Tough Customer

A Novel

By: Sandra Brown

Narrated by: Victor Slezak

Length: 13 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Colleagues, friends, and lovers know Dodge Hanley as a private investigator who doesn't let rules get in his way—in his private life as well as his professional one. If he breaks a heart, or bends the law in order to catch a criminal, he does so without hesitation or apology.

That's why he's the first person Caroline King—who after a 30-year separation continues to haunt his dreams—asks for help when a deranged stalker attempts to murder their daughter...the daughter Dodge has never met. He has a whole bagful of grudging excuses for wishing to ignore Caroline's call, and one compelling reason to drop everything and fly down to Texas: guilt.

Dodge's mind may be a haze of disturbing memories and bad decisions, but he arrives in Houston knowing with perfect clarity that his daughter, Berry, is in danger. She has become the object of desire of a co-worker, a madman and genius with a penchant for puzzles and games who has spent the past year making Berry's life hell, and who now has vowed to kill her.

Dodge joins forces with local deputy sheriff Ski Nyland, but the alarming situation goes from bad to worse when the stalker begins to claim other victims and leaves an ominous trail of clues as he lethally works his way toward Berry. Sensing the killer drawing nearer, Dodge, who's survived vicious criminals and his own self-destructive impulses, realizes that this time he's in for the fight of his life.

From acclaimed best-selling author Sandra Brown, Tough Customer is a heart-pounding tale about obsession and murder, the fragile nature of relationships, and, possibly, second chances.

©2010 Sandra Brown Management Ltd. All rights reserved. (P)2010 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Mediocre

Why do all Sandra Brown’s male, main characters have a bad southern accent, when narrated by Victor Slezak? Annoying and distracting.

Tough Customer review

I love all of Sandra Brown's books. Good stories with the right amount of suspense, romance and drama. Her audio books are usually narrated by Victor Slezak or Stephen Lang and they are both excellent. You just can't go wrong with a Sandra Brown book!

Hoaky

Lots of hoaky and cringeworthy moments in the writing. Story- generic. Narrator….eeeeh. One of those movies you sit through and wish you hadn’t wasted two hours of your day on.

Brown and Slezak are a great combination!

I mistakenly listened to the abridged version of this and was disappointed with the story. In spite of Victor's fabulous narration, there were just too many gaps. When I saw that I had the abridged version, I swapped it out immediately with the unabridged book and was again listening to a classic Sandra Brown. So much better!

Another great story

I love Sandra brown books. The stories are good and this one was very suspenseful
Nice job. Enjoyable read.

Superb Narrator!

Slezak is one of my favorite narrators…he makes a book come alive beautifully; and needless to say, Sandra Brown’s storytelling has impeccable flow. This story has two timelines and Brown takes you to each one seamlessly with zero confusion.

Good story!

Liked the story - had a number of interesting twists and misleads. But a happily ever after.

Captured my attention from the start!

I love Sandra Brown and I love Victor Slezak's performances. THIS book, however, was far beyond my expectations! it was fabulous. I'd have never guessed some of the twists and turns that happened. I love the mix of mystery, suspense, and romance. Her books are my guilty pleasure and this one did not disappoint.

Engrossing but not great literature

Male characters just not very believable and the female characters are made out to be shallow and vulnerable. An OK book with a convoluted plot that was interesting just not very believable.

Book Rating System

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

It wasn't the best time I have had listening on Audible and it wasn't the worst. It usually only takes me 2-3 chapters in when I realize this is or is not the book for me. I wanted to stick this one out to the end. Maybe it was the characters, maybe it was the narrator, and by 3 chapters I couldn't decide if I would end up liking it or not.

I have returned many books and felt I owed it to Audible to stick this one out to the end. Besides I couldn't honestly and completely rate a book by just a few chapters.

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

By the time I'd finished listening nothing would have surprised me. What kind of surprised me was Berry swimming in the lake and then what happened,,,

Which scene was your favorite?

There was no one favorite scene.

Could you see Tough Customer being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

A movie, yes, and it would be rated X. There is freedom of speech and there is "freedom of the people, for the people.." We, the people, have a right to know what we are about to hear or see, make up our own minds if we want to pursue, and buy. A book rating system has to happen, not to stop freedom of speech, just give the consumer a choice.

In a movie it is quite simple who the stars would be: Dodge, Berry, Caroline, Ski, Orin

Any additional comments?

Having said books need a rating system, doesn't preclude me from choosing an X rated Audio Book. It just lets me know what I am in for. I am a Christian and probably wouldn't choose this. The rating would have to tell me why it is rated X; sex, language, violence, etc.