Drive: A Crime Thriller

The Volunteers, Book 1

By: John Nuckel

Narrated by: Garfield Maitland

Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Et omnia recta - to make things right. In the late 1800s, a secret society was formed by a captain from Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders with the support of the nation’s leading industrialists and bankers. Over a century later, the tradition continues in the same saloons and boardrooms of New York City, where it all began.

In this crime thriller, where history and current events unite, Woodbury Kane, Jacob Riis, and Roosevelt himself fight the tyranny of Tammany Hall in the first mission of the volunteers during the turn of the last century. In today’s New York, the descendants of the volunteers recruit Annie Falcone, a New York police officer, who takes the oath: et omnia recta.

She is to provide protection to one man, America’s top technological mind, from his longtime adversary Sheng, China’s most brutal hacker. Annie is unaware that she’s merely a decoy to draw Sheng out for the hit squad that was sent ahead of her. Her instincts alone will be the force behind the success or failure of the mission. Like so many other volunteers before her, Annie’s survival depends upon her courage, skill, and drive.

©2017 John Nuckel (P)2020 John Nuckel

Historical and modern-day fiction thriller

What a ride! I love audio books so much for so many reasons. I love that I'm "reading" a fantastic novel and still allowing my imagination to create images of characters, settings and backgrounds. I also love that the reading of the book is much like listening to an actor, of course, but I'm still able to connect to them as a narrator or character. Garfield Maitland did a stellar job in his performance in reading Drive by John Nuckel. Of course, anyone's initial impression of an audiobook is the narrator, so I have no doubt this made a valuable first impression on me. The story itself is also incredible! I enjoyed that the backstory wasn't simply narrated to me, but I was brought there, to Roosevelt's meeting. The plot is intriguing, with Annie never really sure what is safe and trustworthy but needing to forge on in an effort to complete her life-or-death mission. Drive kept me on my toes nearly the entire time, which is excellent since I do a lot of my audiobook listening while on a treadmill; adrenaline is welcome! Mr. Nuckel is gifted in storytelling and suspense-building. I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone seeking a fast-paced and thoughtful thriller of a historical fiction variety.

A Beautifully Written Thriller

I love how seamlessly John Nuckel weaves the different timelines and storylines in "Drive: A Crime Thriller." I love historical fiction, and found this in a genre somewhere between that and a thriller. I loved that Woodbury Kane was a real person, member of the "rough riders" and friend of Theodore Roosevelt. That time in history is just something I'm coming to respect and become more familiar with

In the present time, the secret organization, the Volunteers, fights crime and injustice still exists and still faces threats. I loved Annie (a NY cop) being pulled into this world. I loved how she was sent to protect a member of the Volunteers, a hacker in hiding, Hank. This felt unexpected in what feels like a "man's world" organization. I felt unsure about how quickly she warmed up to Hank about her personal life, but felt like it helped me understand her character... and Hank's.

There are so many twists and turns in this story and I wasn't ever really sure who I should trust, or what side was truly on the good side. This was a great book to listen to while feeling restless here at the end of summer. I've found audiobooks a great escape this year. I have read the second book in this series (not audible) and loved it too.

Et omnia recta - to make things right

Drive is the first book in a promising new series of Crime Thrillers by John Nuckel, called The Volunteers. They, the Volunteers will fight against evil people in any way they can and to the best of their abilities.

The Volunteers live by one rule, by one slogan! Et omnia recta, which means to make things right and that’s exactly what this group of dedicated American patriots has done for more than a century, putting their lives in peril at every step of the way. Now, one of them is tasked to protect an important person at any cost. But she does not have all the details and things are not what they look like at a first glance.

Prepare yourself for almost 7 hours of suspense and thrilling entertainment!

The audiobook version of Drive is beautifully performed, with enthusiasm and passion by actor and voice-over artist Garfield Maitland, who does a fantastic job with the narration. It's crystal clear from the beginning that he enjoys bringing to life the characters and events portrayed in Drive and he does it with style.

I'm glad that I gave Drive a chance, this way I discovered a fantastic narrator in the clearly talented Garfield Maitland and a great new author in John Nuckel, who's immersive writing style captured my attention immediately. I am really looking forward to see where this series will take us next.

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Thank you & stay safe,
Victor

A regular Annie Oakley

Drive by John Nuckel was a fresh surprise for a crime thriller. Well thought out and woven beautifully, the book was not easy to put down! The characters were well portrayed- with some like Sheng you love to hate, or Pap that keep you wondering, and Annie Falcone is quite the diamond in the rough. The story of the volunteers with such a substantial background and raw beginning captivated my mind immediately.
The book starts in late 1800’s with the beginning of the Volunteers and the crucial state of NYC life being ruled by mob bosses thugs and the like- with a small group of men who set out to make the city better- Et omnia recta- who volunteer to make the city great agin. Woody Kane and Jacob Riis couldn’t have been a better duo, in high class-working class combination, they set out to conquer and with the discreet help of well known names, anything was possible. The book goes into modern day society and the work of the volunteers is still alive and pumping- the national security has been threatened by a geek from MIT with manic episodes putting the entire US in danger. Annie is recruited to guard with her life, the one man who can change the fate of the world.... I would have like more development in the relationship of the dynamic duos within the book (sorry not giving up the deets!) but overall this book was a smashing read.

Thrilling audiobook

I wanted to start off this review with praise for the narrator, Garfield Maitland. I enjoyed his performance and think that he hit the nail on the head with what I expected the characters to sound like.

Even though I had never read/listened to John Nuckel previously, I found that I was drawn to this series having grown up in New York. I am a fan of historical fiction and thrillers, so I was excited to learn more about the Volunteers. I think that the author did a good job of mixing the past storylines with the present without confusing the readers. At times I had to remind myself that this was a work of fiction because his plot lines were so believable.

My favorite character in this book is Annie. I love strong female characters and she did not disappoint. Annie is a cop who is recommended to the secret society through her father. In true thriller fashion, we are taken on an amazing journey in order to save the country.

I am looking forward to seeing what is next in the Volunteers series.

A Great read

This is was a well paced thriller, with excellent narration. It cuts back and forth between two, tangentially connected subplots set over 100 years apart. I dont always enjoy that literary device, but it was very well done here and added to the world building of a secret organization set in a non-fictional place across time. The historic references and settings seemed well researched and interesting as part of the larger story. the author sid an excellent job at integrating very well known figures into his fictional narrative. Excellent voice performance! My only disappointment was not finding more books with this voice actor. This book now has a sequel released in 2017, but which is not yet an audiobook. I look forward to the sequel and hope there will be an audiobook version using the same voice actor.

More than just a thriller

As a fan of thrillers, I have unfortunately read plenty of books which lacked depth, and really lacked everything besides guns and shock. Drive is no such thriller. The Characters in the book are human and relatable, which made the thrill so much more real! This was a problem for
Me listening to this audiobook while doing mundane chores, as I finished the chores too quickly! I really enjoy how the author weaves historical and present day storylines, and at no time did it trip-up the pace. I really enjoyed Drive and look forward to more from John Nuckel!

Five stars!

I loved Drive! Books that jump back-and-forth between different timelines can be confusing but I think that John did a terrific job here. Not only was it not confusing at all but it actually flowed really well. If you are a history nut like I am and also love a thriller, this is the book for you... especially if you love a female lead. The narrator can make or break a book, and I was really pleased with the job done here. I was able to zip through this audiobook in a day and am already looking forward to the next book in The Volunteers series.

Fully enthralled

I was feeling a bit restless over the weekend and couldn’t really get into any book I picked up or television show. I remembered I had this audiobook that I wanted to try. I’ve never sat and consistently listened to the audio as long as I had in each sitting with this one! It was easy to get engrossed in the story thanks to the beautiful narration alone.

The premise behind the secret society of The Volunteers is both seriously fascinating and scarily real. Each person that is apart of the Volunteers has a reason for being there. Most of them are to uphold a certain moral code and honor. They’re needed for making the world a better place is what drives them, even if it means being in harm.

Annie is tasked with a mission to keep a member safe, and at any costs. Even though not all are open and clear at the beginning and she has to decide if the mission is truly what it seems and if it's worth it. She has to face a lot of scary stuff in order to get to the heart of what’s truly right, and if she can fully prevail.

The mixture of going from past to present was completely fascinating and I loved that parallel view so to speak. It gave the entire story another level of complexity I wasn’t expecting. The ups and downs had me so enthralled, I found myself stopping whatever I was doing while listening to just fully focus on the heart-racing thrill ride! Truly loved every moment of the book, and I look forward to reading or listening to more work by this author.

Thriller of a Ride

This is a new author for me but he completely drew me in. I am a huge thriller fan so I couldn’t wait to get started on this audiobook. The narrator was a perfect choice as his voice managed to make the characters sound like I was visualizing them to be.

Sometimes it can be very confusing when the author goes back and forth between both the past and present storyline. However that was not the case with Drive. I thoroughly enjoyed the character of Annie, a strong cop who is introduced to “The Volunteers” through her father. The Volunteers have one rule and that is to make things right in the world. They are a group dedicated to righting the wrongs in our country, putting their lives at risk in order to achieve their goal. However things are not always as they seem as you will discover. So get your snacks and prepare yourself to travel down an amazingly thriller of a ride.