Edge

A Novel

By: Jeffery Deaver

Narrated by: Skipp Sudduth

Length: 14 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Behind the well-known U.S. security organizations - the FBI and CIA among them - lies a heavily guarded, anonymous government agency dedicated to intelligence surveillance and to a highly specialized brand of citizen protection.

Shock waves of alarm ripple through the clandestine agency when Washington, D.C., police detective Ryan Kessler inexplicably becomes the target of Henry Loving, a seasoned, ruthless “lifter” hired to obtain information using whatever means necessary. While Loving is deft at torture, his expertise lies in getting an “edge” on his victim—leverage—usually by kidnapping or threatening family until the “primary” caves under pressure.

The job of keeping the Kessler family alive falls to a man named Corte, a senior federal protection officer known as a “shepherd.” Uncompromising, relentlessly devoted to protecting those in his care and a passionate board game aficionado, he applies brilliant gaming strategy to his work. For Corte, the reappearance of Loving—the man who, six years earlier, had tortured and killed someone close to him—is also an opportunity to avenge his friend’s death. The assignment soon escalates into a fast-paced duel between Corte and Loving, a dangerous volley of wits and calculated risks.

As he shepherds the Kesslers to a concealed safe house, Corte must anticipate Loving’s every step as the lifter moves in on his prey, and with the help of razor-sharp investigator Claire DuBois and his longtime ally, FBI agent Paul Fredericks, pinpoint which of Kessler’s seemingly insignificant cases has triggered Loving’s return. As the team digs deeper, each of the Kesslers comes under close scrutiny, and in captivity their family bonds are stretched to the breaking point—as the lifter draws near, Corte must ultimately choose between protecting his charges and exposing them to a killer in the name of long-awaited revenge.

©2010 Jeffrey Deaver (P)2010 Simon and Schuster Audio

Critic reviews

"Deaver unveils some nifty new tricks in this edge-of-your-seat thriller.... Deaver’s first first-person narrator, Corte, is an exciting new weapon in the author’s arsenal of memorable characters." ( Publishers Weekly)

"Fans of Deaver’s fiendishly clever suspensers... won’t be surprised by the nonstop deceptions, reversals, shocks and surprises, but this time they’re even more varied than usual, and, given the characters’ backgrounds, a lot more plausible. The result is his most successful thriller in years." ( Kirkus)

Skipp Wasn't That Bad!

The Edge had well-developed characters and many twists and turns. Once I was 2 or 3 hours into the book, I was able to overlook the narration. Skipp Suduth, the narrator, is not Scot Brick; however, I have definitely listened to worse! The main character was a board game enthusiast and was able to incorporate his strategic "board game intellectual mind" in his job as a shepherd (One who delivers witnesses to a safe house.) Between the two places there were many challenges where the main character was always trying to think a few moves ahead of the "bad guys." Just pay attention because the character's voices (inflections) are hard to differentiate. Over all, 4 stars to Mr. Deaver! Loray.

Nothing to keep me guessing-- No Surprises

I LOVE J. Deaver's older books- they always kept me guessing and had surprises that I never saw coming. However, lately, he is too easy to figure out. This one just put me to sleep- and maybe part of that was the narrator, who was not the best choice for this book. I yearn for some good old surprises- like when you think you have it all figured out and WHAM- you are floored when you find out who the bad guy is- and how cleverly Deaver kept it a secret. This book was just too predictable- - -.

sallysopinion

First Deaver novel I've listened to. I really enjoyed the characters, how he tied in the past through flashbacks. The suspense and twists were great. Narrater was very effective. Definately buy more of Deaver.

A Frantic Thrill Ride that Just Keeps on Going

This isn't for the faint at heart, but if you like non-stop action you'll love this one. Corte works for a secret U.S. agency that protects people with sensitive information that bad people are trying to procure. In this case Corte is pitted against a ruthless assassin, Henry Loving, and they play a deadly game of hide and seek that will leave you breathless. My only problem with Edge was it just kept on going and going much longer than it needed to.

got to see thru the mind of the shepherd.

started slow but enjoyed understanding why agents do what they do. good read. like Deaver.

Good book but Mr Narrator, there is no H in weapon

This is somewhat different from the previous Deaver books I have read or listened to but is just as fast paced and enjoyable as all the others. The narration is adequate for the most part. He is pretty much just reading the book aloud in a somewhat flat tone as opposed to delivering a performance. It is a testament to Mr Deavers skill as a writer that the narrator didn't ruin my enjoyment of his story. One thing I did find very jarring was that the word weapon was always pronounced wheppon with an annoying emphasis on the wh. Kind of like he was blowing to cool down his coffee or something. Why did the director not pick up on this???
Still despite this, i'd still say this audiobook is credit worthy.

HIS BEST YET!

Loved it! The narrator is AWESOME for this first-person novel. Would listen to him again.

Painful Listening Experience . . .

Would you try another book from Jeffery Deaver and/or Skipp Sudduth?

Not with Mr. Sudduth doing the narration. His mispronunciation of several different words and inconsistency with the same word made for an excruciating listening experience . . . like someone hitting the wrong key on the piano . . . or scraping their nails on a chalk board. The word weapon pronounced as wheapon was so annoying that I almost just stopped listening altogether . . . perhaps I should just go back to eBook copies of Deaver's works. I listen to a lot of audiobooks and this is the first time that this has occurred.

What could Jeffery Deaver have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Found someone else to do the narration.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Skipp Sudduth?

Anyone else . . .

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The story line was okay . . . wish I could erase the memory of listening . . . but I'm afraid that it was ruined even if I read a print copy . . . it would be replaying in my head.

I might have enjoyed the story

if not for the narration. The monotone and the mispronunciation ruined it for me.

The reader makes or breaks a book

I have been reading audio books for years and have to admit that I have some favorite narrators: Scott Brick and Dick Hill. There are also others that are good and although they are not my favorites, I still enjoy the book. On the other hand, a few times I have run into narrators where I am unable to continue reading due to their poor performance. This is one of those times. This book may be good, but the reader really ruined it for me and I am unable to finish it. I may try to get the paper book as I usually like Jeffery Deaver books, but I cannot read the audio copy.