The Final Cut

A Brit in the FBI, Book 1

By: Catherine Coulter, J. T. Ellison

Narrated by: Renee Raudman, MacLeod Andrews

Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

From Catherine Coulter, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the FBI Thriller series, and J.T. Ellison, bestselling author and ITW Award winner, comes the first book in a brilliant international thriller series featuring a new hero: American-born, UK-raised Nicholas Drummond.

Scotland Yard’s new chief inspector Nicholas Drummond is on the first flight to New York when he learns his colleague, Elaine York, the “minder” of the Crown Jewels for the “Jewel of the Lion” exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was found murdered. Then the centerpiece of the exhibit, the infamous Koh-i-Noor Diamond, is stolen from the Queen Mother’s crown. Drummond, American-born but raised in the UK, is a dark, dangerous, fast-rising star in the Yard who never backs down. And this case is no exception.

Special Agents Lacey Sherlock and Dillon Savich from Coulter’s bestselling FBI series don’t hesitate to help Drummond find the cunning international thief known as the Fox. Nonstop action and high stakes intensify as the chase gets deadly. The Fox will stop at nothing to deliver the Koh-i-Noor to the man who believes in its deadly prophecy. Nicholas Drummond, along with his partner, FBI Special Agent Mike Caine, lay it on the line to retrieve the diamond for Queen and country.

©2013 Catherine Coulter and J. T. Ellison (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Great story, badly chosen narrater.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Really enjoyed the plot. The male narrator partially ruined it for me. Although the female character kept comparing the male lead as "just like 007" his voice was that of a man nearly 60. Not my idea of a sexy English voice at all.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot was exciting with lots of twists. Every time you thought The Fox was caught, she managed to escape brilliantly.

Would you be willing to try another one of Renee Raudman and MacLeod Andrews ’s performances?

I really enjoy Renee Raudman. Mr Andrews was a severe disappointment for this character. I am sure he would be fine in another context.

Did The Final Cut inspire you to do anything?

Just write to complain - my first time ever.

The Fox

Would you listen to The Final Cut again? Why?

Yes. Enjoyed the story line.

What did you like best about this story?

Involvement of the FBI, the new Scotland Yard, and various multi characters woven in and out of story.

What does Renee Raudman and MacLeod Andrews bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Hard in the beginning, but easier to get use to.

Who was the most memorable character of The Final Cut and why?

Nicholas, Mike, and the Fox

Any additional comments?

Follow up with narration style change.

One of the most captivating in my vast library

My second listen to Book 1 after a few years as I was planning to listen to Book 2, “The Lost Key, A Brit in the FBI.”

Thanks to authors Catherine Coulter and J.T. Ellison and narrators MacLeod Andrews & Renee Raudman for bringing this gripping and audictive listen to vivid life. They are a precise foursome who work with perfect precision, never missing a beat. Intricate and complexellent from beginning to end, there are no disappointments here, only devious and eccentric characters along with zigzagging subplots that made my head spin. Delicious suspense, twists and turns makes this a masterful tale culminate with a jaw-dropping finale. Mystery. Murder. Spies. Romance. Mysticism. So worth a treasured credit. Lesson learned: Listen intently. Very highly recommended, more than one 🍒 on top. Again, I’m on my rooftop screaming, “Epic, I say! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! If you like diabolical and cat-and-mouse adventure, you’ll devour this one! An appreciative to those responsible for bringing this to Audible.

✍️👏🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟👏✍️

Fiction with Facts

Nice to build an entertaining story around facts on the Quebec's diamond. Good story well performed.

Good for audio, not for the intellect.

Would you try another book from Catherine Coulter and J. T. Ellison and/or Renee Raudman and MacLeod Andrews ?

Catherine Coulter writes books good for audio. She repeats details which is very helpful to the audio listener, but the vocabulary is very, very low.

great story one of our favorites....Thanks C.C

we love heading your novels as we take trips......this one is our favorite so far..

Charismatic Read. Glues you to keep on reading.

Enjoyed this book. Just kept on reading, wanting to know the ending. I didn't find it as a big mega thriller but there's a bit of suspense and mystery that you just want to know how it all wraps up. Entertaining.

Aristocrat with a semi-cockney accent

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

This was my first C. Coulter book. It is not among the more sophisticated crime novels I have either read or listened to, but it was entertaining enough. My most serious criticism has to do with the narrator. One of the two central characters, Drummond is an upper class Brit with aristocratic antecedents. Consequently, it was a constant irritant to hear him speak as if he were Daphne's brother in the "Frasier" sitcom. I fought to ignore it and partially succeeded by the end of the book, but I would never listen to another Drummond novel with the same narrator.

Would you recommend The Final Cut to your friends? Why or why not?

Not if they know what a British upper class accent is supposed to sound like.

How could the performance have been better?

MacLeod Andrews could speak as his name implies.

Do you think The Final Cut needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

It is obviously set up to be the first in a series.

LOVED the final cut

I love when they have multiple readers. It feels like you’re watching a movie plus it was cool to see through the eyes of the two agents.

A very good beginning for a new series!

What did you love best about The Final Cut?

I really loved this book and the characters. The story line is great and obviously well researched and the characters were very well written. The book moves right along, which makes it much more exciting to listen to, and doesn't stray over into the unbelievable. All in all, a very good listen!

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes! It moved along nicely and the plot was very well done.

Did Renee Raudman and MacLeod Andrews do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

I thought Ms. Raudman was a poor choice for the female narrator. Her foreign accents are poorly done and the fact that Mr. Andrews does such a wonderful job reading and differentiating all of the male characters, makes Ms. Raudmans' poor performance more disappointing. I've listened to many books that she has done in the past in which she has done a good job, but they were all books in which she only had to do American accents.

Any additional comments?

I've always loved Catherine Coulter and this collaboration makes me think that I may have been missing out and seriously need to check out J. T. Ellison's books as well.