The Forgotten

By: David Baldacci

Narrated by: Ron McLarty, Orlagh Cassidy

Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

In Paradise, nothing is what it seems....

Army Special Agent John Puller is the best there is. A combat veteran, Puller is the man the U.S. Army relies on to investigate the toughest crimes facing the nation. Now he has a new case - but this time, the crime is personal: His aunt has been found dead in Paradise, Florida.

A picture-perfect town on Florida's Gulf Coast, Paradise thrives on the wealthy tourists and retirees drawn to its gorgeous weather and beaches. The local police have ruled his aunt's death an unfortunate, tragic accident. But just before she died, she mailed a letter to Puller's father, telling him that beneath its beautiful veneer, Paradise is not all it seems to be.

What Puller finds convinces him that his aunt's death was no accident… and that the palm trees and sandy beaches of Paradise may hide a conspiracy so shocking that some will go to unthinkable lengths to make sure the truth is never revealed.

©2012 David Baldacci (P)2012 Hachette Audio

Cracking Story Blemished by Cheap Audio Theatrics

This second installment in Baldacci's John Puller series delivers as expected with the nearly indestructible Jack Reacher analog doing great things in search of swift but ultimately noble justice. Sadly, the audio version here is blemished by Hachette's Audio's inability to let the story stand on its own. It's bad enough that they feel compelled to use a woman's voice for the female characters rather than letting the always reliable Ron McLarty simply read the words. Orlagh Cassidy is a perfectly good reader and I would be pleased to listen to a book that she read. However, her Southern drawl is indistinguishable between the two female supporting characters and thus, adds nothing to helping a listener keep them apart.

But, the worst is the incomprehensible compulsion Hachette has to overlay the book's narrative with cheesy music and comic-book sound effects. Why not leave the sounds of punches, kicks and gunfire to our imaginations--where they belong! I've witnessed fights. I've fired automatic weapons. I can supply the appropriate effects on my own, thank you. And, my imagination syncs up the sounds much more closely than do these ridiculous "oofs", "rat-a-tats" and "splats".

Hachette's cheap audio theatrics blemish an otherwise perfectly decent escapist adventure thriller.

Listened twice!

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

I didn't read it in print so I can't say if it is better but I can say I am new to audio books and have always been an avid reader. I have a job now that allows me to listen to books or music while I work so I thought I'd give audio books a try. I love it! This story has great action, rich characters that you care about, and the reading was terrific. So good I listened twice, back to back.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Forgotten?

If I say my favorite part it will be a spoiler. Sorry!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Human Trafficking in the USA

fantastic

Great detailed, fast moving action story with great character components . Would recommend this to others.

Excellent book.

Excellent book, easy to follow and clean words for the most part. Good listening to.

Baldacci and Puller are a good team.

Typical Baldacci quality. Thrilling story about a subject that is unsettling and necessary to tell. Worth the time to listen.

Kept me guessing...

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

What a ride!!!

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Forgotten?

The foursome trying to get on the structure during a storm... I kept picturing One Star to slip off the edge when she slipped off...

Which scene was your favorite?

Landry shooting blanks at Puller... busted!

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

When Diaz died in the battle...

Any additional comments?

Both Landry's and One Star's voice sounded too alike... if I missed the name, I had to rewind it to see which one he was performing... Great book... fast ride all along. Curious to know more about the brother in military prison...

Did you read Zero Day

What made the experience of listening to The Forgotten the most enjoyable?

This is a great follow up to Zero Day. It will start fast and take you on a roller coaster ride with lots of curves and screams.

Reacher?

Reminds me a lot of the Jack Reacher Series by Lee Child. Still a good read. I especially love the dual narrators. Excellent work on their part!

Great story line

I cannot say anything negative. The story, characters and narration were excellent. The sequence of events were right on target. Hopefully not the last of John Puller.

great thriller

Baldacci does it again. Great (and different) plot with non-stop action. You won't be disappointed!