Already Gone

By: John Rector

Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner

Jake Reese is a writing teacher at an American university. He lives in a small brick Tudor close to campus with his art-buyer wife, Diane. His life is quiet - ordinary even. And he likes it that way. But it wasn’t always quiet. Jake’s distant past was a life on the streets, inflicting damage and suffering on more people than he can count. And now someone from his past, it seems, has come looking for him.

A raw, gripping thriller about the price paid for past sins, John Rector’s third novel is a live wire that crackles with the intensity of a man with nothing left to lose. When two men attack Jake in a parking lot and cut off his finger, he tries to dismiss it as an unlucky case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But when events take a more sinister turn, and Diane goes missing, Jake knows he can no longer hide from the truth. As he embarks on a mission to find his wife, he realizes his dark past is refusing to stay buried and that his future is about to unfold in ways he could never have imagined.

With a taut and brooding style, Rector paints a formidable portrait of a reformed man’s slow descent into a life he thought he had walked away from forever. As the intensity becomes almost unbearable, the pace quickens and the suspense applies an unrelenting, vice-like grip, as Already Gone hurtles toward its ultimate, explosive climax.

©2011 John Rector (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

This is worth reading, but...

Where does Already Gone rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I am rather new to audiobooks, so I don't have much to compare this to. I was relatively pleased with this novel.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot was suspenseful and engaging as the tension grew from scene to scene. The ending, however, was a let-down and the book seemed to end too quickly.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Ther performance was just okay. The narrator did not have enough inflection or varied vocal tonation for my taste.

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

I did not want to listen to this book in one sitting. This is due to the narration being worse than the content.

A good story about a stupid guy

This guy seemed all the way through to be naive and obsessed with his wife. I have to say I did not believe the ending. I did not like the ending, what he did to his longtime father figure who had done everything to help him. Maybe this is the expected response. This story seemed predictable a lot of the time but had some twists to make it interesting.

Already Gone

I really enjoyed the twists and turns. There were a items that were not likely. The characters were developed well the dialogue was mostly on target. I really did not enjoy the ending. However I want to try another Rector book because I think I will really enjoy another.

i wanted it to last longer. Great writing and na.

Would you listen to Already Gone again? Why?

Yes I will revisit this book again. The book and narration worked well together. It kept you interested and at times, you felt at the edge of your seat

Who was your favorite character and why?

Diana's character was surprising. You sure didn't expect what happened at the end, but glad it did.

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

It kept you moving as if you were inside the story. Just reading, I don't think urgency would get you going.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Is saying goodbye always final? Death may not always mean the end.

Any additional comments?

Great writing with many cliffhangers. One of those "be prepared" books.

A roller coaster ride with a soft landing

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

This quick paced plot leaves the mind guessing what will happen next. Great to listen during a long drive.

Would you recommend Already Gone to your friends? Why or why not?

The book is only enjoyed during the first read, ie subsequent reads will not yield any more insight. Buy it, read it, then give it as a gift.

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

My preference is always listen to audio books in segments so I can slowly digest the author's meaning. This book, however, would be enjoyable during a long car trip

Good, but predictable.

This is an easy listen . You can easily figure out what is going next.

Lots of twists and turns

What did you love best about Already Gone?

This was definately a fast paced book with action on every page. I think I would have liked the author to develop the past of the main character a little more. The character wrote a book about his past life but it wasn't enough to give you more depth.

Have you listened to any of Malcolm Hillgartner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I liked the narrator on this and don'e recall that I've listened to him before.

Any additional comments?

I suspect that whatever background the reader brings to the table while listening to this book will affect how you like the ending. Personally, I would have liked the main character killed off. The only character worth redeeming didn't last. But that's my view based on my preferences of the kind of people I call friend.

Didn't like protagonists

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The story was okay but the lead protagonists, Diane and Jake, were not likeable to me. Especially Jack, who argues about everything, rarely listens to advice and in the end, he does a cruel thing to someone who had loved him. This was my first Jon Rector book so I don't know if this is a pattern with his lead characters.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I would have written Jake without so much egotism and surety of himself. I also didn't understand how he could be so obsessed with Diane, a very selfish person with poor judgment.

What about Malcolm Hillgartner’s performance did you like?

Mr. Hillgartner did a good job narrating.

Could you see Already Gone being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No - it is quite involved and perhaps, a bit confusing for some.

It kept me guessing

I couldn't tell what was coming next. Several times I mixed up the good guys and the bad guys. But the story reaches a satisfactory ending. The narrator was quite good and didn't get in the way of the narrative.

Good story line

Entertaining. Good plot twists Dark. Felt like there were a couple of loose ends. Would like more character building. Like this author. Will be interested to see how his writing evolves with experience.