Steven

The overall plot in this book is an interesting scenario. However the execution of the plot is appallingly bad. Many of us aspire to write a novel and I try to cut authors a bit of slack because they have got out there and done it - and because many of them improve along the way. What is difficult to overlook is an author who has been slack. This story has been ruined by an author who has not taken the time and effort to review the material and remove material which is wholly implausible. I regard this as a very poorly written and researched novel. The story is so implausible, relying on huge leaps of faith. I expect most readers would be disapointed and give up long before I did. Be interested to see if Sydney Bauer improves with his next effort.

This was a good plot and there were many many different scenario possibilities that would have given the story an interesting, tense, worthwhile ending. JG didn't use any of the these and it is a very limp ending.

The most interesting part is the relationship between the lawyer and his grandfather. Sections of the book are predictable and very tedious. I have great difficulty in believing that John Grisham wrote this.

The narration did not add to the book. I think it is the narrators style - didn't seem able to really get into it, didn't show empathy and passion. Was all a bit ho hum.

The characters were all fine but I still don't understand why Grisham didn't use them to their full extent.

I would be reasonably sure that any Grisham fans who read and love the earlier material (the Testament, Rainmaker, Pelican brief, The Firm, etc) and some of the later ones like the racketeers will be pretty disappointed with this. It is like Grisham had a great novel going with lots of 'irons in the fire' and then suddenly he just gives up and attaches a very mediocre ending.

Pelecanos writes realistic believable stories that enable you to engage with the plot and really identify with the characters. This story tends to be a bit flat in places and you are left wondering when the pace will pick up again, but in a way this enhances the realism of the story, because it mirrors real life. At the end of this story you feel like you have listened to something worthwhile and memorable.

There is no doubt that Joseph Finder is a talented story teller and I find myself engrossed in the story from the start. Joesph Finders life experiences are evident in the financial and business detail which is interesting and realistic. However by the end of the story I realise that the plot is unbelievable - the plot is just weak. This is the case with each of the Joseph Finder books that I have listened to. I get to the end of the story, the completion of the plot, and I am disappointed every time. The 'Vanished' is probably one of the worst. I guess I will keep reading / listening to Finder because I am sure that sooner or later he will get the plots sorted out (maybe get some advice from an editor) and then his stories will be excellent.

It is sad to see one of the great story tellers of my generation descend to this sort of rubbish. This story is obviously based on the real incidents of pirate activity off Somalia in the Indian Ocean / Arabian Sea area and the plot has great potential. However Wilbur Smith's plot is unbelievable at so many points that it borders on the ridiculous. The narrative contains unnecessary gratuitous explicit violence and laboured, detailed sexual activity that becomes monotonous. The story line is like a simplistic portrayal of what a vengeful person would dream of happening to the 'darker than evil' Somali pirates. There are glimpses of the great story teller but the overall package leaves you in disbelief, that Wilbur Smith actually wrote this. I f you purchase this book I can guarantee you will be disappointed.

Eisler did a great job as narrator - very impressed. Disappointed in the book. It was well crafted and had more depth and quality than some of the Rain books, but when I got to the end it seemed a bit plotless - at least the plot was thin without any definitive resolution to the story. I accept that Eisler was also hoping to make significant social commentary through the text but even there I am left wondering what exactly he is talking about. The whole conspiracy seemed a bit too nebulous, and all encompassing.
One of those stories which could have been great but sadly fell short as a social / political commentary and also as a novel.

This ranks up there as one of the best books I have ever read. (and i have downloaded hundreds of Audible books)It is clever, engaging, sensitive and the dialogue is excellent. There are subtle dilemmas and the whole story is believable. I am sure that people downloading this will not be disappointed. It is classic Turow.

Very fast paced engaging novel on a themes that has been done before, but this is a bit different. Parts of the book are implausible and the dialogue varies a bit. I suspect that this is Mark Greaneys first book and if so it is a very good first effort. Suspect he will gather a few fans. Enjoyed the book and will wait for the next one.

This is a great listen which went all too fast for me. The story is fast paced, interesting and believable. The characters are well developed and complex, particularly the hero. I can imagine Patterson using this as a base to launch a new series and I for one will be waiting eagerly for the next offering.

I have read most of Richard North Patterson's fiction and have enjoyed it all. Some of the more recent works lack a clear finish and can have flat sections. This book is mostly engaging and finishes well. If you like legal thrillers you will like this, including the twist towards the end. (although you get a sense of the twist before it happens.) My only criticism is that the dialogue, particularly the testimony and response to counsel questions is too much the same. Real court interactions are not like that- every response is different. The "information' on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is interesting and I learnt a lot. This is a great story from a very accomplished story teller.