• Option to Kill

  • A Nathan McBride Novel, Book 3
  • By: Andrew Peterson
  • Narrated by: Dick Hill
  • Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (3,554 ratings)

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Option to Kill  By  cover art

Option to Kill

By: Andrew Peterson
Narrated by: Dick Hill
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Publisher's summary

Nathan McBride, “the most brutally effective thriller hero to appear in years” (Ridley Pearson, author of Killer Weekend), returns in the third installment of one of the best new series in thriller fiction.

When Nathan McBride receives a text message from someone who claims she’s been kidnapped, it triggers a deadly chain of events that has the potential to haunt him for the rest of his life. Nathan will soon learn that nothing from his past could ever prepare him for the crisis he’ll soon be facing. The girl’s name is Lauren and she’s just 12 years old. With virtually no experience with children, Nathan’s patience and compassion are about to be tested to their limits.

In a violent confrontation, Nathan rescues Lauren from her kidnapper, but as he unravels Lauren's story, he realizes his troubles are only beginning. She says she's in the Witness Security Program, and doesn't trust the US Marshals because she thinks they're complicit in her abduction. Not only that, her stepdad was murdered last night.

In a desperate and unlikely alliance, Nathan and Lauren must stay one step ahead of her kidnapper and the brutal mercenaries who will kill anyone who gets in their way. Played out over the course of 36 lightning-fast hours, Nathan and Lauren must learn to trust each other or they won’t survive.

©2012 Andrew Peterson (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

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What listeners say about Option to Kill

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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An Outstanding Story with Engaging Characters

Based on the first review of this book, I purchased it to see if the review was accurate. I'm familiar with this author and found it difficult to believe he'd create an unlikable character. My instincts were correct.

Lauren is a twelve-year-old girl who's been kidnapped. Despite being stressed to the breaking point, she's poised and collected. She's not whiney at all, just the opposite. Sure, she's uneasy from her situation (who wouldn't be?) and has to trust a complete stranger (Nathan) but I think she's charming, intelligent, and capable. Part of the the intrigue, is how Nathan and Lauren must learn to trust each other and I think Mr.Peterson did a masterful job developing their relationship!

OPTION TO KILL is a departure for this author and I admire how he's avoided being formulaic with his story telling. We never leave Nathan's perspective in OPTION so the listener unravels the story alongside Nathan.

It's a fast-paced adventure that also reveals a deeper part if Nathan that I didn't know existed. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to more stories from Mr. Peterson. Keep up the great work! And Dick is simply amazing! This was a challenging project for him and I couldn't be happier with the result!

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Came in at the middle, I guess

This is apparently one of those series where you have to start with the first book. As it is, I feel like I walked into the middle of the movie, starting with this #3 book. There's just no background information offered that makes anything else make sense: who is this man with the (apparently) scarred face? We have only the barest explanation, and there's no explanation for the scars -- and he gets testy when "the girl" asks. Why would this man immediately, and without question, put his life on the line on the basis of one anonymous phone call? From someone he's never even heard of, let alone met? What's the basis of this mysterious partnership he has with another (absent) man? What do they do, and why? Okay, he's a "private investigator" -- but how many PI's would act as MacBride does, on NO information -- let alone no promise of any kind of payment?

Beyond that, this "Nathan MacBride" is a little tough to deal with. He's constantly issuing terse orders: "Don't touch me". "Don't come up behind me". "Don't talk to me." "Don't ever wake me up." And gets downright nasty if the poor kid forgets. The girl, for her part, has some oddities herself. There she is, 12 years old, has mastered all kinds of things, electronics, the solar system, cooking, guns and ammunition, etc etc. She mastered an entire series of hand signals in "less than a minute", we're told. But yet she doesn't understand the word "intangible"? That word she has to have explained to her? Doesn't make sense.

If you like cat-and-mouse thrillers, and don't need to know who any of the characters are, or why they're either running or being chased, this is probably a pretty good book. Lots of techno-geek stuff, lots of tense chases over hill and dale. But if you need to know a little more about who, what and why anybody is doing anything, then either skip this book, or maybe start with the first book in the series. I'm not going to pursue this series any farther, but I can understand it has an audience.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A perfect combination

What did you love best about Option to Kill?

I couldn't wait for the next Nathan McBride book. The only downside was that I couldn't stop listening ... And it was over all to soon ... And now I am waiting again!

It didn't disappoint. If possible it just keeps getting better. Great characters, both old and new - I LOVE both Nathan and Harv, Stone and Granger. And Jin and Lauren are great adds. Fantastic detail, intriguing yet plausible plots. Love the series!

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

I have listened to many Dick Hill narrations. In fact, searching by his name is how I discovered Andrew Peterson - and other authors who would soon become favorites. He is my favorite narrator, who is especially talented at defining each character with tone, cadence and attitude which both perfectly fits the character, brings them to life, and helps the story flow easily.

This is another excellent narration.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Where was Harve? The whiner niece has to go

I thought they were a team (Nathan & Harve) but they bring in a whiney niece
who drags the story down. All she does is whine. I loved the first
two books but I must say this is a dud. Don't waste your
money. I'm sending this book back. Sorry Mr. Peterson
More Harve and less whine.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

I would listen to Dick Hill read the phone book

Nathan McBride is a good, solid character. Story holds close to Jack Reacher novel. A series also read by Dick Hill. Mr. Hill makes the material better. Like a great actor he can make a good story great. No wonder he has won so many audible awards. If there is a better reader--I have not heard them yet. Very entertaining and now I want to hear the other two books in this series.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

a great thriller

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, because it has a great action without being bogged down with to much detail.

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

Yes, Peterson did a great job blending all the scenes together. The suspense of the gun battles, being on the run, and the mysteries behind the characters combined together to provide a great balance that made it hard to stop listening.

What about Dick Hill’s performance did you like?

Yes, no complaints. There were occasional background noises but it didn't really effect the performance.

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

No. At least not emotionally. I could relate to some of Nathan's internal dialog and so it did make me think about some things.

Any additional comments?

The greatest factor for giving this book five stars were the new characters. I hope Peterson plans to make them to into major characters in future books. Nathan Mcbride needs all the help he can get ...

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Kidnapped child

When I read the first book in this series I was trying out a new author, and was happy with the book, we are now at book three and I must say I am delighted with the series so far. Dick Hill is one of my favorite narrators and he did his usual great job with this book. I like the way Peterson stays with the story from Nathan McBride's view point and I don't have to balance a number of side stories or view points along the way. This book is all action from the very first sentence. The suspense builds as the story goes along and you can not stop listening. Nathan gains a half sister and a niece in this story and some of the characters from prior books are included it this one. Can not wait for the next book in the series to come out.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

option to kill

What made the experience of listening to Option to Kill the most enjoyable?

this is the third book in the nathan mcbride series. it is not as good as the first two, however it is still a worthwhile listen. if you never had kids then it may not be for you. one reviewer said that he thought the girl whinned throughout the story, but i didn't see it that way at all. it was a good book that as in the first two kept me not wanting to put in down. listened to it in three days. i would recommend it.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

make the 12 year old girl a little less bright. i have no doubt that there are very smart 12 yr olds, just not this sharp about tactacles would be more realistic

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

yes many. i very much enjoy dick hill as a narrator. he and scott brick are probably my favs

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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Ed
  • 05-18-17

Picks up after tedious start

The first couple of hours in this book were hard to get through. The best way I could describe it is a "slow-speed car chase." I'm not a big fan of high-speed car chases so this stepped-down version bordered on brutal. As the venue changed, the book became more palatable. This was my first Nathan McBride listen and I'm likely to try another. It was hard for me to disassociate this listen from the Jack Reacher series, no so much for the character and plot, but because of Dick Hill's narration which was good. The bad guy in this novel was truly bad, which I liked. The plot was somewhat convoluted and strained credulity but, hey, it's a novel. Fans of mystery/thrillers will be satisfied with this listen.

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    2 out of 5 stars

DISAPPOINTING & SAPPY

What did you like best about Option to Kill? What did you like least?

After reading the first 2 Nathan McBride books, I thought Nathan and Harvey were a team. Here Nathan goes off half-cocked rather than wait 15 hours for Harv to return from a family vacation in Istanbul. What was worse is that he made his 12 year old rescued kidnap victim his "wing man" in a very dangerous mission in the middle of the desert against a dozen trained mercenaries and the child murderer the little girl just escaped from. Did he consider what would happen to the young girl if he got himself killed? Plus I found her whining annoying. Nathan was nothing less than a child abuser himself to subject the girl to multiple violent murders in an era when kids can't tell the difference - either morally or legally - between a violent video game like "Call To Duty" and real life murders. Maybe it's just me, but I don't like mixing impressionable babies with my special ops killing missions.

What could Andrew Peterson have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Even if Harv was out of the picture, Peterson should have first secured the safety of the little girl, THEN let Nathan go on the mission. My favorite assassin Court Gentry of Mark Greaney's "The Gray Man" series does all of his assignments alone. To take that child along to meet with a guy who is an admitted child rapist was extremely stupid and implausible. Plus she's one of those kids who grew up with "time out" rather than "knocked out" - she was stubborn, obstinate, and smart-mouthed, rarely doing what Nathan tells her to do in time-sensitive situations. Her repeated "Whyyyyy?" would have driven me crazy and I'm a mother, not an unmarried, childless sniper. If Harvey had been been on the scene, as a father and the duo's voice of reason, he'd never allowed that little girl to accompany them on the various assignments in this story. I found the child to be a distraction rather than an addition to the story.

What about Dick Hill’s performance did you like?

Dick Hill is a favorite of mine. He does better here than in "Forced To Kill" where he got his male character voices mixed up and had the females sounding like they sucked on helium. The "Daffy Duck" voice works better on the 12 year old.

Was Option to Kill worth the listening time?

In a way it was. Overall it is a thrilling ride from start to finish. My only issue is that having that child along almost ensures that Nathan will live - which pretty much gives away the ending. The epilogue is rather sappy considering the main characters' backgrounds and all of the killing.

Any additional comments?

Again, the child makes the story totally unbelievable. In the final mission, she's left on a hill in the Mohave Desert dressed in a camouflage gillie suit, acting as Nathan's spotter. She's given a crash course in covert ops hand signals, location coordinates, the use of a 2-way radio, AND the ELT on his Bell helicopter hidden nearby. She even drives the getaway car in a prior mission and in the final one. Really? Nathan did everything except give her a Glock!! He even admits that a Search and Rescue team was likely not to reach her in time. Plus the mission was to rescue the child's mother from a sadistic serial killer with a thing for adolescent females and whom kidnaps young orphaned Latino girls (for a reason a reason I won't reveal here) and then allows his posse to rape the girls before they are murdered and their bodies dumped. Without Harvey in the picture, Nathan makes a lot of bumbling mistakes which should have gotten him killed. The shoot out in Nordstrom and the mall was just plain dumb because with an Amber Alert in place for the girl he'd just rescued in a nearby street shoot out would have caused mall security to immediately lock all doors preventing his egress from the area. I understand that the lure of this kind of thriller is that they are improbable but not impossible. However this story asks the reader to overlook blaring inconsistencies and implausible actions by a normally organized person. I will read any upcoming books in this series since I feel this was an aberration. I'm just stunned to see the large number of other reviewers who didn't find having that child take part in dangerous operations involving torture, rape, and killing a bit ridiculous and disconcerting. Maybe none of them are mothers........😡

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