Cry of the Needle

By: Roger Radford

Narrated by: Nigel Patterson

When medical malpractice leads to violent revenge, Irish-style....

Kieran Kelly's world turns upside down when his wife's health is devastated by an epidural in childbirth. Incensed by damning evidence of medical and pharmaceutical misconduct, the tormented former IRA hit man plots revenge against those he deems responsible, including a government that doesn't seem to care.

Kelly's quest brings him face-to-face with an alcoholic physician, an altruistic scientist, and a corrupt government minister - but not before the love of a stunningly beautiful but crippled countess makes him question his motives. He meets Countess Magda von Esterhazy at a meeting of a self-help group for victims of the uniquely painful iatrogenic (doctor-caused) disease that struck down his wife. Magda awakens feelings that he thought he had lost forever.

Meanwhile, one of Kelly's targets, scientist Jonathan Tring, finds himself embroiled in the Machiavellian machinations of his boss, the gruff and corrupt owner of a pharmaceutical company, and the man's stunning young American wife. In all the mayhem, Tring, too, finds love - and desperately wants to live to enjoy it.

Cry of the Needle is a searing tale of love and vengeance. Revenge is a dish best served Irish.

©2013 Roger Radford (P)2016 Roger Radford

Epidurals can be deadly, who knew?

Where does Cry of the Needle rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I'd rank this book in my top 20.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Cry of the Needle?

Most memorable was the deterioration and death of the main characters wife.

Which scene was your favorite?

When kiernan had finally started kidnapping those he thought were responsible for his wife's death.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were a few funny moments and a few moments that were sad.

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

Very British

This book is very British. I was unfamiliar with some of the references, terms and idioms, but it didn't significantly diminish my enjoyment of the story. It kept me up way past my bedtime in order to finish it.

I was very impressed with Nigel Patterson's performance of this audiobook. His accents seemed accurate enough and added to my appreciation of the story. His character voicing was distinctive enough in most cases. The accents helped. I'm glad I got a chance to listen to this audiobook.

NOTE: I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for this unbiased review.

Excellent storyline

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

Highly recommended. I was kept tuned in the entire read.

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.

Evils of Malpractice

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

Cry of the Needle is a great story which holds your attention from the beginning to the shocking ending.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Cry of the Needle?

A play-by -play of hostage negotiations, British style

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

Nigel Patterson is prominent in my audio library because of his amazing talent. In this book he portrays an Irish rogue, a Southern Belle, a Welshman and several English characters. He is truly amazing.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The love the Irishman had for his wife and children is very moving. He is willing to die to avenge the wrong that ruined his family.

Any additional comments?

Don't hesitate to listen to this wonderful story about love, the pharmaceutical industry and the power of money. Well worth your time.

Interesting...

...and interesting. Kieran Kelley’s wife is given an epidural during labor that leaves her paralyzed and in excrutiating pain. So much pain that she takes her own life. Kieran is absolutely devastated. He immediately vows revenge and begins plotting. Kelley is good at this type of thing, too, because he’s an ex-Irish extremist during the ‘troubles’.

His plans are sent slightly off track when he meets the Countess Magda. A sufferer like his beloved wife. He finds himself genuinely in love with Magda and it makes him rethink his plan.

On the other side of the equation is the young doctor Jonathon Tring who is caught up in the plot after accepting a research position at the company that makes the drug given to Kelley’s wife. He writes a response to the uproar around the drug and ends up as #1 on Kelley’s hit list.

This was a really well written book and the emotions are laid out in a believable, yet compassionate way. I like the bits of Irish history and the geniune person that we get from Kieran. The ending is inevitable but not overdone and the characters stayed with me long after I finished listening to it. Which I did on 1.5 speed.

I received this audiobook from Audibook Boom! in exchange for an honest review.

Compelling and Engaging

Would you consider the audio edition of Cry of the Needle to be better than the print version?

Did not read the printed version

Who was your favorite character and why?

Kieran Kelley is out for revenge after his wife

Which scene was your favorite?

It all was great

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Kelly got kill at the end

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Fantastic medical thriller!

Kieran Kelley is out for revenge after his wife, Theresa, is given Demerol during child birth by an obstetrician (not an anesthesiologist) and suffers tremendous pain due to a medical condition resulting from the inaccurate application of Demerol. He blames Big Pharma for mass production of drugs without the accurate human trials, the doctors for not making patients aware of the dangers/side effects of a specific procedure and the government for not protecting the patients by requiring more information before allowing Big Pharma to market their meds. The story seems too real and scary because I know this happens more frequently than we are aware.
This is a great book and very difficult to put down. Highly recommend...

Nigel is a true master with his narration. Easy to distinguish between all characters.

I was gifted this book by AudioBoom Blast in return for a review

Scratching my head

I am unsure how to review this book. When I read the description, I was intrigued to read it. And the first few chapters were pretty good, especially conveying the reality of chronic pain (which I deal with myself, though not arachnoiditis).

Once the plot got going, though it seemed to almost completely be about something different. The revenge plot gave way, for the most part, to the corrupt politician and the alcoholic doctor. In fact, the longer I listened, the more confused I was about why these plots seemed to take over. I enjoy medical thrillers, but this book tried to do too much - the scope just became way too big.

The narration was great. Nigel Patterson did a fine job with the various accents, even the southern belle, surprisingly.

This book was given to me by Audioboom in exchange for an honest review.

Great thriller

Great story well written well narrated. I have it a 4 do to the excessive sexual content. It made it so that I could not listen to it in the car around my kids. The characters and the story were captivating the scenarios had a gritty realism that kept you hooked. The message was clear good and powerful. I received this audiobook from the author narrator or publisher for free via audiobookboom in exchange for an unbiased review

Compelling and Engaging!!!

Where does Cry of the Needle rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Out of the 250+ books I have purchased ... Cry of the Needle would rank in the top 20 because of the storyline and the possibility that this could really and probably has happened.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the fact that the storyline is complex enough that it made me want to listen to see what would happen but not so complex that I got frustrated with it. Also, that I was unable to determine where the story was going kept me engaged throughout the complete book,

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There was no one particular moment that moved me because the entire book was so compelling that I could not pick just one.

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com