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Publisher:
Time Warner AudioBooks |
Release
Date: May 2004 |
ISBN:
1-58621-696-1 |
Awards:
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Format
Reviewed: Audio Cassettes |
Buy
it at Amazon |
Read
an Excerpt |
Genre:
Mystery/Suspense |
Reviewed:
2004 |
Reviewer:
Carisa Weeaks |
Reviewer
Notes: |
Copyright
MyShelf.com |
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The
Breathtaker
By Alice Blanchard
Read by Peter Coyote
In Promise,
Oklahoma, excitement is not seen very often. This tradition changes,
though, when a tornado howls its way through. Crops are destroyed
and lifetimes of memories are taken, but nothing touched by the
destructive hand of the storm can prepare Police Chief Charlie Grover
for the bloody massacre he confronts in one of the few houses left
standing. A family of three is savagely mutilated by flying debris,
or so it’s supposed to seem. When he and the coroner make
discoveries that literally chill them to the bone, Charlie realizes
that he’s dealing with someone who has done this kind of ritualistic
bloodshed before. This discovery soon leads to even more chaos in
his already rushed life.
When he’s
not still dealing with his attempts at dating again or his ever-mood-changing
teenage daughter, Sophie, he’s having to deal with his twenty-four-hour,
seven-day-a-week job, and the endless amount of small-town politics
that comes with it. To him, nothing could make the situation worse...right?
Wrong. Charlie could have never guessed that his gifts of investigation
would bring him onto a path more dangerous than the tornadoes that
are plaguing the Oklahoma and Texas landscapes...the path of a maniacal
killer who is willing to do anything to carry out his twisted plan.
I LOVE
THIS AUDIO BOOK! And not just because it is based in Oklahoma, although,
I have to admit, that was one of the things that got me to take
it off the other reviewers’ hands in the first place. The
storyline is incredible! It’ll keep you glued to your seat
and twist your senses until you don’t know which way to run.
Charlie Grover is the best protagonist out of every murder mystery/suspense
novel I’ve ever read. His relationships with his daughter
and his scientist friend/budding love interest, Dr. Willa Bellman,
are priceless—not to mention the run-ins he has with his emotionally
constipated father. The plot is numbing and the kind of gory that
will make anyone freeze, out of both shock and curiosity. I recommend
this audio book to anyone who loves murder and mayhem, with a little
normal chaotic Oklahoma weather thrown in. An absolutely heart-halting
read.
Actor
and author Peter Coyote, whose résumé includes “A
Walk to Remember,” “Erin Brockovich,” and “E.T.,”
uses his gift of acting to enhance the individuality of the characters.
Each character has their own voice and mannerisms. It truly makes
one wonder at times if it really is just Coyote reading it alone.
This talent helps the plot thicken and twist even more, allowing
readers to get the full feel of what it’s like to be at the
center of a “Breath Taker.”
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