The Butterfly Forest (Sean O’Brien #3)

I would listen to this novel again, just to hear the narrator retell the story. Michael David Axtell does a remarkable job bringing the story and characters in this novel to life. He is a gifted story teller – his pacing and delivery were spot on. He kept me engaged from beginning to end. I frequently found myself listening longer and later into the night than I had planned. I have listened to many audio books and a really good narrator is a real pleasure to find! I will listen to anything that he is a part of in the future.

…superb eight novel Sean O\’Brien series by Tom Lowe. I do wish author Tom Lowe would stop killing off some of his most interesting and empathetic characters. Narration is outstanding.

Two college kids go deep into the Ocala Forest of central Florida to release rare butterflies at the same time an ex-con goes in to dig for Ma Barker\’s long-buried loot. When the kids turn up dead, the ex-con is the obvious suspect. But former homicide detective Sean O\’Brien doesn\’t think so and, as is often true of him, his sixth sense leads him to uncover a deeper mystery. Although this is the third of six Sean O\’Brien books by Tom Rowe, it is the only one available through Audible. I found it to be a good, concise, straight-ahead mystery thriller in the rich tradition of Florida crime fiction, of which I am a fan (particularly Carl Hiaasen and Tim Dorsey, although Rowe does not share their subversive sense of humor — and in a minor note, one of the major characters in Dorsey\’s first book is Sean Breen, who if memory serves is a cop). This was a solid three and a half star listen from start to finish. Through the first five hours, I was leaning strongly toward giving it four stars, since half-star ratings are not an option. But the final quarter of the book knocked me down to three. One problem is that the ultimate reveal is never analyzed as a moral issue — why on god\’s green earth should anyone have to die for this reason in this day and age? (I don\’t want to give it away.) I wanted Rowe to take a stand on the matter. But that\’s just me. More importantly to the readership at large, the mystery is over and done with two-thirds the way in, yet there is still two hours to go. That section has been done too many times before, with Rowe adding nothing new. This story is catalyzed by a series of coincidences, never uses its butterfly metaphor for much effect, and ends with a talking villain — three strikes = three stars.

This is the most captivating series I\’ve listened to in a very long time. The narration deserves a 10-star rating. I can\’t wait to finish one of these books to get to the next one. Tom Lowe is a fascinating author.

This book was very good! A “stay awake all night” kind of book! Now I’m beside myself, this was the last book in this series and I’m waiting till August when Mermaid comes out!

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