Metropolis

A Novel

By: B. A. Shapiro

Narrated by: Will Collyer, Erin Spencer, Ana Osorio, Sean Pratt, Mirron Willis, Hillary Huber

Length: 11 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

The New York Times bestselling author of The Art Forger delivers a spellbinding and moving novel about what we hang on to, what we might need to let go, and how unexpected events can lead us to deeper truths.

Six people, six secrets, six different backgrounds. They would never have met if not for their connection to the Metropolis Storage Warehouse in Cambridge, Massachusetts. When someone falls down an elevator shaft at the facility, each becomes caught up in an intensifying chain of events.

We meet Serge, an unstable but brilliant street photographer who lives in his storage unit, which overflows with thousands of undeveloped pictures; Marta, an undocumented immigrant finishing her dissertation and hiding from ICE; Liddy, an abused wife and mother, who re-creates her children’s bedroom in her unit; Jason, a former corporate lawyer now practicing in the facility; Rose, the office manager, who takes illegal kickbacks to let renters live in the building; and Zach, the building’s owner and an ex-drug dealer, who scans Serge’s photos as he searches for clues to the accident.

But was it an accident? A murder attempt? Suicide? As her characters dip in and out of one another’s lives trying to find answers and battling societal forces beyond their control, B. A. Shapiro both questions the myth of the American dream and builds tension to an exhilarating climax. Taut and emotional, Metropolis is impossible to put down and impossible to forget.

©2022 B. A. Shapiro (P)2022 Algonquin Books

Critic reviews

“An ingeniously plotted hybrid social/suspense novel . . . [Shapiro] takes her time loading the bases, and in the last inning, she hits it out of the park.”
—Shelf Awareness

“Metropolis has all the elements I love in a novel: fascinating characters, a pace that crackles with tension, and a deeper message that will resonate with everyone. Once again, B. A. Shapiro weaves a unique and riveting tale.” —Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of I Know a Secret

“Skillfully crafted with memorable characters, Metropolis is a riveting psychological thriller of a read from cover to cover. Raising crime fiction to an impressively high literary level…” —Midwest Book Review

Captivating

Well developed characters. Loved the format. Loved seeing all sides of the characters and how their dreams and flaws shaped their decisions.

Enjoyable!!

Really good plot and the narration was excellent!
Hope we get more from this author!

A well wrought and engaging mystery

The twists and turns in the lives of the six main characters intersect in complex ways. Boston with its wealthy and homeless residents is a seventh character that sets a compelling setting for the action.

Flawless

Superb cast of characters and exceptional plotting. Best thing I’ve listened to in 2024 and will read the authors backlist.

A Little hidden Art

This has a great ensemble of characters set against an incredible building. It has a great sense of place. The authors love art shines through.

I Feel Like I Know Each of These Characters!

I felt as if I also rented a storage unit and was an unseen part of the community in that building. I pulled a chair out into the hallway and watched all the action…

Multi-character story

A good format for audio, with each character voiced by a different narrator. Good story, interesting characters, although maybe a bit too much effort to make them PC.

Dumb

This story is dumb and pointless. There are too many characters and plots, and all are shallow and underdeveloped. None of the characters are particularly likeable or memorable, except maybe the lawyer. There is really no one to root for here, they are all engaged in illegal activity. There is really no reason for this to have been written or published, and definitely no reason to waste time listening to it. Save yourself.