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Title: Evil Hours

Author: Raymond Benson

Narrator: Tamara McDaniel

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-06-12

Publisher: Crossroad Press

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

From the acclaimed author of the James Bond continuation novels comes Evil Hours, a classic tale of small-town murder, betrayal, and ultimately, redemption.

Shannon Reece's mother was one of several women murdered in the small Texas town of Limite when Shannon was six years old. Her mother's alleged killer was convicted and sent to jail, where he was subsequently killed by fellow inmates. Now, 26 years later, Shannon has decided that the unresolved questions about the case, which continue to haunt her, can no longer be ignored.

With the help of a private eye, Shannon sets out to find the answers, and what she finds reveals some truths that several prominent Limite citizens would rather she had not discovered.

In a style that tens of thousands of James Bond fans have come to love, Raymond Benson pulls us, revelation by revelation, into a story you'll not soon forget.

Members Reviews:

Authentic Feel Suffers From Disjointed Plot

"Evil Hours" is a 2011 novel by Raymond Benson, who is primarily known for his James Bond novels. It is a standalone novel, and is not connected with any other series that Benson has penned.

Set in the small and fictional West Texas town of Limite, "Evil Hours" seems to be a rather personal project by author Benson. Himself a West Texas native, Benson has an obvious grasp on the culture, speech, and atmosphere of the area. The book has an "authentic" feel to it, and does not at all feel contrived; this is really where the book shines. Though I am not positive, I think the book is loosely based on the Texas Killing Fields murders of the 1970s.

From the outset of the book, many characters are introduced, and I was not able to keep up with them all. I found the characters to be interesting and well-developed, with personalities and mannerisms consistent with the novel's rural Texas setting, but were just too many to keep track of. I also found the novel to be disjointed. There are many flashback scenes (around half the book), and they are not always in the order in which they occurred, adding to the complication. The writing style in the flashback scenes is often very dry, with little personality. I also feel that the plot also does little to draw the reader in. From the beginning, we know the identity of the murderer, which takes a lot of wind out of the sails of the story. At the end of the novel, there is little sense of resolution, since there wasn't a whole lot to resolve in the first place. The ending is underwhelming and quite frankly, a little disappointing.

I don't mean to trash this novel, but I enjoyed some of Benson's other work much more, and would encourage you to check out some of his other titles. If you are looking for a moody and legitimate-feeling West Texas tale, you might give "Evil Hours" a shot, but otherwise go explore some of Benson's other finer titles.

In Summation:

The Good:

-moody and authentic feel

-believable characters and dialogue

The Bad:

-too many characters

-disjointed

-some dry writing

-plot doesn't draw the reader in

Great

This is a book with many references to Odessa/Midland and a specific incident that went on. It speaks of many many west texas people back in the early fifties and many of those folks are legions (both good and bad). It was very interesting to me.

Good reading

I enjoyed this book.