Suspect

By: Robert Crais

Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews

Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Finalist, Thriller/Suspense, 2014

For 25 years, Robert Crais has written extraordinary novels of crime and suspense. He is "a master of crime fiction" (Associated Press); "his novels get better with every new book" (Portland Oregonian); "Crais is hands-down the world’s greatest crime writer" (The Huffington Post).

But in Suspect, he may have written his most remarkable novel of all.

LAPD cop Scott James is not doing so well, not since a shocking nighttime assault by unidentified men killed his partner, Stephanie, nearly killed him, and left him enraged, ashamed, and ready to explode. He is unfit for duty - until he meets his new partner.

Maggie is not doing so well, either. The German shepherd survived three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan sniffing explosives before she lost her handler to an IED and sniper attack, and her PTSD is as bad as Scott’s.

They are each other’s last chance. He was a young cop on the rise; she was bred to guard and protect. Now they are shunned and shunted to the side. They are suspect. And together they will set out to investigate the one case that no one wants them to touch: the identity of the men who murdered Stephanie.

Nine months and sixteen days later, they remained free. They were still out there.

What they begin to find is nothing like what Scott has been told, and where it will lead them will take them both through the darkest moments of their own personal hells. Whether they will make it out again, no one can say.

Thrilling, emotional, intense, with some of the best characters and well-crafted writing in all of crime fiction, Suspect is further proof that "Crais just keeps getting better" (Publishers Weekly).

©2013 Robert Crais (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Of Partners and Pack

I don't read a lot of detective stories, but I picked up this book on Audible's Deal of the Day strictly because the dog silhouette on the cover art caught my eye. My two greatest passions in life are dogs and books so I have known and loved a LOT of both and when the two are combined, I'm in. As a detective story, Suspect, strikes me as a bit thin on plotting, but as a dog story, this book delivers big time. I don't know if any author has ever before brought me to tears in 20 minutes, but the opening scene of Suspect is really powerful. If you have ever loved a soldier or a dog, listen to the beginning of this book with tissues handy! The plot of Suspect is not as intricate or suspenseful as some I've read, but it is believable and interesting The character development and the evolution of the relationship between Scott James and Maggie, the two central protagonists, is totally engaging and made the book a terrific pleasure for me. Robert Crais captured the essence of a working GSD and wove it into his story so well that I was amazed. We may not know exactly how dogs think and perceive the world, but if you have lived with or, better yet, worked with a shepherd, you will recognize this dog and how Crais portrays the workings of her mind. And, I particularly liked the way Crais noted the differences between military canine training and temperament requirements and police canine work. This book was the best fit for MacLeod Andrews that I've heard yet. His voice has a nice grim undertone for a detective narrative and he switches surprisingly well to the "baby dog voice" that virtually all trainers recommend when soothing or encouraging a dog in training. I highly recommend this book as an entertaining and poignant read for anyone who loves a good dog story. I would love it if Robert Crais made this partnership into a series. PS: Thanks to Audible for Deal of the Day! I love having the chance for a low cost sample outside of my normal genres and finding a little gem like Suspect made my day.

Mr. Crais, listen up. Please!

You have got to write more books, or longer books. It's too hard to wait in-between.

I loved this book. I loved your last book, and the one before that... but they are too short! It's like having to end dinner at the restaurant after they've given you your appetizer.

So, please, please write more. I'll come do your dishes if it means you could spend more time writing.

For all listeners...if you are undecided or have never heard of this author, get the book. It's excellent and you won't be disappointed. Crais' novels appeal to readers of many different genres - thrillers, murder/mystery, human interest, crime drama, spy novels, romance, etc.

Technically, the book is flawlessly written. And Crais has a rare talent for timing, dialog and internal narration that keeps the story moving and keeps the reader hooked. His characters are honorable and flawed and you end up caring about them greatly - this is hard to do, and just about no one does it as well as Crais.

Excellent book, excellent author -- he just needs to write MORE, please! :)

(And please write more with Joe Pike - he's my fav.)

Astonishingly good

The main plot of the book seems both simple and transparent from the beginning. A man and a dog, both plagued by the death of a comrade and friend and both in need of healing, find their comfort, solace and the end of their pain with each other. While the plot seems simple the story is engaging, the characters seem real and the writing is first class. Although I felt that I knew what was coming I could not put the book down and, when I could not read it due to other things I had to do, I kept thinking about when I would be able to get back to Scott and Maggie.

In fact there are two intertwined plots in this book. The first, which I mentioned above, tapers down from being the main story line at the beginning to being only a thread toward the end. The second, about the search for the killers of Scott's first partner, expands as the first plot diminishes and, toward the end of the book, becomes a very large presence. Both plots are engaging and while I felt that the plot involving the theft and killing was relatively uninteresting it became more and more gripping as the story progressed and, by the end, became the driving force for the entire story and fully engaged me as a reader. I was so taken by the characters in this book that if I could find another Crais book with these two characters I would buy it in an instant.

An astonishingly good read, well narrated and highly recommended.

GREAT!

Would you consider the audio edition of Suspect to be better than the print version?

You get the feel of the story being in audio

What was one of the most memorable moments of Suspect?

The bonding between man and dog

What about MacLeod Andrews’s performance did you like?

Very clean

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

Being a dog lover, when Maggies first partner was killed I thought wow. Good healing story for man and beast.

Any additional comments?

Very good, being a fan of Pike and Cole I think this tops the cake.

A Must for Dog People

Which character – as performed by MacLeod Andrews – was your favorite?

Maggie. I loved getting inside her head, her senses, her world.

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

Yes. Almost did.

Any additional comments?

Really really wonderful, would love to read a sequel. Will certainly check out the author's other titles.

If you love SUSPENSE & DOGS this is EXCEPTIONAL!!!

This book was one I could NOT put down --- stop listening to! The reader was great. Several parts of the story kept me "hanging with "...what happened?" This is my first listen to one of Robert Crais tales ... I LOOK FROWARD TO MORE...!!!

Surprise

Would you consider the audio edition of Suspect to be better than the print version?

I really liked the narrator in this story.

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

At first I was wondering where this was going. But slowly it became clearer. I really liked how the story was told from the perspectives of the main characters and I grew to really like these people.

Which scene was your favorite?

I liked the scene where Maggie chased down the burgler's brother in the park.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed hearing the background of Maggie and how loyal she was to her human pack leader in the Marines. I also enjoyed how the author explained things from Maggie's perspective. My heart dropped towards the end when I didn't know if she died or survived for a few minutes... very happy with the ending.

If U love mysteries&dogs U are going to love this!

Where does Suspect rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Have listened to probably 300 books, and this one is in the top 10, and darn close to the top.

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

Absolutely. The book is fairly short, so keeps moving rapidly. I found myself sitting in a variety of parking lots (the dentist, my job, lunch date with a friend, concert parking, my own garage) not wanting to turn the story off. Scott and Maggie are a very compelling pair, that one wants to see be safe and happy...but there are a lot of obstacles in their way, but I was there rooting for them every step of their way.

Which character – as performed by MacLeod Andrews – was your favorite?

It's close...both Scott and Maggie are great, but I have to say it was Maggie that had hold of my heart. I lost my great dog a couple of years ago, and Maggie brought back lots of memories of him, and his loyalty to me.

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

It isn't a book that really made me do either...it was better than that! "Suspect" is suspenseful and interesting. The segments written from Maggie's perspective were terrific, and again, when I would think about the behavior of my dog, made absolute sense. The author must have a great relationship with a dog, to have written it so well.

Any additional comments?

I hope this pair of characters become a series of books...I haven't had nearly enough of them!

Worth the hype

I'm always a bit nervous when I start a book that has a lot of great press and reviews. If my expectations are too high it can mean being disappointed in a book when normally I wouldn't have been. Fortunately that was not the case with this book. The story grabbed my interest right from the start and never let go. I'm not a big dog lover but Maggie worked her way into my heart as she did the same with Scott. The mystery and suspense was good. All in all just what I like in this sort of book. MacLeod Andrews did a good job with the characterizations. While not quite rising to the level of the best of the best performances he still did an admirable job with this book.

Great Teamwork

Love giving Maggie a voice. Scott & Maggie overcome a lot. can't wait for next book.