Pressure

By: Jeff Strand

Narrated by: Scott Thomas

Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

"Marvelously creepy...the horror in this tale of twisted friendship is relentless." (Publishers Weekly)

Alex stared at the red pocketknife shown to him by his daughter. A pocketknife owned by somebody he hadn't seen in years.

Children

They met first in boarding school at age 12. Alex Fletcher, shy and scared. Darren Rust, always furiously scribbling away in a private journal. It was not an immediate friendship, but then one night Darren convinced his roommate to sneak off school grounds to see something glorious. There was a sleazy strip club, you see, and every once in a while the back door opened just long enough to maybe catch a quick glimpse.

Though a bond was formed from their prepubescent interest in naked women, Darren had another interest. A morbid curiosity about death. A curiosity that turned into something much more sinister.

Friends

They crossed paths again in college and became the best of friends. But Darren wasn't just looking for a friend. He had dark, ghastly urges squirming around in his head, and he believed he saw the same things - the urge to hurt, the urge to kill - in Alex. He was looking for somebody who understood. A partner.

But Alex could never become a monster. Not even when Darren tried to bring out his friend's most deeply buried feelings of rage. Not even when Darren tried to show him the euphoria of having that much power over another human being. It just couldn't happen...right?

Enemies

Now Alex has a wife and a daughter. And Darren is back. He's hiding. He's patient. His mind is twisted in the worst possible way.

And he's seeking a soul mate.

©2005 Jeff Strand (P)2016 Scott Thomas

Amazing!

I was so surprised by how incredible Pressure is, especially because I was hesitant at first to pick this book. I burned through it in a matter of days. It is so well written and captivating right from the start, and it certainly has re-listen value.

The protagonist, Alex, is very relatable because he is just so normal. Darren, the psychopath that relentlessly preys on Alex, is a very disturbing and callous character, and there is a real uneasiness evoked throughout Pressure especially in regards to Darren. I do not want to give any spoilers, but what I can say is that if you love psychological thrillers and stories involving brutal psychopaths, then you should not hesitate to pick up this book. However, Pressure is definitely not for the faint of heart!

As for the narration, I can’t even express how flawless it is. The performance is absolutely outstanding, and I am now a huge fan of Scott Thomas after listening to this one title!

This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom- Thank you so much! I am sincerely overjoyed to have have had the opportunity to discover this brilliant author along with a remarkably talented narrator!

An Interesting and Intense Fast Paced Read..

Any additional comments?

I thought that this book was supposed to be a Mystery but it is more.. Horror with a Psychotic Thriller, undertone.

Alex, one of the leads, meets Darren at the Branford Academy boarding school at a young age.

Darren develops a strange obsession with Alex and follows him from childhood into his
adult personal life as well.

Darren becomes more and more manipulative and violent over the course of their "friendship".

At times, Alex seemed at a loss as to what to do about Darren.

Alex is Pushed and "Pressured" throughout the entire story.

And, there were times or rather certain scenes that made me a bit uncomfortable.

Overall, this story was an Interesting and Intense Fast Paced Read.

I just wish that the author would have showed the reader more of Darren's thoughts.


Scott Thomas did well with the narration, his voice was clear and steady.

Note:
"This audio book was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review."

OMG

I got so invested in the great story I kinda lost track of the intro so I was upset at the mid ending. this guy is a great author, but might have a head in his closet. I want more Mayhem story's. I haven't looked but if this doesn't have a sequel I'm jokingly taking a star off.

Jeff strand does it again!!

I received this audible edition for my honest review.. I must say I truly enjoyed it. fast paced. gritty and intriguing.. keeps you on the edge of your seat

Twisted Thriller

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was more intense and dark than his Wolf Hunt series (also good). I highly recommend if you enjoy a physiological twisted thriller that keeps you on your toes. Narration was good. This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom. Thank You!

Its great

I was given this book for free from audiobook boom and asked to leave an unbiased review for the author and narrator.
Worth a credit. I really enjoyed this book. I made the mistake of listening to Deathless first, not knowing this one came first, and really enjoyed Deathless so as soon as I found out that Pressure came first I got it immediately and started listening as soon as I finished the one I was currently listening to. If you listen to Pressure you need to get Deathless next. In my opinion Jeff Strand is a good writer with a bit of a twisted mind and I love it. The scariest part is that there are people walking among us that Strand is writing about in these books.
The narrator was good, he has a pleasant voice and uses inflections and does the voice changes for different characters so its not just a boring “being read” story. I have listened to a couple stories he has narrated and he is always a good choice for the book. I will definitely look for more books by this author and this narrator.

Completely messed up story, and I loved it!

This is like Stand By Me gone so wrong. This story and its characters kept my attention and made me have to know what came next the whole way through. I was grossed out, pissed off, outraged and made to laugh numerous times throughout the duration. I wanted to shake Alex and say" no, don't let him do you like that", I wanted to kill Darren and I wanted to weep for Melanie and Tracy. The progression of storyline from kids, to college students to adults was fantastic and I thought the timing for those transitions was perfect. This book certainly has some very intense violence and very dark times but it was right up my alley. This book was gifted to me by the author for an unbiased review and it was certainly a gift that I enjoyed. I will undoubtedly listen to this one again and keep it in my library. If you're into dark, violent, creepy, sad and somewhat funny stories, this book is for you, it was most definitely for me!!!!!

One of my favourites from Jeff Strand.

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

Oh dear, Jeff Strand does it again, I'll probably get nightly panic attacks for a few weeks now because of this book.
I've read a lot of his books and this is one of my favourites. The relentlessness of Darren is quite frightening and reminds me of a few acquaintances I've had personally over the years that had me wondering about their mental stability. That makes this book even more frightening for me. Near the end of the book I felt so sad for Alex, it put a lump in my heart, this book is that good. If you like creepy thrilling horror you must read this book.

The Protagonist will make you upset

The lead character is a spineless, wimp of a man..Being a soldier in the army I was appalled at his cowardice...The narrator was good and the story was good at times

Under Pressure

Gripping story about Alex and a friendship he made that would haunt him for life. Jeff Strand crafted a well written and fast paced revenge story here with the perfect combination of emotion and violence. Fantastic story!