You're Next

By: Gregg Hurwitz

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Mike Wingate, abandoned by his father at four and raised in foster care, is finally living the life he always dreamed of - he's happily married with a precocious 8-year-old daughter, and his construction company is about to finish a "green" housing development that will secure a solid future for them all. But then something from his own past, a past he doesn't even remember, comes back to visit terror upon him and his family.

Shady characters begin threatening Mike, and when he reports them, the police seem more interested in Mike's murky past than in protecting him. Now, with Mike, his wife Annabel and daughter Kat suddenly under attack from all sides, Mike turns to Shep, a dangerous man - and Mike's only true friend - from his childhood days in foster care. Together they will do whatever it takes to protect Mike's family against the hidden men behind the terrifying warning, "You're Next."

©2011 Gregg Hurwitz (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Excellent...keeps Mike (and the reader) on edge, wondering what is happening to him and how far it will escalate. Highly recommended to Hurwitz’s many faithful readers and to fans of Linwood Barclay, Harlen Coben, and Lisa Gardner." --Booklist

"The bad guys are suitably evil and the mystery satisfying, but Hurwitz’s real success is depicting Mike’s hard-won life as a husband, father, and successful businessman. A first-rate thriller!" --Library Journal (starred review)

"Hurwitz masterfully provokes feelings of extreme dread...Shep and Mike fight and sleuth their way through intensifying mayhem until they find the unexpected answer...." --Publishers Weekly

Everything a great suspense story should be

This is a great suspense novel. At times the tension is so tight the story had me feeling apprehensive to the point of pacing the floor. I could not leave the ipod in the car, I had to listen to this story on walks, around the house, it is very hard to put down. The characters are well developed, the storyline is complete and you understand the motivations of everyone involved. The villains are truly menacing and the good guys are cut from the fabric of normal life. The writing is solid, the narration is wonderful, on this one Scott Brick is the perfect choice. I go through a lot of audio books during my commute - it is very, very rare to come across a book that is this good. I would highly recommend this book.

Its basically every action movie ever made

the book wasn't bad. there were several moments where it had me sucked in really deeply and intensely but for the most part I found it to be cliche and uninspiring. if action movies are your favorite genre than you will probably like this book. the voice actor was extremely Bland and displayed very little emotion

I'd wait

I don't know that I would really recommend this book - while the story is OK, it just seemed to take a long time to tell. Nothing special.

Typical Gregg Hurwitz 4 star suspense thriller

Prior to the release early this year when he released Orphan X Gregg Hurwitz had never written a 5 star novel, but he has consistently written solid 4 star novels which are totally worthwhile. I first read You're Next when it was released five years ago. Listening to Scott Brick narrate it has been a pleasure despite my being familiar with the story.

You're Next is about the uncertainty that Mike Wingate, his wife and their 8 year old daughter face as someone keeps trying to first intimidate and then kill them for reasons they do not understand. Wingate is an award winning home builder in northern California. Wingate calls on his boyhood friend Shep White, a safe cracker and career criminal, to help him understand and terminate the cause of the the attempts on his family's lives. The suspense and uncertainty remain very intense until near the end of the novel.

I was happy to read Orphan X, Book 1 in the Evan Smoak series, when it was released in January because as a solid 5 star novel it hopefully moves Hurwitz from a very good author of suspense thrillers to the ranks of the very best.

I liked it then it got kinda odd...

I may need to go back and re listen to this audio, it started interesting then I lost interest

Captivating Story from Start to Finish

This is a great story told remarkably well by Scott Brick. It kept my attention throughout and finished wonderfully. It's a tangled mystery that features lifelong friendships and lifelong emotional hurts that are rewarded and resolved. A good listen!

I almost ripped the steering wheel out of my vehicle!

Okay this truly was one of the most intense and exciting books that I've listened to in quite some time. This was my first encounter with Hurwitz's work and I think that I will seek out more right now. I rarely get this excited after finishing a book but I didn't want it to end. There were times that I was on the edge of my seat and took detours to be able to hear more. The characters had depth, were believable, and also well developed. There were no storybook super heroes that left me asking, "what in the world?" I cannot say enough and hope the author's other works are as good as this one.

Make it your next read

The confounding plot is barely over the edge of far-fetched, but a less conspiratorial story wouldn't have been as exciting. Sadly, I found the little girl, Cat, to be petulant rather than endearing. Shep, the loyal albeit criminal best friend, however, more than makes up for Cat's character. He adds levity to an otherwise terrifying tale.

Ulcer inducing. Headache producing. Heart pumping. Nail biting. An I loved every minute.

Brick's narration is on point.

It kept me up all night.

What did you love best about You're Next?

I could not believe what was happening to this nice family. And there was no authority that could be trusted to help. The chance of any kind of happy ending was no where in sight. I had to keep listening through the night to find out who's doing this and why.

Would you be willing to try another one of Scott Brick???s performances?

I love Scott Brick and have chosen many books because he is the narrator.

After a slower start, I was addicted

This book is why I listen to and read thrillers. It took a little while for me to get into this, but once I was there (about a quarter of the way into it), I was hooked, and could not stop listening. This is a book about a man (Mike) with an unknown past (before age 4), who finds bad guys after him, and the police seem to be involved. He is a family guy who raised himself from a tough childhood in foster care to be a success. But when he and his family are threatened, he reaches into his past for the tools to protect himself. Yes, it is pretty manipulative, but it worked for me. It is not a great novel, but it is escape thriller fiction at its best. Mike's buddy, Shep (a partially deaf safe cracker), is a great character. I rarely give 5 star ratings to thrillers, but Shep boosted this to a top rating for me. My favorite mystery-thriller of the year.