Afraid

Small town USA is infiltrated by a bunch of crazy sadistic soldiers looking for a particular person. They confront people pretty much one at a time looking for said person. Three main characters are the town's only hope (not really they basically just save themselves). Much like "Trapped" all the characters are confronted, some fall or something stops them from escaping and they're tortured, somehow manage to miraculously get away, run, fall or get stuck, tortured, run somewhere else blah blah blah. I did like this one better than Trapped and could at least finish it (couldn't with his Endurance). He does a really good job of describing the torture without being too "gross". I just wish he would come up with different "scenes" for lack of a better word. They're all the same. Run, trip fall or get stuck, be tortured, escape, run somewhere else and the whole thing starts over again. Uh, how about hide or run out of town or find weapons. Seems like a B rated straight to DVD story. The plot was unique in this one and the narrator did a descent job. Just all the running around haphazardly drives me crazy. If you're bored and don't have anything better to read give it a try.

Totally engrossing. A little on the gory side, but a fantastic read. I couldn't stop listening to it. One of the best I've heard in a long time.

I am sooo confused!! I think I must have downloaded an alternate universe addition of this book (UR?). After reading the glowing reviews, the one I listened to was just silly and non-dimensional.....on a scale where King is a 10, Koontz is a 3, this guy is somewhere in the negatives.

This book started out ok. Quite grusome but scary none-the-less. WOuld have been ok, if the book length were cut in half. Too much of "good guys meet bad guys and just make it out alive" type situations. It also got a bit "sci-fi" for me.

This book was so much fun! I will admit that I am mostly a Dean Koontz and Stephen King kinda reader. I picked up this audio a few weeks ago for drive to Laughlin, NV. It's about a 4 hour drive. I was so taken by this book I actually drove around the Casino's parking lot for a good 15 minutes because I didn't want to stop listening.

From the first pages to the last this book grabs you and doesn't really let go. Sometimes authors get too caught up in exposition and it can be boring because you already know what's going on and get it, but the author has to take the time explains things in too much detail for all the stupid people that might be reading so they get it. This book didn't seem to ever do that. Every single part of the book was interesting. What was going? Who were these people? How were they capable of such violence? How could they take all the pain?

It all unfolds in one night, step by step in a suspenseful, action packed gore fest. But, it was all so believable, you're on a roller coaster here and will be holding your breath till the very last sentence. Characters you felt for and bad guys that were just on the verge of over the top and yet, you take it all, hook, line and sinker. This is a great book to listen to on a long drive in the middle of the night. It will keep you awake and keep you going from beginning to end.

Interesting read/listen I enjoyed the story line and the characters with the follow thru of what they did and where they ended up at the end of the book. The military side of it was most interesting and the killers themselves were interesting as well. The who's and why's proved to be capturing and I'd recommend the book to anyone who enjoys a government conspiracy type story.

This book started out well. In fact, I enjoyed the book completely for the first 1/3rd of the story, until I realized that this is just a horrific collection of unimaginably gruesome ways for people to die And die they do, one after another, one bloody,paintful and nightmareish way after another. I can tolerate such horror when it is peppered throughout, but in this book, the gore and bloodshed is as thick as peanut butter on a PBJ sandwich. To make matters worse, the actions of the "heros" of this story are so absurd as to be insulting to the reader. As I got into the 2nd half of the book, I began to realize that it was escalating to the point where I was not sure if I wanted to continue. But I kept hoping/expecting something would change. Time after time, just when I thought one character or another would manage to escape some horrific fate, I came to expect disappointment. Before long, I realized that this book was just DARK. The entire story, how it was constructed and how it unfolded, is discouraging, depressing, and frightening, not in what is happening to the characters/victims, but frightening to realize that someone could write such a book, that a publisher would promote it, and that the public might read it. This type of book, these descriptions, in the hands and minds of suseptable people is what scares me. While I do not advocate censorship, I also do not advocate that this book be considered anything but dismal, dark, and DANGEROUS. This author scares me, and I will remember the name, as one to avoid. The mind that could write such a book, and consider it worthy ... this is what scares me. I would not want this person for a neighbor.

Read the reviews. That's the lesson for today.

The reviews are loaded with references to the gory violence. People wrote how they were revolted by some of the depictions of pain, torture and graphic descriptions of terrible things people do to each other. They were right. I've read literally hundreds of thrillers and mysteries...and while some made my skin crawl and a few made me go "ewwwww" none of them was an out and out gross-out.

This book is a very well written story that you will have to wade through rivers of gore to complete. There's nothing new here -- the theme has been explored many times. The "Fill In The Blank" monster descends on a sleepy town and starts doing terrible things to the residents. And of course it's up to a handful of people to stop it.

To be honest, I was intrigued bythe plot and, despite some very goofy character actions, it delivered.

If you're a fan of splatter movies, this writer is for you. (Wearing a raincoat when you're listening may help.) But the unrelenting violence seemed to start taking the place where I was really looking for some interesting character developments, or new plot twists -- something ANYTHING to take away from the endless nastiness of the narrative.

I won't be getting any more books by this author -- despite thinking the book had merit. They are literally disturbingly violent.

This is the first time I have ever rated any title 5 stars. I absolutely loved this book, everything about it was great. It was very exciting right from the beginning, I would recommend it to anyone who loves thrillers. I am a huge Koontz fan but I am switching over to Jack Kilborn. Mr. Kilborn does not go over board with his description to details like so many other authors do and Phil Gigante's narration was PERFECT!!!!! I could vividly picture each character and really get into what was happening to them. This is the first book I have listened to that caught my attention in the first 5 minutes. It had a great plot twist and the characters were strong and determined. I couldn't wait to get back into the car and listen to more. I will be anxiously waiting for Afraid's sequel "Trapped" to come to audible and I will be listening to more of Mr. Gigante as well.

Not for those with a weak stomach, but great fun! Is the plot far-fetched... for sure! Are the characters (especially the bad guys) over the top...yup! Will this book give you the chills...absolutely (but with a smile on your face). It is well written, the story keeps hurling along almost without a break, and the characters are well developed and enjoyable. One of the few books lately that had me right from the start and kept me going until the end. One note about the reader: Mr. Gigante is without a doubt, one of the best narrators in the business. He is so good at making the separate characters different, you would swear that there are 4 or 5 different people reading. He is obviously having a great time......almost too good! His interpretation of Santiago and Ernie (two bad guys) is downright scary (and a bit weird). This one is a keeper!