Hard Stop

A Sam Acquillo Mystery

By: Chris Knopf

Narrated by: Richard Ferrone

After finally achieving some measure of peace and contentment on the tip of Oak Point overlooking the Little Peconic Bay, Sam Acquillo is yet again an accidental player in other people's dramas. It takes him into the world of private security goons, predatory financiers, and lifestyles of young hedonists, some brave, some beautiful, all a bit lost.

But this time there's some added incentive, an opportunity Sam thought he'd never see again, the chance to get a piece of his old life back, the only piece he might actually want.

©2009 Chris Knopf (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Rewarding....Knopf blends familiar elements in unusually pleasing fashion and adds plenty of original touches as well....Acquillo is a savvy operator who loves problem solving and has the tenacity of a pit bull. His penchant for intriguing predicaments bodes well for a long and successful series." ( Publishers Weekly)

Not As Good As Previous Ones...B/B+

Perhaps it was me...but the sparks from the first books was missing. Locking forward to the. ext one to see if it was a fluke...

Very good dialogue!

The dialogue was very very good! But the story lacked something that made me WONDER what was going --- LOVE the happenings of the dog --- gave me more than a few chuckles!

A good beach read, but not Chris' best.

The author is a friend of mine. So take that with a grain of salt. But I found that this particular Sam Acquillo book was very high on style and character development, but lacked the essential aspects of a mystery that I hope for. There was no bog reveal or "ah-ha" moment in this book. Only an "I see now" moment. Still the book is well crafted and the dialogue (something Knopf does particularly well) is sharp as a razor.

Pay very close attention.

The story was very good but I really had to pay close attention. There were a lot of people involved. this is one I wouldn't hesitate to listen to again. Ferrone has one of those voices that is easy to listen to for a long time. very good book.

Good

I like the characters, the dialogue, the dog. Knopf is always worth my time. Well done!

Chris Knopf is simply great!

I just bumped into Chris Knopf and was delighted to find out there are a bunch of books of his I could bury myself in. Good characters - who grow and develop as the series goes along - good mysteries - fun and serious all at the same time. I highly recommend these books in the Sam Acquillo series, also the Jackie Swaitkowski books are equally worthwhile. Not so pleased with the Arthur Cathcart series (3 books) but they aren't bad by any means - just not nearly as fun to read as the others.

Lots of Characters

Sometimes his books are hard to follow because there are so many characters. I love this narrator. I think he has a mix of tough and smart in his voice that I like. It’s a shame that Sam is an alcoholic and that Amanda enables it. It’s not very attractive. I also wish the author didn’t have Sam idolize Amanda to such a great degree. It’s a bore when men or women are so blind to someone that they edge over into a kind of worship. She has all the best insights all the wisest sayings all the best advice practically solves the crimes. It’s obnoxious.

Home run

Thoroughly entertaining; if you listen in the car, you'll hope for a traffic jam. Narrator Richard Ferrone does an excellent job voicing and pacing this story.

Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness

I did enjoy the story in spite of the authors unnecessary loquacity throughout. I found myself deliberately not digging out my thesaurus to keep up. It would have been an impracticable undertaking. LOL
The narration in my opinion lacks convincing gender and ethnic character voices.

Excellent Series Addition ...!!!

I am hooked on Sam and his Entourage. Knoph is quite a Wordsmith and can really paint a scene. I very much enjoyed traipsing after Sam as he sought to secure who done it and what for. The Supporting Cast of characters is brilliantly depicted and each is nicely vocalized by Rick Ferrone. The finale kind of sneaks up on you as some of the early players become critically unveiled. Sam is super.. 👍👍👍