Saturday, July 30, 2016

Beyond The Ice Limit … The Trial {+ Giveaways}


BEYOND THE ICE LIMIT by Preston & Child
◊ Series: Gideon Crew (Book #4)
◊ Narrator: David W. Collins
Audio CD: 9 Discs
◊ Listening Length: 10.5 hours
◊ Program Type: Audiobook
◊ Genre: Mystery, Thriller
◊ Version: Unabridged
◊ Publisher: Hachette Audio
◊ Release Date: May 17, 2016
◊ Language: English
◊ ISBN-10: 1478909110
◊ ISBN-13: 978-1478909118

SYNOPSIS:


That thing is growing again. We must destroy it. The time to act is now...

With these words begins Gideon Crew's latest, most dangerous, most high-stakes assignment yet. Failure will mean nothing short of the end of humankind on earth.
Five years ago, the mysterious and inscrutable head of Effective Engineering Solutions, Eli Glinn, led a mission to recover a gigantic meteorite--the largest ever discovered--from a remote island off the coast of South America. The mission ended in disaster when their ship, the Rolvaag, foundered in a vicious storm in the Antarctic waters and broke apart, sinking-along with its unique cargo-to the ocean floor. One hundred and eight crew members perished, and Eli Glinn was left paralyzed.
But this was not all. The tragedy revealed something truly terrifying: the meteorite they tried to retrieve was not, in fact, simply a rock. Instead, it was a complex organism from the deep reaches of space.
Now, that organism has implanted itself in the sea bed two miles below the surface-and it is growing. If it is not destroyed, the planet will be doomed. There is only one hope: for Glinn and his team to annihilate it, a task which requires Gideon's expertise with nuclear weapons. But as Gideon and his colleagues soon discover, the "meteorite" has a mind of its own-and it has no intention of going quietly...


You might say this story is a bit like Alien mixed with a sinister form of The Abyss. The suspense is high, the unknown incredible, and the mission extremely dangerous.

Put these elements together and you have one unbelievable adrenaline-fueled thriller enhanced by the narration of David W. Collins. His mannerisms and cadence is spot on. He gives unique voices to each character. Collins boosts the suspense with his vocalization.

This is an enjoyable mix of science fiction and adventure with tidbits of science mingled in. It gives you pause to wonder, ‘what if.’

Through the authors’ vivid descriptions, you feel like you’re on the ocean as the characters ride the waves to race again time. The story moves at a fast pace, but holds you spellbound all the way. The suspense is high as twists and turns keep you fearing the worst.

The characters are well-developed and realistic. They are a mix that you find likable and love to hate.

BEYOND THE ICE LIMIT is a stand-alone story even though it’s a long awaited follow up to a story. New readers/listeners won’t be left in the dark as the authors’ provide enough background details to make the story flow smoothly.

This is a pulse-pounding thriller you don’t want to end. Preston and Child may have delayed 15 years in writing this sequel to THE ICE LIMIT, but it was well worth the wait.

Beyond the Ice Limit by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, Gideon Crew series (Book #4), Narrated by David W. Collins, Hachette Audio, @2016, ISBN: 978-1478909118, Unabridged, 9 CDs, Run Time: 10.5 Hours (Also available in print and eBook format.)

FTC Full Disclosure – A copy of this audio book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review. The thoughts are completely my own and given honestly and freely.


THE TRIAL by James Patterson with Maxine Paetro
◊ Series: The Women’s Murder Club (Book #4)
◊ Narrator: January LaVoy
Audio CD: 3 Discs
◊ Listening Length: 2.5 hours
◊ Program Type: Audiobook Bookshots
◊ Genre: Mystery, Thriller
◊ Version: Unabridged
◊ Publisher: BookShots, Hachette Audio
◊ Release Date: July 5, 2016
◊ Language: English
◊ ISBN-10: 1478967552
◊ ISBN-13: 978-1478967552

SYNOPSIS:

"I'm not on trial. San Francisco is."

An accused murderer called Kingfisher is about to go on trial for his life. Or is he? By unleashing unexpected violence on the lawyers, jurors, and police involved in the case, he has paralyzed the city. Detective Lindsay Boxer and the Women's Murder Club are caught in the eye of the storm.
Now comes a courtroom shocker you will never see coming.


THE TRIAL is the perfect story to read/listen to if you’re short on time, but want a suspenseful tale to be entertained by.

Narrator January LaVoy does a great job bringing the characters to life. Her cadence and accents enhance the story. Her vocals are spot on as she brings the varying emotions to the surface.

The story is a good mix of police procedure, mystery and suspense. The story flows quickly and smoothly. Told in BookShots format, the story can be listened to in under three hours. The shortness of the tale doesn’t lessen its appeal.

The core cast of characters of the Women’s Murder Club series are on hand, but new readers/listeners won’t be left in the dark not knowing their history. This is a stand-alone story. The characters are likable and well-developed.

THE TRIAL will keep you on your toes until the surprise ending. It’s intense, suspenseful and entertaining.

The Trial by James Patterson with Maxine Paetro, BookShots series, Narrated by January LaVoy, BookShots/Hachette Audio, @2016, ISBN: 978-1478697552, Unabridged, 3 CDs, Run Time: 2.5 Hours (Also available in print and eBook format.)

FTC Full Disclosure – A copy of this audio book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review. The thoughts are completely my own and given honestly and freely.

BookShots
LIGHTNING-FAST STORIES BY JAMES PATTERSON
  • Novels you can devour in a few hours
  • Impossible to stop listening
  • All original content from James Patterson

Thanks to the gracious Mitch and the wonderful folks at Hachette, I have an audio copy of BEYOND THE ICE LIMIT by Preston and Child to giveaway and an audio copy of THE TRIAL by James Patterson with Maxine Paetro to giveaway. Both giveaways are open to residents of the U.S. only and will end at 12 a.m. (EST) on Monday, Aug. 8.

To enter either or both giveaways, just click on the Rafflecopter widgets below and follow the instructions. The widgets may take a few seconds to load so please be patient. A winner will be selected by the Rafflecopter widget and I’ll send an email with the subject line “Thoughts in Progress Giveaway.” The winner will have 72 hours to reply to the email or another winner will be selected. PLEASE be sure to check your spam folder from time to time after the giveaway ends to make sure the notification email doesn’t end up there. If you win and you’ve already won the book somewhere else or you just decided for whatever reason you don’t want to win (which is fine), once again PLEASE let me know. One winner could win both audios.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Are you a fan of any of these writers? Do you listen to audio books? If not, now’s a great time to begin.


12 comments:

  1. Very different, but both sound intense. Which is not a bad thing at all.
    Thanks for the introduction.

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  2. I read the first Gideon Crew book but that's as far as I got.

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  3. Both of these sound like fast-paced, intense stories, Mason - the kind where the action keeps going. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. Enjoy both preston & Child and James Patterson and I do list to audio books.

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  5. It sounds like Beyond the Ice might be a better "read" in an audio edition with such a good narrator.
    I haven't read James Patterson's books. I stay away from books where the author name on the cover is simply a way to promote a book written by someone else.

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  6. I have read novels by Preston and Child and James Patterson. I listen to audio books.

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  7. I have read a book by Douglas Preston but never Preston and Child together. This one sounds like fun, thanks for the chance to win the audiobook.

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  8. I haven't read any James Patterson books although I have friends who are huge fans. I do admire Patterson for his recent financial contributions to bookstores and libraries all over the world. He really has done a lot to help promote books and reading.

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  9. I haven't read any books by either of these authors! I do listen to audiobooks though. It's nice to read and get other things done at the same time.

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  10. I've only read one Preston & Child book.

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  11. I've never read either of these bestselling authors/series; I've just never gotten around to it. I'm not a very speedy reader of print, so my recent expansion of my reading into the world of audiobooks is allowing me to experience many more books than I would be able to otherwise! These titles are exactly the kind I would love to engage with as a listener! Thanks for this opportunity and for this feature. Cheers, Kara S

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I'd love to hear your thoughts on today's post. Thanks for dropping by.