The Fallen

Written by T. Jefferson Parker

Narrated by David Colacci

My life was ordinary until three years ago when I was thrown out of a downtown hotel window. My name is Robbie Brownlaw, and I am a homicide detective for the city of San Diego. I am twenty-nine years old.

I now have synesthesia, a neurological condition where your senses get mixed up. Sometimes when people talk to me, I see their voices as colored shapes provoked by the emotions of the speakers, not by the words themselves. I have what amounts to a primitive lie detector. After three years, I don’t pay a whole lot of attention to the colors and shapes of other people’s feelings, unless they don’t match up with their words.

When Garrett Asplundh’s body is found under a San Diego bridge, Robbie Brownlaw and his partner, McKenzie Cortez, are called on to the case. After the tragic death of his child and the dissolution of his marriage, Garrett—regarded as an honest, straight-arrow officer—left the SDPD to become an ethics investigator, looking into the activities of his former colleagues. At first his death, which takes place on the eve of a reconciliation with his ex, looks like suicide, but the clues Brownlaw and Cortez find just don’t add up. With pressure mounting from the police and the city’s politicians, Brownlaw fights to find the truth, all the while trying to hold on to his own crumbling marriage. Was Garrett’s death an “execution” or a crime of passion, a personal vendetta or the final step in an elaborate cover-up?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Feb 21, 2006
• ISBN: 9781597109437

T. Jefferson Parker

T. Jefferson Parker is the author of numerous novels and short stories, the winner of three Edgar Awards (for Silent Joe, California Girl, and the short story "Skinhead Central"), and the recipient of a Los Angeles Times Book Prize for best mystery (Silent Joe). Before becoming a full-time novelist, he was an award-winning reporter. He lives in Fallbrook, California.

Reviews for The Fallen

[shelleyraec · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyed the unusual talent of the detective..a bit slow in parts but a good satisfying read

[jrtanworth · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another excellent offering by T.J. Parker, tightly written, appealing characters, engaging plot.

[yargles · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Robbie Brownlaw suffers from synesthesia which means that when people talk to him he sees their words in colors and can determine the truthfulness of what they say based on those hues. Since Robbie is a police detective, this "gift" has its advantages during investigations and interviews with witnesses as well as suspects. Robbie got this condition after falling from a 6 story building. His fall was broken by a cloth awning; however, that didn't prevent some injuries and the permanent synesthesia condition.
From all indications, The Fallen refers to Robbie and his accident, but as the novel progresses, it's clear that there's more than one "fallen" in the book. I've found T Jefferson Parker to be very reliable in writing interesting stories with intriguing characters, and The Fallen lives up to that standard. However, it is not one of Parker's best. I thought it was somewhat predictable as well as unrealistic particularly where Robbie's private life was concerned. In spite of that, though, Parker's second best work is still better than some authors' best, so I'd still recommend this one to mystery lovers.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When Robbie Brownlaw was thrown out of a building and falls on his head he develops Synesthesia. He sees what people say to him as colours and it helps him in his job as a detective. Garrett Asphlundth was hired to look into rumours about a certain reputed madam and local prominent politicians. He's killed in a way that looks like suicide but the clues don't add up. In order to find out what's wrong Brownlaw has to solve Asplundth's investigation.I found it a very interesting read. I enjoyed the story and the personal stories.

[fieldsli · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was a disappointing read. The idea of a person having synesthesia in a form that allows them to know if others are being truthful was interesting, but the sappy personal relationships were disappointing.

[jojomac_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

An acceptable airport or beach read when presented with very few alternatives