Review of ‘Sylver and Gold‘ by Michelle Larkin, audiobook narrated by Keira Grace
This was the last of my lesbian Halloween audiobooks challenge I did in October 2020. I hadn’t read anything by this author before and it was about time.
Reid Sylver is a Boston Police Department homicide detective with an incredible record of solving every single case she’d ever come across. Her secret is that she can talk to the dead. Literally. London Gold has always dreamed of becoming a police detective and now she has the chance to work alongside her longtime idol, the secretive and distant detective Reid Sylver. As they start working together, their mutual attraction is palpable but there’s no time to act on it as a serial killer is on the loose and stalking them.
‘Sylver and Gold’ is more a crime novel than a paranormal book. Even though Sylver can talk to dead people, that’s the end of the paranormal elements of this novel, so once the reader accepts this premise the rest is presented as a normal crime story with a side of romance.
Even though there is a very well constructed plot, this is mostly a character-driven story, with a few skilfully written characters, main and secondary, alive or dead. Both leads are complex and multifaceted, with a past that haunts them but with a human side that makes them believable and likable. But Mug the dog steals the show with his unconditional love and devotion.
Despite the author finds a good balance of crime, love, vice, and humor, there are some dark parts to this novel that might not be suitable for the faint of heart. There are triggers for extreme violence, animal cruelty, and sexual abuse, mostly as descriptions of the past. I’m quite squeamish myself but I felt that it was necessary for the plot and made sense in the universe created by the author.
This is a crime/paranormal book, but romance has an important role in it and Sylver and Gold have a strong chemistry together. Despite that their dialogues and banter are very enjoyable, I felt that their rapport didn’t pervade completely to the intimate scenes. In my opinion, they just needed a little bit more prominence in the book to make their chemistry sizzling, it’s a pity because it didn’t need much more to make it super hot. However, I get that this is not a romance so it’s not that essential to the story.
The audiobook was narrated by Keira Grace who did a very good job. The book is very demanding with a range of different types of scenes from action-packed, suspense-filled, emotional, poignant, and intense. Ms. Grace nailed them all, along with avery good interpretation of the different characters. It was a pleasure to listen to. 4.5 stars.
Length 8 hours, 23 minutes
Sylver and Gold
This was the last of my lesbian Halloween audiobooks challenge I did in October 2020. I hadn't read anything by this author before and it was about time.
URL: 4.5 stars, Abuse, Assassin - Murderer, Police, Violent content
Author: Michelle Larkin
4.5
