Ghostman

By: Roger Hobbs

Narrated by: Jake Weber

Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Stunningly dark, hugely intelligent and thoroughly addictive, Ghostman announces the arrival of an exciting and highly distinctive novelist.

When a casino robbery in Atlantic City goes horribly awry, the man who orchestrated it is obliged to call in a favor from someone who's occasionally called Jack. While it's doubtful that anyone knows his actual name or anything at all about his true identity, or even if he's still alive, he's in his mid-30s and lives completely off the grid, a criminal's criminal who does entirely as he pleases and is almost impossible to get in touch with. But within hours a private jet is flying this exceptionally experienced fixer and cleaner-upper from Seattle to New Jersey and right into a spectacular mess: one heister dead in the parking lot, another winged but on the run, the shooter a complete mystery, the $1.2 million in freshly printed bills god knows where and the FBI already waiting for Jack at the airport, to be joined shortly by other extremely interested and elusive parties. He has only 48 hours until the twice-stolen cash literally explodes, taking with it the wider, byzantine ambitions behind the theft. To contend with all this will require every gram of his skill, ingenuity and self-protective instincts, especially when offense and defense soon become meaningless terms. And as he maneuvers these exceedingly slippery slopes, he relives the botched bank robbery in Kuala Lumpur five years earlier that has now landed him this unwanted new assignment.

From its riveting opening, Ghostman effortlessly pulls the listener into Jack's refined and peculiar world - and the sophisticated shadowboxing grows ever more intense as he moves, hour by hour, toward a constantly reimprovised solution. With a quicksilver plot, gripping prose and masterly expertise, Roger Hobbs has given us a novel that will immediately place him in the company of our most esteemed crime writers.

©2013 Roger Hobbs (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Fast, hard and knowing: this is an amazing debut full of intrigue, tradecraft and suspense. Read it immediately!” (Lee Child)

“A slam-bang, pedal-to-the-metal crime story that fires on all cylinders and then some! Ghostman is a gritty, lean, mean adrenaline machine. Mostly, though, it was just plain fun to read. I absolutely loved this book and cannot recommend it highly enough.” (Christopher Reich)

“This watertight debut [is] at once slick and gritty… Straight out of the gate, Hobbs has mastered the essentials of a contemporary thriller: a noirlike tone, no-nonsense prose and a hero with just enough personality to ensure he doesn't come off as an amoral death machine [as well as] heart-stopping scenes that illustrate how small mistakes can turn catastrophic.” ( Kirkus, starred review)

Best mystery of the year

In a welcome change, the hero is the likeable criminal. Well written and well read.

Excellent book

Wasn't able to pull the headphones off!
Headed now to find pt 2, and finally meet his female counterpart!

I hope the Ghostman doesn't disappear

This is one that starts off slow, and you have to really pay attention, or you'll be lost. once I got into it, it developed into a page turner. I thought the story was good, but maybe a little on the corny side at times. it's worth a listen, in my opinion. I hope there is more of the Ghostman in the future.

Extraordinary Debut for Author and Narrator

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

What a great story by Roger Hobbs! What an amazing performance by narrator Jake Weber. I found myself completely mesmerized, nearly entranced by Weber's voice and cadence as the story wound its way through twists and turns, building out this life of a Ghostman for the listener. I knew the author was new but I hoped the narrator had other works available on Audible. Not yet. I’m looking forward to new works by both. Will the Ghostman become a series? Hard to tell and, based on the story line, I'm not sure we will know it if it happens. I really can’t wait for more by both!

Had to listen to it again

What a great audiobook. I hadn't read anything by Roger Hobbs before, but was eager to purchase and listen to this book because it was narrated by Jake Weber, one of my favorite actors. I wasn't disappointed. The story definitely kept my interest through the many twists and turns; I couldn't have guessed what was going to happen next. I grew to care for the protagonist and would read another book about the guy. Jake Weber did a most excellent job of narrating Ghostman. I hope Jake narrates more audiobooks!

Worth the listen!

Would you consider the audio edition of Ghostman to be better than the print version?

Did not read print version

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Interesting concept - not your run of the mill story.

Any additional comments?

Well worth it for a change of pace.

A brillant story, a career is born

I spend hours researching books: checking number of readers, readers reviews, listening to narrators, ratio of stars to numbers of readers ete.,etc. Sometime I don't find anything that appeals to me so I go to bed. However, Ghostman caught my attention. I've been looking for a modern mystery and it seemed to meet my criteria

I have been reading Alan Furst, Philip Kerr, John La Carre, Eric Ambler up through Brad Thor,
Vince Flynn, all the spy,espionage genera and I wanted something current. That's when I found "Ghost Man". and took a shot. Wow. What a surprise. A story and plot just what I was hungry for.

This is one terrific novel. performance, plot. originality. I really got lucky. Looking for more from this talented writer, Roger Hobbs , together with narrator Jake Weber. Check it out! It's the beginning of a brilliant career, and it's nice to get in on the first novel.

Great read!

This is a fun listen! Very captivating and suspenseful. I hope there is more to come.

story dragged at times

the story was okay, the concept was great but at times it felt like the story was dragging.

Gritty realism is unmatched, with fantastic elements

This reads like real crime. I love it. I had to go through a month of searches to find the name of this book I liked more than five years ago. It was worth it :)