The Tainted Trust

The King Trilogy, Book 2

By: Stephen Douglass

Narrated by: Mathias Lenssen

Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

Volume two of The King Trilogy, The Tainted Trust, is a moving, action-packed thriller as well as a brilliant depiction of what perfectly normal people will do for love and money. It is the continuing story of an inconvenient fortune and its catastrophic impact on a loving family.

No one wept when Jim Servito died. He left an estate amounting to $325,000,000 when his wife, Karen, killed him in Caracas. He had accumulated the fortune the old fashioned way: He stole it from the US and Canadian governments using a brilliant gasoline tax-evasion scam. The money is hot, deposited in a Cayman Island bank, and it's cursed. It has a profound effect on everyone who touched it. It is managed by Alfred Schnieder, an aging and unscrupulous Caracas banker.

Mike King, the love of Karen's life and a man nearly ruined by the Feds' scorched-earth efforts to recover Servito's fortune, convinces her to keep the money instead of returning it to its rightful owners. With the assistance of Schnieder, they form The King Trust - a near fatal mistake. The desperate Feds continue to spare no expense and effort to recover the money. Phillip, the only child of Karen and Jim Servito, assumes he is the natural heir to his father's fortune - and he has his own greedy plans for the money. Aging Alfred Schnieder relinquishes the trust's management to Louis Visconti, a 32-year-old Wall Street whiz kid and brilliant financial engineer.

Kerri Pyper, Mike King's 23-year-old estranged daughter, has not seen or communicated with her father since she was nine. She discovers the existence of The King Trust and is shocked to learn that her natural father is its Trustee. Visconti, desperate and assuming he is still the smartest man in the room, embezzles the fortune and flees to Monaco. He made only two mistakes: He deceived both Mike King and Alfred Schnieder, and he fell in love with Kerri.

©Jan. 9, 2014 Stephen Douglass (P)2014 Stephen Douglass

Good Follow Up

I was gifted the King Trilogy for an honest and unbiased review. I was sucked in almost immediately! I could not put the Tainted Trust down once I started. I enjoyed the way the characters were woven into the story. The only aspect I didn't like was how fast time sped up in the middle of the book. I understand why Stephen Douglas did it and why it was necessary to the story and somewhat unnecessary to drag the story out, but it was too abrupt and somewhat disappointing. Aside from that, it was very well researched and well planed book. As much as I enjoyed the fast-paced action, I also enjoyed the historical accuracy and details of the oil commodity. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading Robert Ludlum or John Grisham.

Mathias Lenssen was good with the delivery of the story

An Amazing Follow-up to The Bridge To Caracas!!

Would you listen to The Tainted Trust again? Why?

I would most definitely listen to the Tainted Trust again as well as the Bridge to Caracas and Kerri's War because "The King Trilogy" is an excellent series that is well written. Stephen Douglass weaves a very clever plot and maintains a steady feed of suspense, thrills as well as some romance. I was captivated from the very beginning with "The Bridge to Caracas" and have been unable to stop listening. The plot is well honed with plenty of twists and turns throughout to keep you on the edge of your seat. The characters and their relationships are quite intriguing and interesting as well as extremely well written and developed, allowing you to follow along with the storyline quite easily. Mr. Douglass has the ability to create a plot and characters that keep you engaged as well as make you feel as if you are part of the story. I have many friends that listen to audible books and have recommended this series and they are as excited and intrigued with it as I am.

Have you listened to any of Mathias Lenssen’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The first time I listened to Mathias Lenssen perform audio books was "The Bridge to Caracas" in which I felt he gave an excellent performance. With The Tainted Trust, I find his performance keeps getting better. His character voices are unique to each one, allowing you to differentiate between characters. He has excellent pace, timing and tone. Mathias enhances this series by creating suspense and intrigue with his voice and injects the required emotions and appropriate pace to reflect the amazing writings of Mr. Douglass.

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

This was definitely a book I wanted to listen to all in one sitting but unfortunately I do have to sleep. I do enjoy a long story that is well detailed and informative so as the story continues, I understand what the author is writing about. I do not know much about the Stock Market but Mr. Douglass provided enough detail to allow me to understand what was happening at certain times throughout the book. I cannot say enough good about this series. I have also finished book 3 of the series "Kerri's War" and will be submitting my review immediately. I must say that Mr. Douglass is gifted when it comes to writing. He can create a plot and characters that captivate you from the very beginning and keep you hooked until the very end.

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com

As good as Book 1

Any additional comments?

Cleverly plotted and featuring some amazing characters this is an excellent take on family legacies and the money trading industry. The story is convincingly set in the 1980s and 1990s which adds extra colour to the story.

The Tainted Trust: The King Trilogy, Book 2

“This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.”




I did not read the first book in the trilogy, thus being said some of these characters were already established. The author kept the characters moving throughout the story. Some of the plot was weird, some silly, and the rest was ok.

The narration was well done, as far as word pronunciation and accent.The characters were well portrayed. My one complaint is that I had to quit trying to listen on my ipod and use my Kindle so I could double the speed. I was almost put to sleep while trying to listen at the normal rate of speed.

Good audiobook

Where does The Tainted Trust rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This was a good read,good intonation, very good performance, it's among the longest audiobook l have listen to.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Tainted Trust?

The beginning was very interesting.

What about Mathias Lenssen’s performance did you like?

The intonation respected the feelings and emotions of the characters in every situation.

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

I would use the books tags.

Any additional comments?

“This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.”

More Action and Twists..

Any additional comments?

This story is set during the 1980's and partly centers around Kerri Servito.

Karen put all of Jim's "dirty money" into of a trust and allowed Louis Visconti to manage the trust, that is until its found out that
Louis has mismanaged the trust all along, and he also knows of the secrets of how the money was obtained.

Fate or something else brings Kerri and Louis together.

This book covers the up and down sides to life on Wall Street.

I don't want to give too much away, so if the book sounds interesting so far, you will just have to read or listen to it for yourself.

The author did a great job with the sequel to "The Bridge to Caracas" and overall the book was an engaging read just like the first book.


Mathias Lenssen did really well with the narration.
Note:
"This audio book was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review."

A great follow-up

This is the second book in the King Trilogy, and I enjoyed this one as much as the first. Though I read them in order, I think each book stands alone enough if you wanted to wanted to start in the middle of the series, but I am one who likes to read from the beginning to the end of the series, in order. I thought it was fun making connections between characters and situations in the two books. I listened to the Audible audio version and enjoyed the narrator, Matthias Lenssen, and all the unique voices he gives to the characters. This book is filled with interesting characters and interesting subjects. It keeps you on the edge of your seat. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book.

Better than previous book in the series

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes, because i enjoyed this book more than i did the 1st book in the series.

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

Yes, trying to figure out what would happen with all that money and if it would be stolen, given back or if the son got it.

Which character – as performed by Mathias Lenssen – was your favorite?

Definitely the main character because the story was basically centered around him.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.