Eyes Wide Open

By: Andrew Gross

Narrated by: Christian Hoff

Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

A horrible family tragedy that may not be what it seems....

A past encounter with an infamous killer turns deadly today....

An ordinary man must risk his own family to find the truth.

Jay Erlich's nephew has been found at the bottom of a cliff at Morrow Bay. It's all just a tragic suicide, until secrets from the past begin to rear up again. Did a notorious killer, jailed for many decades, have his hand in this?

Years ago, Jay Erlich's older brother, Charlie, a wayward child of the sixties, set out for California, where he fell under the sway of a charismatic but deeply disturbed cultlike figure. Tragedy ensued and lives were destroyed, but as the decades passed, Charlie married and raised a family and lived a quiet, secluded life under the radar. Yet the demons that nearly destroyed him never completely disappeared.

When Jay heads out west to help his grieving brother, he is pulled back into Charlie's past—and begins to suspect that his nephew's suicide may not have been that at all. With eyes wide open, Jay puts his own life at risk to uncover the truth, a quest that goes beyond the edge of madness and a family haunted by a secret past . . . and into the depths of evil.

Drawing on two real-life experiences from his own past, Gross has crafted a richly personal, yet utterly terrifying tale of two brothers, one successful, one wayward, trying to bridge the gap of what tore them apart.

©2011 Andrew Gross (P)2011 HarperCollins Publishers

Great listen

Would you listen to Eyes Wide Open again? Why?

This was a great listen and had me engrosed from the begining

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

The plot was good and kept moving

What about Christian Hoff’s performance did you like?

The narrator was excellent and bought out the suspensful moments very well

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

I didn't want to stop listening

Great listen but...

While the story line is facinating, the author seems to repeat the obvious and the narrative was overly dramatic at times. Long after you've drawn your conclusion, it is still being spelling it out for you. Over all, I enjoyed the story, and it seems it was left open for a sequel, to which I would likely listen.

Not too cerebral but somewhat entertaining

If you could sum up Eyes Wide Open in three words, what would they be?

Overall the story was pretty good (although a very predictable story line). The narrator was very good.

Would you recommend Eyes Wide Open to your friends? Why or why not?

yes, an entertaining quick read.

Have you listened to any of Christian Hoff’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

NA

Sob Story

What did you like best about Eyes Wide Open? What did you like least?

The story line is good, but clearly steals some plot from world-famous murders giving the feeling that the author does not have much imagination of his own.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator sounds as if he is on the verge of tears throughout the entire reading. Sympathy for the ne'er-do-well brother is too forced, and the sobby voice is irritating.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

I would not go see this if it were a movie. A little too predictable.

Great book; won't dissapoint Gross fans

Definitely Andrew Gross' darkest and most suspenseful book yet. Some of the descriptions were rather violent, but it's part of the story. The narrator, Christian Hoff, is excellent.

Good story content.

What made the experience of listening to Eyes Wide Open the most enjoyable?

The performance person was excellent.

What did you like best about this story?

Some surprises in content.

Which scene was your favorite?

No one scene stands out. Just listen to content flow.

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

No. I just enjoyed it.

Any additional comments?

I would recommend it as it was a decent story line with some surprises.

Too Dark

Nothing like other books I have listened to by same author. Too dark. Did not like the book or narrator --

2nd worse audio book

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Unsure.

Has Eyes Wide Open turned you off from other books in this genre?

No.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Eyes Wide Open?

Everything after his trip to CA.

Any additional comments?

I've listened to many audio books. This is the 2nd worse (that honor belongs to "The Quickie" by
James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge). In almost all books you can relate to the protagonist even though you may not entirely agree with them. In this case, I never could related to the protagonist. He's suppose to be a brillant doctor and other than the protagonist in "The Quickie" he's probably the dumbest. Near the end of the book he states he's a doctor who considers all the evidence before making a decision--that's a lie, he does the opposite of the facts for the entire book. He has an obession that is impossible to understand. It has to do with his nephew which he didn't have a close or good relationship with. This obession extends to his brother and his sister-in-law that he never had a close connection. I personally felt no empathy for the nephew, brother or sister-in-law. I hardly ever give up on a book. In this case, at the half-way point I decided to give it up. However, I was listening to the book in the car and decided to download a new book when I got home. Unfortunately, there was a bit of a mystery that hooked me. Once that resolved itself I should have quit but at this point my see-it-to-the-end kicked in. But that was a mistake. The story became very predictable and it just kept dragging on. It seems like the epilogue is setting up a sequel.

Was probably good...

What disappointed you about Eyes Wide Open?

The story itself was good I just hard a hard time listening to it.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

It was okay, kinda left you hanging.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Christian Hoff?

Almost anyone. His halting mannor of speaking ruined the book.

Any additional comments?

I actually enjoyed the story it was just distracting the way it was narrated.