Cathedral

By: Nelson DeMille

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 19 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

An Irish-American police officer and a British intelligence officer face off against a dangerous terrorist who's holding people hostage in Saint Patrick's Cathedral.

St. Patrick's Day, New York City. Everyone is celebrating, but everyone is in for the shock of his life. Born into the heat and hatred of the Northern Ireland conflict, IRA man Brian Flynn has masterminded a brilliant terrorist act: the seizure of Saint Patrick's Cathedral. Among his hostages: the woman Brian Flynn once loved, a former terrorist turned peace activist. Among his enemies: an Irish-American police lieutenant fighting against a traitor inside his own ranks and a shadowy British intelligence officer pursuing his own cynical, bloody plan. The cops face a booby-trapped, perfectly laid-out killing zone inside the church. The hostages face death. Flynn faces his own demons, in an electrifying duel of nerves, honor, and betrayal.

©1981 Nelson Demille (P)2009 Hachette

Critic reviews

"A home-run thriller." ( Chicago Tribune)

Political meets so called martyrs

With a history so young as the US plus all of its diversity makes an ordinary American have trouble imagining the hurt and the hate tat goes on for generations. This story puts light on such individuals who cannot and will not come to terms with the past.

Good Story - Very Long

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to a friend.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The most interesting part of the story was the history of the Cathedral as well as the dynamics between political groups and specific people.The main characters were interesting and wanting to know what happens to them keeps the listener going.There are a lot of characters. Generally I have no trouble keeping track of the characters and what their roles are. There were several times I mixed up whether a person was one of the terrorists or one of the policemen.This book is also very long when it doesn't need to be. There were a few times I zoned out and it did not detract from my ability to follow the story. That tells me it could have been written with a little less detail without losing anything.The end has enough twists that it is worth sticking with the story through to the end.

What does Scott Brick bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Scott Brick adds excellent accents to the reading. He also has a great ability to bring the characters to life. You almost feel like you know them as living people rather than just words on a page.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This was not a book I wanted to listen to all in one sitting. After awhile, my thoughts would wander. However, I always wanted to come back to it and find out what happened.My favorite characters were Maureen, Flynn, and Burke.

pretty good book

Maybe Scott Brick needs to take a break. His voice has gotten progresively whiney over the past couple of years. It's hard to listen to. He used to be the best. I used to buy books just because Brick was the narrator, now I'm swinging a full 180 degrees, looking for books he isn't reading! I'm not sure I'll be able to choke down the other two parts of this book.

Lengthy. Gratuitous brutality.

DeMille is my favorite author, among a long and distinguished list of great suspense and military/paramilitary/cop writers. This novel caught my eye years ago but I decided on newer selections. Kinda wish I had skipped this one. Very lengthy; hostage scenario was the majority of the book. Too much for me. One positive note: I felt compelled to learn about the IRA and the history of the Northern Ireland. Never really knew much about all that. Tragic history. Tragic present. Tragically unnecessary.

Can Demille write a bad book?

Apparently not! And, they all are different. No common formula etc. How does he dream this stuff up? Starts fast stays fast, in that sense it's classic DeMille, if there is such a thing.

Absolutely Amazing!

In the last two months I have read 20 of Nelson DeMille's books. This one is, by far, my favorite one. Riveting, captivating, interesting, amazing, etc. How else can I describe it?

Almost excellent!

30 years ago, I would not have used the word "almost" in the review title. Nostalgia was a recurring theme throughout the novel, and I'm old enough to felt it as I listened to the 1981 novel. I liked it very much. If you can't remember when the Irish "troubles" were in the news, rather than what we read now, you may not like it. But it's a worthwhile read from a thoughtful author, and Scott Brick's accents are a bonus.

NOT THE BEST

Love Nelson DeMille but this was not one of his best....too much the same....a lot of characters....never really cared what happened to any of them or the storyline. Rather boring.

Too many words, Too little story.

Not one of DeMille's best efforts. Would have been better had it moved more quickly.

Don't believe low reviews-Great emotional suspense

As an Irish American who has been to NYC's St. Patrick's Cathedral many times, this book theme was a very emotional, suspenseful read in a highly charged political atmosphere. I almost didn't get this because of the many low reviews, but am so glad I listened to a friend instead. He's read most of the DeMille books and said this was a good one. My favorites so far are Charm School and The General's Daughter. Plum Island was very good except for the unnecessary version of the book on Audible - Plum Island-"Booktrack Edition". Def order Plum Island from a different audible book source than Audible. The normal titled "Plum Island" audible book must be better than this version. Cathedral is a great read. Def not a disappointment.