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Keller possesses all the qualities of a professional killer. He's cool, confident, reclusive, icy, and ruthlessly efficient. But this seasoned hit man is also prone to self-doubt as he finds himself caught in the clutches of a mid-life crisis.
Wounded in the line of duty, NYPD homicide cop John Corey is convalescing in rural eastern Long Island when an attractive young couple he knows is found shot to death on the family patio. The victims were biologists at Plum Island, a research site rumored to be an incubator for germ warfare. Suddenly, a local double murder takes on shattering global implications - and thrusts Corey and two extraordinary women into a dangerous search for the secret of Plum Island....
As a rejected child model, failed telemarketer, and pet-sitter to a dying bird, Stephanie Georgopulos has never refused an unconventional job - which is good, because graduating into the 2008 recession ensured those were the only ones she qualified for. Equal parts comical and cringe inducing, Some Things I Did for Money is an honest reflection on the way we define work and what it means to be rich.
In 2005, Dave Chappelle left show business at the height of his fame, giving up a small fortune and the hottest new television show in many years. In so doing, he transformed from being one of the greatest comics of his generation into one of the most enigmatic ever. In Searching for Dave Chappelle, Jason Zinoman, the first comedy critic in the history of The New York Times, sorts through the myriad theories and examines what happened to this singular artist.
On March 24, 2015, Germanwings Flight 9525 crashed into the French Alps. All 144 passengers and six crew members were killed. In the ensuing days, a picture of the flight's harrowing final moments began to emerge. Shortly after reaching cruise altitude, a 27-year-old first officer named Andreas Lubitz locked the captain out of the cockpit, took control of the plane, and deliberately caused its descent.
This story, set in Texas, is about a mother, her troubled son, and the redemptive powers of love. When gentle-natured Margie Clammor meets motherhood, she's in for the fight of her life. Her charming, manipulative son Tommy has a genius for trouble, and Margie battles year after year to remain his advocate and convince the world to see the good in him. That is, until grown-up Tommy is accused of committing an act so horrific that Margie must either face the facts or surrender everything she holds dear.
Keller possesses all the qualities of a professional killer. He's cool, confident, reclusive, icy, and ruthlessly efficient. But this seasoned hit man is also prone to self-doubt as he finds himself caught in the clutches of a mid-life crisis.
Wounded in the line of duty, NYPD homicide cop John Corey is convalescing in rural eastern Long Island when an attractive young couple he knows is found shot to death on the family patio. The victims were biologists at Plum Island, a research site rumored to be an incubator for germ warfare. Suddenly, a local double murder takes on shattering global implications - and thrusts Corey and two extraordinary women into a dangerous search for the secret of Plum Island....
As a rejected child model, failed telemarketer, and pet-sitter to a dying bird, Stephanie Georgopulos has never refused an unconventional job - which is good, because graduating into the 2008 recession ensured those were the only ones she qualified for. Equal parts comical and cringe inducing, Some Things I Did for Money is an honest reflection on the way we define work and what it means to be rich.
In 2005, Dave Chappelle left show business at the height of his fame, giving up a small fortune and the hottest new television show in many years. In so doing, he transformed from being one of the greatest comics of his generation into one of the most enigmatic ever. In Searching for Dave Chappelle, Jason Zinoman, the first comedy critic in the history of The New York Times, sorts through the myriad theories and examines what happened to this singular artist.
On March 24, 2015, Germanwings Flight 9525 crashed into the French Alps. All 144 passengers and six crew members were killed. In the ensuing days, a picture of the flight's harrowing final moments began to emerge. Shortly after reaching cruise altitude, a 27-year-old first officer named Andreas Lubitz locked the captain out of the cockpit, took control of the plane, and deliberately caused its descent.
This story, set in Texas, is about a mother, her troubled son, and the redemptive powers of love. When gentle-natured Margie Clammor meets motherhood, she's in for the fight of her life. Her charming, manipulative son Tommy has a genius for trouble, and Margie battles year after year to remain his advocate and convince the world to see the good in him. That is, until grown-up Tommy is accused of committing an act so horrific that Margie must either face the facts or surrender everything she holds dear.
This is the first in a gay mystery series, the Kyle Callahan Mysteries. Who killed Teddy the handyman - if anyone killed him at all? Kyle and his life partner Danny Durban live in New York City, where murder never seems to be more than a subway stop away. In this first story, they head to Pride Lodge, their favorite getaway from the City, over what they expect to be a festive Halloween weekend. What they find instead is a web of murder, deceit, and revenge served cold as a knife blade
In this 45-minute listen, a former spy introduces two simple tools for thinking. The first describes how we think. The second helps us think ahead. They are the essential tools for getting things done. The tools are applied to an incident in a subway car in Europe where a spy faces a new enemy. Then, they're reapplied to Saddam Hussein's stockpiling (or not) of weapons of mass destruction.
In a seaside Jersey town, a risk-averse illustrator on the brink of leaving her husband for another man spends one “perfect night with perfect people.” Warm, witty, and bursting with life, the friends of the man for whom she may or may not be leaving her husband thrill something deep inside her – and leave her grasping for a future she will chase down for years to come
After nearly twenty years of chasing oblivion, a fight in a bar reveals to a newly sober Mishka Shubaly that he is able to run long distances. Despite his best attempts to dodge enlightenment and personal growth, the irreverent young drunk and drug abuser learns to tame his self-destructive tendencies through ultrarunning. His outrageous sense of humor, however, rages unabated.
The worst of nature and the worst of science will bring the human race to the brink of extinction. Master Sergeant Reed Beckham has led his Delta Force team, code named Ghost, through every kind of hell imaginable and never lost a man. When a top secret medical corps research facility goes dark, Team Ghost is called in to face their deadliest enemy yet - a variant strain of Ebola that turns men into monsters.
She does Britain's dirty work, but this time she needs help. Beatrix Rose, meet John Milton.... Beatrix Rose has a knack for making the British government's problems go away. When the assassin is sent to Venezuela to track down a missing scientist, she meets a contact who knows the lay of the land: none other than John Milton. As the state-sanctioned assassin and the special forces soldier team up in South America, they'll do more than capture a missing scientist....
The Spy with No Name is the unbelievable true story of Erwin van Haarlem, a Cold War secret agent whose stolen identity broke the heart of an innocent woman - who thought she'd found her long-lost son. In 1977, Johanna van Haarlem, 52, finally tracked down the son she had abandoned as a baby, during the Second World War. She was delighted that he had grown into a charming Dutch waiter in London. But Erwin van Haarlem was actually a dangerous Communist spy who had stolen her son's identity to uncover British and American military secrets.
Detective Jane Harper can't shake the image of the young woman discovered in a field - eyes closed, a crown of woven vines on her head. She expects macabre murders like this in her native San Francisco, not here. Jane and her partner, Stu, vow to catch the killer, but in this town, that's easier said than done. The police department is in the grips of a wide-reaching scandal that could topple the entire force, and Jane and Stu face a series of dead ends. Until they meet Ida Lane.
The Dudes Abide is the first behind-the-scenes account of the making of a Coen Brothers movie and offers an intimate, firsthand narrative of the making of The Big Lebowski--including never-before-revealed details about the making of the film and insight into the inner workings of the Coen Brothers' genius.
At the first rush meeting of her sophomore year, Laura and her sisters meet Sam, a reckless and secretive transfer student who quickly has the sorority girls on edge. Determined to forge a friendship, Laura finds herself more powerfully drawn to Sam than she has ever been drawn to anyone - and, to add to her confusion, she's not the only one.
In the summer of 1975, the sprawling valley town of Grand Junction, Colorado, is stunned by the grisly double murders of 24-year-old Linda Benson and her baby daughter Kelley. For Jim Fromm and Doug Rushing, the two young detectives assigned to the case, the investigation is a chance to earn their stripes and prove their mettle. At first, Fromm and Rushing peg the woman's mercurial husband, a pipe-fitter who works outside of town, as the primary suspect.
In 2004, 34 men, women, and children stepped out of a Southeast Asian rainforest and presented themselves as refugees from violence engulfing their native Cambodia. They did not know that the war they were fleeing had in fact ended - 25 years earlier. Corinne Purtill was one of the first journalists to meet the families upon their incredible return to society. Years later, she returned to Cambodia to learn the truth about their time on the run.
The year is 1977. Three teenagers drive along an Indiana back road, heading home away from the highway, away from prying eyes and traffic cops. One behind the driver's wheel, two in the back seat sampling the merchandise that could get them all jailed. And then, as the car careens beneath a black sky lit only by a million stars, they see it. Something in the sky, something large and close and beckoning with its strangeness.
The boys demand they stop the car. The driver refuses, terrified of what might happen if she listens to them. Whatever it is they see makes the decision for them and stops the car in its tracks. What happens next to them could be real or imagined, but it will never be forgotten.
Whether or not you believe the main character’s account of things, you will enjoy the trip. This short fist-person psychological/sci-fi piece by Mark McNease follows the experience of a small crew of interesting characters whose counterbalancing exchanges push the story’s forward moving momentum. I loved the narrative’s casual but clever conversational feel: “Granville Indiana isn't the center of anything but itself… It's got a couple of malls that killed the downtown when…"
McNease delivers with surprises that are elegantly placed, and with an ending that left me wondering, but in a satisfied way. Because this piece was so nicely done, I am now interested in exploring McNease’s “Kyle Callahan Mysteries,” which are novel length works.
Narrator Braden Wright stole an already unstoppable show. Better put, he owned it. Braden reads the story as if he wrote it himself— Correction-— as if he LIVED it himself. His ability to combine outstanding articulation with a laid-back, “It’s just the two of us here” personalization is remarkable.
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks AudioBlast.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
What made the experience of listening to Stop the Car the most enjoyable?
The build up of tension, the perfect pitch and perfect pace.
What did you like best about this story?
The blend of pathos and mystery, of the ordinary and the extraordinary.
What about Braden Wright’s performance did you like?
His obvious connection with the subject matter.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Absolutely.
Any additional comments?
I am a writer. When I listen to a story I hear when sentences falter and when they triumph. There were no false notes in this story, just beautiful, evocative writing. Listening to "Stop the Car" made me want to pick up my pen and start writing, to take part in the magic of creation. Bravo, Mark. I loved it.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
The story is eerily familiar. I, too, attended college in Indiana in 1977, did drugs, and wondered what that point in life, the future, why we are here in a bigger sense was all about. Thanx for helping me reflect on those days and those thoughts that were and will always be a part of me. Very nice short story!
Reminds me of the kind of short story published in the New Yorker. It kind of rambles along like life at 19, the most memorable of which is spotting an alien ship amidst the farmland and losing three hours of life. I find it to be a fine think piece.
The audiobook is monologued by Braden Wright, who absolutely nails it!
“Stop The Car” is a truly great short story that packs a lot of story in a small amount of time. Set in 1977 and told in a conversational style, this story fires on all cylinders while being a sort of eerie psychological exercise. You will probably find yourself reading/listening to this work more than once for the pleasure of the story and to let it absorb and marinate. “Stop The Car” is an experience that’s definitely worth your time. It will also make you an instant fan of author Mark McNease.
Finally, this audio book was provided by the author at no cost in exchange for an honest review, courtesy of Audio Book Blast.
Where does Stop the Car rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
It's a stop and think, I've also felt like that way before short story. A well chosen narrator with a easily understood voice
What did you like best about this story?
The autobiographical aspect of Mark McNease's writing that makes the listener recall feelings of "alienation" from parents, family, friends. Pardon the pun. I think many of the thoughts and feelings stay with us for a lifetime. They resonated with me anyway.
Have you listened to any of Braden Wright’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I haven't but I would gladly listen to other audiobooks that feature Braden Wright.
Who was the most memorable character of Stop the Car and why?
The first person narrator. Was he ever named?
Any additional comments?
Thanks for providing this for review. This audiobook was provided by the author, at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.
The author takes a turn from crime solving to the case book of the X-files in a smart short story brilliantly narrated.
I found this story very interesting. I listened to it twice - once just to absorb the story and again to listen between the lines and kick in my English education. I liked it both times. If this is a lead-in to a book I would definitely get it but it stands on its own very well.
I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review.
"Stop the Car" was a good piece of writing. There was a lot of story packed into a short period of time. Overall it was eerie, and a bit sci-fi. Were they on a good or bad trip or did they see a UFO or both?
What I liked was the original writing style of Mark McNease. I'd definitely like to hear more from him.
Braden Wright's narration was perfect for this story. His approach was brilliant. He had the feel of trepidation which added to the story.
"I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com."
If you could sum up Stop the Car in three words, what would they be?
Mysterious, alarming, shocking!
What did you like best about this story?
Mark McNease brings his readers on mind trips (and there is NO gift shoppe in which to hide!) I've been of fan of his work for years. Talented Writer.
What does Braden Wright bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Intimacy. Great sound.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes.
Any additional comments?
MORE! Release all of Mark McNease's books on Audible.
Would you listen to Stop the Car again? Why?
I don't listen to audiobooks twice but I loved every second of this audiobook.
What did you like best about this story?
It made me feel like I was back home in America. There's something about Mark McNease's writing that makes me feel like I'm right in the middle of the book. Like I know the characters personally
What about Braden Wright’s performance did you like?
Very good. He's an excellent narrator and I thoroughly enjoyed his performance.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The relationships in the book the nostalgic feeling there's an overall modd to this book that stays with you long after you put it down.
Any additional comments?
I was given this book as a gift in return for an honest review. I'm a big fan of Mark McNease's writing.