No Show

De: Simon Wood

Narrado por: Luke Daniels

Terry lands at San Francisco International Airport ready to start his new life with Sarah, the American journalist he married after a transatlantic love affair. But Sarah’s a no show. Convinced something terrible has happened, Terry reports Sarah’s disappearance to the sheriff, who shrugs it off as a case of a new bride with cold feet. But then dead women start turning up, all with two things in common: each victim had exposed a scandal just before her death...and all of their names appear on a list written by Sarah. As a journalist, Sarah has revealed her share of scandals, and Terry realizes that she’s not missing - she’s on the run.

As his American dream rapidly descends into a waking nightmare, Terry must plunge headlong into the dark recesses of his new homeland to find Sarah before the killer does. But as he nears the truth about Sarah, he realizes she’s very different from the woman he thought he married.

©2013 Simon Wood (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Great story

If you like Simon Wood's previous books you are sure to like this one. I think he is an
author who gets better and better with each book.
This story has a fairly simple premise, but Wood gets so much plot out of it, I was quite impressed. Terry is a likable character and you can't help but root for him the whole time. He may not always make the right choices, but his heart is in the right place.
The plot has many twists and turn and surprising moments. I kept thinking I had it figured out, but never quite did.
My only complaint is that this narrator had a sort of nebulous English accent for Terry. Sometimes he even sounded Australian. But other than that his reading was good.
There is mystery, intrigue and suspense in No Show. I recommend it.

Good thriller

This was a decent mystery/thriller. I thought the ending was well done...and the freezer scene made me a little claustrophobic! I listened to this on audio and thought the narration was okay; the narration for one of the characters seemed a little over the top at times.

Great story

I have grown to really like Simon Wood's stories. Great combination of action and mystery. He does like to kill off a lot of people! I love how clear of sex and swearing they are.

Listened to it in 1 day

Where does No Show rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Good

What about Luke Daniels’s performance did you like?

I LOVE his narration voice. His feminine voices are my favorite but the males are usually very good. For some reason, in this series, he chose to make the supporting male voices dumb or valley boy.

Good book, with weird portrayal of Americans

... at least in my perspective, this book portrays friendly USians as idiotically loud characters who were metaphorically "raised in a barn". Others as sinister, untrustworthy characters. The wife (Sarah) was barely defined at all, even to her husband. This is a very good thriller, although I could suss out the killer easily. A frightening situation indeed to land in an unknown country, in a wholly new culture without an atom of support, and an "AWOL" wife. This mystery and vulnerability is what made the book interesting. The narration is VG, despite the portrayal of goofy, over-the-top, American "enthusiasm". (Wow.. I hope US ppl don't actually behave this way in England. If so, how embarrassing!)

Stranger in a strange land

This has got to be one of the most intoxicating reads I've ever read! The suspense is wide open all the way to the end. This author's work is so addicting. It's also creepy as in Stephen King creepy but way better. If you're into audiobooks, the narrator is absolutely wonderful. He does a great voice for all characters, also a great British accent.

Terry is just arriving to the US from England where he will now live with his American wife who is a reporter. However, Sarah fails to show up at the airport to pick him up. Imagine arriving in another country where you know no one. This is what Terry is facing. He takes transportation to where his new home is only to have to break into the house because he has no keys. There's no sign of his wife or that she has packed to go away. She's just simply disappeared. His neighbor sees him breaking in and calls the cops, which only makes matters worse. Adding to that, he has to wait to report her as missing. Meanwhile, he starts his new job because he doesn't want to get fired before he even gets started. His boss and her sidekick aren't the most pleasant people. They appear to be hiding something. Things only seem to get worse. Women start turning up dead with their tongues cut out. Terry can only wonder if this has anything to Sarah's disappearance. He doesn't know who to trust. He does make one friend so the two of them set out on an investigation of their own. Will he find Sarah? And if he does, will she still be alive?

Met the author who is better than the book

What did you love best about No Show?

The concept. Grabbed me from the beginning. The author said it really happened to him when he arrived in USA -- not sinister but due to a flat tire, so he built the plot on that. Good idea. And the author is a brain scientist also like in the book.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

A little more satisfying result on the mystery. But, that's just me. & I would have liked better character building on the wife. I would have liked her to have better qualities; and I realize he didn't know her that well, & that was part of the plot & mystery with a rush-into marriage, two people from different countries, etc. And it keep me delving into the book for find out more about her.

What does Luke Daniels bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He detracted in one area. He made several grown men have the cartoon Calif Surfer voice. "Hey dude, surfs up, hey that's gnarly dude." Come on....

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

The beginning was great. Arriving in USA. No show on the wife meeting him at the airport. Where is she? Good start. You could picture it all, and empathize. & when being locked in the ..... I could feel it.

Any additional comments?

I liked the author so well, that I bought many of his books. We shall see.

No show, no fun

A feeble plot, a very superficial description of the characters (if any), narrated in a mocking tone by someone who must have never met an Englishman in person (they do not squeak) or, for that matter, an American (they don't yell and crack jokes ALL the time).

The two stars are for the good quality of the recording and editing (not something to take for granted!).