Persistence

By: Marc Costanzo

Narrated by: Bahni Turpin

Outnumbered. Defenseless. Surrounded on all sides. Only one thing will keep her alive:

Persistence.

Celia Miller is the Ravencourt PD's only female officer. When she's not contending with the latest in a long line of lowlife drug abusers and wife beaters who pay more attention to her body than her badge, she has to put up with a police force that refuses to respect her.

But Celia has a job to do, and for months her middle-of-nowhere desert town has been victimized by an increasingly violent gang dubbed "The Illegals". The alien masks they wear have made them an urban legend, but Celia's off-the-books investigation has uncovered the true scope of their criminal operation.

It all comes to a head one blazing hot day when Celia responds to an emergency call - and finds herself ambushed by the very gang she's been investigating. As she takes refuge in a souped-up squad car, all that stands between Celia and certain oblivion is her cunning, her grit, and her fierce determination that if she can survive this day she will bring down The Illegals - no matter the cost.

©2018 Marc Costanzo (P)2018 Audible Originals, LLC.

Had to skip to the end

The main character takes a lot of abuse, most of it what you'd expect or what you've heard of - or what you've experienced yourself as a woman in an all-male workplace. The tension was indeed ratcheted high and I cannot take that, so I skipped to the end. It was an exciting and exhausting end. Of course, I kept shouting at the main character that she was trusting the wrong people. And I'm glad that there was no ending where the main character was unbelievably civilized and forgiving, often giving the bad guys a chance to escape or kill her.

Bahni Turpin adds a lot to this story

The story is entertaining, like another reviewer said it’s like listening to a fast and furious movie . I like the lead character and I love Bahni’s representation of her. One of the bad guys uses the N word repeatedly, i think that in the context of this story it is unnecessary and detracts from the whole story.
I will look out for more from this author next time I’m in the mood for a fast paced fun thriller.

Great Summer Thriller

I thoroughly enjoyed Costanzo's "Persistence." The main character, Celia, is faced with unbeatable odds yet perseveres through it all. Quirky commentary and a setting reminiscent of "Breaking Bad," this story speeds along supported by a cast of characters even more evil than Hector Salamanca. This story keeps the listener on edge from one plot twist to the next. If you are looking for a great summer audio book, you should give this one a listen!

"More Like Stephen King..."

Explore the desert town the author creates in this action mystery. It's creative in nature and has action throughout. It's the audible equivalent to watching a hard-nose action movie. The 'illegals' gang are sadistic and scary as a villain group should be. You listen as the hero, Celia, must make hard decisions and outsmart her foes if she wants to survive. It's a fun listen.

Awesome!

Persistence has it all: Great story, great twists and above all: great characters. Can’t wait to read more from Marc Costanzo!

Awesome!

Gripping until the very end! Definitely one to keep you on the edge of your seat!

Poor story, poor plot, unsympatheticharacters, way too long winded in developing the story.

Poor story, poor plot, unsympathetic characters, too long reaching the plot, and when I think the plot is coming through…it seems to change. I could not finish the book!

stupidest book I've listened to in a long time

Don't waste your time on this! The only reason I bothered to finish it was to see if it would get any more unbelievable. The plot was so basic a 5th grader, hell a 3rd grader could figure it out 1/4 of the way in.

poorly edited, technical errors

poor editing and technical errors mar the narrative. at times, though the story does offer insights into the plight of women in police work, the core of that purpose is undermined by the extremely incoherent reasoning of the Male characters. This incoherence is not a support for the core of the feminist message Like some of the action scenes, it merely leaves me wondering what planet the writer lives on.

The technical detail with firearms interferes with the credibility of the narrative. Editing errors leave a firearm that was once out of ammunition with more rounds.

I did like Brian and was sad when he died. However, the rest of the characters, other than the protagonist, were too predictable. It was always going to be Jason and the chief at the heart of the conspiracy. I listened to the end only to see only to find out if Celia survives. She does. Don't waste your time.

Dumb in the Desert

Exhausting unbelievable. While I usually love smart women who kick butt, this male author has no insight into the female mind. His men aren't credible either. The portrayal of small town politics lacks depth. And the dialogue---no one talks like this!