The Chopin Manuscript

A Serial Thriller

By: Lee Child, David Corbett, Joseph Finder, Jim Fusilli, John Gilstrap, James Grady, David Hewson, P. J. Parrish, Jeffery Deaver

Narrated by: Alfred Molina

Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

15 thriller masters. 1 masterful thriller.

Former war crimes investigator Harold Middleton possesses a previously unknown score by Frederic Chopin. But he is unaware that, locked within its handwritten notes, lies a secret that now threatens the lives of thousands of Americans. As he races from Poland to America to uncover the mystery of the manuscript, Middleton will be accused of murder, pursued by federal agents, and targeted by assassins. But the greatest threat will come from a shadowy figure out of his past: the man known only as Faust.

The Chopin Manuscript is a unique collaboration by 15 of the world's greatest thriller writers. Jeffery Deaver conceived the characters and set the plot in motion; the other authors each wrote a chapter in turn. Deaver then completed what he started, bringing The Chopin Manuscript to its explosive conclusion.

The Chopin Manuscript was written by:
Jeffery Deaver (Lincoln Rhyme series)
David Hewson (Nic Costa series)
James Grady (Six Days of the Condor)
S. J. Rozan (Bill Smith/Lydia Chin series)
Erica Spindler (Last Known Victim)
John Ramsey Miller (Winter Massey series)
David Corbett (Blood of Paradise)
John Gilstrap (Scott Free)
Joseph Finder (Power Play)
Jim Fusilli (Terry Orr series)
Peter Spiegelman (John March series)
Ralph Pezzullo (Jawbreaker)
Lisa Scottoline (Daddy's Girl)
P.J. Parrish (Louis Kincaid, Joe Frye series)
Lee Child (Jack Reacher series)

©2007 International Thriller Writers, Inc., Jeffery Deaver, Lee Child, David Hewson, James Grady, S. J. Rozan, Erica Spindler, John Ramsey Miller, David Corbett, John Gilstrap, Joseph Finder, Jim Fusilli, Peter Spiegelman, Ralph Pezzullo, Lisa Scottoline, and P. J. Parrish (P)2007 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• 2008 Audie Award Winner
  Audiobook of the Year

"Innovative and unique, The Chopin Manuscript, written by masters in the field of thrillers, is far more than the sum of its parts. Here each author shines, blending individual skill and energy, into a riveting, crackling-paced tapestry of murder, mystery, and mayhem. Not to be missed!" (James Rollins, author of The Judas Strain)

"A GREAT story, written by one GREAT author after another, in one GREAT chapter after another. A stellar achievement of collectivity that blows from the starting gate at 100 mph and never slows down. A thrill-a-page from 15 GREAT thriller masters. Don't miss this one." (Steve Berry, author of The Venetian Betrayal)

Music and Thriller....WOW

This was really an excellent book! It could have turned out to be awful with so many fingers in the pudding, but it was just the opposite. I found it unique and I couldn't wait to see where the next author took us. The two winner short stories were a nice addition. Thank you writers for such excellent work and story line. It was a real great read.

An excellent freebie !

This book was included as a bonus with my sign-up... and it remains to date one of the best books I've downloaded ! The idea of all the differant authors was weird at first, buy the differances in writing style whilst keeping a storyline going really worked ! A little slow at the beginning, give yourself just a few chapters more... then you'll be hooked :-)

A Unique Experience

The novel reads easily and it is impossible to separate the 15 different authors. To understand how this novel was constructed you need to listen to chapter 18. I enjoyed the twists in the plot, especially knowing each was the idea of another author. A primer for an emerging author.

Suspenseful story with many twists

This story is very good, it kept me wondering who the bad and good guys were clear to the end.

Will the main character please stand up?

This book was so well-read that I hesitate to respond negatively - so take this comment in stride if you are purchasing this text simply to be entertained while driving down that lonesome highway. You see, the problem with a thriller written by so many respected writers is that each will strive, understandably, to make a mark by introducing a concept or character more grandiose or off the beaten path than the previous writer - one that the subsequent writer may not understand or even like, leading to even more characters and concepts.

As a project for a creative writing class, a novel like this would be fun, but beyond that, there are too many undeveloped characters fighting for the lead role in *The Chopin Manuscript* making it too mired up to be taken seriously.

Good Thriller

This was a good suspense thriller. It held my attention, but I did get confused at the beginning of the book with all the twists, turns & character introductions. It did start flowing better mid-way through the story. Alfred Molina did a fantastic job narrating. Great voices and accents.

Good book

This was an interesting listen. You never knew where the authors were going to take the next chapter or how some characters were going to affect the story.

Overall, it was put together very well and I would recommend it to any looking for a good thriller with lots of plot twists.

a bit too disjointed for me

Any additional comments?

Every and every chapter was well-written. However as each writer took the overall story on their own journey, it ended up a bit disjointed imho. Alfred Molina's performance was superb - just the right emphasis in just the right places, voices which differentiated the characters, etc etc. I am sure others better qualified than I could provide more superbola.

The Chopin Manuscript: A Serial Thriller

Enjoyed the book very much. It's was great to hear all the authors come together and creat a book like this. It made you listern to see what each author would do with the plot next.

Do it again

While the authors' styles were distinct, this diversity did not affect the cohesiveness of the work. Never was I bored; never was I disappointed. Not only was this piece well-written, but Alfred Molina also hit one perfect note after another.I expect some will have a difficult time with the disparate voices, but I urge them to think of this experiment as a hybrid genre. I would definitely buy another work by this collective of authors with this narrator.