Burial Ground: A Novel

By: Michael McBride

Narrated by: Gary Tiedemann

Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's Summary

When the body of Hunter Gearhardt washes up on the banks of a seasonal river outside of Pomacochas, Peru, with only samples of vegetation, a handful of feathers, two black- and gray-streaked rocks, and a golden headdress of indeterminate origin in his possession, his grieving father launches an expedition to determine how his son died. The party uses these clues to divine Hunter’s route into the jungle, where they find a surviving offshoot of a primitive tribe, long thought to be extinct, and something far more sinister, something that’s been able to avoid discovery for eons for one simple reason: No one leaves the rainforest alive.

©2012 Michael McBride (P)2014 Michael McBride

Better Run Through the Jungle

What's worse than trudging through a jungle? How 'bout trudging uphill through a jungle? Set in the Peruvian rainforest nestled along the mountains, a dead body is discovered and prompts and expedition to find out who--or what--killed him, and where he found that snazzy gold artifact tucked in his bag.

After a wealthy industrialist learns his galavanting son has died under mysterious circumstances in South America, he leads a recon team of scientists and mercenaries into the jungle for answers, guided by the bush pilot that found his son's corpse and the golden crown in his possession. Suspicion on all sides over who knows how much weighs heavy as they venture into the wild, but their own little quabbles are quickly outweighed as it becomes all too apparent that there is a tribe in the jungle, one that has until now gone undiscovered, and the team finds themselves in a race for answers as well for their lives.

If you like those globe-trotting thrillers and encounters with the unknown, you're likely to really get a kick out of this book. What could just be a paint-by-numbers horror/thriller fare is quite capably handled by McBride, who turns this into something just a little bit more riveting than what you might find late at night on SyFy. The characters are fleshed out much more than the run-of-the-mill stories you might be used to, and while the broad premise of the book doesn't feel all that original, its execution helps it stand out from the pack.

The ending isn't quite so revelatory, but a minor complaint for an audiobook helmed by Gary Tiedemann who does a great job in keeping the tone and pace of the story just right, and the characters engaging the whole way through.

If you're a fan of those Preston/Child novels, I'd wager you would be a fan of this one.

Those Dirty Birds...

Reminiscent of early Preston/Child non-Pendergast fare, this story should satisfy any need you might have for a good jungle expedition story. There’s nothing particularly new here but it entertains.

Did not enjoy this book as much as I thought

This book seemed to be longwinded. Certain parts of the book had too much descriptive verbiage which did nothing to enhance the book. The love story was pathetic and should have been kept out of the book. I saw the ending coming and was not at all surprised. The narrator was great though and did a very good job with his voicing of female characters.

Scary...Gruesome...Good

This was a suspenseful mystery. A group of experts, each in their own different fields, set off on an expedition to find out what happened to a retired, treasure hunters son. Not only are they being followed by a group of missionaries, but what they are faced with in the jungle is nothing less than frightening. Think Congo, but it is not apes they meet up with.

glad I got this book

great listen loved it! Recommend this book to people that like James Rollins. And action. adventure some horror and suspense mystery

Really Enjoyed

You need to be prepared to have the time to listen to this book because if you don't, you can miss important details. There are extensive details throughout the book and it's obvious that author did a lot of research into the history of the area, and just in general. The story is really well written and has a action/adventure theme, along with some of the theory behind bird evolution, almost like what was said in the movie Jurassic Park. I did really enjoy the narrator in this book, he read the story well.

An action packed romp through a jungle

This was a great, though strait forward, thriller. The basic premise, is a wealthy man’s son died while searching through a Peruvian rain forest. The man then assembles a team to search for closure, and this book is based around their excursion through said rain forest. The author did a great job with the scenery, it was descriptive and vivid enough that I could get a good picture of it in my mind. He also did a great job with the characters. He gave enough of their back story to make them believable and relatable. Although the story did get predictable at times, the author kept the book engaging enough that I couldn’t put it down. My only real complaint is that the author showed a complete lack of knowledge when it comes to firearms. Overall the book was good enough for me to look past that though. The narrator did a fantastic job with this book. He chose great voices for all the characters and he made the story that much better. His pacing and tone were great, and he kept me on the edge of seat, especially during the tense scenes. In the end, if you’re looking for a great thriller and you don’t mind the author’s lack of gun knowledge, this book is definitely worth a listen.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

Decent lost treasure story

Met all my expectations. I only wish it wasn't as predictable. If your an adventure novel fan, it's a worthy addition.

Dinosaurs?

Dinosaurs? Again? Can’t we be a bit inventive here. Dinosaurs in the Andes, how many times has this been done to death. I had hoped at first that we may be talking about Phorusrhacids. Terror Birds. They were all over South America during the Cenozoic. Their fossils were even found in North America. Big flightless birds that were 8 to 10 feet tall. That would be a change. Ugh. Dinosaurs.

Raises Frightening Possibilities

What if some remnant dinosaur species have survived? What would be our chances of survival if we encountered them? Makes you wonder about the possible fate of past explorers who never returned from their quests. Engaging and entertaining; I give it 5 stars.