Ghostman

By: Roger Hobbs

Narrated by: Jake Weber

Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Stunningly dark, hugely intelligent and thoroughly addictive, Ghostman announces the arrival of an exciting and highly distinctive novelist.

When a casino robbery in Atlantic City goes horribly awry, the man who orchestrated it is obliged to call in a favor from someone who's occasionally called Jack. While it's doubtful that anyone knows his actual name or anything at all about his true identity, or even if he's still alive, he's in his mid-30s and lives completely off the grid, a criminal's criminal who does entirely as he pleases and is almost impossible to get in touch with. But within hours a private jet is flying this exceptionally experienced fixer and cleaner-upper from Seattle to New Jersey and right into a spectacular mess: one heister dead in the parking lot, another winged but on the run, the shooter a complete mystery, the $1.2 million in freshly printed bills god knows where and the FBI already waiting for Jack at the airport, to be joined shortly by other extremely interested and elusive parties. He has only 48 hours until the twice-stolen cash literally explodes, taking with it the wider, byzantine ambitions behind the theft. To contend with all this will require every gram of his skill, ingenuity and self-protective instincts, especially when offense and defense soon become meaningless terms. And as he maneuvers these exceedingly slippery slopes, he relives the botched bank robbery in Kuala Lumpur five years earlier that has now landed him this unwanted new assignment.

From its riveting opening, Ghostman effortlessly pulls the listener into Jack's refined and peculiar world - and the sophisticated shadowboxing grows ever more intense as he moves, hour by hour, toward a constantly reimprovised solution. With a quicksilver plot, gripping prose and masterly expertise, Roger Hobbs has given us a novel that will immediately place him in the company of our most esteemed crime writers.

©2013 Roger Hobbs (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Fast, hard and knowing: this is an amazing debut full of intrigue, tradecraft and suspense. Read it immediately!” (Lee Child)

“A slam-bang, pedal-to-the-metal crime story that fires on all cylinders and then some! Ghostman is a gritty, lean, mean adrenaline machine. Mostly, though, it was just plain fun to read. I absolutely loved this book and cannot recommend it highly enough.” (Christopher Reich)

“This watertight debut [is] at once slick and gritty… Straight out of the gate, Hobbs has mastered the essentials of a contemporary thriller: a noirlike tone, no-nonsense prose and a hero with just enough personality to ensure he doesn't come off as an amoral death machine [as well as] heart-stopping scenes that illustrate how small mistakes can turn catastrophic.” ( Kirkus, starred review)

Authentic And Full of Action!!

This book is very authentic, not like other books were the thief is so smart and so on... Nope, this book pulls you into Jack's many characters and characteristics. He is not after the usual goal (Being Rich, or Revenge) He just likes it when its fun and challenging. This character is not bad at all, with some work Jack could be an amazing character.

You have many characters here, and you have 2 different stories, one in the past, which comes every now and then, but the main one is the present time, which you think you know what is going on until you figure out the plot and the real deal.

I liked the narration,Jake Weber did a great job with the many different accents.

Overall, for a first book for this author, he did a fantastic job, and looking forward for more of his books.

Dark but engaging

I liked this book. The narrator fit the character. The story drew me in and kept me listening to it every chance I had. There are a couple of characters I would have liked to know more about - Angela, the mentor for one and Rebecca, the FBI agent for another, but not enough to downgrade my five star designation. I'll listen to other books this author publishes

Highly engaging listen

A unique and interesting character (the Ghost Man) escorts you into the world of high profile bank robbery. A great match of voice and character personality.

Move over Raymond Chandler!

It's hard to believe this is the debut novel of a 24-year-old! The ultimate novel for me is one I forget about the time on a treadmill or elliptical at the gym - and three days worth of workouts could have easily been one, had I been willing to spend an entire day at the gym. I'm so hoping that the Ghostman becomes a recurring character in an entire series of novels. And the narration by Jake Webber is spot on. Well done, Roger Hobbs.

almost got it

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I think Mr Hobbs was trying to recreate a new "Jack Reacher" by giving tips and explainations to aspects of his character's crimes. Mr. Hobbs almost made it with his character "The Ghostman" I found the book entertaining and interesting even though it's no Lee Childs. I feel as this author grows along with his character, the plot and writing will get much more tighter and smooth. I will definitely check out anything new with Roger Hobbs - he's up and coming.

Would you recommend Ghostman to your friends? Why or why not?

y

What aspect of Jake Weber’s performance would you have changed?

i read the reviews before listening and i must agree that the narrator - Jack Weber was a tad slow and somewhat monotonous. However, it wasn't to the point of distraction and probably wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't have read previous reviews. I guess book reviews can backfire.

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

y

Entertaining and an interesting protagonist.

Hobbs and Weber make a goo team. As a frequent reader of mystery fiction, I enjoyed listening to Ghostman.

Real noir

Entertaining well told crime story with interesting details of a heist for those who enjoy crime trivia and good background research. Two stories in different times told in a back and forth sequence which is well developed, adds to the tension and is not confusing. especially as they relate to each other. Excellent debut by this author. Am eager for the next publication.

Quite Entertaining!

I thought this book was quite entertaining. A few observations...

1. The lack of relationships was criticized but in the context of a 'ghost man' I thought this was appropriate. The main character was ruthlessly pragmatic and ultimately unencumbered by emotional attachments.

2. There were similarities between Jack Reacher which was a plus since I am a huge fan of Lee Child. Just more of a good thing.

3. For me, personally, there were plenty of moments in the book where I was pleasantly surprised at the way the way the scenes played out. It was slick and clever.

So all in all, a solid freshman effort that I would recommend to anyone.

Excellent , once I had got used to the switching!

If you could sum up Ghostman in three words, what would they be?

Intense, absorbing,

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ghostman?

the bank in KL

Which character – as performed by Jake Weber – was your favorite?

Ghostman

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

no

Any additional comments?

A very interesting look into the backgrounds for crime. How much does the author really know?

wow what a reader!

This is a fun book, replete with all the details that make you think you understand the criminal enterprise along with a handful of classic/cliched (take your pick) personality types. But this is the single best reader I have had the pleasure of listening to. He voices characters seamlessly and effortlessly -- and that is not a style of reading I particulatly enjoy, so understand that this is the highest praise possible. I am dismayed to learn that audible has no other books read by him -- I was prepared to buy anything and everything he has read.