Dark Site

A Sam Dryden Novel

By: Patrick Lee

Narrated by: Gary Galone

Length: 12 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

"Lee's imagination knows no boundaries, which makes the story elements completely unpredictable...Just when it seems clear what's truly going on, another surprise appears." --Associated Press

From Patrick Lee, author of Runner, Sam Dryden comes under attack from unknown forces as an unremembered episode from his past threatens more than just his life.

On an otherwise normal morning, former Special Forces operative Sam Dryden is the target of an unsuccessful attempted abduction. Using his attacker's cell phone, he learns that another person, a woman named Danica Ellis, is also being targeted. Dryden arrives just in time to save Danica from the assault team sent after her. But neither of them recognizes the other or has any idea why they are being targeted. The only clue is a heavily redacted, official-looking document given to Danica by her stepfather before he was killed.

Dryden immediately recognizes it as a "scrub file". A scrub file is a record of what a subject knew before their memories were chemically destroyed. The redacted document refers to witnesses to a secret military site in Ashland, Iowa, in 1989. Both Dryden and Danica Ellis lived in Ashland in 1989, when they were both 12 years old, though neither of them has any memory of the other.

Switching back and forth between the present day, when Dryden and Danica try to elude the forces that are after them, and the past in Ashland, Iowa, when both were 12, making a discovery that forever changed their lives, this latest Sam Dryden audiobook proves yet again that Patrick Lee is one of the most original, compelling thriller writers today.

©2019 Patrick Lee (P)2019 Macmillan Audio

everything I've come to expect from Lee

like the first 2 in the series, the action is well paced.
the characters are well fleshed out and believable.
a great "plausable" sci-fi thriller.

Where is Jeff Gurner?

Changing narrators with the 3rd book in a series is tantamount to telling your listeners you just don't care about their feelings. Maybe, based upon the story, paying for excellent narration wasn't worth it. Lee, can and has done better than this.

Patrick Lee is the Absolute Best!

My Favorite Science Fiction Author! He Didn't Disappoint! Listened to the whole Book at once.

dialogue, narrator baaaad

Given the weakness of the dialogue (12-year-olds have never talked like that, in real life or fiction), the ineptness of the narrator is a truly unnecessary addition to the presentation of this book. The book is set in Oregon . . . so why did they find someone who pronounces it O ree Gone??? The narrator can't pronounce any geographical names correctly except New Orleans, which I'm assuming must be a coincidence, given how he manages to put the emphasis in most sentences in the wrong place as well.
The storyline is relatively familiar and none-too-believable, even beyond the silliness of the things people say to each other and how they say them. It's not fantastic enough to be a fantasy, but not realistic enough to be fiction, nor technical enough to be scifi, though it makes a stab at all three genres in any given paragraph.
It's not a bad book in that it isn't preaching the overthrow of democracy by a racist dictatorship, nor is it a good book that shows the way out of darkness through application of morality and cleverness. There are worse narrators out there committing more egregious crimes against the language; it's not a book to abandon altogether and request a refund, and who knows? Subsequent effrts might be more palatable. It's a mediocre restaurant meal for which this is the best tip I can give.

Three things to love about this audiobook

First, Sam Dryden is a very cool down-to-earth but very capable hero. He's a thinking hero but he brings out his considerable combat skillset when needed. Second, Patrick Lee is an excellent storyteller, weaving suspense and excellent character development. Heck, even the bad guys have depth and make you sympathize with them even while Dryden is kicking their butts. Third, I don't know what all the hullabaloo is about the narrator. Sure, he's different from the first two books, and yes he has an eastern cadence to his voice and reading, but I found that didn't distract me from the great story. The reader does a great job altering his voice for different characters. He even croaks and gasps when a character is gasping out his last words. All in all, don't be dismayed by folks who "didn't like the narrator" or you'll miss out on another great Dryden adventure. Personally, I thought the narrator was great, narrating a great story with great characters.

Interesting addition to the zombie pantheon

I enjoyed listening to Runner, Mr. Lee’s first novel (the story & narration are both engrossing). The narration of Dark Site is distractingly awful and while I enjoyed the story, I can’t recommend the Audible version of this book. Get the kindle or a physical version & enjoy the book.

awesome double timeline story

Pretty well written and well crafted. It redeems the trilogy after the let down of the second book

Almost good

Coming from the author of The Breach Trilogy, Runner and Signal were pretty good, but this book does not have the same punch nor substance. The narrative structure is interesting, but nothing more. I dont know where in the Sam Dryden trilogy this book fits, it feels like a text to fill and call it a trilogy. :(

Not a good as others in the series.

I like this series for its main character and its originality however three thing with this one. 1) the narrator takes getting use to. Doesn’t do the story justice. 2) I’m not into the back and forth from one time (20 years) earlier to present time. And lastly 3) kids this smart and investigative at 12 discovering top secret stuff, but yet at times stupid as the tale unfolds, just not feasible. Tended to drag. Almost lost patience with it but didn’t.

Loved It!

Great plot, great story, great performance!. I enjoyed this audio book very much! I hope we see more Sam Dryden in the future.