Burial Ground: A Novel

By: Michael McBride

Narrated by: Gary Tiedemann

Length: 12 hrs and 40 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.

12 of 13 people found this review helpful

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.

18 of 20 people found this review helpful

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.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

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.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

tense and doesn't let up<br />

loved it. buy it now. I felt like I was in the jungle with them. Screee!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

An edge of your seat read!

I didn't want to stop listening, I had to know what was going to happen!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

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.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Do some research

I would suggest to this author that if he is going to have military themes in his book to at least ask someone how things work or maybe look it up. I don't expect an author to be at the Clancy level of technical detail, but at least be competent enough to know that Marine guards on consulate duty do not equate to special ops operators who can just take what they need and walk off into the jungle, or that 160th pilots don't go on raids into caves, or that the sentence "the rifle's carbine whirred even after the clip was empty" is just complete gibberish that he made up because it sounded good in his mind..

Other than that gripe, the book was predictable and just seemed to go on and on building suspense without coming to much of a climax. This is the first review I have felt the need to write and the first audio-book that I have regretted purchasing.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful