Boulevard

By: Stephen Jay Schwartz

Narrated by: Ray Porter

Stephen Jay Schwartz delivers an intense, nonstop thrill-ride in this shocking new novel about a Los Angeles Police Department Robbery-Homicide detective who must find a killer responsible for a series of murders that are directly related to him.

LAPD detective and former vice cop Hayden Glass is a sex addict. The addiction has ruined his marriage and continues to complicate every aspect of his life. But regular attendance in Sex Addicts Anonymous meetings has helped keep his behavior from affecting his career. That is, until he suspects that three macabre and seemingly unrelated murders are linked to his meetings and targeted directly at him. The rift between his private secrets and his duty to uphold the law plays out against an ever-shortening timetable in which to save his own life and the lives of the people he loves.

©2009 Stephen Jay Schwartz (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

""Like James Ellroy, Hollywood film developer Schwartz can make the reader squirm, as shown in his debut...Schwartz does a fine job of blurring the lines between sexuality and violence, the criminal world and the police world." ( Publishers Weekly)

4.5 For sure!

This book is a great listen. The main charater is very unique in that his struggles seem very real. I also enjoyed the authors use of sarcastic remarks from his charaters. This book really hit the spot for me. Good balance of sex, death and mystery.

Creeped me the bleep out

Okay - I wasn't ready for this book.

I wanted to sympathize for this character; I can't. I wanted to look past his anger and addiction; I can't. Everything about Hayden scares me. So much to the point of where I didn't want to listen anymore. But I had too. My eyes were so wide. I just couldn't believe it.

This was a dark novel, with a dark "hero", a malicious killer and a suprisingly horrific end. I'm not discussed by it at all nor do I think that Schwartz isn't a good writer. My level of discomfort proves his prowsee. I don't think I was supposed to come away feeling good. If the goal was to hit bottom with Hayden, then I did. I felt his pain and the pain of those around him.

But what happened to him. The killer. To Kennedy. The truth about Hayden's link to the dead case... good lord. I wasn't expecting that. I had Scooter pegged for the killer. But geez. Wow... wow.

I feel gritty and dirty and sad. Part of that has to do with Ray Porter's excellent narration. When Hayden broke down in group with Kennedy I was brought to tears. It's just. damn.

Excellent story read by a great narrator.

What made the experience of listening to Boulevard the most enjoyable?

Gripping story that was hard to stop listening too. I looked forward to my commutes to get back into the book. Highly recommended.

What does Ray Porter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Ray Porter again delivered an awesome experience. It's more of the story being told to you than read to you. Perfect inflection, accents. Each character has a unique voice. Even the women sound like women.

Sex-addicted cop ...

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Would recommend to a somewhat liberal friend as there are some intense sexual scenes. The protagonist cop struggles with his addiction and keeps "falling off the wagon."

What did you like best about this story?

The get-back-up and try again persistence of the oversexed cop.

What about Ray Porter’s performance did you like?

Just about everything. His voice and tone are well-matched throughout.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but it was too lengthy.

Any additional comments?

The book may have been better cut down about two hours. However, it's addicting, as the reader, and quite interesting how a "sex addict" handles himself. I was totally unfamiliar with the "suffering" as well as the "benefits" of a sex addiction.

wtf

What an ending. Horrific portrayal of addiction. I can't believe it just ended like that too