Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Black Flies  By  cover art

Black Flies

By: Shannon Burke
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $16.00

Buy for $16.00

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Black Flies is the story of paramedic Ollie Cross and his first year on the job in mid-'90s New York. It is a ground's-eye view of life on the streets: the shoot-outs, the bad cops, the unhinged medics, the hopeless patients, the dark humor in bizarre circumstances, and one medic's struggle to balance his desire to help against his own growing callousness. This story features lives that hang in the balance, including a single job with a misdiagnosed newborn that sends Cross and his partner into a life-changing struggle between good and evil.

©2019 Dreamscape Media, LLC (P)2019 Dreamscape Media, LLC

What listeners say about Black Flies

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    23
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    16
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    18
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I think I was there…

The author shows impeccable detail in his description of the job, to the point I felt like I was there. No doubt, this job can f… you up and he does a great job describing that very thing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wow—Heart of Darkness

I did not expect to be won over by a book like this. It’s dark, raw, cynical, hopeful, and authentic. It should be on everyone’s list. Excellent writing, harrowing tale.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A strong touch of what it’s like to be a medic in NYC

Gritty, with a finger on the pulse of what it’s like to be a medic in the city, whether it’s Harlem or working the south Bronx, the characters are a vivid amalgam of ghetto medic feelings, emotions and circumstances. Truth can be stranger than fiction and in this story the 2 combine to form a slice in the flesh of life of EMS…

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Profound

For all who work in selfless careers: paramedics, social workers, educators, police, or firefighters; this is a story you can relate to and appreciate.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Shockingly Realistic Look in Paramedicine

This book doesn’t BS or worry about your comfort while reading it. Great (although occasionally sensationalized) look into what it’s actually like working on an ambulance in an impoverished area.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!