Frantic

By: Katherine Howell

Narrated by: Caroline Lee

Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's Summary

In one terrible moment, paramedic Sophie Phillips' life is ripped apart - her police officer husband, Chris, is shot on their doorstep and their ten-month-old son, Lachlan, is abducted from his bed. Suspicion surrounds Chris as he is tainted with police corruption, but Sophie believes the attack is much more personal - and the perpetrator far more dangerous... While Chris is in hospital and the police, led by Detective Ella Marconi, mobilize to find their colleague's child, Sophie's desperation compels her to search for Lachlan herself. She enlists her husband's partner, Angus Arendson, in the hunt for her son, but will the history they share prove harmful to Sophie's ability to complete her mission? And could one dangerous decision cause Sophie to ultimately lose everything important in her life?

©2007 Katherine Howell (P)2007 Bolinda Publishers Pty Ltd.

Critic Reviews

"A thrilling entry into the crime genre... This is a confident, well-explored and satisfying novel." ( Good Reading Magazine)

Nice surprise

I bought this because Caroline Lee is my FAVORITE narrator. I didn't expect this to be a great book because police and paramedics do not interest me much, but Caroline Lee can make anything better. I decided to get it, and I'm so glad that I did. Great book on it's on AND great narration!

Good suspense

It was a good story. I wish they elaborated a bit more on the story behind “B” character. Anyway it was a decent read made better by Caroline Lee.

I was FRANTIC!

Slow to start and then BAM! the twists and turns got me. At one point I had to stop because I was so stressed over the story line. The reader was fantastic!

Believe the title

I think this is the author's first novel. It's a good story and mostly well written but I found some awkward language and odd ways of saying things (not because it was a distinctly Australian manner of speech). I grew a bit irritated at the police for ignoring a major clue and one of the main character's reaction to events was extreme, too much so in my opinion.

Nonetheless, I did enjoy the book. Caroline Lee was, as usual, excellent in her narration.

mystery

i really enjoyed listening to this narrator! a book that was very easy to listen to! i recommend it!

an entertaining read

Good story line, accurate details especially the ambulance/paramedic scenes. keeps you guessing. Great narration....caroline lee is one of my favourite narrators to listen to!

Too boring to finish

Nothing to be frantic about here. I love Caroline Lee's voice, but even she, with her wonderful acting, can't make the same old pseudo-crime, women-hating plot work, let alone the total lack of any attempt at characterisation.

Enjoyable thriller

The heroine works as a paramedic and her husband is a cop. Following a traumatic incident her husband is rather distant and uncommunicative with her - this led to a weak moment and a night spent with one of her husband's colleagues. The feelings of guilt and the difficult situation she has to endure are really well described. However she is not the only one with guilty secrets and when her baby son is kidnapped the heroine becomes embroiled in taking matters into her own hands with unfortunate consequences. The action takes place in Australia and there is a strong sense of place - I like to read thrillers from other cultures for this very reason to get an idea of how it is to live in different climates and how it influences behaviour and so forth. I wouldn't say the plot was the most original I've ever read but it was convincing enough and well written. The narrator does a reasonable job and although she doesn't have an irritating voice she can sometimes read slightly on the slow side or at least fails to vary pace in accordance with the unfolding action.
On the whole an enjoyable experience. It is also the first in a series so I will probably try out later books to see if there is a marked improvement.