ford Explorer parked in the trees near the Cabrillo Bridge, which spans Highway 163. The lieutenant told me there was a man slumped dead in the driver's seat. Blood, sidearm on the floorboard, probable gunshot.
I called my partner, McKenzie Cortez, then poured a cup of coffee. I sat for a minute on the bedside in the dark, snugged up the sheets around Gina and kissed her.
In the weak light of the breakfast nook I wrote her a note saying I'd be careful and I loved her. Spouses worrying about their loved ones getting killed on the job is what ruins a lot of cop marriages. And I like Gina to have something nice to wake up to. She works as a hairdresser at Salon Sultra downtown, which is top of the line. She cut Mick Jagger's hair when the Stones played L.A. not long ago. Just a trim, actually. Mick flew her up to his hotel in Beverly Hills in a helicopter. Paid a thousand for the cut and gave her another five hundred for a tip.
The drive from my house in Normal Heights took twelve minutes. It was a cool, clear March morning. There had been rain the night before, more than enough to leave shallow black puddles along the freeway. The stars were bright in the sky and the . . .
Continues...
Excerpted from The Fallen by T. Parker Copyright ©2006 by T. Parker. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
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