Dead Line

By: Chris Ewan

Narrated by: Simon Vance

And just as your plan is developing, so you're evolving, too. You're changing in ways you never would have thought possible before. But that's acceptable to you. You're prepared to do whatever it takes.… Why? Because you're the specialist. And that's how you're going to succeed.

What do you do if your fiancée goes missing, presumed taken? If you're Daniel Trent, a highly trained specialist in hostage negotiation, the answer is simple: you find out who took her and you make them talk. But what if your chief suspect is kidnapped? How do you get him back quickly - and alive?

Set in Marseilles, DeadLine is a fast-paced thriller that pitches the listener into Daniel's world as he tries desperately to secure the release of Jérôme Moreau from a ruthless gang in order to interrogate him on the whereabouts of his fiancée. When things don't go according to plan, however, Daniel must use all his skills and instincts to find the answers he's looking for - but will he be in time?

©2014 Chris Ewan (P)2014 Blackstone Audio

OK until the end

I've listened to most of Chris Ewan's novels on Audible and enjoyed them all. This was my least favorite, though. Once I got into the story (which took longer than usual) it wasn't bad. There are some interesting and clever twists in the story. The ending though was disappointing. It was maybe clever or ironic, but as a reader it was not satisfying .

Simon Vance as usual is an excellent narrator. Little bitty nit picking though - he mispronounces some of the French names. Often, the final S isn't pronounced in French words, but in Canal Plus and Cassis, it is. Also, the R isn't pronounced in the name Xavier. The French say Zavee-ay.

A GREAT book with an underwhelming ending..

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

Yes. I've read/ listened to seven books written by this author. Simon Vance is one of my favorite performers; and was the reason that I started to listen to Chris Ewan.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The story moved along very well; and it was not too predictable. I was a little disappointed in the the ending. I feel that most authors write a great book; but few know how to gracefully and eloquently close. All of Chris Ewan's "Good Thief Guides" ended in a satisfying way; and I would have preferred a different ending to this one. Having said that, I don't want to give the impression that the book is, in any way, flawed. It's certainly not! It held my interest and developed characters very well.

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

I have yet to listen to a sub par performance by this narrator. His "American" male character voice in DEAD LINE was a little reminiscent of the American character voice of all of the Patrick O'Brian Jack Aubry books. I found it amusing to think that a US Navy Captain from 1812 was time-transported to modern day Provence..

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

I will certainly look for more books by Chris Ewan; and listen to them with enthusiasm..

Aimless

Excellent narrator, well written, but didn't go anywhere. Very disappointed in how the plot progressed.