The Strait

By: Dom Stasi

Narrated by: Bill Nevitt

Pilot Jake Silver is haunted by a cruel irony — he secretly suspects that he’s the reason Swede Bergstrom, the hero who saved his life, has fallen on hard times. Upon learning that Swede has been killed during the commission of a crime, the guilt-driven Jake too-willingly agrees to follow Swede’s mysterious and beautiful sister, Christina, on a search to clear her brother’s name. Their odyssey takes them from the canyons of Manhattan to the heart of darkness itself, enlisting the help of colorful characters and dodging death every step of the way.

But is the alluring Christina the loving sister she appears to be, or evil incarnate? The body of a woman discovered in Jake’s East Side apartment and her killer’s ritualistically brutal M.O. lead NYPD homicide cop Pat Garodnik to suspect the latter.

Combining his efforts with those of Jake’s mother — a former DA with enemies on both sides of the law — the pair embark on an odyssey of their own, going to any lengths necessary, legal or otherwise, to find the truth and save Jake before his time runs out.

Literary and atmospheric, Dom Stasi’s debut thriller will have you listening late into the night with its high-flying action and intriguing mystery. As answers continue to be uncovered, the final pieces of the puzzle are as shocking as they are satisfying.

©2019 Dom Stasi (P)2020 WildBlue Press

Tightly woven & well-written suspense

The Strait (Audible Audio), my first read/listen from author Dom Stasi . Started slowly and built speed the further I got into the book. An excellently written crime thriller! I've already been to Amazon looking at his titles. Bill Nevitt’s narration is, as always, excellent & adds greatly to the book’s enjoyment. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

Grabs you from the beginning.

If you enjoy a book that is action packed, then this book is definitely for you.
There were some gruesome kill scenes and torture in the book too.
For those who don’t like blasphemy, there was a bit.

Thank you to the author for a great book. Thank you to the narrator too.

Shows what a mother's faith will do!

An airman, caught up in something that was deadly, dangerous and soul destroying, simply because he felt obligated to a former comrade-in-arms.
His mother, a former attorney of some influence, is also caught up in the drama, trying to find her son, and clear his name.
Off course, the bad guys will stop at nothing to get what they want. So, the body count climbs, as our hero tries to assist his former comrades sister.
I always feel the audiobooks add more to my reading experience. I admired the narrator's ability to use female and male voices in various nationalities, adding greater depth to the tale.

One of my favs this year!

I listen to LOTS of audiobooks. This is one of my favs so far this year.

Strong characters.
Fast paced plot.
Action. Lots of action.
Family ties.
International criminals.

This will make a great movie one day.

I especially liked the part when the perspective changed from our protagonist to well... I won’t say who and spoil it. Didn’t see that coming, but there was foreshadowing of it.

This one is going in the relisten list!!

I received this audiobook for free in exchange for a review.

Really good

A great action-packed book, with various POV's that keep the story going on from different angles, bringing different aspects of the mystery to light.

I really enjoyed it, it was fast-paced, entertaining and full of suspense, with convergent storylines that kept me guessing until the end what really was going on.

Bill Nevitt keep me listening for over 11 hours, amazing me with his ability to use female and male voices from different nationalities and with different accents. Not an easy task *laughs*

In short, if you enjoy books with non-stop action and non-linear plots, this is for you.

Action and mystery but really left me hanging

There was a lot of mystery to keep my interest in this book. It goes from past to present, air to ocean and involves different countries too. That being said, it really left me hanging. It felt like it just abruptly ended. The narration was good but his female characters come across as sounding whiny. Jakes mother is a very strong woman but at times she sounded whiny. I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator..

OK. A little dated with slang, etc.

While technically set in the modern world, it feels a little dated by the slang and the female characters. It feels more like the 70s or 80s instead of modern day. While Jake is a good standard hero, he hasn’t got much depth. What personality he does have is best reflected in his reminisces of his time in the military. He had some intense moments with Leif ‘Swede’ Bergstrom, who was shot down in combat. For many years, Jake thought his friend was dead, until a newspaper article mentions his name in connection to a recent drug-smuggling operation. The action starts there and it stays at a good pace for most of the book.

Christina Bergstrom, Leif’s younger sister, teams up with Jake to get some answers. Neither believes Leif would have been part of a drug smuggling operation. Things ramp up when Jake’s current lady friend (with benefits) turns up dead and the police start looking into it. Jake and Christina follow one clue after another, finding an interesting assortment of allies and villains. From high up in the sky to deep under water, this tale has a lot of action. And yet, it was just so-so for me. There’s some cliched characters, cliched situations, cliched lines. Those things made the plot a bit predictable.

The ladies were typically described by their looks first, second, and third… and eventually get some skills. The instant attraction between Jake and Christina felt forced by the plot. Christina spends a lot of time being emotional – weeping, screaming, hysterical, etc. I would have liked more from the ladies for a modern-day thriller.

Over all, the ending gives us a satisfying ending to the tale. And I liked that there’s a bit of a mystery surrounding Christina left unresolved. Could be a good leaping off point for a great story featuring Christina as a skilled assassin with acting skills or some such. 3/5 stars.

The Narration: Bill Nevitt made a good Jake Silver, pilot and hero. For the most part, he had unique voices for all the characters though his female voices could use some femininity and realism. They sometimes sounded a little cartoony and often over emotional whether they were written that way or not. His foreign accents were hit and miss. He had a few ways of pronouncing the name Leif. Also, his native accent for the word ‘radiator’ showed through no matter which character was saying it. Otherwise, the pacing was good. There were no tech issues with the recording. 3/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book. My opinions are 100% my own.

The Strait

I enjoyed this book.It was fast paced but stayed on track.When Jake hears that the Swede is dead,he goes with his sister to identify the body.Big mistake! Bill Nevitt was a really good narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.' 

EXCELLENT READ!

I absolutely loved it! This book caught my attention from the very beginning and held it throughout the entire book. This book is full of action, drama and suspense. The narration was outstanding and gave the story that extra flair! It will keep you entertained! The author did an amazing job with the character builds and plot! This was my first book by this author but definitely not my last! I look forward to reading more books from this author! I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Not a bad action story

This story involves multiple aspects, such as kidnapping and murder, and has various twists and build ups that develop the plot.

The story was intriguing and action packed. It did jump around and it took me some time to get into it and follow the various storylines. However, once I got into it, the plot built up and tied together nicely.

The narrator did a great job in keeping a fairly long book interesting. He is a great entertainer and I thoroughly enjoy listening to him.

Note: This book was given to me for free at my request and I have provided this objective review voluntarily.