Flanagan's by the Sea

By: Chris Fraser

Narrated by: Christian Rummel

Length: 12 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

A blistering crime saga, perfect for fans of Don Winslow and Elmore Leonard, of broken loyalties, family obligations, and a heroin deal gone horribly right.

Dicky Flanagan has been the crown prince of Shadow Beach his entire life. The grandson of the man who built it from nothing into a homey surf town, the son of the volatile father who ruled over the pier and beach below with a tripwire temper and a charming grin, and the brother of an odd, but gifted, murdered child - an event that kept Dicky out of the water and buried deep in a drug-fueled haze.

To get his father out of prison, Dicky needs to scrounge together six figures as fast as he can, and the opportunity presents itself in a high-risk drug deal on the Mexican border, running heroin from the cartels to an equally violent group of white supremacists. Getting the drugs back without getting himself jailed or killed is only step one. Step two is getting his father sprung. Step three is saving the family bar from the corporate vultures picking apart his town. The final step is getting his life back on track by winning back Lainey - the one that got away - along with the son he never knew. And every step brings Dicky back to the tragedies of the past, and the mess he's made of his present.

Told with effortless charm and a simmering tension, Chris Fraser pens a fully realized portrait of a man who needs to get back into the water - because the waves he's trying to navigate on land keep pulling him under.

©2014 Chris Fraser (P)2014 Audible Inc.

WOW...just amazing debut!

What did you love best about Flanagan's by the Sea?

The characters and setting

What did you like best about this story?

Why ask same question twice?

Have you listened to any of Christian Rummel’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Of course, any self respecting audiobook "junkie" has listened to the wonderful Christian Rummel before.

Any additional comments?

Highly recommend this book!!!! Such a wonderful debut, and one of the FEW books I could not put down (finished all 12 hours in one sitting lol).

Part suspense novel, but mostly a story about life, family, and the people most important to us. A wonderful, yet flawed protagonist (told in 1st-person) and his equally (or more) flawed family and the hijinks that occur in life...good or bad, for better or worse. For once the comparison in the description above to other novelists held true. It has the best parts of a Don Winslow novel (Dawn Patrol, etc) with the California beach setting & original characterization, but is also SO much more than that. You really feel connected to the characters, and that is not an easy feat. After 7 hours of listening to a book it is rare to want a book NOT to end. At the risk of spoiling parts of the book, I will stay away from details about the novel, the synopsis above is for that. I will say that it is VERY rare these days to see a debut that grabs you this tight and won't let go. Do yourself a favor and listen...as with ALL my TOP FAVORITE novels, I am off to buy the hardback copy for my bookshelf :)

Not what I expected.

This was a different story. The characters deal with death, reincarnation & near death experiences. Also, there is a white supremacist group in the story. This was disconcerting with everything happening in The USA right now with "BLM". That being said, I did enjoy the story. You can't help but like the main character, Dickey.
Overall, the book was enjoyable.

Amazing family saga

Would you listen to Flanagan's by the Sea again? Why?

Already have, enjoyed it more the second time, many layers to storyline. Missed stuff the first listen

Who was your favorite character and why?

Dicky Flanagan, a complex character: the novel revolves around him, his family and his town.

What does Christian Rummel bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Rummel is fantastic, great voices, tones and emotions.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, almost did. Didn't want it to end.

Great Family Drama

4.5 stars. Chris did an amazing job of bringing the Flanagan family and the small town of Shadow Beach alive. I felt like I was a part of the family and living through their struggles with them.

Dicky Flanagan is the main character of this story and is told from his point of view. An event that happened many years before is what has caused this family so much grief. This story is about growing from prior mistakes, closure and the strength of a very dysfunctional family.

This book is marked under the mystery, thriller and suspense category. I don't believe it belongs in this category, but I'm not sure there is really a category specifically for this book. If you enjoy family dramas and contemporary fiction, you should check this book out! This book kept my attention almost all the way through, it was tough when I would have to stop listening to it!

Christian Rummel did a fabulous job narrating this book! He had many different characters that all had a different voice and it was always easy to tell who was talking.

Amazing Tale

Where does Flanagan's by the Sea rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Best I've ever heard

Who was your favorite character and why?

Main character Dicky

Have you listened to any of Christian Rummel’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, great as always

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Hardcore Family Saga

Any additional comments?

Chris Fraser takes a family in crises, and the small beach town they live in and makes it come alive. The characters are so real I feel I knew them, probably because I knew people just like them and shared many a beer with them. Unlike anything I've ever read and hard to classify, but you don't need to put label on a good story. Unblinkingly harsh at times, but so is life. Great Read.

Drug smuggling/selling and White Supremacists.

Completely mis-categorized as Mystery: Thriller and Suspense. Protagonists are richly rewarded by stealing, smuggling and selling drugs then re-stealing and selling said drugs - without the justification of a noble cause. Complexity added by throwing in some wanton murders and quite a few white supremacists and thugs. Then they all live happily ever after.