• The Good Son

  • By: Michael Gruber
  • Narrated by: Neil Shah
  • Length: 17 hrs and 5 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (247 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Good Son  By  cover art

The Good Son

By: Michael Gruber
Narrated by: Neil Shah
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $21.80

Buy for $21.80

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

New York Times best-selling author Michael Gruber, a member of the elite ranks of those who can both “chill the blood and challenge the mind” (Denver Post), delivers a taut, multilayered, riveting novel of suspense.

Somewhere in Pakistan, Sonia Laghari and eight fellow members of a symposium on peace are being held captive by armed terrorists. Laghari, a deeply religious woman as well as a Jungian psychologist, has become the de facto leader of the kidnapped group. While her son, Theo, an ex-Delta soldier, uses his military connections to find and free the victims, Sonia Laghari tries to keep them all alive by working her way into the kidnappers’ psyches and interpreting their dreams. With her knowledge of their language, her familiarity with their religion, and her Jungian training, she confounds her captors with her insights and beliefs. When the kidnappers decide to kill their captives one by one, in retaliation for perceived crimes against their country, Theo races against the clock to try and save their lives.

©2010 Michael Gruber (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Superb….the brilliant character development and labyrinthine plot line, not to mention the absorbing history of modern jihadism and the U.S. war on terrorism, make this a provocative thriller that readers won't soon forget.” ( Publishers Weekly)
“Gruber leaves his own mark on the thriller scene.” ( New York Times)
“Gruber weaves the threads together masterfully while successfully exploring themes of family, duty, loyalty, cultural identity and more, without ever slowing the momentum. Smart, tense and vastly entertaining.” ( Kirkus Reviews)

What listeners say about The Good Son

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    105
  • 4 Stars
    84
  • 3 Stars
    38
  • 2 Stars
    11
  • 1 Stars
    9
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    85
  • 4 Stars
    56
  • 3 Stars
    22
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    81
  • 4 Stars
    49
  • 3 Stars
    28
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A very smart thriller, very well read.

My husband and I often disagree on politics, so I wasn't sure how it would be to drive across the country listening to a story about Pakistan, and about American involvement in the conflicts of the area. We both loved this book. We were captivated by the story and intellectually engaged by the ideas here. Gruber's characters make every argument imaginable for and against various political positions, violent and covert operations, and religious practices and they do so in ways that make it possible to regard even those characters with whom one disagrees as sympathetic.

The story is packed with philosophy, religion, psychology, anthropology, and political theory, yet it is not weighed down by them. All the talking works in this action thriller; in fact, it is hard to imagine the story or the character development without it. We have to hear from the characters in order not to dismiss them as "the other" when they do horrible things.

The book is read very well by Neil Shah. The cast of characters is as large as a 19th c. Russian novel so it's possible to be confused sometimes, and Shah maintains different voice tones and accents well so that you can recognize who is speaking.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

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

Wow

As someone who spent 5 years working in the Middle East this book perfectly reflects the Arab world and Muslim culture. It also captures the failure of the average American to have any understanding of the complexity of these tribal societies. A real eye opener.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

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

Intellectual thriller!

This is an amazing book for those of you who like literary/intellectual thrillers. Gruber has a political background and his insight into the inner workings of the fundamentalist mindset feels astoundingly real. The most unforgettable character is Sonia,a woman who ran away from her Pakistani husband and posed as a Pashtun boy in order to travel to Mecca with a Sufi master. Later in life, after a family tragedy, she becomes a Jungian analyst. In the present, she is being held hostage by the Taliban. Using her training, she interpreting their dreams and skillfully manipulates her captors.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

its got it all

great story, you learn a ton about Pakistan & Afghanistan, and very good narration. One of -- if not the -- best of the now 42 Audible books I've done

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

And your mother did what???

after reading several books re arabic stories which try to explain cultural differences, I wasn't sure I wanted to read another one, however this story is very entertaning and keeps the reader interested in what happens next. the story seems to have insight into the ailenation sometimes experienced by children raised in two very different cultures. the mother character may be an offshoot of the ancient chinese curse paraphrased into "May you have an interesting mother." the ending is a bit of fantasy but who is say that fiction cannot do that , certainly not me. I recommend it a worth the time for the story and the charactersd.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Worst book I have read in a long time.

Came across this book on a list of recommended summer reads, suggested it to my book club, and it was selected as this month's book. I finished the book only as penance for having recommended it to friends. The book has a ham-handed narrative that uses lame excuses for protracted narrative of one aspect of this convoluted story line or another. The extended telling of the protagonist's life story is only interrupted by occasional questions to his patience girl friend asking if she is bored yet. I wanted to shout that I was, indeed, very, very bored. My favorite moment in this endless life story is when the girl friends says she has to go pee...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

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

Well worth it.

A great, imaginative adventure story. Some necessary violence ( it is the Jihad), but most of the bad guys get there do. Some of the good or innocent are not spared pain, but it is minimal.
There are some very imaginative takes on Islam and petropolitics that I have never run across before. Great central character. A definite page turner without embarrassment.
Highly recommended.
I initially put 3 stars for the story because it strains some credulity. But I changed it to 4 stars. The author requests a little leap of imagination, and he delivers.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

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

More more more unabridged Gruber

Great job producing ‘The Good Son’... Hope you are working on unabridged audibles of ‘Tropic of Night, Valley of Bones, and ‘Night of The Jaguar’

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

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

Suspenseful, characters I cared about.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The mother, she was multi-layered, multi-cultural, I loved hating her.

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

When that key piece of information fell into place--right before the story pointed it out. I love it when the suspense is timed and fed so well!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

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

HB's review of The Good Son

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Some of the characters were expendable and did not really serve any purpose. The plot was good but could have been crisper and faster moving if the redundant portions were edited.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Bit abrupt. It all happened too quickly. No build up. Absolute opposite of the whole book which was a huge build up leading to a specific event.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Neil Shah?

Yes I will give it another shot as his narration had nothing to do with the minus points of the story or the drag at some places.

Do you think The Good Son needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I think so because of the abrupt ending and two such volatile individuals coming together raises the question - what next?

Any additional comments?

This was my first audio book and the fact that it kept my interest alive was enough to give it a thumbs up.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful