The Break Line

Max McLean, Book 1

By: James Brabazon

Narrated by: Jason O'Mara

Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

British intelligence operative and hardened assassin Max McLean battles a nightmarish enemy in this stunning debut thriller from an award-winning war correspondent.

When it comes to killing terrorists, British intelligence has always had one man they could rely on: Max McLean. As an assassin, he's never missed, but Max has made one miscalculation, and now, he has to pay the price.

His handlers send him to Sierra Leone on a seemingly one-way mission. What he finds is a horror from beyond his nightmares.

Rebel forces are loose in the jungle, and someone or something is slaughtering innocent villagers. It's his job to root out the monster behind these abominations, but he soon discovers that London may consider him the most disposable piece in this operation.

©2019 James Brabazon (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Breathless, complex, and seriously hardcore - don't plan to sleep tonight." (Lee Child, number-one New York Times best-selling author)

"The Break Line punches you in the stomach on the first page and then plunges you - still doubled over - into the most extraordinary and exciting world of covert operations I have ever read. I have worked in those places and covered those wars...Brabazon gets it exactly right. With a terrifyingly precise eye and an irresistible prose style, he has created a world that is almost impossible to leave. I finished the book three days ago and feel like I'm still waiting for the choppers to come take me home." (Sebastian Junger, New York Times best-selling author of The Perfect Storm)

“The Break Line is a riveting page-turner...and a study of what lies in the shadowed corners of the human heart.” (Gregg Hurwitz, New York Times best-selling author of Orphan X)

“Brabazon’s inventive violence, mix of combat styles, and slowly revealed truths will keep readers on the edge of their seats” (Publishers Weekly)

Not bad. Narrator saved it!

I stumbled on this little gem by accident on a rainy, dull weekend. The overall story had an interesting premise and a clever albeit disturbing twist.
I have to admit though, I felt like there could be so much more. The last few chapters seemed a bit rushed coming to end and I was expecting more revelations.
The narrator was in a word, incredible. I've seen Jason O'Mara's work, mostly in TV and he's a pretty solid actor, but his performance in this audio was top notch. Every character, personality, nationality was performed seamlessly. I'm surprised he hasn't done more audio readings.
I look forward to reading Book 2, with any luck this could become a fantastic series.

Loved it!

Loved the storytelling. Loved the narration (it felt as if it were an entire cast with how well the narrator worked in accents). I don't often hope to see good books turned into films (a film can rarely compete) but I'd make an exception with The Break Line. I loved hearing Max tell his story and hope this isn't the last we hear of the Irish James Bond meets Jason Bourne.

Although... I now get nervous when I've got peppermint in my aromatherapy diffuser... lol!

more of a Sci-Fi / fiction

plot started out interesting, but devolved into more of a Sci-Fi / fiction. not my style.

Exciting

Creative story with good character development. Great narration with lots of fun action. Can’t wait for the next one.

Definitely went to a place I sure wasn’t expecting

Yeah, so it did take a fairly abrupt turn and go in a very unusual sci-fi direction. One I normally wouldn’t like... but at that point I was into the story and the turn was so out of place that I was fascinated to keep listening.

There are a TON of reasons I can’t make it through audiobooks, often having to do with the narration. Sometimes it’s so bad that it ruins what would otherwise be a book I’d love- sometimes the narration just isn’t able to save a cliched and cheesy written one.

A bizarre turn isn’t enough to turn me off one that was otherwise interesting.
The narrators voice is.... not somnolent so much as sort of hypnotic to me. I’d find myself listening to the voice and not the words, spacing out and having to rewind.
Not ideal but better than the voices that grate on me, are overly dramatic, or whose accents are so farcical and ridiculous I can’t stand it.

I don’t make it through more than half-2/3 of the series in this genre that I start, and I liked this one, for what it’s worth.

Smart and Creative

Loved it. Numerous plot twists. Great narration. Great character development. Dark. Great use of science to give the story an authentic feel. I can't wait to listen to the next one.

Excellent start to what could be a great series

Well written book with a lot of complexity without going on pointlessly. And the narration is fantastic.