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.

Gripping

This story had me hooked from the moment it began. Loved it. Superb performance, and thrilling to listen to...not much of a dog man, but this nearly changes my mind!

Best thing I've listened too in months!!!

Having a female GSD as a co-lead was icing on the cake on one of the best stories I've listened too in awhile!! Hope there will be more Scott and Maggie stories in the future!

Looking for a really good book?

This was a very good book for thrill seekers and dog lovers. I am looking forward to listening to more by this writer. Its cool that you get to experience multiple views of the happenings from the characters.

If you love mysteries and dogs...

I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this book. I had not read anything by this author before but look forward to getting another of his books. The mystery was a "page-turner" but the addition of a great dog was a special treat. Obviously the author knows the significant traits and instincts of dogs and it was easy to relate to his interpretations of the interactions between the protagonist and his partner. It made me wish I again had my own dog companion. Thank you Robert Crais.

Hell of a good book.

Awesome performance and writing. It was easy to get lost in time as I couldn't bring myself to turn it off.

Great listen!

Great book! More than what I expected. Great story and great narration. Enjoyed it tremendously.

Way to make me tear up in the prologue.

I bought Suspect just because MacLeod Andrews is the narrator. I hadn’t even remembered that I had read a previous book by this author (The Two Minute Rule) so I had no expectations besides the excellent narration. But in the prologue, we see Maggie’s POV (yes, the dog has a POV!) from the time when she lost her handler. And I was hooked.

And in love.

With the dog.

And I’m not even a dog person!

Like Maggie, Scott also lost his partner to violence and 9 months later, the culprits haven’t been apprehended. Scott’s life has changed dramatically since the shooting: he’s in pain, traumatized, and stubbornly refusing to take a medical retirement. It’s not clear why Scott decides to go for the K-9 unit but once he does, his and Maggie’s path intersect.

Slowly, Scott begins to bond with Maggie, even talking to his own shrink to find out how to help with her PTSD. At the same time, Scott gets involved in the investigation about his shooting, now that new detectives are on the case. This was the weak part of the book. After I remembered "The Two Minute Rule", I realized the plots were very similar. Same bad guys, same motive. The way in which Scott found the witness seemed too convoluted (although I understand this was a way to involve Maggie) and how he became a “suspect” was so fishy that you wonder how the Police was taken in. I liked Maggie and Scott so much though that I just went along for the ride.

I loved how the author did Maggie’s POV. Her thoughts are all about pleasing and protecting Scott, who after a time, she considers her Alpha. With Scott, she’s all sweetness but when she’s on the job, she's all business. She’s constantly evaluating threats and totally fierce when Scott is in danger. Her favorite mantra is: “Scott safe. Maggie safe. Pack safe.” She’s so precious! (I told you I’m in love.:)

As usual, MacLeod Andrews rocked the narration. His voices are great, his pacing is just perfect - I speed up most narrators but NEVER him!

Overall, I think any mystery reader will enjoy this book but for animal lovers, it will be a definite treat.

Great writer with lots of heart.

Just discovered Robert Crais and will now binge-read his books. I liked him better than Baldacci, Turow and Grisham.

Wonderful Canine Love

The plot predictable but the character of Maggie surprising, fresh and so endearing. Her relationship to the protagonist made the book a hit!

Right in the feels!!!

I cried.....I laughed....I gasped!!! This book hooked me from the beginning! I'm sad it's over!!