Stolen Souls

A Jack Lennon Investigation

By: Stuart Neville

Narrated by: Gerard Doyle

Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Galya Petrova travels to Ireland on a promise that she will work for a nice Russian family, teaching their children English. Instead, she is dragged into the world of modern slavery, sold to a Belfast brothel, and held there against her will.

She escapes at a terrible cost - the slaying of one of her captors - and takes refuge with a man who offers his help. As the traffickers she fled scour the city for her, seeking revenge for their fallen comrade, Galya faces an even greater danger: her savior is not what he seems. She is not the first trafficked girl to have crossed his threshold, and she must fight to avoid their fate.

Detective Inspector Jack Lennon wants a quiet Christmas with his daughter, but when an apparent turf war between rival gangs leaves bodies across the city, he knows he won't get it. As he digs deeper into the case, he realizes an escaped prostitute is the cause of the violence, and soon he is locked in a deadly race with two very different killers.

Solve another case with Jack Lennon.

©2011 Stuart Neville (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Neville slowly ratchets up the tension—and the violence—until each page practically twangs with suspense." (Publishers Weekly)

"Vivid characters and atmosphere.... ‘The gray and the rain and the hate’ of Lennon’s Belfast make these streets among the very meanest in the genre." (Booklist)

A Come Down for the Series

What did you like best about Stolen Souls? What did you like least?

As usual, Neville has action and well written, suspenseful passages but without Gerry Fagan, the series has really lost its steam.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

If this is the last book of the series, I'm really going to be disappointed. However, I'm not sure if I'd want to continue the series unless something really unexpected happens.

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

He's always awesome in whatever he does. I've never had a complaint about him and I probably never will. His accents, inflections, and voice ranges are all magnificent.

Did Stolen Souls inspire you to do anything?

Not really. It's a bit of a downer especially with the Christmas setting and all.

Any additional comments?

Neville should break free of his series and write something new and cool and original like Ghosts of Belfast.

Another excellent entry

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

Stuart Neville never disappoints and neither does Gerard Doyle's narration. Excellent and involving, like the previous Jack Lennon stories.

What about Gerard Doyle’s performance did you like?

Doyle brings authenticity to the story and characters.

Any additional comments?

I look forward to more from both author and narrator.

Love the series!

I think the narrator of these series is who makes these books so interesting. He makes his voice so versatile.

Excellent, but somewhat dark and disturbing

If you like the Jack Lennon series and appreciate the Irish character...this is a great read/listen!

Strong Third Chapter

This book had me from the first page. I first heard Doyle read Adrian McKinty's trilogy and he does another fine job with Neville's words. The story is very intense and the main villain is totally creepy. I slept with the bathroom light on for a few nights. The ending is killer and there are seeds planted for book four. Lennon is getting to be a favorite series for me.

This book is just as strong as The Ghosts of Belfast and stronger than Collusion. Unfortunately it isn't a long read and ended before I was ready to say goodbye.

Read all three and you'll enjoy every minute.

Dark, suspenseful, believable-what more is wanted?

I liked it better than the first Jack Lennon book - this is partly because by reading the earlier book I was more familiar with Jack and could relate to his tribulations a bit better, and it was partly because this story is more realistic. (And, it was partly because I had actually read Collusion because I thought it was about Gerry Fagan and was disappointed that it was not; in Stolen Souls I knew it was about Jack from the outset.)

Okay... maybe this story isn't really more realistic, it is just that there is no character with 'super human' abilities in this one. The bad guys are a bit far-fetched, but the basic premise is believable. It seems as though the author wanted us to like Jack more and tried to make him seem more human here (i.e. he contemplates the moral repercussions of his prostitute visits)... but I think Neville should just stick to writing engaging violent thrillers and give up trying to write 'sappy'. We like these novels because they are dark and to the point, not because we want to know if the main character has an emotional epiphany.

Like the earlier novels, it is set in Ireland, but this time there is no reference to the political turmoil that country has undergone. I think this improves the thriller component of the novel since we North Americans don't have to figure out if the tension is based on religion or politics that are foreign.

It is violent, but not gory, and the underlying theme is dark and unpleasant. There is no sex, and there is some foul language, but it was not excessive. I will read more by this author, and more books about Jack Lennon. The narration is excellent, though it is read with a pretty thick Irish accent throughout which might take some getting used to.

Being an "Irish noir" is not enough...

I love Adrian McKinty . He is probably the top "noir" writer outside US and one of the very best across the board.. Having read all of McKinty's books , the next "natural" step was to try another noir by an Irish writer (read by the very impressive Gerald Doyle). ..Big mistake ! The atmosphere is the same , the story outline not so different, but the comparison between the writing of McKinty and the one of Stuart Neville is so striking that i grew disappointed after the first few chapters.
All black cats are not alike...

Another excellent collaboration

Writer and reader perfectly matched. An absorbing continuation of this series. Will eagerly await the next addition. Best to start with first because each one builds on the one before.

WHAT A CRACKER! THIS WILL GRAB YOUR ATTENTION

Any additional comments?

Stuart Neville once again takes his readers on a trip this time through the underbelly of Europe with a thrilling story of crime and salvation.

Continuing the series started with the incredible The Ghosts of Belfast, and continued with the great Collusion: The main character is a cop, Jack Lennon whom is based in Northern Ireland.

Stolen Souls tells the tale of a woman stolen into sexual slavery until she fights back. Have no fear that part of the story is not too sad, gratuitous or overplayed. Saying that for her, it's out of the frying pan and into the fire as she encounters one of the most creepiest characters I have ever encountered in fiction.

There is not too much blood & gore, just beautifully written & wonderfully narrated & is a cracking romp through a superb detective fiction story. I would recommend book one first, The Ghosts of Belfast, but this book does stand alone so no need to read the series.

Wow. Different storyline than first two, but powerful anyway.

Stuart Neville solidified a place in my book loving heart with Ghosts of Belfast & it was a lock with Collusion. There was a point during listening to Stolen Souls where I wasn't happy with the large swing in themes (away from The Troubles, thematically) until I realized that although the overwhelming conflict had come to a close, the characters were still there, & very well developed at that. Times change. Wars, civil or otherwise, run down. Corruption is a different animal. Excellent book, and Gerard Doyle is a stellar performer...amongst the best I've listened to, certainly. Kudos.