A Simple Plan

By: Scott Smith

Narrated by: Pete Bradbury

Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Hank Mitchell thought he lived an ordinary, ordered life. But on one chilly afternoon, Hank, his brother Jacob, and Jacob's unsavory pal Lou, make a discovery that offers a chance for a life filled with riches beyond their wildest dreams. And in a fateful moment, Hank lays a plan to claim that life... and the horrific crumbling of his ordered world begins.

©2006 Scott Smith (P)2011 Simon & Schuster

a must have suspense

I saw the movie with Bill Bob Thornton and really enjoyed it, so decided to get audiobook. Far better than the movie because u get so much more insight into the characters. it a really good yard and and will keep u hooked throughout.

What a great book!

This is a fantastic book! I don’t want to give anything away so I’ll keep this brief. The story is amazing, the agonizing details make me feel like I was there. The narration was absolutely flawless as well. The narrators voice was perfect for the story and the characters.

Darkly entertaining

Decided to listen to this as I am a big fan of the film directed by Sam Raimi, starring Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, and Bridget Fonda.

Pretty tragic story. Parable of how greed can destroy even good people. The movie is somehow less hopeless. Hank is much less relatable and sympathetic in the book than the film. I think I like the movie better in all honesty, it’s a tighter more intimate streamlined story, but for fans of the thematic material of the film and the philosophical questions it raises, there’s more than enough of that in this book to please.

FOR ME A THRILLER IS A TALE THAT COULD HAPPEN !!!!

considering myself a horror lover includes the NOT so far out fantasy. close to the ground & more logical instead of galactic make believe as I've gotten older IF THIS IS YOU THIS IS YOUR MUST HAVE LIST TOPPER. the reader is fantastic and spot on. ONE OF MY FAVORITES. psychological thrilling at its VERY BEST BRAVO

A Somber Tale That Makes You Think

I had seen the movie and absolutely loved it. The actors, Billy Bob Thorton and Bill Paxton (RIP) brought these characters amazingly to life, much better than the novel. The movie changed the ending and many sequences of events as well as completely leaving out most of the murders. But I feel it made the story flow better and the characters more intriguing. The novel was very good and of course I already knew what was going to happen but then again not really. The novel goes more into detail about the deeds that Hank did along the way. The slippery slope of how when you do one bad thing then another will inevitably follow. But even though alot of that was not in the movie I didn't feel that the movie needed it. However the novel did. The only thing I was hoping for was to get more information about who Sarah was, her past. What made her so easily make the decisions she made. The way Bridget Fonda played her in the film I thought there was so much under the surface about her but alas it wasn't brought out in the novel. That was disappointing. All in all it was a very good novel but I have to say that the movie was much better. But I enjoyed them both. I recommend the read.

A descent into darkness

I chose this book because I wanted to read a quality thriller, and I was not disappointed. It kept me on the edge of my seat and wanting to know what happened next. It was difficult to listen to at times, and I even paused at a few points because of how disturbing the content was.

Not as good as I had hoped

how this is considered one of the 1,000 books to read before you die seems odd to me. I really didn't like the plot or the way it ended.

In this, greed is definitely not good

You know that phrase, circling the drain? That’s the best way to describe this novel about greed and the lengths people will go to in the name of it. Recently I was involved in an inheritance process that involved more money than at first suspected. It brought out the worst in some family members so the actions and attitudes of the people in this novel seemed on the money to me. I was a bit surprised by the fluidity of criminal schemes that Hank and Sara came up with on the spur of the moment and also their lack of caution in some areas (keeping the money under the bed? with a newborn in the house???), but mostly the book hung together. It’s basically one bad decision after another with things getting worse and worse, scene by scene.

Spoilers commencing -

There isn’t anyone to root for in this book, but there are degrees of dirt-baggery to be plumbed and not all the deaths are lamentable. Most are though and by the end I was hoping Hank would get caught. He and Sara deserved it. They don’t, but neither do they profit by their crimes and they seem pretty comfortable with them on the whole (all that self-serving justification must have gone down well). The FBI logged about 10% of the serial numbers and without knowing which bills are on the list, the whole pile is worthless. Sara tries everything in her power to hang onto it, right to the bitter end. In a way, I’m glad there wasn’t much denouement to the book since it would have meant spending more time with the two of them. I’m not sure the kid’s accident and subsequent near-vegetative state is effective as a sop to justice though. And I can’t imagine the law ignoring so many deaths in such a short time period, especially when there’s no GSR on Lou’s body. But other than those things, the story is good, compelling and reasonably believable if a sad testament to one of humanity’s least admirable traits.

"Read it again Daddy".

Every waking hour was spent listening or planning to listen to this story. I wanted to watch the movie. But the writing and delivery were so well done. It left indelible images in my brain. Movie? what for .

Good narrator. Mediocre story.

It shouldn't have taken over 13hrs to tell such a largely uninteresting, completely linear story.