Clara’s Verdict
Brent Hartinger’s Otto Digmore series occupies an interesting position in LGBTQ fiction: it is commercially accessible, warm-hearted, and funny, but it is also genuinely engaged with the particular difficulties of being visibly different in an industry, in this case Hollywood, that trades almost entirely on surface. Otto Digmore has facial scarring. He is gay. He is trying to make it as an actor. Each of those facts is relevant to his story and none of them is treated as the only relevant fact, which is a harder balance to achieve in fiction than it sounds. The Otto Digmore Decision is the second book in the series, and it expands the canvas from Otto’s immediate personal struggles to the industry machinery that surrounds and often exploits people like him.
I came to this one having heard it recommended by a friend who described it as a Hollywood heist comedy with real heart, and that is not inaccurate. I listened to most of it on a long walk on a quiet weekend, and it genuinely made me laugh out loud at least twice, which is more than most fiction claiming to be comic manages.
About the Audiobook
The setup is precise and clever: Otto’s close friend Russel Middlebrook, a character who has his own separate book series, sells a screenplay for a heist movie set in medieval times, and Otto is cast in a supporting role. For twelve weeks they will be on location in England and Malta. The premise gives Hartinger two things: a foreign setting that loosens the social rules that govern the characters’ ordinary lives, and a film-within-a-story that allows him to examine the gap between what Hollywood claims to value and what it actually rewards.
The complication arrives when it becomes clear that the director is systematically ruining Russel’s script. Faced with a probable bomb that could damage both their careers, Otto and Russel hatch a plan to quietly make the good version of the movie behind the director’s back. The caper structure is genuinely amusing, with escalating complications and the kind of moral questions that good heist fiction always raises: how far can you go before you become the thing you were fighting against? The friendship between Otto and Russel is the emotional core, and Hartinger writes it with real warmth. This is the second book in the Otto Digmore Series, published by Audible Studios in January 2020. The first book provides useful character context but this instalment functions reasonably well as a standalone.
The Narration
Michael Crouch is the right narrator for this material. He brings a lightness and warmth to Otto’s voice that serves the character’s combination of determination and self-deprecating humour. The Hollywood satire elements require a narrator who can make comedy land without underlining it too heavily, and Crouch has that instinct. His handling of the friendship between Otto and Russel feels genuine rather than performed, which matters enormously for a story whose central relationship carries most of the emotional weight. At seven hours and forty-one minutes, this is a very comfortable listen, paced for engagement throughout without feeling padded. Audible Studios has produced this well.
What Readers Say
The book holds a 4.6 rating from 61 reviews, a strong score that reflects consistent satisfaction rather than a polarised response. Patrick Murphy gave it five stars, praising Hartinger’s ability to draw the reader in and appreciating the way the movie set as a background helped to illustrate the complexities of Otto’s life while also giving an inside look into some of the issues in filmmaking. Victoria, who came to the book without realising it was part of a series, found it read well as a standalone and subsequently went back to the first book for more character context. Craig Snyder expressed disappointment at finishing the book only because it meant waiting for the next one. Jason Blanchard declared the Otto Digmore series his favourite of all Hartinger’s work, which is a significant endorsement from a reader who knows the author’s wider output.
Who Should Listen?
Readers who enjoy LGBTQ fiction with a light touch but real emotional substance will find this exactly their kind of book. Fans of Hollywood satire, caper fiction, and stories about the gap between creative intention and institutional reality will have a good time with the plot. Those who want to read the series in order should start with the first Otto Digmore book for the best experience of the characters’ development, though this instalment is accessible enough to enjoy without it. Listeners who prefer gritty, issue-driven LGBTQ fiction may find the tone too warm and comedic, but those who want something that makes them feel good while also taking its characters seriously will find Hartinger’s work a pleasure. Listen on Audible UK
