Chiefs

By: Stuart Woods

Narrated by: Mark Hammer

Length: 17 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

In 1919, Delano, Georgia, appoints its first chief of police. Honest and hardworking, the new chief is puzzled when young men start to disappear. But his investigation is ended by the fatal blast from a shotgun. Delano's second chief-of-police is no hero, yet he is also disturbed by what he sees in the missing-persons bulletins. In 1969, when Delano's third chief takes over, the unsolved disappearances still haunt the police files.

Author Stuart Woods' riveting novel spans three generations while also probing deep into Southern small-town attitudes and behavior. The residents of Delano, with their reluctance to disturb a familiar social order, provide the perfect backdrop for this tale of dark secrets and murder.

Over 40 years ago, Woods found a battered chief-of-police badge in his grandmother's house. It had belonged to his grandfather, who had been shot in the line of duty. The story of the lawman's death inspired Woods to write Chiefs, which won an Edgar Award and was made into a popular TV miniseries.

©1981 Stuart Woods (P)2006 Recorded Books LLC

Critic reviews

"A riveting story of the Deep South that mixes murder mystery with political intrigue." (Publishers Weekly)
"A fascinating, compelling tale." (The New York Times)
"The homey wisdom of [Hammer's] voice, coupled with Woods's engaging story, makes this audiobook memorable." (AudioFile)

So timely!

Racism in our country against blacks make me sick. This novel was based in Georgia and gives a perfect description of how things were. This novel reminds me of how people thought in Ft. Worth when I grew up.

This book is also a great story and mystery. You will be rooting for the good guy. Also a little surprise twist at the end that will make you think.

I loved it.

One of the best books I've read in a long time!

I wasn't sure this would be a book that I'd be interested in as I don't care for a lot of military / police books but this book transcends any category you try to put it into. It has virtually everything we read stories for and even though it was amazingly long, I was sad to have it end.
While the narration was fairly good, it was not overly animated which seemed to suit the story as well. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers, mysteries and in general a great story.

Good story woven with history

Good story showing the hideousness of racism but The South is/was not monolithic. Good Sheriff, Bad Sheriff who discovered the secret, and Good Sheriff stories tied together effectively. Ending was subtle and excellent.

Thrilling any engaging every minute of the way.

I was immediately interested in each character in the story, and when the book ended I longed to know the future of all of them, like they were old friends I needed to catch up on. Excellent listen. Sorry it is over.

Good listen, misleading description

Where does Chiefs rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

4 Star

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

Yes. Though I was expecting the story to be a crime mystery about missing persons, it was a story about entrenched race inequality in Georgia from the 1920's to the 1960's. The missing persons was a thin thread through the story.

What about Mark Hammer’s performance did you like?

Good. I love those deep, slow, southern voices.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Nothing exceptional; just a good story and a fine retelling of the race struggles in the deep south; replete with the local Sheriffs and Mayors belonging to the KKK and blacks in the courtroom balcony, An American story that''s been told many times in many ways.

Wow early work was great

I really enjoyed this book. Excellent narration. Must explore more early novels. Fun to listen to never lost interest. Gavin Bruney

Walk in my shoes

I was born in Savannah, Ga. in 1946. I grew up in a small town in a neighboring county.. I am a white man. I was a part of and a witness to the culture and people portrayed in this book. Even though Mark Hammer was born in San Jose, Ca. his dialect and, just as important, his speech delivery, is spot on.

This is my second time to listen to this book. I read and listened to it many years ago. It takes me back in time to a history and culture that is very important to always remember. It was both a good and a bad time. The author wrote a fantastic story and captured Georgia during those times perfectly. He shows that the people in Georgia at that time were not always racists and mean. But, it is very important for him to tell about the bad people.

Anyhow, Mr. Woods wrote a great book and Mr. Hammer breathed life into it.

Great story and great narration

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Mr. Hammer as he narrated this audio book. The story also kept my interest through out. I would recommend to all..

Great story, but the narrator...

I think the author owed the narrator a debt, and repaid it by allowing him to narrate the story! What a great story, but I almost gave up on it due to the narrator. You could hear him turning the pages and drinking during the narration. His pacing was off throughout the story. For example, sometimes he would say the chapter number so fast, I didn't realize that we were in another chapter. And, then there were times when he took so long to state the next chapter that I thought that the book had ended.

If you are looking for different character voices, don't pick this book. The narrator attempted to sound like a woman early in the story, but gave up in the middle of the woman's dialogue. I mean, you could literally hear when he gave up speaking like a woman. And, every character sounds alike--every character.

However, because the narrator had a THICK southern accent, it fit right into the story. If you can get past all that (and I'm so glad that I was able to), the story is so worth it. And, I can't imagine hearing this story any other way.

Great Listen

Where does Chiefs rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is a very good listen.

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

The narrator keep a great pace and the story moved.

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

It was too long to listen to in one sitting but easy to pick up where left off.