The Deadly Trade

By: Ken Morris

Narrated by: Bill Lord

Tim Mack is a financial analyst running from a past full of death and drink. But when he leaves the Wall Street rat race, he finds that a calm and peaceful existence is just not in the cards. While researching a local biotechnology firm that has just exploded into flames, Tim begins to untangle a lethal web of deceit.

A frightening, secret triumvirate of mass murder intricately combines a high-finance broker, a Middle-Eastern terrorist organization, and a dying biotechnology firm willing to do anything to keep afloat. How far will this alliance go?

Tim soon finds out that a bug that makes AIDS look like a hangnail might only be the beginning. He teams up with Betsy O'Brien, his spunky and beautiful coworker; Joe Mack, his wheelchair-bound brother who's a former DEA agent; and Detective Bob Moore, an aging but tenacious cop in charge of leading the formal, but furtive, investigation. Together, they devise a plan to stop the release of the mutated virus.

©2004 Kenneth Morris (P)2015 Bancroft Press

Enjoyed the Story but Narration Not so much

This is my first Ken Morris Thriller and I very much enjoyed the story. I really like how he kept the story moving along without getting bogged down in unnecessary details like so many thrillers I have read or listened to do. I would have listened to it all at once straight through without stopping if I had had the time. Alas, one must sleep sometime.

The narration I am not so excited about. While Bill Lord is by no means the worst narrator I have listened, I felt he was mediocre at best. Sometimes he would use different voices for each character and do so quite well, but far too often during dialogue exchanges I found myself totally confused over who was doing the talking because there was no differentiation between the voices. Inconsistency is what makes me give Mr. Lord an average rating of three stars.

Overall I would give this book a rating of 3.5 stars, but must round up since Audible doesn't allow for partial stars.

In a nutshell, excellent story but only average narration.

The Deadly Trade

Any additional comments?

I liked this book.It had a bit too much 'trading' and tech 'talk' which can be boring.The story itself was well written.Tim changes jobs and falls into a new career that leads him into mystery,lies and murder.Can he solve this mystery in time?
Bill Lord did a fin job as narrator as always."I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com."

RUN dont walk to order this book!

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

Wow, this book was a fun read! The Deadly Trade is stories within stories involving murder, stock market trading and illegal drug trading. Each of these stories are intricately woven and so clearly explained as to not be confusing to the reader. This book is just plain excellent. The narrator has a perfect voice, characters are really well developed, and what could be hard to understand is clearly delineated.

What other book might you compare The Deadly Trade to and why?

You can compare Ken Morris' book to the best of them--James Patterson and Tami Hoag come to mind.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The Deadly Trade would make a great movie, Although It is a story typical of many, it is so well written and developed. Movie name--The Wall Street Warloards.

An intriguing read.

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

Yes. I really enjoyed it and know that a lot of people will too.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I didn't have a favourite because I loved them all.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

If I had over 10 hrs to listen to it in one day then yes I would.

Any additional comments?

This was an awesome book! It had everything you could possibly want in a good book. There was mystery, intrigue, death, destruction, stock market and viruses. I wasn't sure what it would be like when I first started but I ended up really liking it. Even though I didn't understand the stock market references, I still didn't feel like I was lost. The idea of the mutated viruses was frightening and finding out why they were made was even more so!!

There is stories within stories in this book but they all come together flawlessly. The characters all grow throughout the story and the plot was well written, researched and developed too. I flew through the pages because I needed to see what happened next!! In all this was a fantastic read and I hope we see more from these characters in the future.

The audio of this was awesome. The narrator made the book come alive, he knew when to be tense and when to be lighter. He did a fantastic job.

Drew Me In and Kept Me Guessing

What did you love best about The Deadly Trade?

This book started out a little slow for me, but developed nicely. After the fifth or sixth chapter, I was anxiously anticipating listening to more. The story had everything - espionage, murder, intrigue, love interests, human tragedy, and more! I really enjoyed the plot twists, right up to the last paragraph. Ken Morris even left room for a sequel, and I hope there will be one!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Well, Tim Mack was the hero of the book, so he's easy. He truly seemed to be operating in earnest through the whole book. I found myself rooting for him. Really, though, I developed a soft spot for Detective Bob Moore. Despite his gruff exterior, I pictured him with a mischievous glint in his eye and a lot of compassion humanity in his heart.

Both Tim and Bob are people I'd want to have in my life as friends.

What about Bill Lord’s performance did you like?

Bill Lord truly brought the characters to life. His range was incredibly dynamic. There was an extremely suspenseful and pivotal chapter (around 91, I think - right before 3:01 in the morning, book time) where Tim Mack was in his own head. Bill brought such passion and feeling to this particular chapter that I listened to it THREE TIMES. He truly made me feel the suspense of the moment.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book kept me on the edge of my seat. At various moments, I had numerous "AHA!" moments when the plot twists would come back together. I want a sequel!!

The deadly trade

Any additional comments?

The story revolved around San Diego based financial analyst Tim Mack. Mack who had recently tragically lost both his wife and son in an accident relocated from New York. A securities trader on Wall Street he accepted a position in an investment firm. While investigating several biotechnology firms that his company had bankrolled he uncovered several disquieting facts. This audiobook kept my interest from beginning to end.