Fifty Grand

A Novel of Suspense

By: Adrian McKinty

Narrated by: Paula Christensen

Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

An illegal immigrant is killed in a hit-and-run on a frozen mountain road in the town of Fairview, Colorado. No one is prosecuted for his death and his case is quietly forgotten. Six months later another illegal makes a treacherous run across the border, barely escaping with her life. She finds work as a maid and, secretly, begins to investigate the death of her father. But she isn't a maid, and she's not Mexican. She's Detective Mercado, a police officer from Havana, and she's looking for answers to her father's death. McKinty's live-wire prose is riveting, right up to a final, shocking conclusion.

©2009 Barron's Educational Series, Inc. (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This amazing novel....has riveting mystery, politics of just about every shade, and thrills on almost every page. . . .This is going to be the BIG BOOK of 2009." - (Ken Bruen, author of The Guards and Once Were Cops)

exceeded my expectations

Magical! Adrian McKinty is in a class all by himself. I applaud his originality and can't wait to read what comes next. This book is just as fantastic as the dead series.

another good read from McKinty

slow start - but very good overall. I liked the narrator unlike some of the other folks that rated the book.

Great story!

This is the first stand alone Adrian McKinty book that I have listened to. I have enjoyed the Michael Forsythe and Sean Duffy books so much I decided to give this one a try and I'm really glad I did. It's amazing to me that this author can write such vastly different stories with such mastery and knowledge.
If you have read his other books you know that his main characters are typically deeply flawed, but relatable, and Mercado is no exception. The character development is one of the things that appeals to me most about his books, and since this book is from the female point of view I enjoyed it even more.
The story is excellent, settings are described beautifully, and the pace is spot on. I couldn't stop listening.
The narration is absolutely stellar. I definitely recommend this book.

Terrific mystery and thriller; excellent narration

The story is relatively complex, with many different issues, but which eventually are all explained and resolved. One twist after another kept me guessing, and it was hard to guess the outcome even though, in retrospect, all the clues were there. The characters are mostly multidimensional, and the narrator does an excellent job over the wide range of personalities, accents, and dialects. Told from the first person point of view of a woman, the description sometimes becomes awkward. For example, while describing action in present tense, author resorts to devices such as "I didn't see him hiding in the trees." It was similar in the Dead trilogy, which I also enjoyed. This one didn't have the humor of those, so some may find it slow at times. The narrative contains lots of graphic violence and gore which some may find difficult to take, but which I found realistic. So many writers treat death and killing as if it we were watching a cartoon, but not McKinty. He is a gifted and imaginative writer, able to handle challenging material successfully. From this book, you would never know he's Irish.

Gritty, powerful and suspenseful

I listened and after that I got a print copy for my wife. Clearly if you are offended by violence and rough language this is not the book for you. But if you enjoy multi-cultural, multi-location stories with characters of questionable morals and limited scruples this may be a good choice.

The book begins with 2 flashbacks...no intros or explanations...of searingly violent content. This leaves the reader in a dark spot wondering how did these events happen and who are the characters. This is typical of McKinty's wonderful narrative style.

After finishing this book I went on to read a couple other McKinty titles. Both were fun, but this is still my favorite.

The reader is good but

The brilliance of this author needs a different reader. I think it IS the timing that is off.

slow start but solid story

i stopped listening after a few minutes.. came back a month later.. was it the violence that put me off, or adjusting to the reader's accent? something.. others have mentioned that..
but once you start listening, the portrait of Cuba and of the acting world in LA, and the chasm between the rich and poor in Colorado, are all so vivid that they stay with you.. you feel like you know them now, that you know something real about those worlds.. the story unfolds in a mckinty way, complicated and layered..

Better as it goes

I bought this title based on audible recommendation and initially thought I'd made a big mistake. After the first scene, things moved slowly with flash backs to fill in the gaps. It took me a while too to get used to this. The narrator did a good job but was not all that convincing as she read for different characters. About halfway through the story I became a little more engaged, though the development of the story still had difficulty holding my attention.

Good except for the narration

I was shocked to hear a woman's voice in an Adrian McKinty novel but the story was very good. Regarding the narrator, her voice was fine on it's own but as others have mentioned, she absolutely cannot do male voices. I've really never heard a female narrator that can which is why I seldom buy books with female narrators.

Great book, great narrator

I took a chance on this one not knowing the author. I loved it. I usually figure mysteries out either entirely or partially. This one I had no idea. I was very well written and I cant wait for the next one by this author and also the narrator. She was awesome to listen to. Best narrator Ive heard yet. I think Im in love....:)