The Breach

By: Nick Cutter

Narrated by: Marc Vietor

John Hawkins is counting down his last days as chief of police on the Lone Crow Reservation in the lonely, frigid woods of the Yukon. But when a faceless body with mysterious wounds washes up on the shores of the Porcupine River, he’s pulled deeper in than ever before.

Hawkins and coroner Jacob Littlecorn suspect the disfigured body is that of theoretical physicist Graham Raphelson, also known as the “molecular madman of Trinity College”, who recently disappeared. The two investigators enlist Meg Gilday, a charter boat captain, and Linda Raphelson to examine the place where her husband was last seen alive. There, they find a house infested with more than secrets: bugs wriggle behind the walls, and in the attic sits a bizarre machine cobbled together from toy parts and electrical wire, a device that might be able to tear a hole through the fabric of reality itself. When Meg and Jacob get bitten and someone goes missing, Hawkins realizes that firing up the machine might be the only way to solve the case.

Buzzing with suspense, this dark, gripping mystery from acclaimed horror writer Nick Cutter will leave listeners’ skin crawling.

©2020 Nick Cutter (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC.

Great suprise, well written and performed!

Stumbled into this book thinking it was a murder mystery. It turned out to be something very different and very good.

Solid novel

This book has a lot of body horror, so if you don't like that, you won't like this. But it's a well- paced, creepy book that plays on classic themes of isolation and cosmic horror. I definitely recommend it even if I had to fast forward a bit through some scenes that made me feel physically uncomfortable.

Good premise, but meh.

I really wanted to like this book. It started well, and teased great things but ultimately did not deliver. Fewer detailed descriptions of insects and a main character’s…change would have yielded a far better story.

Another FANTASTIC novel by Nick Cutter!

Others have been quick to mention that this novel was their least favorite, everyone's a critic [roiling my eyes].
While the tone is classic creepy, truly scary in its narration, "LITTLE JUG" - - - oh yes, fantastic narration including some rather unsettling voice effects that gave me the chills SEVERAL TIMES throughout the book. It just added to my love for the style of Nick Cutter's way of creeping the hell out of me.
While this novel is a bit shorter than his others, it is VERY EFFECTIVE in delivering what I've come to love and expect from the writing style of Cutter.
That is to say, pure horror that doest try to hold back, although not some cheesy gore fest, but rather his unique styled approach, which I imagine might be the stuff that he knows, he would want to read himself.
About this novel itself. Folks have so easily thrown around words that liken the style to some Lovecraftian theater piece.
I read that a little, but the buck ends there IMO - simply having to do with this, "contraption" which may or may not remind you of an ability to breach another dimension. Really, the buck stops there, as far as I'm concerned, w/ the admired otherworldliness of good 'ol H. P. Lovecraft.
The rest, is pure Cutter. Strange and wickedly horrific in the best of ways, of course. Honestly, ever since I came across his 1st novel as, Nick Cutter' entitled, 'The Troop'. Which I finished with hook, bait, and sinker....such an amazing experience had taken place that, "holy shit, I can barely believe it". My faith had been restored in the horror genre.
Of course I still had my few authors whose ouvre were pretty much devoted to the genre of horror exclusively, (Clive Barker and Steven King). Those two really have different styles of prose, and honestly I really felt like they were lacking in ways that would truly scare me as I read, or listened to their works.
This was the case, unfortunately like I said previously,. Until I read, 'The Troop', then I felt truly unnerved and scared as I listened to a brand new voice in horror. Having, Steven Kings backup quoted on the cover, didn't hurt one bit. So yes, 'The Troop " was a pure slam-dunk.
Subsequently, not too long after reading the troop, I was ready for another Cutter novel. Like, in a bad way.
SO, I stumbled upon,' THE DEEP'. Having not a CLUE what this was about, I dove head first and allowed myself to slowly sink to the bottom [pun intended].
Okay, I will wrap this review up by saying. Everyone is a critic and to judge a book by its cover or simply some piss poor ratings hear and there, especially in this digital world we find ourselves in, is surely an egregious mistake. Possibly even one of the highest order.
Bottom line is that Cutter's most recently published novel, 'The Breach' may be a mere 6 hrs long, but the narration is top of the line, and believe me - down right spooky if not as my own experience, it was freaking scary when it was needed or called for.
The combination of Novel, Narrative effects, etc., turned this audio book into one vivid, picturesque, unnerving, and unrelenting experience. WELL WORTH THE CREDIT OR SIMPLY THE PURCHASE.
To close, I wanted to quickly share my experience Cutter's, 'THE DEEP'.
By far and wide, this unique, hard hitting, no holds bars, balls to the wall chunk of time consuming novel is, HANDS DOWN, the SCARIEST book I've ever been exposed to.
I mean this from the depths of my soul. I almost struggled to keep my sanity somehow. Whether it was getting a little too intense or the simple fact that I was fearful of genuine nightmares, which I will tell you that I often dream weird stuff as it is. However, the ideas, the insanity of it all [the story] was something I literally, and viscerally felt so vividly...I could see it creeping into my dreams.
So, yes. Do read or better yet listen to 'The Breach', "LITTLE JUG!", then if you dare, and I mean to be literal, you should challenge yourself to sink your teeth into the deepest part of the ocean. Where things just go wrong, no matter how much anyone tries to makes sense of things.
Is it the character whose sanity is in peril? What if you are actually lucid, and this nightmare at thousands of feet below the surface IS A REALITY, DESPITE ITSELF or seemingly impossible Plausibility?
I guarantee, you will not only become the main character; experiencing the same fright, confusion and frustration as you bump into the small laboratory and otherwise staff in this tin can that constantly fights the immense pressure of the deep ocean, being reminded of the fact, with the threatening sounds of collapsing walls.
Either way, between the staff you run into at various times, you wonder what has been going on down here. Because, surely they are not acting normal and soon you will be questioning your own sanity.

Nick Cutter's - THE DEEP - WILL SCARE YOU SHITLESS. AS I MENTIONED - IT'S AN ASSAULT TO YOUR SENSES, REALITY, eventual paranoia, and inevitable FEAR for your own sanity.

Keep them coming [pen name] Cutter, Nick.
As a horror nut for books, movies, etc. We're only two years apart in age. I understand where you are coming from, generationally. Not to mention that I have finally found a source of entertainment, possibly the most imaginative, being interpretation of my minds eye, with your aid...something that genuinely scares me. At 44 years old. Before I read your Cutter Opus, I honestly thought I would no longer have those wonderfully emotional moments of true fright or downright TERROR!

THANK YOU FOR THAT6.

Not Cutters Best but Not bad!

Little Heaven is probably my favorite Nick Cutter novel. The Breach doesn't hit that same quality bar for me but the premise is interesting and the horror is compelling. I felt like the middle got rushed too much but all in all, definitely worth picking up!

A riveting river ride into eldritch horrors

This is one of my favorite cutter stories. He has a way of bringing characters to life and throwing them into hell. This one was like event horizon meets true detective. Can’t think of anything I truly disliked about the story. Favorite part is “the horse says, the horse says” “say it already.” Great atmosphere and some of the best body horror he’s done. Aside from the troop of course.

2/2 love Nick Cutter's horror!

the troop was amazing!
the breach was stomach turning in a horribly horror-filled way! ufftah would ride that story again!

An terrifying, amazing and chilling performance!

Stellar performance!!! And, like everything I've ever read by Nick Cutter, stellar writing! This narration breathes an itchy frost into a horrifying tale.

I love it !!!

Great book! Truly enjoyed myself! Really enjoying Nick cutter books. Highly recommend it! Forward to his new book.

Creepy bug horror!

Dashes of cosmic horror, body horror, evil in the woods horror — good stuff! Marc Vietor’s narration is great too, and suitably creepy when needed (I don’t ever want to hear a speak-and-say again in my whole freaking life!). Overall, this was a pretty good listen.