Audiobook Review: Buried Secrets by Joseph Finder

 

 

 

    • Written by: Joseph Finder
    • Narrated by: Holter Graham
    • Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
    • Series: Nick Heller, Book 2
    • Unabridged Audiobook
    • Release Date:06-21-11
    • Publisher: Macmillan Audio

 

BOOK BLURB

Joseph Finder introduced Nick Heller, a “private spy” who finds out things powerful people want to keep hidden, to widespread acclaim from the critics and wild enthusiasm from the readers, in the New York Times best-selling novel Vanished. Now, in Buried Secrets, Nick Heller returns, finding himself in the middle of a life-or-death situation that’s both high-profile and intensely personal.

Nick has returned to his old home town of Boston to set up his own shop. There, he’s urgently summoned by an old family friend. Hedge-fund titan Marshall Marcus desperately needs Nick’s help. His teenaged daughter, Alexa, has just been kidnapped. Her abduction was clearly a sophisticated professional job, done with extraordinary precision. Alexa, whom Nick has known since she was young, is now buried alive, held prisoner in an underground crypt, a camera trained on her, her suffering streaming live over the Internet. She’s been left with a limited supply of food and water and, if her father doesn’t meet the demands of her shadowy kidnappers, she’ll die.

As Nick begins to probe, he discovers that all is not quite right with Marshall Marcus’s business. He’s being investigated by the FBI, he has a lot of shady investors, his fund is in danger and now he has a lot of powerful enemies who may have the motivation to go after Marcus’s daughter. But to find out who’s holding Alexa Marcus hostage, Nick has to find out why. Once he does, he uncovers an astonishing conspiracy that reaches far beyond anything he could have imagined. And if he’s going to find Alexa in time, he will have to flush out and confront some of his deadliest opponents ever.

 

 

 

BOOK REVIEW

Excellent read. Joseph Finder continues to impress with his knack for details, characters and extensive plotting. Nick Heller is an intelligent, witty, audacious character who doesn’t need much muscle to make an impression. He’s an ex special ops military guy who can handle himself, but that doesn’t stick out as much as his wit. His ability to think quick on his feet in any situation, his tenacity, and investigate skill, separate him from the rest of the crowd. My next one is Guilty Minds!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Narrator Performance: 10/10 Holter Graham

 

  • Narrator-Story Connection: 10/10

Holter Graham is a pretty skilled  narrator for sure. I can usually tell if they aren’t otherwise. Another critical factor on this is, do they draw me into the story? Or is their narration a hindrance? Holter does an excellent job.

  • Voice Switch Over: 10/10

This is where determine how well the narrator switches back and forth between characters, genders, dialects and narrative voice. I’m sure there’s a more technical term for this, but it’s just what I call it. This is also where the better narrators are further separated from the rest of the pack. How well they switch from character to character without flaw, mistake, or drawing attention to themselves and thus away from the story. Believe me, this is no easy feat.

Holter does an excellent job in this category. This is probably the biggest reason I continue to listen his audiobooks. He embodies the character perfectly.

  •  Gender voice-switching between Nick Heller, Marshall Marcus’ wife and daughter Alexa is excellent.
  • Accents: Shady Russian dude, Southern twang, Boston accents were nothing short of superb.
  • Lastly the switching between all of the aforementioned aspects is again superb. Holter excels in this category.
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    • Pacing 10/10

    Holter’s pacing is great. No issues here.

    • Emphasis 10/10

    Excellent. He’s definitely not monotone. Knows where to put emphasis.

    • Reader-Story Connection 7/10

    This one is more subjective and is entirely on my side of the coin. Basically I ask myself, does the narrator/voice jive with me? Am I going to last 9 hours? Everyone has their subjective opinion in this matter. Holter Graham is an excellent narrator, but subjectively we don’t mesh that well. However, I’d recommend him to anyone, and I’d definitely listen to him again.  So far I’ve heard two books in the Nick Heller series and will continue to listen other books. He also narrates Guilty Minds, Joseph Finder and has completed several of the Jason Bourne books!

     

    Sound Quality: 10/10

    Publisher: Macmillan Audio. Excellent. No qualms here.

    Overall Performance: 10/10

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Next up…

     

     

     

    Nick Heller Book 3

     

     

     

     

    Are you a fan of the Nick Heller series? Tell me in the comments!!

     

     

     

     

    See ya!! Benjamin Thomas @thewritingtrain www.thewritingtrain.com www.mysterythrillerweek.com Share this:
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