3 Lies

Masters CIA Thriller, Book 1

By: Helen Hanson

Narrated by: Patrick Nolan

Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's Summary

Will kidnapping a sick woman alter the course of a nation?

At CIA headquarters, officers fear that terrorists commandeered the computer systems to launch an unauthorized mission.

Elsewhere, conspirators abduct several seemingly unrelated people to use as pawns in their treachery. Two disparate ambitions - Clint Masters becomes the reluctant link in the chain of danger.

Ever since Clint's wife dumped him, he bobs along the coast in a sailboat, avoiding technology - a counterintuitive effort for the burned-out founder of a high-tech company. After meeting a woman who doesn't treat him like a commodity, Beth unexpectedly disappears. But Clint's the only one who suspects foul play. In spite of the evidence, her family refuses to admit she's in danger. And without routine dialysis, Beth will die.

While a CIA officer tracks his quarry, he crosses paths with Clint, who must find Beth before her kidneys fail.

©2010 Domino INK (P)2016 Domino INK

Surprisingly good

I bought this book wanting to read something light, but not expecting too much. I thought it might be another spy thriller or mystery but found a book that I had a hard time putting down. Ms Hanson has created a very clever plot with interesting characters and a mystery that kept me wondering until the end of the book. The publisher's description does not do justice to the book as the plot is very complex with nothing quite as it initially appears. Still, at the end, everything hangs together very well and the result is very satisfying.

Mr Nolan's narration is well done and lends a feeling of suspense to the writing. All in all, a very interesting read.

3 lies

Wow! There is a lot of action in this exciting book. The characters were strong and interesting.

Couldn’t Finish It

The narrator was not at all to my liking. He may be great but the performance of this book was not good.
The story may be the culprit...too many embellishments for any and every object.

Determined

Clint is determined to stay off the grid. He doesn't want contact with anyone at the company he helped build, his soon to be ex-wife or anyone else besides the beautiful woman he met two months ago. When she doesn't answer the door for a promised breakfast, Clint knows something is wrong. He begins a search that will lead him much further than he ever imagined and draws back into a world he just wants to leave behind.

I enjoyed this book. Beth and the other women captives were a light spot in an otherwise dark story of kidnapping, manipulation and betrayals at all levels. Just when you think you have it figured out, another twist happens and you don't quite know who Clint can trust.

The narration was good if a little slow. I sped up to 1.25 speed. Nolan did a good job with most of the voices and he was able to keep the feel of the writing flowing throughout the listen. Some of the female voices could use some work but other than it was a really enjoyable listen.

I received this audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review.

Enaging and Captivating

Would you consider the audio edition of 3 Lies to be better than the print version?

Did not read the printed version but the audio edition was great

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

What made 3 Lies enjoyable was the multiple characters in the novel. As well the twists and turns throughout the book kept me engaged

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

No, Patrick Nolan did a fantastic job with the narration. All his character voices were really good. Nice pacing, clearly spoken. The emotions of each character came through in the narration. He really made the characters come to life

Any additional comments?

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

Thrilling and Kept me glued....

Would you listen to 3 Lies again? Why?

Yes, it was a thrilling ride with great mystery and suspense.

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

Strong, steady voice kept the story growing stronger and interesting.

Any additional comments?

"This review copy audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost."

Suspense and a bit of Romance...

Any additional comments?

Clint, the male lead, is going through a divorce and Beth, the main female lead, must

receive dialysis.

Beth is kidnapped and her dialysis machine left at home, Clint has to save her life.

This book is filled with action, suspense and a bit of romance.


Patrick Nolan did 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."

Enjoyable Thriller !

Would you listen to 3 Lies again? Why?

Quite the enjoyable book. I was kept in suspense and wanted to listen more.

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.

murder mystery and suspense.

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com.".. it's fantastic how this thriller reads... suspenseful, intriguing, realistic and wonderfully written...

Never trust someone in a colored ski mask...

Where does 3 Lies rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I want to start this review by saying that in general, spy thrillers are not one of my preferred book genres. However, with that said I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I look forward to others in the genre and by this author; thank you for expanding my comfort-zone. Although I rated the book 4-stars, if given the option I would have more likely rated it 3.5-stars; because it is not a three-star book.

The author did a good job of weaving a believable story that included many twists, turns, and suspense throughout. Many times I was surprised by a given outcome and said to myself, I didn’t see that coming. The author was able to create characters having depth and the main characters were involved in complex relationships which kept them interesting and more life-like. Her ability to simply describe a scene that allowed me to see it like a picture in my mind kept me listening and engaged.

I laughed multiple times at one of the characters lack of having a cellphone in today’s society, however the author herself said on her Amazon page, “I wrote 3 LIES, in part, out of my own struggle to untether from the digital world”. This realization while reading the book gave this specific character more meaning to me. I can her love of animals, especially dogs from her story, and this part was again one of the surprises for me. The book has vulgar language; however, it was not frequent or gratuitously used. I would not feel comfortable allowing my teenager to read the book because of this. I include this as it is important for many readers when looking for new material for younger readers. Such language is only used at points when the characters are in high-stress situations. I will have to say that I will never look at people wearing colored ski masks the same again.

Let me touch on a few areas of the book which I found were less believable for me. I have been in the technology industry for over 35 years and focused on information security for over 20. This is not to say that I’m an expert in the specific technology the author was describing, however I felt at times that I had to just go with the flow and remind myself it was a story. Some of the technology described seemed farfetched or more futuristic in general, and the trouble with some of the computers and how it was handled seemed to lack deep research into the topic. Again, this is more nit picky on my part as it touches on my area of expertise, yet I do not think others would be impacted by it. I will also admit that the general population often is not even aware of the types of technology that are out there or the power of surveillance.

A few of my recent reviews have called out authors for having very long chapters, and this book is almost on the extreme other side of that for me. A number of chapters were extremely short, consisting of only a page or two. Other authors will often join these smaller chapters into a larger one and simply separate or transition the scenes. Once again, this is more a personal issue and did not take away or add anything to the story itself.

What was one of the most memorable moments of 3 Lies?

The most memorable part of the book for me was the love shown between himself and a dog. Not to sound funny, but only those who read the book will understand.

What about Patrick Nolan’s performance did you like?

For the audiobook, I enjoyed Patrick's narration overall. I think I would have enjoyed more if he had been more expressive with his voice both during times of action and low-points of the story. More to put emphasis and keep the listener tied to the story-line. I would have also liked to have had more uniqueness in the various character voices, yet I understand how difficult this can me for a narrator. I know it can also be difficult for a male to voice female and female child parts.

I look forward to listening to more by this narrator in the future. I did find it somewhat interesting during one portion of the book when the narrator was describing a driving scene and he pronounced the word "route 3" like it is said in the west instead of "root 3" like it is often said in the Northeast. Again, the narration was good, not outstanding, but good.

Any additional comments?

Disclaimer: This book was provided to no charge to the reviewer by the author, narrator, or publisher in exchange for a non-bias review.