Wonderful New Detective Series

Jake Fayter falls to his death during a routine rock climbing accident. At least that is what the report reads. His parents disagree. So they turn to their son’s old friend, Detective Inspector Nick Dixon. Dixon was once Fayter’s climbing partner and has a hard time believing the report. He knows that there is no way that Jake made the mistake necessary to cause his death. So he begins to investigate. As he digs into his friend’s death he soon realizes that he is not going to like what he discovers.

As The Crow Flies is the first book featuring DI Nick Dixon. He is a quiet man who requested a transfer back to his home area instead of staying in London and working his way up the administrative ladder. Now he has a small place that needs furniture, a dog, and the peace and quiet of the countryside. Of course he also is on the trail of a team of burglars who keep breaking into the houses of the recently deceased. Now he has what appears to him to be the suspicious death of an old friend. Before it is over he will find himself dealing with a smuggling operation, drug dealers, and a killer who won’t go down easy. Boyd’s is an excellent stylist. He brings his characters to life and allows them to develop as the story goes on. The book is full of great characters who you feel you want to know better.

As I read this book I couldn’t help but think that this story and these characters are perfect for a BBC mystery series. This is the kind of detective drama that so many of us have come to know and love over the years. I read a lot of books. Usually over 150 per year. Some of the books are old friends, most are new. The majority of books that I have read I doubt that I will ever read again. Damian Boyd’s DI Nick Dixon novels fall into that rare category of books that I will definitely read and enjoy again and again over the years. I look forward to more in this series. I suggest that you order this book right now. It is the perfect book to take with you on summer holiday. It is also the perfect book to curl up with in your favorite reading chair. In other words, it is just a great book.

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As the Crow Flies, So Does the World Turn

DI Dickson is a transplanted city detective who heads for the country looking for a change of pace. What should bring a slower, more manageable work load proves anything but. Accompanied by a competent team still trying to decipher this mysterious colleague, and an affable pet named Monty, DI Dickson solves what I hope will be the first two of many cases. Sober, cerebral procedural that plays at just the right speed.

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Not bad

What did you love best about As the Crow Flies?

I enjoyed the story but the narrator was difficult to listen to. Napolean Ryan has a lovely deep masculine voice. That's the good news. However, when he has to do a woman's voice it is inevitably very short and breathy, as in a love scene. But this is how he reads the women's lines throughout the whole book! I laughed out loud at first and then it was ,WTF? Get some coaching on female voice and you could be fine. Aren't there editors for audio books? Who lets that kind of huge flaw pass????

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Short but

great detective story. The narration was great as well. The author certainly knows about climbing.

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Good read and great narration..

There were a few reviewers who complained about this book being too much about rock climbing and I can certainly agree to that. During the prologue I was totally lost. So, unless you’re into rock climbing I’d skip this one. However, I will move on to the next. I liked Dixon and his team so I’ll see what the next book is about.

Overall, it was a nice story, surprised about Jake and really surprised at who the killer was.

There wasn’t anything romantic going on, unless you call Dixon asking Jane out romantic. There was swearing and the F-bomb was used 30 times.

As to the narration: Napoleon Ryan did a great job. The women sounded like women, and the men all sounded fantastic, and the emotions he read with were great too. I would definitely listen to him again.

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Better than I expected

The Detective Inspector Nick Dixon series, this is Book 1, is 5 novels. The first novel is not rated highly, but each novel has higher ratings than the previous one. As the Crow Flies is really a good British detective story that I suspect is down rated because listeners are not accustomed to Napoleon Ryan's narration style. Ryan is certainly not a great narrator, but he is quite good especially with voices.

The novel is thoroughly English set in England with an English author and an English narrator. The story is about an experienced rock/cliff climber who falls to his death when his rope is apparently untied. Is it an accident or murder? An accident seems very unlikely. Nick Dixon solves the case.

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Truly, a very good series

I have now listened to six books, two to go, then I will have to wait for book nine. If you are tired of dysfunctional heros, unpleasant bosses, and backstabbing co-workers, you will appreciate this series. Just good solid characters, interesting stories, and well thought out plots. Some reviewers do not like the narrator. At first I found him a bit harsh, now I cannot imagine anyone else doing these books. Give him a fair chance.

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Good drive time listen

Very good narration. Plot was interesting but I was able to narrow in on suspect a few chapter before the end. However the story line was still good and I will listen to other books by Boyd if I get them at the right price. I have a long commute so a good book I can knock out in a work week is an asset.

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I loved the ending twist

Any additional comments?

It was a classical mystery, but I really liked the way characters were treated and the twists in the story. The ending was a total surprise, but it made a lot of sense given the makeups of the characters throughout. It was surprising and a little bit brave of the author, but it really was right on! Kudos to Damien Boyd!

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Very British crime story, too much climbing jargon

Maybe I am just too much an American, but I found a lot of the day-to-day British police distracting because I didn't know the terminology. I have some familiarity because I've watched British shows on PBS beginning in the 80s and through today on BBC America and other places when they've aired and I still found myself wondering what the heck they were talking about from time to time. I need to listen more carefully to future books to see if American crime authors make the same assumption of a working U.S. police procedures.

The main character felt like a fairly standard fiction detective, but nothing really set him apart. There were some hints to his greater background, but the info that was given was lacking and Dixon felt more one-dimensional than I would normally expect in a novel. The supporting cast also felt very much like paper cut-outs from any number of crime stories.

The mystery felt very paint-by-the-numbers. There was no excitement or tension to the story. It was pretty much like reading a series of police reports. The most annoying part of the story was casual use of climbing jargon as if the reader was supposed to know what it meant without any kind of explanation as to what it meant. When all is said and done, it read more like it should have been part of an hour-long TV police procedural than a movie.

I thought narrator Napoleon Ryan did an okay job, but from the beginning of the book it sounded as if some filter had been set on the recording and that made it hard to get into the book. Once I did I thought he sounded fine, though I agree with another reviewer (though not as strongly) that his female voices were his one weakness in the narration.

P.S. Someone should tell the publisher or the person who wrote the blurb that the word "electrifying" doesn't mean what they appear to think it means.

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