Martin Misunderstood, by Karin Slaughter (Audio Review)

Oh, Martin.

Martin is so sorely misunderstood, the poor guy. For cryin' out loud, he's been picked on by everyone since he was a kid, and even his mother (yep, still lives with her), is a manipulative mess who never misses out on a low blow insult.

And for whatever reason, Martin as an adult, has never moved from his hometown. In fact, he works as an accountant at Southern Toilet Supply, and every co-worker is either a former classmate, or someone who just picked up the bullying because Martin is just a simpletons' idea of a perfect target. Insults normally directed to women are even keyed onto his car. There is no end to it.

So when Martin, a fan of crime fiction novels, becomes a suspect in a murder, the out-of-control spiraling of his life takes an even darker turn. Ann, the delightfully ordinary detective with her own secrets becomes the lead on his case, and it becomes even more demented and confusing. And I mean that in an extremely good way. The compelling twists that come about for Martin are preposterously simple, but satisfying, and the characters surrounding him are unintentionally, but stupidly evil. I enjoyed every second of it and the final reveal was a bit of a shock, I must admit.

At only two and a half hours, this audiobook is simultaneously hilarious and also terribly gloomy. The characters were perfectly constructed and the plot was a tightly woven maze of one bad coincidence and mistake after another. I can't imagine anyone listening to this in an afternoon and not enjoying it. It really was, in an odd way, the perfect way to spend a day. There are some sex scenes in which I would advise that you turn the volume down if you have the windows open...it is an absolute riot.

I picked this audio copy up from BEA in New York City this year when I attended the APA Audiobook and Author Tea event. Karin Slaughter, Brad Meltzer, and Tony Horwitz were the featured speakers. I've never read a Karin Slaughter book before (I know, where have I been?), but she piqued my interest when she informed the audience that when she first started writing her crime fiction novels, the general response from the reading public regarding a female detective using the F-word was extremely negative. As she stated, "People didn't seem to have a problem with the rape and murder of women, but to have a female cop drop the F-bomb? That got a response." Can you believe it? I'm certainly going to read her other books. I'm a happy camper for picking up Martin Misunderstood - the writing was unique, unexpected, and absolutely demented with its humor. I mean, I can't believe I laughed at some of the things that happened.

About the Author

Karin Slaughter is the #1 internationally bestselling author of several novels, including the Grant County series. A long-time resident of Atlanta, she splits her time between the kitchen and the living room.

Click here to visit the author on her website.

Click here to follow the author on her Facebook site.

About the Narrator

The audiobook narrator was (yes!!) Wayne Knight. You may know him from a little show called...Seinfeld. That's right, he was Newman, Jerry's nemesis. It was the first time listening to him and was also the first time I enjoyed listening to an audiobook with a male voice.

This is my second choice for the RIP Challenge. Again, I am surprised that I would have an audiobook as my next endeavor, but this one is fantastic.

You can read more RIP reviews by clicking here.