Baffling Case Selection

I was left wondering why Investigative Journalist M. William Phelps chose this particular crime for an in-depth True Crime exposé:
Does this sound familiar?
"A disadvantaged man in a sketchy neighborhood was robbed and killed by drug-dealing lowlifes last night.."
That story makes the evening news in every single city in North America EVERY SINGLE DAY. In fact, it's so routine that it's frankly boring - even for Law Enforcement. The only conceivable twist in this case is that one of the perpetrators was a D-list Celebrity at one point (think the "Cash Me Outside" girl from 'Dr. Phil' in the early 2000s) - Jennifer Mee was on National Television a few times because of her intractable hiccups while in High School. Maybe you're fascinated by "Instagram Famous" pop-culture figures - Phelps certainly is - but I could not care less (anyone wasting any brain space on Reality TV-type personalities is incredible to me).
The research is impeccable, the author does a great job leading readers/listeners through the events, and his insights are thoughtful.. but I couldn't get past the sheer mundanity of the subject matter.

Reader Danny Campbell doesn't help the situation, either. To be certain, his diction, cadence, pacing, voice-acting, and tone are solidly professional.. but his quavering "old man" reading timbre is somewhat offputting. In toto, the producers did an "adequate" job casting the project with a capable but unremarkable narrator.

I rate 'One Breath Away' 5 stars out of 10. It was a serviceable distraction for a couple of quiet afternoons as a 'Plus' selection.. but not worth a Credit. Find something more interesting for your money if Audible asks for one.

[N.B. The whole audiobook plays out exactly like an episode of A&E's 'American Justice'. Tantor Audio Inc. should have dropped the pretense of offering something original and just hired Bill Curtis to read the thing]

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