Frantic

By: Katherine Howell

Narrated by: Caroline Lee

Length: 10 hrs and 45 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)

Not For The Faint Of Heart!

Warning: As title implies, this is one thrillingly harrowing mystery....almost TOO thrilling! There were several times listening while driving when I felt like maybe I should pull over, it was so very very harrowing, and I'd be gasping, "No! Nooo!" while in heavy traffic. This is the first in the extremely well researched, carefully plotted and flawlessly written Australian Detective Ella Marconi series, and I cannot believe Audible is going to keep me in suspense by not offering Volume 2 (The Darkest Hour) and Volume 3 (Cold Justice)! Why on earth offer Volumes 1 and 4, but not 2 and 3?? Hopefully this mistake will be corrected soon!

Who will appreciate this book: Anyone who likes a cracking good mystery story; anyone with a background in medicine, police procedure and police investigative procedure or EMT/paramedic services; anyone with a strong stomach and not overly shocked by medical trauma cases, child endangerment, torture or murder.

What I especially appreciated: Caroline Lee's narration; Great writing and pacing; a very human and fallible detective who does NOT magically wrap up this messy case in a neat bow (by the book's end, Ella is left to reflect with satisfaction only on the return of a missing infant, but is forced to acknowledge that she and her fellow investigators did not actually solve the case independently so much as stumble over tracks left by others, that one man has committed suicide because of her negligence, and that she allowed one potential witness to be murdered right in front of her), and Britishisms (boot/trunk; dummy/pacifier) and Aussie-isms (tornikay/tourniquet; "frahkah"/fracas; antenatal/prenatal; crook/crippled) galore.

What could have been better: At one point, it is revealed that one female character (now a grandmother) once assisted a pregnant teenager in obtaining an abortion...and then both that woman and multiple other characters remark upon what a terrible thing she did. I found that objectionable (not the abortion, but the condemnation of the grandma for helping). Caroline Lee's usually flawless narration falters during a few brief instances in which she reads lines spoken by a frantic mother whose baby has just been stolen in too relaxed a way, and there are even a few times when I swear you can hear her clearing her throat, swallowing, or taking a sip of water. But overall she's magnificent and the quality of the audio only improves as the story progresses.

7 of 9 people found this review helpful

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!

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

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.

0 of 2 people found this review helpful

mystery

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

0 of 2 people found this review helpful

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!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful