Library of the Dead

Will Piper Series, Book 1

By: Glenn Cooper

Narrated by: Pete Bradbury

The most shocking secret in the history of mankind is about to be revealed....

A murderer is on the loose on the streets of New York City: nicknamed the Doomsday Killer, he's claimed six victims in just two weeks, and the city is terrified. Even worse, the police are mystified: the victims have nothing in common, defying all profiling, and all that connects them is that each received a sick postcard in the mail before they died - a postcard that announced their date of death.

In desperation, the FBI assigns the case to maverick agent Will Piper, once the most accomplished serial-killing expert in the bureau's history, now on a dissolute spiral to retirement. Battling his own demons, Will is soon drawn back into a world he both loves and hates, determined to catch the killer whatever it takes. But his search takes him in a direction he could never have predicted, uncovering a shocking secret that has been closely guarded for centuries. A secret that once lay buried in an underground library beneath an eighth-century monastery, but which has now been unearthed - with deadly consequences. A select few defend the secret of the library with their lives - and as Will closes in on the truth, they are determined to stop him, at any cost....

Some crimes should never be solved; some secrets are best left buried.

©2009 Glenn Cooper (P)2020 Tantor

Ok towards the end

At first I really didn't think I could finish. The main character is such a jerk. And the story was all over the place. But it came together in the end to an intriguing story that made me give it a better score. I really did not care for the narrator however.

Waiting for the surprise

This was a disappointment as I had figured out the "killer" and the ending midway through the book. I finished the book because I was hoping for a surprise twist that never came. Considering the potential the storyline had, I'm pretty disappointed I spent so much time on a dud.

Try it!

Kept me entertained, was a fun story with twists, overall great and would recommend you try

Pretty good

I liked this book because it was very different. The narrator was great. Might listen to author again.

It's *so rare* to encounter a book this good.

I just finished this book, and I'm elated. If you read/listen to many books, then you know that most of them are mediocre. Not this one. This book is outstanding.

When I read the description for this book, it sounded appealing. A serial-murder thriller with a touch of historical mystery? Okay, I'm in. And although the description is accurate, it also somehow feels insufficient... I just got taken for an incredible ride.

Even before I knew what was going on with the story, the style of writing sucked me in. That is subjective, I suppose, but I love the way Glenn Cooper writes. I sometimes find myself annoyed by overlong descriptions and excessively florid prose, like the writer is trying to impress me with their vocabulary. That doesn't happen here - everything is described artfully, and yet it never feels like it's slowing things down. That takes talent.

The plot itself is absolutely fascinating, but even more than that, it unfolds carefully, and continues to reel you in. It's mesmerizing. I can only think of maybe 2 other books that are paced this well.

The characters feel like real people, and have room to develop and evolve. Even side characters in flashback scenes made me care about them.

I haven't listened to anything narrated by Pete Bradbury before, but he has become an instant favorite. As odd as this sounds, his voice reminds me of both Lance Reddick and Will Patton. I'm a little bit sad to see that the two later books in this series both have different narrators, because Pete Bradbury nailed it.

Bottom line, this is an engaging, sweeping story that is masterfully told. Do yourself a favor, and try this one.

A little quirky

This is like no other book I have read. I really can't say I didn't like it. I will leave it at that.

Confusing

I must confess that the transition from era to era was confusing for me. Got lost in some of them, specially because at the time that it happened, one story didn't had to do with the other. However, I knew that it would be linked as it advanced and so it did. The story left me thinking, a lot, left me pondering on the what ifs...
Beside the confusion, the story was quite entertaining, and I did enjoy it. Performance was pretty well and the pace was kind of slow but comfortable enough.

Great Book

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story line(s) were amazing and the narrator was great.

Good Idea but Awkward Time Jumps

The time jumps and time spent in the past/with “before” timelines makes this difficult to follow. Even the flashbacks don’t happen in a “linear” way, we are constantly jumping back and forth between years, decades, even centuries. The story takes a very long time to connect the different seemingly random tangents and there’s a lot of very technical/sometimes dry explanations.

The plot and theory itself though is very interesting

No redeeming qualities.

This book was awful! The protagonist is an awful misogynist. I kept thinking surely there would be some redeeming quality, but nope, he was just as shallow and arrogant in the end as he was in the beginning.

I also had a hard time believing that any woman in her right mind would want a relationship with someone like Will Rider. But somehow they ride off into the sunset together with a baby on they way. Sounds like she was just trapped with a loser guy.