Collision

By: Jeff Abbott

Narrated by: Phil Gigante

Collision is the story of two men living very different lives - one, a successful corporate consultant who is mourning the murder of his new bride; the other, a former CIA agent known only as "Pilgrim", whose current assignment for a fringe espionage agency is so treacherous he doesn't trust even his own boss. When they are thrown together in a violent, unexpected event, the two men realize that they've been framed in an elaborate setup.

Unsure who to trust and who may just be trying to draw them into the open, the unlikely partners have no choice but to work together. But with everything at stake, Ben has no idea that Pilgrim is harboring some shocking secrets of his own - secrets that will soon force Ben to confront just how blurred the line has become between best friends and bitter enemies.

Already an international sensation, with his books translated into 15 languages - in the UK alone, Panic has more than 400,000 copies in print - Jeff Abbott is a master of the action-packed thriller. Now, with Collision, he delivers a meaty, twisty, white-knuckle ride designed to propel him onto the bestseller lists in his home country.

©2008 Jeff Abbott (P)2008 Brilliance Audio

Critic reviews

"[A] powerhouse tale of good bad guys, bad good guys, and every shade in between. Jeff Abbott delivers a frenzy of action in this race-against-the-clock thriller." (Lisa Gardner)
"Electric with action and lightning-paced, I literally could not put it down. Don't miss it." (Harlan Coben)
"Relentless, smart, and heartbreaking, Collision is the thriller to read this year." (Joseph Finder)

Exciting--Obvious--Frustrating--Meh!

I picked up this book because of the narrator. I would like to say, there were some obvious problems with the hero who constantly made the dumbest mistakes. But he did have a worthwhile growth. I did not like the final confrontation between the heroes, and it was obvious, once you know the characters, who killed the wife. Sometimes the author makes the characters do things that they would not do. Toward the end of the book, it seemed this way. I may give Jeff Abbott a try again. I am pretty sure this is cryptic to most readers, but I am just "meh" with this book. I'm okay if this doesn't help you. I bought the book, and it was an enjoyable AND frustrating listen, but I probably won't listen a second time.

Enjoyed (all but the fight scenes)

I thought this was an interesting, well written book. I enjoyed the characters and watching them grow throughout the book.

The one thing I didn't like was the way the narrator read the fight scenes. He may as well been reading a recipe out of a Betty Crocker cookbook. Maybe that's how they were written, but I think it is just how they were read.

Took me right in and was great and well performed.

Liked it a lot looked forward to listening to it until the end. I am a fan of Jeff Abbott.

a worthwhile purchase

A little confusing during first half hour and a little too drawn out last hour but all in all the story developed well and the characters were interesting. Fast paced and NOT boring. The narrator was excellent and deserves 5 stars. He really made the book for me.

Fast pace

What did you love best about Collision?

It wqas a fast moving plot that made it hard to put the book down. Some books with an esiponage plot, the characters are difficult to recognize, but the reader and the narration keeps one focused.

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

godd dialogue with voice can to reconize the characters.

Excellent

Thoroughly enjoyable thriller. First class narration. Recommended.

Action Without Adventure

Maybe this was a first novel? Nope, this is what Abbott does all the time I guess. Anorexic characterization that's much fatter than the plot. If you believe any of this tale, hey… I've got a pair of bridges that are totally cheap… lemme know, K? It reminded me of the early summer blockbuster movies… Back in the 70s… The ones that were all shoot-em-up car chases. Fine for the times, but un-viewable today. This story wouldn't get green-lighted for cable TV.

I stopped listening three times, but finally,with nothing else on my iPod and a long gym workout to fill… it got finished with an ending that was unexpected as a baby's birth gender after a first trimester ultrasound.

Maybe this is aimed at prepubescent reading-challenged males? Actually I'm thinking that the interminable action scenes may have been assignments to the author in a creative writing class that he sort ran back to back without bothering to imagine a story for glue?

Phil Gigante made a buck here, probably deserved, not so much for his performance which is OK, but for his tenacity in reading "Collision".

Just a bit too implausible.

Okay, I wasn't expecting high literature here, and am happy to extend an artistic license with lots of latitude to an author laboring to deliver me a good shoot 'em up, cloak and dagger frolic; --and hey, I'm as much a sucker for happy endings as the next guy.

I will stipulate that this book delivered the basics I was expecting, and an ending that didn't leave me depressed; but it was not a satisfying read. In fact, I grew more eager for this book to end with each passing chapter. The characters are a little too cardboard, and the story just a little too implausible.

An analogy might be to compare a recent James Bond movie, Skyfall my spouse and I enjoyed the other night, to an older 007 movie from the 80s we put on after. The second one was just too cheesy to bear, and we shut it off before we watched half of it. This book wasn't as bad as THAT, but it definitely had the cloying miasma of cheese whiz about it.

There is a lot of better writing out there, better stories, better told. I recommend you keep your audible credit powder dry, and keep shopping.